Holy Lollipops!

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Have you guys seen this!!!! I'm such a fan of Jonathan Adler. I was just working on my Christmas list, of what I want people to buy for me and I came across the fanciest lollipop holder I have ever seen!! I don't think I eat enough lollipops to justify the $98 but if one of my parties just happened to be peacock themed I may just have to have it. Because it would be too perfect. I wonder if I can talk my four year old out of the super hero party he wants...

Sharon

Potter and Butler is here!!!

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Thanks a lot, Emily. I desperately need to go get in the shower so I can finish packing and catch a plane and now, here I sit writing a new, unscheduled post. Emily of Hello!Self,

has been teasing a new celebration decor company and I have patiently waited. Its finally here!!! Introducing Potter and Butler.
The colors she uses are a delightful change to some of the more subdued stuff out there right now. They are all handmade and use lovely fabrics.
Look how elegant and simple this looks on the plate and ads an amazing pop of color.
Sure we've seen poms, but there is something about these that makes them dainty yet powerful.
Gorgeous!! You could forgo florals all together and just use poms.
LOVE! You've got to check out the rest of her stuff on Etsy. So great! Congrats, Emily on a site well done. And Potter and Butler is on twitter too!

Sharon

All images via Potter and Butler

Rustic without the splinters

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As some of you may know, I have been working on a project (check back early Friday morning for details!!!). This project had several "rustic" elements to it. When I hear rustic, I usually think things like rough, uncomfortable, dirty, and not very chic. But as I sat relaxing this weekend, reading my Food and Wine Magazine, this party stopped me in my tracks. Put on by Silkstone, an event company based in NY, this party is the epitome of rustic chic. Those plexi cubes! What a brilliant idea! Look how unsplintery that old wood crate looks in there. And the empty wine bottles. So cool.
Next stop...tabletop. This quick, handmade table is so simple but stunningly beautiful at the same time. Nary a cocktail napkin or other decorative serving piece on the table, the herbs steal the show.
Every element shown, and by George I wish there had been more!, was perfect. And you know I love a do it yourself cocktail bar.
The party was a take on a crush party from the world of wine. Here, instead of having guests get their feet all mucked up, you were invited to use your hands. I hadn't heard of Silkstone before but this makes me want to see what else they have been up to. And the cool thing about reading the article in Food and Wine online is they have purchase suggestions in case you want to "borrow" the look at home. While the plexi glass cubes they recommend were rather pricey, I'm sure some of the diy-ers out there can come up with a much more economical option.

Sharon

All photos from Food and Wine Magazine by Michael Turek

******My photo shoot will be up Friday AM. Check back here for the link!

One man's trash is another man's party

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Have you seen this stuff by Cardboard Design?!!!!!! I love the idea of cardboard furniture. It's recycling, it's natural, it's casual (but cleans up nice). But did you have any idea that they could make ALL this stuff with it? Just amazing. This stuff is a bit more pricey then I would usually spend on a party but I could certainly buy a few vases (they hold water!) and still be able to buy milk (ok, who am I kidding, Starbucks). But I absolutely adore the wish wall. Red Envelope had a version but I love how this company has taken cardboard, which is usually discarded and turned it in to a keepsake. And not just a keepsake, but one that can be visually interesting displayed on your wall. They have a bunch of products they make from various styles of tables and chairs, toys - I've posted about their lemonade stand before and didn't even know it was theirs - to coasters and votive holders . Check out their website to see what they are capable of. But FOR SURE go to their events section to see some amazing set ups using their products. I just hope it doesn't smell stinky like some cardboard can. Cardboard Designs meet my friend, perfume bubbles...

S-

All photos via Cardboard Design

My cupcake dreams have been answered

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I came across this blog called The Cupcake Activist recently. This is a girl after my own heart. To say she enjoys cupcakes would probably be an understatement. If you look at her blog, you will see that she has visited a ton of shops and taken the time to review a bunch of them for you. I have not gotten through all her reviews as of yet, but it will certainly help me map out a birthday cupcake crawl (similar to a bar crawl but we'll still be able to drive).

She is holding a giveaway for The Cupcake Tower, of which I had never seen before. It is awesome. I am in love with it and want one. I'm not going to lie, I get more points in the giveaway if I blog about it. But I also wanted to make sure that all of you knew about this stand. There are four sizes to choose from and different ribbon kits to finish off the stand. Prices range from $34 to $160 and these stands will last for years to come. My dad created the cupcake stand for my wedding in 2003 and we had little to go from at the time. If only I had had the foresight to utilitze his amazing woodworking skills we would have been left with an heirloom instead of the styrophoam monster that was finally laid to rest after it's 4th move with us. Check out their gallery to see all kinds of inspiring ideas. And be sure to read The Cupcake Activist, not only for the giveaways and reviews, but for the yummy recipes she posts as well!!!!!

