For Your Party {Giveaway!!!}

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I am just about ready to be lost in all kinds of party planning.  November through February are an entertaining whirlwind for me.  I've got 11 family birthdays, 3 holidays and whatever else I dream up to work on for the blog.  While we don't throw all out parties for each of these birthdays we like to do something special for each person.  What I love about For Your Party is that you can get custom napkins or other party paper items printed (in totally reasonable quantities) to help celebrate a special occasion without breaking your back planning an over the top gala.  Who wouldn't be excited to show up to a dinner in their honor and find a napkin, coaster or stir stick created just for them?  

For Your Party knows that you all have a lot going on this time of year and are giving away an awesome set of party goods to one lucky reader.

Giveaway includes: 

*50 Stir Sticks - For Your Party offers 3 styles/shapes to choose from and graphics and design are totally customizable. 

*50 Printed Coasters - 4 styles to choose from.  Winner can customize the look to suit their party needs. 

*50 Printed Cocktail Napkins in any color with customized message.

Winner can personalize the products with any choice of color, over 70 fonts, tons of shapes and message copy.  Or choose one of their ready made designs, all of which are super cool!  Take a minute to look around their site and see some examples, this will give you a ton of ideas of what they are capable of doing. 

  

Don't have any parties coming up?  Create something special for your family's Thanksgiving dinner.  

Photo Sources:

Trifle, wine glasses (my photo), glitter pumpkin and flowers, turkey breast

Stir Stick, napkin and coaster were created by me using the For Your Party site which is super easy to use to customize most of their products any way you want. 

Or use one of their "vintage inspired" themes for an upcoming baby shower you have to throw.  

Photo Sources:

Popcorn, cake stand, garland, mint tissue ball, green and white tissue pinwheel, drink, baby shower game card.  Umbrella napkin, stir stick and candy favor box created on the For Your Party site. 

The possibilities are virtually endless.  

To enter, leave a comment on this post telling me what event you will use the custom goods for.  I will choose one winner, at random.  Will accept comments until midnight, Monday, October 24, 2011 and announce the winner on Tuesday, October 25, 2011.

Follow For Your Party on Facebook for a 10% discount on your order!

Follow them on Twitter and check out their blog for more ideas on how to use their awesome products! 

Sharon

Photos of winning items care of For Your Party

Confetti Lab was awesome and I can't wait for the next one.

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I LOVED Confetti Lab!  And here is why...

This was the window that Lauren of A Fabulous Fete created at The Wedding Pantry in anticipation of the event.  Neon cacti!  Wooden garlands!  Serapes!  Uh-mazing!  I love how clean it looks and how classy but totally casual.  Check out the adorbs cake stands Lauren made out of glass candlesticks and terracotta drip catcher things (can you tell I don't garden???)

Many of you may have heard of The Wedding Pantry but did you know that they can also help you throw a pretty cool non-wedding related party too?  Think of them as The Party Pantry.  They carry twine in a ton of colors, those awesome stripey paper straws and how cute are those ruffled favor bags!  And I know you all love A Fabulous Fete on Etsy but did you know that you could run in to The Wedding Pantry and pick up a fun cake stand for your next party or hostess gift?  Love that!!! 

The Wedding Pantry has an event space just behind the boutique.  This is where Lauren invited several party vendors to set up shop and sell their party goods.  I really can't wait for Ed of Up Imagery to put up his pics because I didn't get many good ones in here. :(  Here is another wooden garland made by Lauren.  LOVE!  And oh my gosh!  Confetti Lab introduced to me to a vendor that I can't wait to use, Dolly's Sweet Dreams Premium Cotton Candy.  The cotton candy was delicious and I talked to her about her ingredients and process and I felt really good about feeding it to my food allergic son.  How pumped is he going to be with it at his next party!  Not only is her product delicious (she even has organic!) but her food cart is sooooo cute!  Totally check out their website it is adorable!   That charming table setting was created by none other than Lauren Elise who I was really excited to meet.  I must confess I showed great restraint when talking to her and came off socially awkward...she's lucky I didn't ask her for her autograph and cut off a lock of her hair.  I'm a huge fan of her work.  Check out her Confetti Lab wrap up  with tons of great photos of her display and items, some of which are available at The Wedding Pantry!  And how CUTE are Annika of Cakes Likes a Party and her friend Lauren!  I was pretty lame with them when we first met too, but I got to redeem myself later and am so happy I did.  These girls are super sweet, and I always love to meet other party ladies.  I am sure I'll be seeing them again!  

