{Real Parties} It's a Snow Day!

It's rainy and cold here in Houston, so when this party landed in my inbox, I knew I had to share it with you right away! Cari from Socially Circled designed an adorable Snow Day party for a lucky birthday boy named Alex.

The invitations and other paper goods were designed by The Purple Pug. Don't you love the glittery red mittens?! The welcome centerpiece is precious too!

Cari created two of her signature TableTop Drops for the party. On the dessert table were treats all in white from rice krispy "snow" balls to powdered donuts and peppermint bark.

The dessert table also had kandy kones designed by Genevieve of Celebrate Today and Posh Party Pretties. I am a huge fan of Genevieve's kandy kones!

A Hot Chocolate Bar was present as well which included many delicious add-in's such as white chocolate shavings, crushed peppermint and whipped cream.

Snow Punch was also served and you can find the yummy recipe on Cari's blog!

The kids played a fun "Snow Ball Toss" game...

...and decorated ornaments and made marshmallow snowmen on sticks!

Guests left the Snow Day with a bag filled with snow themed treats!

Thank you Cari for sending this party my way! It is a perfect theme for any children's party right now whether it be a birthday, playdate or school party! You can learn more about the party here!

{Real Parties} LumberJack & Jill Couple's Shower

I truly L.O.V.E everything about this shower!! Trish of Frilly Milly Events executed the party beautifully and managed to give the couple's shower a masculine and feminine feel by incorporating lots of plaid and wildflowers. If you notice, the table is not full of desserts like you would expect. It's the food table and it contains the cutest spread of BBQ I have ever seen!

Instead of gifts, the happy couple asked their friends to donate to an orphanage. Trish set up a "Giving Tree" for the donation area.

And this could be the cutest photo booth I have ever seen! The props are fantastic!

Did you notice the favor bags too? Trish filled little brown bags with all of the ingredients to make s'mores and sealed them with a label that read "s'more love" and then the couple's wedding date. Adorable!

To see more fun photos from this engagement party, be sure to visit Frilly Milly Events. Thanks so much Trish for sharing this party with us! Trish is clearly a talented event planner, so I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

It's a Wonderful Life: The Party!

Conrad's first birthday celebration was a little over a week ago and I am so excited to share the photos with you!

The color scheme came from our Christmas tree and other seasonal decor around the house...gold, copper & ivory.

We often call Conrad, "C", so when we were designing the invitation, I wanted to use the initial instead of his full monogram. The "C" was present throughout many party elements. I was very tempted to have my favorite florist make a "C" wreath that matched the exact font, but instead of paying $300, I decided to give it a shot myself. It turned out okay.

On the kids tables, I set out gift centerpieces instead of using vases because inevitably, they would be knocked down by one of the little ones (probably my 2 year old!).

Jingle bell wreath ornaments served as favors which helped tie in the theme of the party.

Cinnamon hot chocolate...so yummy!

We had a make-your-own parfait station along with other breakfast goodies.

One of the party activities was a pull string pinata that matched the color scheme as well.

Face first!

The three of us...Nicklaus would not stand still long enough to join us!

All photography by Angela from Bella Smile.

A few party details you might be interested in:

* Invitation, favor sign, hot chocolate sign, napkins & cup stickers were all designed by my talented friend Hayley Hardcastle.

* Tiered cake & smash cake from Ooh La La.

* Custom bib designed by another talented friend, Amanda Skelton Yocum. Find her Etsy store here!

* The pinata came from Birchangel Pinatas through Etsy. Joylyn was so great to work with! She customized the pinata with the party colors and even took my order at the last minute.

* Linens were from Distinctive Details here in Houston and the table and chairs came from another Houston firm, A Finer Event.

* Caspari wrapping paper found at The Container Store.

* Apothecary jars came from Pottery Barn.

It's a Wonderful Life: The Invitation

I am thrilled with how the invitation turned out! My friend Hayley created yet another amazing invitation for me...thank you Hayley! I had tears in my eyes when I saw the final copy.

The invitation is an accordion card and the first picture you see is Conrad's silhouette. The inside features a few of my favorite pictures along with quotes from It's a Wonderful Life. The back of the card contains a collage of pictures throughout his first year and more quotes from the movie.

I have been dying to send out a boxed invitation, so I thought this was the perfect celebration to do so! The invitation sat on top of "snow" and bells ("everytime a bell rings an angel gets its wings") were tied around the card.

Conrad's First Birthday: It's a Wonderful Life

I cannot believe that my baby boy will be turning 1 in just a few weeks! Time has FLOWN by. Sometimes I wish I could freeze time, so he will always be itty bitty. But on the other hand, I'm so excited for him to reach this milestone.

I thought long and hard about what "theme" I wanted to go with to help celebrate this special boy. I love that he is a December baby which means his birthday is during my absolute favorite time of year! It's a Wonderful Life is one of my favorite movies and I watch it year round, not just during Christmas. It always takes me to a happy place and makes me feel warm and cozy.

When I was thinking about the movie a few months ago, the idea of planning his party around the film popped into my head. It's been a special year and so many wonderful things have happened...It's a Wonderful Life.

Lots of party details to come!

Photography by Candid Chic

ADORABLE!

Pure cuteness right here! I am head over heels for this carnation snowman I spotted over at Style Me Pretty.

This would be the perfect centerpiece at your winter celebration! To recreate the snowman, all you need to buy is a bunch of white carnations, 3 different sizes of Oasis floral foam spheres, and a doll hat and scarf set. Then, just dig in your catch all drawer for a few buttons, use a carrot for the nose and two twigs for the arms. Precious!