S-

Photos via The Cupcake Tower

Like a moth to a flame

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Have I mentioned that I HATE fire? I could never take up smoking with all the cool kids because I refused, on account of my irrational fear of losing my whole hand, to light a lighter. I don't bbq because I want to keep my eyebrows and I don't light candles because I have secretly always wanted to be a hand model and scars would greatly diminish that chance. It is safe to say, most of my parties have been free from the soft glow of a causally, yet artfully arranged candle cluster. One thing that I have always wanted at a party is luminaries. But in my head they are totally unsafe. Never mind the fact that people have been using them for years with no major catastrophes. I can't use them. I can't get over the fact that the paper towers over the open flame, almost tauntingly. How does it not catch on fire??!!!?? I'm sure that you use a tall clyindar vase to house the candle, but that's not what you want your guests to see as they walk buy. You want them to see the flickering glow. But now, I have finally found something that will fulfill my luminarie fantasies. These Recycled Paper Votive Cups would totally do the trick. You simply slip these over a 2" glass votive holder with candle inside and they provide instant interest to your table, bathroom, anywhere your guests may glance. I even picture these lined up in an entryway. They are 4" high which I feel comfortable with in case it did catch fire and I had to stomp one out and save everyone at the party. They come in three colors: white, black or crimson. And in three styles: butterfly, honeycomb or leaves. I am in LOVE with the black honeycomb version. They come in a pack of 4 for about $15.00 (available at Delight.com and Publiqueliving.com. These are reusable and can be used in conjunction with so many different party themes. And guess who made these? The imaginative guy behind the pop up placemats. Awesome. At last I have another unique item to set my party apart from the masses. A candle decoration that my inner safety monitor is okay with. Don't even get me started on sparklers.

S-

(photos via publiqueliving.com)

It's a wrap

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I aspire to make beautiful cakes. In my head I see myself baking the most tasty, moist layer cakes that are tiered and iced in a simple, yet elegant manner. Maybe some sugar flowers, maybe some ribbon. In my head they are always exquisite and take about 5 minutes. In reality, I am not a natural baker. What I mean by "natural" is that I have no baking common sense. It doesn't come easy to me and although I try to follow recipes exactly as they are written, I think my brain has a filter that blocks out the most important steps and keeps me from seeing them until after I have already done something incorrectly. Which is generally why I forgo scratch baking and use boxed mixes. Those are nearly impossible for me to screw up. But there really isn't a shortcut or anything easy about the decorating part of cakes. Sure you can use frosting from a jar, but even spreading that on to a cake is sometimes nerve wracking. How do I get it smooth? Where are all these crumbs coming from? Where is my off set spatula? What is an off set spatula? But once the initial frosting is on the cake, how do you make it special? There are plenty of cakes to look at on Martha Stewart but let me be frank for a moment. I feel like those cakes can only be made by actual artists. Or food stylists. I mean, half of those cakes probably use playdough instead of icing just to photograph well (ok, probably not, but it helps me to think that they are). So when I saw these Edible Cake Wraps I just about screamed for joy. The instructions seem simple enough, simply ice your cake and then take the decoration out of its protective bag and lay it on the cake. Lightly smooth with your hands and let the decorations sit for 15 to 20 minutes before peeling off the backing. The moisture in the frosting helps to transfer the image and the finished product will look slightly airbrushed. Each package comes with three strips of the design and costs around $10.29. They also have kits for tiered cakes that are coordinating colors and patterns and cost a little more at $18.95 and up. I haven't seen these in stores before but they can be bought online at The Party Works. I can't wait to try these!!!! They have some really cool, modern designs as well as traditional patterns. Has anyone ever used these? I'd love to know if they are really as easy to use as they say to save me from crying any more kitchen tears.

S-

Naked cupcakes no more!

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Some of us plan really detailed parties with elaborate themes, crazy decor and ponies. Some of us like a more modern, simple, sophisticated party. I just found this amazing Etsy site, Bug & Boo - "where cupcakes don't go topless," that will work for both. These custom cupcake toppers are my new favorite party product. I can't wait to use them!!!! Photography is one of those ways to really personalize a party. And this company takes it to a whole new level. At first glance, one might say, "I could make those photo cupcake toppers. No problem." BeeYatch, please. Look again. The perfect edges of the photos, the extra touch of party hat and glitter, the special wooden pick. You can't step to this. They offer many different options from close up photos to full body shots, with custom color party hat, pirate hat or crown, all photo toppers or a mix with photos and monogram picks. Take the time to look through all their products. You will get so many ideas. Check out the Teacher's Pet set! Don't see something that you like? Contact them. They can absolutely work with you to find something that will work. These are something that will leave your guests talking about your party for sure. Adding a custom hat is just another way to continue a theme through all aspects of your party. But just using a photo topper with a monochromatic color scheme could be just the thing to keep things simple and lovely. And the prices are FANTASTIC for all the work these take to make. Aside from the photo cupcake toppers, they also do photo favor bags, etc. S - I am planning a baby shower and a photo is not yet available, are there any options for me? Of course!! They have the cutest giraffe picks and other cute characters that would work perfectly. S - My dad is turning 99, giraffe's kinda aren't his thing. Check out these great numbers to use as a cake topper. Etsy never disappoints but I am in LOVE with Bug & Boo. I can't believe that I don't have another kids party to plan until December!!!!!! I'll have to find a use for these before then. I've known my husband since junior high. I am sure I can come up with some really great photos for his birthday...

