3rd Birthday Party :: Donut Thief Theme

Well, hello! It’s been awhile, huh? I still have SO many other parties to blog about from this fall… a cute cowboy shindig, a girly dino party, and a few other get-togethers but  I guess this whole “3 kid” thing takes a little more time than I thought! Ha! Anyway… today I present to you my son’s 3rd birthday party! The theme? Donut Thief. I was actually really excited about this theme since I saw a cool graphic for a thief at a restaurant in Boston about 4 years ago and I knew it would be perfect for the party. Along with the invite, we sent a donut that said “Have you seen me?” on the back and a robber mask. The goal of the party was to solve the mysterious caper of the disappearing donuts. It was a strange theme to work with but ended up being really fun to crank on. I should mention that both of my boys are obsessed with thieves. The reason? My sister had them at the beach when I was in the hospital having my daughter and her car was broken into. A policeman came and met them at the car and I think that they were entralled. From that point on, they cannot stop talking about thieves! Obsessed, I tell you!
So when asking him what kind of party he wanted this year, he said: “A thief birthday. And sprinkle donuts.” Okay. So onto the party… Crime scene tape, chains, gold bars, and money bags, along with a red flashing light took over the mantle. Crafty Jan helped gussy up the door sign, of course! Here’s an overview of the living room. I was hellbent on making a jail. I honestly went to Lowe’s 4 times before I finally pulled the trigger and just did it. I was trying to “keep it simple” and not go overboard so I would go in, get all the PVC pipes, decide against it, then leave. Finally I knew I wouldn’t be able to deal if I didn’t make the jail so I did it. It was actually a really fun project! I now am the proud owner of a pipe cutter if anyone around town is in need. The kids all had fun putting each other in “The Slammer” and by the end of the night it turned into a GoGo dancing cage so it was sooo worth building! Donuts were hung above the windows:
And you know me and food… Not my strong suit. For the kids, we had a “Parolee Pizza Parlor” and veggies. The police guarded the table quite nicely for us.For the adults, we made “Crimefighter Chili”      And since all he wanted were donuts on his birthday, that’s all he got! 100 donuts to be exact! And ALL of them were eaten! That should tell you the level of craziness at the party. The “Bandit Bar” was fully stocked of course! (I think the adults may have had more fun than the kiddos!)  And as favors we gave handcuffs and robber masks that they could take right away to play with. Mugshot time! Um… how hilarious are my parents? A policeman and a jailbird! Love these crazies! The grandpas guarded the birthday boy! “You look so good it’s criminal”… something positive for the bathroom. Who doesn’t like a compliment?Onto the games! Using leftover PVC pipe, I made a frame so that we could play the Donut Chomp game. We tied them up about an hour or so before the party and then put them in bags to keep the birds away. Well… if you leave a donut hanging for an hour or so, it will fall of the string. I guess this is one of those last minute prep things. By the time the party started, about half of these donuts were on the ground… This is what I like to call: “Let’s all get the flu!” Because most of the donuts were falling, we played this game super early, before most of the kids got there. It was a hit! 
When most of the kids had arrived, we decided it was time to catch that pesky Donut Thief.
I nerded out and told the kids that in order to find the thief, we had to do the “Criminal Claps” which is where they followed my clapping patterns, the “Robber Run” which is where we would run slow, then fast, then slow. Then we had to do the “Swindler Shimmy” which was super cute to see 3-5 year olds shimmy! And finally we had to do the “Hooligan Hoedown” which is where Nicki Minaj took over for me and we all dance to “Starships.” After that, my husband peeked out from the side yard decked out at a thief with a donut box and all the kids had to grab him and put him in the slammer!I have to say, I was stoked when this part was over! If only I could have hired a thief impersonator to entertain the kids! Ha! I don’t think I have a future with the Wiggles!My huz made quite the cute thief though! I also set up a craft… which I have to admit, I did not have high hopes that anyone would do based on other parties we’ve thrown, but I was surprised! All the kids dove right in! We did “Thumbprint Art” and I just made up sheets to give them some ideas of what they could create. I wish I took a photo of the end products! There were so many cute pieces of art. And finally, we set up an outdoor movie on a sheet in hopes that at least SOME of the kids would chill! They did! I wish I took photos of all of them cuddled up but I honestly didn’t know where my camera was most of the night and I was having too much fun to care. The movie? Robin Hood of course! Only the best kid’s thief movie ever! And if you didn’t catch it before… yes we dorked out and all dressed like thieves. One day this family of mine will revolt! I just know it! Until then… we’re a big bunch of party lunatics. This sweet boy of mine had a great night… which is all that really matters. I just loved the theme he chose. And I have to say, parties are only as fun as the people who come to them and we are truly blessed with the people who come to ours. Super grateful for our amazing friends and family.  The last detail? I snuck out and put “Partying Violations” on everyone’s car before they left the party. Apparently it almost gave a few people heart attacks at first, but I think it was pretty funny!
Wiley is 3! The party is done! And this mama’s got her house back after having it decorated for something or another since October! Whoo! Happy New Year everyone! Hope to write more posts soon!