It was a gorgeous evening on the patio where Lauren really did it up.  Every thing Lauren does is super cool and this was no exception.  She created little seating areas, surrounded it with food and drinks and kept the party jumping with the DJ, Mahjestik.  Decorations did not disappoint and the atmosphere was really fun! 

Lauren made that sign, complete with her crazy good hand writing with the help of her fiance.  I want one for every party.  Soho Taco provided the yummy tacos from their party ready taco cart and sweet treats were provided by Kupcake Spot, Dolce Vista Cakes and Somedays Bake Shop.  YUM!  And look at the little table Lauren made by turning over a terra cotta pot?!  Brilliant! 

Ridiculously good cocktails were provided by Tres Sietes Tequila.  Check out the recipes on A Fabulous Fete here and here.  I love that some of Lauren's other products like the teal stripe runner and green tray totally fit right in to the look of the party.  And I think I am going to use air plants at all of my parties.  No vase needed!!!  

Also on the patio, Lauren set out craft stations where she showed you some super simple party items.  How cute is this duct tape bunting?! 

Lauren also demonstrated how to make super cute fringe drink stirrers.  Glue Dots provided some product to make it possible.  Love this idea! 

On the way out there were two goodie bags.  One put together by Lauren, Eva and Brittany and one from Lauren Elise.  The Confetti Lab bag contained a bunch more resources for throwing you best fete.  Laure Elise's was a rad 'make your own s'mores' kit!  Complete with matches and votive light, the presentation was awesome and is a great idea for favors for any summer get together.  

What I hope everyone took away from this event, though, is that Lauren Verity of A Fabulous Fete is rad.  I know from personally working with her how creative and crafty she is as well as being sweet and charming.  But what I am so excited about is that she is expanding her line of party goods and adding services.  I know her Etsy site is not updated yet, but I'm so excited for her to offer her calligraphy skills, invitation design, full party and wedding decorating and so much more.  I hope she offers a punch card for repeat clients because I plan on keeping her busy.  

I hope that you were able to get a small sense of what Confetti Lab was all about and I hope you will all look for the photos by Ed of Up Imagery also.  He is amazing and I can't wait to see what he came up with! 

Thank you Lauren, Eva and Brittany for an awesome night! 

Sharon

Confetti Lab at the Party Pantry!!!!

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I am SO freaking excited about this event!  If you are in the So Cal area, you should be too!  Some totally creative ladies came together to put on Confetti Lab and I can barely contain myself.  Lauren of A Fabulous Fete has let me in on a little of what we can expect and it's going to be bonkers!  Lauren, along with Eva (The Wedding Party Pantry) and Brittany (Spruce PR), are hosting a really cool party...about parties!  Genius! 

Lauren  created this inspiration board for the event and I'm totally in to this vibe.  A little desert, a little summer and a lot of awesome.  

YEAH!  I love that not only will you get to learn how to make party crafts, but you can also purchase items from some super amazing vendors.  From what I hear, the vendors will be:

Blair Britt ~ who I had seen at a Wedding Pantry event before and LOVED her stuff!  This time she will have party printables!!!  And check out her awesome blogs too - Joie De Vie and Blair Britt Events. 

Lauren Elise ~ she has a ridiculously cool Etsy shop and super amazing crafty blog - I'm a super fan.

This is Post Modern ~ Wooden letters and numbers. 

Will Lauren have some of her own items available??????? I  hope so!!! 

And that is just in the boutique area!!  Two party areas will be in full effect and the girls have put together a great mix of treats for attendees.  There will be tacos!  There will be delicious cocktails by Tres Sietes Tequila.  But let's really focus in on why I will be there,  the desserts.  The Kupcake Spot will have mojito cupcakes (my fave), Dolce Vista will have Mexican hot chocolate (my fave!) and churro (my fave) cupcakes and Somedays Bake Shop will be providing Horchata cupcakes (while the name does not appeal to me you know if it is frosted I will eat it and I will probably love it.)

And gift bags!  No good party is complete without a gift bag on departure.  :) 

Oh and did I mention that I got to sneak a listen to an amazing party playlist that is being provided by Hi Fi Weddings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Yeah,  this party is going to rock! 

Check out the window Lauren created for the month of June at the Wedding Pantry, here.

And if this confetti doesn't make you want to come, I don't know what will! 