S-

via My Right Brain

A killer idea...that is cereal

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(photo above is not from The Crispery)




Months after I got married, all the cool products that I had so craved started showing up in the magazines. We just finished O's rock and roll party and now Oriental Trading Company has a ton of cool boy rock and roll party stuff. Why does this keep happening to me? I am probably just unlucky, but I am just going to pretend that I am ahead of the curve, cool-wise. His party turned out great (more detail posts forthcoming) but there was one thing that I learned that I will NEVER do again - the rice krispy treat cake. I didn't want an average birthday cake. Partly on account of his food allergies (I wanted everything to be allergy friendly for his sake but also taste good for the guests, which is sometimes very difficult...) and also, because I like doing things a bit different. For O's first birthday, my friend T and I came up with the tiered rice krispy cake (okay, it's not like we invented it or anything, there are several samples on line). And while it sounds like a great idea, one that shouldn't be too difficult, it sucks to make. Sure you could make it a bit easier then we did, but party people like us have a finished product in mind and won't cut corners just to make it easier. It seems like you should be able to make a batch as the base, another batch cut to fit on top, etc. But no (and I'm not going to lie, when T was telling me how difficult it was I thought she was making it harder then it needed to be. Now, I totally believe her, sorry T!) In order to make it look neat, and similar to a real cake each layer has to be 2 batches. T even bought special square pans. Then when you figure out how many guests you are trying to feed, you think "F that!" I think my final total was 8 batches for the "cake" pictured above. And then I had my mother in law make 3 regular batches to feed the rest of the guests. My arms were sore for days from stirring the gooey mess. I ruined my cute little wooden ruler as I was meticulously measuring the layers. So wouldn't you know it, I was going through my zillions of unread emails the other day and came across The Crispery. I am a krispy treat lover and these concoctions are begging me to try them. Crispy S'more, Chocolate Caramel, Chocolate Cookie - come on!!!! Not only do they sound super tasty, but they look stunning. Yes I said it. Stunning. A krispy treat, stunning? you ask. YES! It looks like all of the individual bars are $2.95. But the bars look large and could be further divided down once you get them home. S- are you crazy? $3 for a krispy treat? Until you actually try to make a tiered cake of them, you may have trouble paying this price. I on the other hand, and my mother (my latest victim, oops I mean helper) and T would certainly shell out the dough to never have to make a batch of rice krispy treats again. You could easily buy a few of the plain bars and stack them to get the tiered affect. And like I mentioned before, it is certainly acceptable to have a pan of treats hidden somewhere to feed the rest of the guests. But the Crispery also does 2 or 3 treat boxes (on the expensive side for a favor, but a cool prize for shower game, etc. or thank you gift for the host of your shower) and special occasion bars. You've got to take a look at these. There are wedding and baby shower options, holidays and more. Contact them for more custom options. So if I ever feel the need to do a krispy treat cake again, I know who to turn to. And according to their blog, they are available at Dylan's Candy Bar in NYC. I have a very tentative trip scheduled there at the end of June...who wants to meet me for a treat?

S-

via Daily Candy

Orla Kiely for Target

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Rain, rain, go away....

Ugh. I want to go back to bed. How come when I have the day off the weather has to suck? The worst part of a rainy day is that I hate driving in the rain which puts getting my errands done totally out of the question. And that leaves me only with cleaning my bathrooms and doing laundry all day (and I mean all day since its probably been two weeks since I've done laundry.)

Anyway, back to business. I've been waiting a few weeks for this post because this made me so excited. Awhile back I had a business venture on my mind that involved lots and lots of fabrics and textiles (that one lasted until I realized that I don't sew). Anyway, through the course of researching textiles and designers, I fell in love with Orla Kiely . She has a knack for creating a retro feel while still keeping things modern and fresh. The other day I was walking through my favorite spot (Target) and I ran across her new line of housewares. I wanted to save the post for today though because, though you might have seen pieces of the line creeping their way into your favorite Target, the official launch was not until this weekend. You might consider working a color scheme around some of her pieces. Just one or two would make a bold statement. I love this serving tray, for example. The line is pretty inexpensive and it would be totally worth splurging on a few pieces. Keep in mind that the pieces are pretty versatile. You can use the melamine plates for a luncheon or use them to serve appetizers on. Use the canisters as canisters or consider using one for a vase in your tablescape. Check out the whole line here at www.target.com/orlakiely. And have fun!

a-

One or a bunch?