Baby Shower :: Cover Girl Theme

Calling all cover girls! My beautiful and chic friend Susannah is expecting a daughter soon and I was so excited to a part of the planning! Since she lives in Arizona, we took the party on the road and had help from many people who already love this little baby so much!Sus had chosen some really fun Barbie prints for the nursery so we riffed off those and tied in a “cover girl” theme. The nursery is going to be grey and lavender so the colors were a no-brainer… just added a splash of cream.We used tissue fans and made garland out of doilies to kind of keep it on the shabby chic side of the spectrum.Susannah’s amazingly talented sister-in-law Alicia was a godsend when it came to planning since she also lives in Arizona and is a craft goddess. She refinished an old wooden highchair and table to make into the dessert bar. Totally unreal right? Oh and that wreath? Yeah. She made that too! So so cute! When she starts a party planning biz, I will be the first to give her a shout out! She was a dream to work with!I really wanted to put the tissue fans all over the wood but in a test, we noticed that the glue dots were probably going to ruin the cabinets. Had I been there a day earlier, I probably would have figured out a way to do it but I think it still looked cute. One of the things that came “on the road” with me was my grandma’s vintage Dior suitcase. I thought it would be a perfect prop for the shower. We used it as a water bottle holder and it did the trick!Dried lavender, a vanity mirror and pearls dressed up the mimosa bar as well.Outside we set up simple table with Serena & Lily fabric I found for $8 a yard instead of $50! Deal! We put white roses into lacey Ikea vases and called it a day. We were going to add makeup and pearls but took it all away. Sometimes simplicity is key. (Did I just say that?! Ha!) Less was definitely more in this instance.We also used her nursery art to dress up the outdoor fireplace.Back inside we did two activites.   One was the “Wishes for Baby” and the other was where we asked Sus’ husband Brent questions and Sus had to guess what he may have answered. It was such a hit because Brent is such a funny and heartfelt guy. The answers were hilarious!Alicia was the go-to-girl for all the dessert items and she knocked it out of the park! From the cake stands to the mannequin bust, the entire (refinished!!!) table looked adorable. The showstopper? That cake!If you’re in the Phoenix area, Amanda from The Cake Baketress will blow your everloving mind! Alicia showed her the invite and talked a little about what we envisioned and poof! What we got was perfection! Simply adorable and I felt so bad to it sliced up.Oh yeah… I forgot! We actually ate too! One of Sus’ favorite places is Postino Wine Cafe so she got them to cater with a Bruchetta Bar. Perfect and amazing food.It was such a wonderful day for an even more wonderful person. We couldn’t get enough of her teeny tiny bump!Sus provided the favors for everyone which were Essie nail polishes. Very Cover Girl, don’t you think?Such a fun first party to throw “on the road!” And so thankful for all the in-state help! We love this little baby cover girl so much already!