This party is FREE! just RSVP here so they can keep a tentative head count.  Its from 6-9pm at The Wedding Pantry (which is calling itself The Party Pantry for the evening - see, on account of because they sell things that work for parties too, not just weddings!)

Local bloggers, let's meet up!  Email me if you are going (cupcakesandcutlery@gmail.com)!  And please help spread the word of this fabulous event! 

But seriously, if you have any parties to host this year, you won't want to miss this party about parties!!!  Now, off to plan my outfit...I only have a week! 

Sharon

(I was not given photo sources for the inspiration board...sorry!)

Tiny Prints - Review

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I was contacted recently by Tiny Prints to see if I would be interested in reviewing their cards.  I've known about them for years, but never had the right opportunity to use them before.  Until now.  My mother-in-law asked me to help her with a 90th birthday party for my husband's grandmother.  While I knew that Tiny Prints made adorable children's party invites and cool, modern Christmas cards, I wasn't sure what I would find in the way of adult invitations. 

I left the final decision making up to my mother-in-law (see the above) but found that they have a bunch of great options for adult invitations.  

Image via Tiny Prints - Painted Trunks in Cabernet

Although they have this sampled as a holiday party, it was easily found under a heading for birthday party invitations for adults.

Image via Tiny Prints - Festive Fanfare Bright Green

Love how modern the green and grey is and love the offset detail box.

Image via Tiny Prints - Inspired Garden: Begonia

And how fantastical is this chic floral invite?! I love everything about it.

Image via Tiny Prints - Allergy Alert Cards, Bright Boxes: Sky

But I was pleasantly surprised when I came across these Allergy Alert cards.  As some of you may know, my oldest son has multiple food allergies.  And with him about to start kindergarten and us contemplating taking him on a trip back east this summer, these cards could really come in handy.  And there are 4 different styles to choose from.  RAD.IC.LE.

And I had no idea that they also had greeting cards.  I can't tell you how many times I have fretted over having to run out to buy a greeting card to get it in the mail on time.  Sometimes you just don't want to drag two kids over to Target, where there is a Lego section and where you could quite literally have two separate tantrums happening at once causing you to shed tears and sweat like a fat man.  Not saying that has happened...There are several ways they can help with the cards.  They can send them out for you and allow the card to arrive to the recipient faster and possibly on time for once in your life.  Or they can send the card to you, so you can personally sign it and then send it out from home.  Awesome.  And they also have business products, wedding invites and photo gifts.  Sheesh.  If Tiny Prints ran for prom queen she would probably win.  She's got it all. 

I had a little hiccup with my ordering.  I had saved a draft in a folder but then couldn't access it to put in my cart when I was ready to order.  I used the instant chat capability and within a minute I was chatting with a customer service rep and figured out the problem without having to grab the phone or wait to get an email back which may or may not have had the right answer.  I LOVE this option.  And once the order was placed, I received an email from a customer service rep.  She said that she had personally checked my order and sent it on to the printers.  There was a name and a phone number with an extension in case I had any questions or concerns.  What the what?!  That's customer service, people! 

I had an awesome experience with Tiny Prints and would certainly use them again.  I'm not sure why I continually fret over my novice graphic design capabilities and try to design all my own invites when there are professionals and designers who do it so much better and can be obtained with the click of the mouse.  

If you haven't used them yet, you should try them.  Don't get me started about the envelope options...

Sharon

top 2 photos are mine

What I'm up to...and why I am not blogging

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Dude.  I know everyone is busy but right now I sort of feel like I am under water.  There is so much going on!  Here is what is coming up in the next couple of months.  I will do my best to blog as well but you know, sometimes I just want to watch Jersey Shore.  Here is what I am up to:

-Tonight is Lauren's bday party!  Super excited about this since we are doing a mini shoot.  Mostly I am excited to eat these.

-The above picture is some of the materials I am working with for an Easter project.  Can't wait to share this with you guys! 

-Here are the fabrics I am working with for a sip and see.  When I first started thinking about it, it was a simple dessert table.  And then I started coming up with more and more details.  I now have quite a few crafty things to create.  And tons of stuff to spray paint.  Thank goodness our rain is done for at least a week!

I'm not sure what I was thinking with all the crafty stuff I want to do for my son's space party.  While the finished product in my head is amazing, do I really need to be hand making a ridiculous amount of jewelry.  The answer to this is apparently yes, as I am making it.  And it's totally stretching my craftiness to the limit.  If you are coming to the party please DO NOT comment on all the glue that you can see or that something fell apart.  Well, I mean, you can comment but just wait until you get in your car on the way home.  Please and thank you.