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I love this product. The really cool vase was just in Parents magazine in one of their gift guides and I think it would be perfect for gifting or just to have around at your parties. The plastic vase is called One or a Bunch and is basically double sided. Use the narrow side if you have a few stems to display or flip it over and use the wider mouth if you have a large bouquet. They are only $9.00 each and come in some really great colors that would most certainly coordinate with most party themes. These are not large so they should be pretty easy to store and could be reused over and over again. Another cool feature is the ridges that are decorative on the outside but help the flowers arrange themselves too. Awesome for those of us who are floraly challenged. And even cooler...they are dishwasher safe!!! No more scrubbing that stinky flower water out of the vase by hand (oh come on, you know you all get that). They are 9" tall and I can see so many other uses for it! Add a cool plate to the top and you've made your own cake stand. They can be used as a serving dish for candies or chips, etc. (well, I think you could anyway, not sure if they are food safe, come to think of it. But I would serve food in it...) These would also be ideal to have a few extras around the house as a last minute, I had no idea they would be bringing a gift kind of gift. What are you waiting for. They now have red available. Perfect for all your holiday decorating and entertaining. Buy them at One or a Bunch.com.

s-

By the way, I'm going to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving right now since I will not be posting the rest of the week. It's time for a break and we will be having lots of family around so time will be limited. And I kind of thought I was going in to labor at Target today, so we'll see how that goes too... If you suddenly have complete and udder silence from me, it means that I have had the baby and will resume posting as soon as I am able. So I am thinking sometime around spring...:)

What a surprise!

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So I moved to a place that is about an hour from the nearest H&M store. So, it is safe to say that I miss my old neighborhood's shopping. In my old town, I could drive 5 minutes and get to any kind of store I wanted. Department, boutique, specialty...Here though, I have to drive all over heck and back. Plus, I don't know where the cool stores are yet, so I am sad. Especially this close to the holidays. So this weekend, my mom came down and we went to a center I had not been to yet. It was about 15 minutes from my house, but I can live with that. So it was a great center with some good stores (I found a dress to wear to my baby shower in the first store we went in!!!). Oh my gosh! What is that!!! I stopped dead in my tracks, and my mom just looked at me. I gasped, "It's a Paper Source store!!!" And she looked at me like I was crazy. Obviously she doesn't know just how few brick and mortar stores they have. They only 2 others that I know of in So Cal are Costa Mesa and Pasadena (but I am probably wrong...). Can you believe it!!! I have a Paper Source store!!! So of course I had to go in and look around and I found not only a few Christmas presents, but also some really cute party stuff for the holidays. I guess because I am newly staying at home with my young son, I am really in to crafts you can do with your kids. Paper Source has all kinds of kits that would be perfect for this. But some of the kits are geared towards the upcoming holidays and the parties that go along with them. Like the acorn place card kit!!! So cute! You could also use these on a buffet table to let guests know what is being served. Or the Turkey placemat kit! Perfect to construct and use on Thanksgiving day. And then the cute Tabletop Christmas Tree kit. I came very close to getting this as a decoration for T's shower. Of course, they also have amazing gift wrap and the perfect invitations for your upcoming get togethers. And it all can be found on line in case you are not lucky like me and don't have a store in your area.

s-

A rambling, mess of a post, but some good stuff to know about...

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Sorry for the late post today. I was going to be lazy and not post today but I don't want to let my loyal reader down...:) O, my son, decided to get up extra early today and as I was checking my email from my iphone all snuggly in bed with him, I saw exactly what I wanted to post about. I got an email from Junior Society (I've mentioned them before but you HAVE to sign up for their emails!) with a holiday gift guide. And what do I see? The perfect chalk to go with a the perfect lap chalkboard I purchased from Etsy seller Little Alouette yesterday. So I clicked over to find out more about the chalk and found some other great stuff on a website called Linda Ferrol Studio. I love unique gift items, and there are plenty to be found on the site. But you HAVE to see her Celebration section. Although somewhat small (I beg of you...please expand!) the items are unique and awesome. I can't wait for O's next birthday so I can get the wish boats!!! As for gifts, you have to check out this awesome memory game. And now quickly back to Junior Society. You must go to their website and check out the craft fairs that they will be attending for the upcoming holiday season. They also run a shop called Mahar Dry Goods and they sell amazing products, with a great selection of party products. The craft fairs are a great way to touch and feel the items before you buy. They are quality items and would make great holiday presents. Buy all your holiday presents from them! Now, if only I could get them to do a show in North San Diego County...give a pregnant girl a break!!

s-