60th Birthday Bash :: Garden Party! Flowers & Stripes!

 

Well, hello! I’m popping back into my blog to finally share my mom’s 60th birthday bash we put on last month.The invites set the tone. We were so stumped on a theme for awhile and then it became blindingly clear. She is SUCH a flower girl. Her first job was as a florist, she always has fresh cuts in her house, and the flowers in her garden seem so happy to grow just for her. Keeping things on the bold side, we paired bright Mary Englebreit inspired flowers with black and white stripes with flashes of green.Here’s the overview of the backyard. I was convinced that we needed to place big banners up all over the backyard. We ended with a “Jan is 60″ sign that you could walk under. It was pretty cool but was such a Lucy/Ethel moment when my mom and I tried to set it up. (Standard!) We knew we wanted the dance floor black and white… and we’d seen them checkered before… but we made it striped instead to keep with the vibe. We printed 12×12” flowers and put them on big green dowels to place throughout the garden. The Kalama Brothers jammed for us and, as always, were fabulous.The big flowers, stripes, and black banner were repeated throughout the party.On the mantle as well as on the invites, we used a quote from Emerson: “Earth Laughs In Flowers.” We thought it was fitting for my mom and this party… since if there are two things that are SO my mom, it’s laughter and flowers.My mom also has the tastebuds of a 5 year old boy. We had the menu reflect that and had gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, donuts, and cupcakes (among other more normal food!). The first station that greeted you was the dessert table. Eat Dessert First why don’t you?The little flowers on the table are actually cookies my mom made and put on dowels covered with black and white straws so they would look like they were growing.We actually had these as favors for everyone as well but FORGOT TO PUT THEM OUT! What a dingbat! That was my job and I totally forgot about it! Oh well!Flowers grew at the front of the house too!More signage…We even brought my couch over to the party since it’s black and white! (See if up there in the top right corner? That was the loungy area.)The centerpieces were made with flowers pulled straight from the garden among other potted plants and surrounded by picket fences. All my mom’s doing.Black and white fabric from Ikea was sewn by Crafty Jan into tablecloths and we added to the black and white stripe thing with an umbrella, a water tent, the dance floor and the couch.It was a fabulous party for the most fabulous mom ever! Love our Crafty Jan!Photography: Stephanie Anderson Photography (and a couple iPhone photos from my Aunt Chris! Ha!)
Caterer & Rentals: Thank Goodness It’s Sofia
Music: Kalama Brothers
Cupcakes: It’s All About The Cake
Styling… Crafty Jan & Me

Another Party Girl Arrives!

She was a little late to the party called “the planet” but she’s here and she’s fabulous and we’re in Heaven! We welcomed our daughter Noë (rhymes with Joey) on August 2nd which just so happened to be Crafty Jan’s 60th birthday! I think that there’s just a little bit of party DNA running through this girl’s blood with a birth date like that!
We are positively having a blast with her and though everything is going great, I’m going to take a little more time off from the shop and blog to love up this family of mine before the boys go off to preschool. Please forgive me if I haven’t gotten back to your comments, emails, or Etsy conversations. It’s slow going but I will get to them in the next few weeks (that is, if you have a little time to wait on my responses.)
In the meantime, check out my übertalented friend’s Steph Anderson’s photography site she finally launched! Click here to check it out. I’ve been begging her to do this for a million years, I swear! She’s amazing! Noë’s newborn photoshoot is on the site and if you’re in Southern California, I would book her immediately. She’s going to be a busy, busy photographing bee I think! Get on her schedule for your Christmas cards, for maternity photos, family snaps, or a newborn shoot like we did. She will blow you away!
Anyway, expect to see a little more pink on this blog in the future! Girls are sooooooo fun!