And in all of this craziness, I'm trying to pay attention to my boys.  Please note that isn't soda my son is drinking.  (It's Boysenberry punch, yo! - Knott's Berry Farm rules!).  Here is my older son who hugged our new car the entire first week we had it after each stop we made in it.

Other things I am working on:
-Planning out what to do on my birthday staycation with my bffs
-A super cool, top-secret event...get excited
-A 90th birthday party for my husband's grandmother

I'm going to go cry in the shower now to get some anxiety out.

Have a great weekend!

Sharon
-

Ziggy Stardust inspired Space Party

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I'm gearing up for a very busy few months.  You may remember this party that I am currently working on.  I should say, about to start working on.  And here is another one that I am starting to work on.  My oldest is about to turn 5!  Can you believe it?!  I certainly can't.  He's requested a space party.  But it has to be fun for me too, that is how I roll.  I've been listening to 'Ziggy Stardust' by David Bowie lately and it dawned on me that that was the feel I wanted for his party.  'Space Oddity' is a bit too melancholy for a 5 year old.  And while I don't plan on emphasizing the cross-dressing or other inappropriate themes from the song, we can certainly put together a sort of rock and roll space theme.  Here is the song in case you don't know it.  

And this is how the party looks in my head.  The bottom left of the board is one of the main fabrics that I will be using along with purple, teal, lime and more.  

ziggy art . star.  feathers . record ornaments

astronaut onesie . watercolor letters . glow hair pieces

mini planets . baby face paint 

girl face paint . rubber stamps

striped fabric . paper doll . pinata . fringe necklace

I am having so much fun with this party!  I am just praying I can get some great pictures of all the stuff I am planning to do!

Sharon

Introducing Studio Lotus & November

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I'm so excited to share with you the launch of Studio Lotus & November.  You sort of know Lisa already as I used one of her designs for my very first Inspiration Board Challenge.  At the time, she was in the process of setting up shop and it's finally done!

 Check out some of these super cute baby announcements!

 Need help with your business identity?  Studio Lotus & November can help!

 Lisa creates everything from party invites to full wedding invitation suites.

Looking for a personalized notecard or thank you note?  Look no further than Studio Lotus & November.

Check out her Etsy shop, but remember all her work is custom and specific to your event.  Don't hesitate to contact her with your inquiry.

Sharon

Inspiration Board Challenge - January

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Oh.  Is it January already?  How is it the 22nd of the month already and I am just getting the inspiration board challenge up?  But the bigger question is HOW DID I NOT KNOW HOW COOL JEN OF BLUSH PRINTABLES WAS?  I had seen a few examples of her work and liked what I saw.  But I didn't know about her blog.  She is freaking hilarious.  In an effort to learn a little about what makes her tick I read these posts.  And you know what I figured out?  She sounds like a heck of a good time.  Like, I want to invite her on a girl's weekend without even knowing her.  Even though she blares Tool on bad days and I blare early Hole, I think we have a ton of things in common.  Jen, I hope to meet you one day!

 From looking at her portfolio, you can tell this girl is super talented.  I love the way she balances romantic, vintage-y (totally a word) touches with a modern cleanness.

 Adoring this goldeny yellow with the pink.  And especially as a circus theme, the fact that it isn't primary colors delights me.

 And this one is soooooo creative and cool and funny (gush alert:) just like Jen.

This is the inspiration photo that I sent her.  These are silk flowers and I love that they tried to make it look like wallpaper but with actual, 3-D items.  I let her run with it, no rules, no specific event to create the board for.  I'm so excited to see what she comes up with.  I don't even really know what this is but I'm guessing it is European.  I think it might be an exhibit in a gallery/cafe space?  And I have no idea where I first saw it because my bookmark folder is as unorganized as the rest of my house.  If you posted this, please let me know!

And now a bit more about her blog.  It seriously rocks.  From party images that make you all dreamy to the fashion she shares (I want every pair of shoes she's ever posted about especially these) it is pure visual perfection.  Go look, if you haven't seen it.  Or was I the only one living under a rock?

Sharon

Cake & Pictures - Inspiration: Travel

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Can you guys tell that I really like inspiration boards?  I'm not really sure why I am just starting to love them so much, as they have been around, for like ever.  But I do know that they are super fun to put together, exceptionally fun to look at and have been an amazing tool for meeting great people and learning about new companies.  

