{Real Parties} A Tea Shoppe Party with a Hint of Hello Kitty

One of my absolute favorite things to see is someone take a popular or conventional theme and give it their own twist. Bird Crafts did just that! She had been itching to create a party around Hello Kitty and here is her pink and red interpretation with a dash of aqua blue!

Hop on over to Bird Crafts to see more pictures from the photo shoot! Bird Crafts also has a wonderful Etsy store where she sells her creative party printables.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week!

{Inspiration} My July Fourth Table Setting

This weekend, I decided to put together a table setting to hopefully provide you with some inspiration for your own July Fourth celebration! The classic patriotic color scheme played a part, but I tried to give it a slight twist by using navy and white nautical stripes as well as use a royal blue and white vase as the focal point.

I used red and cream kitchen towels which I found at Ikea to give the look a more vintage vibe. The napkins were placed in inexpensive patriotic pails from Target's dollar section.

I love the trend of brining the inside out, so I used one of our book cases as the dessert and beverage area.

IZZE sparkling soda (in red of course!) was set out along with semi-homemade apple pie cupcakes and fresh fruit to snack on.

I love the preppy striped cupcake liners that I found at Michael's and decided to top off the cupcakes with miniature sparklers. I will post the apple pie cupcake recipe soon!

And now for a more kid friendly version...

All I did was swap out the glass plates for paper plates and set them on top of white scrapbook paper place mats where I wrote each guests name on in blue marker. You could even go a step further and use plastic cutlery and glasses instead depending on the children's ages.

Happy July Fourth everyone! I would love to see pictures of your celebrations!

Sources:

Navy and white fabric - Ikea

White tablecloth - Distinctive Details

Patriotic pails - Target (dollar section)

Cupcake liners, sparkler toppers, striped ribbon, scrapbook paper & paper plates - Michael's

Kitchen towel napkins & white bud vases - Ikea

Galvanized 3 tier server - Pottery Barn

{Real Parties} A Buzz Worthy Party

This adorable modern bumble bee birthday party is another gem created by the delightful Kelly Lyden of WH Hostess and The Party Dress! I love the updated bee color scheme and the mix of modern and traditional elements.

Aren't these custom fondant cookie toppers to die for?! They were created by Two Sugar Babies who I have used before and loved!

The centerpieces were the perfect addition to the dessert table and lent to the garden party feel. Kelly used milk glass vases from Ikea and topped them with dainty daisy pomander balls.

WH Hostess created ALL of the paper good such as the cupcake toppers above and the straw embellishments seen below.

The "juice bar" is such a good idea and not to mention refreshing on a hot summer day! The hostess offered guests a choice of orange, apple and cran-apple juice.

To go along with the picnic theme, guests took home mini picnic baskets (found in the dollar section at Michael's!) which were filled with candy as well as a tin of bubbles complete with a pipe cleaner wand!

Congratulations Kelly for having your party featured on Hostess With the Mostess today! You can see the write up here or visit The Party Dress for more party details.

Party Details:

* WH Hostess designed all of the paper goods which you can find here - invitation, banner, cupcake toppers, gift tags and bubble tins.

* Custom cookie toppers by Two Sugar Babies.

* The glass juice bottles and white footed bowls can be purchased through Open Sky.

{Real Parties} A Ladybug Soiree

WH Hostess and The Party Dress has done it again! Kelly put a modern twist on the classic ladybug theme by using grass green in place of the traditional black you often see.

Grass plant centerpieces were used throughout the party. I love the use of the centerpiece sticks created by WH Hostess.

A color-coordinated "bar" was set up with lime and blackberry Izze sodas as well as glasses with decorated straws for the parents and striped paper cups embellished with a ladybug sticker for the kids.

The dessert table was the main attraction. I love the green and white cabana striped cloth that was used! Custom candy jar labels and cupcake toppers completed the look of the table.

The favors were perfect and the girls adored them! Each girl received a ladybug bubble tin and a custom made bow handcrafted by Mel-Belles...who happens to be Melanie from Scout, A Mom's Guide to Stylish Living...a favorite blog of mine!

I hope you enjoyed this fresh take on a classic theme! Visit The Party Dress to read more party details!

A few party details you might be interested in...

* WH Hostess designed the adorable invitation along with the other precious paper goods - banner, centerpiece sticks, stickers, cupcake toppers, candy jar labels, favor label

* The red buckets which were used for the centerpieces were purchased at Ikea.

* All of the candy for the dessert table was bought online at Candy Warehouse, a great resource for bulk candy.

* The ladybug bubble tins were made by WH Hostess as well.

* Mel-Belles made the adorable bows.

{Real Parties} A Vintage Bridal Luncheon

I love everything about this vintage bridal luncheon. I think I'm most head over heels for the aprons used as chair covers...genius! Katie hosted this lovely luncheon for her dear friend and all of the bridesmaids on the wedding day.

Here is another picture of the apron chair back covers, which the girls took home as favors!

The door decor is precious! I love the use of the veil and twigs.

Oh how I love chalkboard menus. The menu itself sounds scrumptious!

A very pretty place setting.

Everyone loves a candy station. The trick is to come up with an original name for the area. Katie named her station "Ashley's Candy Stash" since the bride has a sweet tooth and seems to always have a stash of candy around her house.

Bags for all of the girls to fill to take with them to the wedding so that they could have their own stash...cute!

Katie created a special memory table with pictures of the bride and all of her friends.

All of the girls got ready together at the house. So, Katie set up a "Beauty Bar" in her dining room. She filled apothecary jars with wedding day essentials such as bobby pins, q-tips, nail polish, etc.

The cute girls wearing their aprons!

Be sure to visit Katie's blog to see MANY more pictures and party details! And be on the lookout! Katie is about to launch a new party planning blog as well as a boutique event planning company called Katie Grace Designs.

Also, you definitely want to check out the INCREDIBLE Woodland's first birthday party she planned for her son!

A few party details you might be interested in...

* The aprons and cream chargers came from Pier One.

*The birdcages were found at "Oops" in Fayettville.

* Katie used her Cricut to make the Candy Stash banner as well as a few other things.

* The frames on the memory table were purchased from Riff Raff and Michael's.

Real Parties: An Easter Egg Hunt!

I'm looking forward to a fun filled Easter weekend with my family and close friends! I love this time of year! The weather has been beautiful, so hopefully it will stay that way for all of the egg hunts we are going to.

If you are in need of a few last minute ideas for your Easter party, here is an egg hunt put on by Sheek Shindigs. The snack table is dainty and pretty and I think the "fruit flowers" are precious! The kids hunted for eggs, decorated cookies, dyed eggs and played a lot!

Be sure to HOP on over to Sheek Shindigs to see more pictures from the party!

Happy Easter!!!