Invitation :: Ombre Beach Party Theme

I positively love working with my talented friend Steph on parties for her kiddos. Remember the ridiculously adorable Olivia The Pig party from last year? Yeah… she’s pretty good at throwing parties!This year she conceptualized an “Ombre Beach Party” as a joint party for her daughter and son. I loved the idea and love being a part of her creative process so I was onboard for the printables. Pink faded into blue to honor both genders. She always comes up with a way to make her parties perfect for both and girls. That’s not easy to do, but she sure makes it look like it is.Since they were inviting friends from all over SoCal, she wanted to include a map to the beach they were celebrating on. Here’s what was on the back of the invite.I’m excited to share the actual party photos once she gets them back. Unfortunately I had to miss the party first-hand so I am just as excited to see what she did as you are! Here’s a sneak peak of their beach bash!

Baby Shower :: Russian Nesting Doll Theme

Today I am sharing a really special baby shower with you! I think it might be the most darling thing you’ll ever lay eyes on… but I may be a bit biased. This is the “sprinkle” my mom, sister, and sis-in-law threw for ME! I was in shock and overwhelmed from the minute I opened up the invitation my mom made. (Ugh! Forgot to take pics of that but will get to it one day!) Also note that THIS WAS ALL THEM! Again, I had nothing to do with throwing this party… which was especially cool because I just got to show up, get spoiled, and have the best time ever with all of my local girlfriends. If you follow along, you’ll know that I have two young boys already, so to be surrounded by so much pink is a total thrill for me! When I walked up to the house, I knew I was in for a beautiful evening.Probably my favorite thing they did was create beautiful paper chains with a kick! How much do you love the detail on the pink paper? They turned the booth area into a little lounge and it just looked beyond darling. My mom covered the cushions and curtains with the same fabric I am using in my little lady’s nursery. They also kept with the navy blue & pink color scheme throughout.Steal this idea! It’s so dang cute! She has a craft punch that made that design in the pink paper. Talk about time consuming! Using all the blue & white ceramic pieces my mom has collected, they went heavy on pink hydrangeas and really went with a lush, layered, über-textured look throughout. I positively LOVED it!Everything was beyond adorable!Nesting dolls (or Matryoshka dolls) were placed throughout the house which now are living among the flamingos in my daughter-t0-be’s nursery. As you know by now, many of my close friends and family call me “Cakes” so they made the party for “Baby Cakes.” So so fun! My mom made that beautiful quilt and both darling pillows above for her newest granddaughter. I am obsessed.And here are the other lovely hostesses! Love these ladies!The mantle was filled with pretty presents for the little miss to wear. I cannot get over the adorableness of girly stuff!For favors, my mom made each guest a ‘babushka’ scarf thing for their hair. It was so cute to see everyone wearing them! And look how they displayed them… I thought they were pennant banners at first. Such a unique idea for a favor. Loved it!Everything foodwise was super cute!They even had a cotton candy machine – but of course we never took photos of the actual cotton candy! Oh well! It was darling… and I guess people gobbled it up before we could snap photos.My mom even tracked down my silver baby cup so she got to come to the party as well!Remember when I threw this party in that enormous power outage last year? Well, guess what? I must have that electric touch because an hour after the party began, the power went out for the rest of the night! Never fear! My mom has enough candles to light the entire state of California so the party continued through the dark! Totally hilarious! It was probably the only day in July that it’s rained in many, many years. That being said, it was still super hot and muggy. Super weird weather! But everyone kept saying how fitting it was that it “Sprinkled on my sprinkle!” True that!I cannot believe how lucky I am to have a shower like this thrown in my honor. I was truly overwhelmed by all the love surrounding my baby girl that night… so much so that I couldn’t sleep because I was so grateful. It makes me glad to know that this little lady will have so many wonderful women in her life to guide her and love her. What a stunning, fun, and wonderful night. I’m still welling up just thinking about it.