I met Heather, with Cake & Pictures, back in October when she let me know that she linked to my Halloween playlist that I had done for Hi Fi Weddings.  I started to learn a little about Cake & Pictures and fell in love, especially with their blog called "The Pantry".  Since I am still pretty new to putting together inspiration boards, I sometimes have to search and search for great photographers whose work I like.  Well, in this case, Cake & Pictures has done all that searching for you and put together an amazing resource for tracking down truly talented photographers.  So whether you are a bride looking for the perfect person to capture the memories of your day, a planner trying to stay up on whose who in the world of wedding photography or just an arty gal looking for inspiration for her mood boards, this site is for you.  I asked Heather to do some boards based on popular current themes to showcase some of their photographers.  This is the first installment and she will be sending over several more in the coming weeks.  

Inspiration Theme:  Travel

Photo Sources: 

1st Row: Alison Yin / San Francisco

2nd Row: Left: Corbin Gurkin / Santa Barbara; Right: Emma Dodge Hanson / New York

3rd Row: Left: Emily Anderson / New York; Right: Craig & Eva Sanders

4th Row: Matthias Richter 

In Heather's words:

With winter just around the corner (at least over here in the Northeast!)—who isn't thinking about traveling some place warm? I've noticed a continuing trend of travel-themed weddings and have to say, I absolutely love it! Weddings give couples a chance to share their unique personalities, hobbies, and style with loved ones. For all you travel-lovers out there—this could be the perfect theme for your wedding! Try holding your special day at an historic train station, decorate with maps and symbols of your favorite place, eat ethnic foods, or simply send passport-styled invitations/use postcard place cards. With an endless amount of destinations comes limitless amounts of inspiration. 

The photographers featured above are all members of Cake & Pictures, the only website exclusively dedicated to bringing brides and wedding planners a comprehensive selection of the very best wedding photographers from around the world. With photographers worldwide, we make it easy to find your perfect photographer wherever your travel-loving heart desires.

I can't wait to see what Heather comes up with next!! Check out Cake & Pictures!  Your eyes will be pleased, I promise.  

Sharon 

*Please note this board was revised from the original one posted.  If you have questions about the original, email me and I'll patch you through to Cake & Pictures. 

Your new fave party treat & OC Vendor Spotlight - Hannah's Bananas

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For those of you who don't live in Orange County, continue reading anyway. This is a GREAT idea for a fun party treat. If you are ambitious, you can make these yourself for your own party guests. If you want to up the WOW factor and have a specialty cart custom make them to your guests specifications, you're going to have to move to Southern California and hire Hannah's Bananas. :)

I found Hannah and her amazing chocolate dipped frozen banana cart at The Wedding Pantry this past Saturday. They held a really cool holiday shopping event and as an added treat, Hannah's Bananas were there giving out samples. Hannah's Bananas is the newest super cute treat idea for your next party. Hannah (or employees) will bring their cart to your event, and hand dip frozen bananas.

How cute is the cart done up for a wedding?! And of course, in my head I can see it with a Hank and Hunt fabric garland or even a vintage sheet for a more girly theme. Just call Hannah and I'm sure you can make the cart fit perfectly with your decor.

So let me break down how this works. The frozen bananas are first hand dipped in an amazingly delicious melted milk chocolate (word on the street is they are working on a dark chocolate too...YUM!)...
Next you choose what you want to add. Choices are crushed Oreo cookies, peanuts, sprinkles and coconut. I'm not going to lie, it was hard to choose! In the end, the coconut won out for me, but I debated on going back in disguises and trying them all. There is a fee to get the cart to come out to your event and then a per banana fee as well. There is some more pricing info on the website but I would email them to discuss your event details for accurate pricing.

Although I did not discuss the banana suit with Hannah, I imagine you can request it for your party as well. Who doesn't want a banana at their party?

Want the bananas but not the cart? This is also an option. Check with Hannah's Bananas directly for pricing.

I love this idea so much! I am not looking forward to when my kids start elementary school. From what I hear it is party after party after party. What I AM looking forward to, though, is throwing my kids' parties and blowing all those other cake and ice cream bashes out of the water with Hannah's Bananas.

Hannah's Bananas is on Facebook!

For more info contact Hannah's Bananas:

www.BananasByHannah.com

714-878-1392

info@bananasbyhannah.com

Sharon

(all images via Hannah's Bananas except the one directly under the logo. That photo is by D. Park Photography)