2nd Birthday Party :: Pirate Theme

Before I get going on this post, please note that I HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH ANY OF IT! I am going to include all I know about the party, but won’t be able to tell you much else if you have additional questions. That being said, I simply had to share how friggin’ adorable this party for my nephew Nolan and his cousin Matthew was! These little boys turned into birthday pirates for the day and their moms – my sis-in-law Kelly and her sister Kristy, put on such a totally darling bash for them. Starting with dessert first, how cute are these cupcakes? They got them and personalized birthday cakes from French’s Bakery in Costa Mesa and topped them with toppers from Top It Cakes & Cupcakes. So dang darling, don’t you think?My absolute favorite part of the party was that they turned the table into a pirate ship. Kelly & Kristy’s parents saw the idea on pinterest and whipped up the COOLEST table topper ever! I love how they used a plastic plant container as the look-out on the mast. So rad.Another darling touch? They built a hill on the beach in front of the house and put a huge pirate flag in it. The kids went bananas for it. What a fun, simple, and totally entertaining activity for the little ones.They also buried a kiddie pool into the sand so that the kids didn’t even need to climb over the sides. So cool!Unfortunately, I can’t find the invite right now to take a photo of how darling they were but Kristy’s designer friend, Christina Merry, did all of the paper items and stickers. They were BEYOND darling. They bought the paper goods, flags, and party favors at Target or Amazon.com. So many fun pirate things!They made individually packaged lunches for “Captains” (adults) and “First Mates” (kids). So cute and so easy to eat wherever you happened to land.The pirate props were a HUGE hit! My boys still talk about being “Captain Hook!” And the favors were banana-boats! Kristy works at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and was able to gift all the kids the most amazing hardcover pirate books! I was floored! (Especially since I give dollar store favors at our parties! Ha!)As always, I wish I took more photos, but when you’re chasing rugrats around a beach and every day I get closer to meeting my daughter, I feel slower and slower, the camera gets pushed aside! It was such a darling party! Argh!

Baby Announcement :: World Theme

My little nephew debuted his sweet self in early June and here are the announcements I whipped up for the wee one!You may remember the worldly shower we threw my sister in May. When asking Ellie what she wanted on the announcement, she mentioned Louis Armstrong’s song lyric “and I think to myself, what a wonderful world.” I adored that concept and especially love the fact that everything surrounding this little guy is world-related. He may grow up to be a world traveler!The back of the announcement had all of his stats – along with a beautiful photo taken by a budding photographer friend of ours, Stephanie Anderson. (As soon as she launches her business officially, I will give you all the details! She’s insane!)Sweet, simple, and really fun to work on. Welcome to the world sweet boy!

Rehearsal Dinner Invitation :: Italy Meets England

Here’s an invitation I put together for a rehearsal dinner. She’s got Italian roots. He’s grew up in England. They were planning on taking a double decker bus to an Italian restaurant for the rehearsal dinner. It was a fun one to work on.The back of the invite was covered in Italian flags and Union Jacks. Fun.

Birthday Decor :: Floating Gold Stars & Checkered Banner

I can’t believe I forgot to post this and I can’t believe that these are the only horrible photos I have, but hopefully you can visualize how cute this really was. Anyway, back at the end of May, I turned 33. I truly wanted to do absolutely nothing for it. I scheduled a baby appointment that day and my mom watched the boys. When I got home, I was surprised with a huge floating banner made out of thick wrapping paper and floating gold seals all over my dining room. Isn’t that a fun way to walk into a room? I loved it so much I kept it up until everything started to fall on it’s own. I have no idea why I didn’t take a full photo of the entire room, but here are the gold stars that were floating! She used those gold diploma seals and put them on fishing line. It honestly felt like magic. Totally copyable! (She said she saw this idea on a blog somewhere but can’t remember where… we’re not trying to steal credit here!)Anyway, a super cute idea and I especially love the surprise element of it all! I would love to do something like this to someone’s front door on their birthday. What a fun way to feel special.