A manly dessert table for Daniel Tosh!

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So a few weeks ago I got a really fun opportunity to help decorate a dessert table.  Kristin, of Meringue Bake Shop, was contacted to do a dessert table for Daniel Tosh, as in Tosh.O, as in the funniest m effer on the planet who you feel bad about liking because he is so politically incorrect that you feel like just by liking him you could lose your job or have to go to confession.  She called me to brainstorm ideas and of course I had to worm my way in to actually doing the table.  

Here is the adorable Kristin and her husband, Lyle, in the background.  Besides being awesome, she makes the most amazing desserts.  Lyle and Kristin are big fans of Daniel Tosh and I was super excited for her to get a chance to do a fun table for him.  The table was to be for the wrap party, as it was the last night of his nationwide tour. 

Kristin pretty much let me go to town although I always checked in with her to make sure that she approved of all the elements since her name was on the table.  We found that great striped fabric from IKEA and used a lot of wood, cement and natural elements for the decor.  Jenny of Hank and Hunt recreated the stripey pattern for us digitally so I could use it for tags, signs, etc.  Have I mentioned how rad she is?  How cool are those white porcelain succulents that Kristin found?!

MMMMMMmmmmmm.  Kristin's salted caramel cupcakes and Push Cakes are one of my favorite flavors she makes.  Ridiculously tasty. 

Macaroons...yum!  I was not a fan of chocolate covered marshmallows as a dessert table feature until I tasted these.  Whatever chocolate she used was exceptional and she coated that with graham cracker crumbs.  Yeah.  So good.  Let me take a moment to tell you about the mini pies.  These mini pies haunt me.  They are the best pies that I have ever had.  And I want them all the time.  For real.  They are made by hand and I wish that I could send these around the country so everyone can taste them.  Push Cakes are always a show stopper and I am sure they were very well received.  And although I have never met a crispy treat that I didn't like, somehow Kristin manages to make them even better.  If you haven't used Meringue Bake Shop for your party treats yet, you need to.  You will NOT be disappointed.  

Thanks for letting me be a part of this super fun experience Kristin!  Even if we didn't get to meet him. 

Sharon

All photos mine

Neon and Neutral Party {So Glad You Were Born!}

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You may remember that I entered a contest a while back in an effort to win treats for a party I wanted to throw for my friend, Erika.  I didn't win, but decided to throw the party anyway.  It can be really hard to figure out a theme for an adult birthday party.  So I went with a color theme instead.  I am beyond grateful that the amazingly talented Jackie Culmer, photographer extraordinaire, said she could come and take some pictures before the guests arrived.  If you haven't checked out my post of one of Jackie's parties from a few days ago, go see it now! 

{See the original inspiration board for this party.}

Along with the color scheme, I decided to use the letter "E" all around to further personalize the event for the guest of honor.  I was able to make large letters for big visual impact while still being able to keep the costs down by purchasing small sheets of Styrofoam and conning one of my best party resources (my dad) in to cutting them out on his saw.  A few coats of spray paint were all they needed.  We also reused some plywood from a previous party to make some of the smaller ones.  And instead of calling it a birthday party, I decided to instead use "So Glad You Were Born," which is directly inspired by Shanna Murray's poster on Oh Happy Day. 

These are my girls!!!  Love them.  We are very rarely in the same place altogether (Kayla, second from the right lives in Texas) so to have a photo with them was very special.  The birthday girl, Erika is on the end on the right and Taryn, right next to me (in my fave $10 H&M dress - I can't quit you!), was ridiculously gracious in opening up her home for us to use.

This is my favorite party to date.  I know I say that about all of them but this one was ridiculously fun and personal.  I created little vignettes around the party space of all the things she loves or that remind us of her.  And they all had to fit the color scheme because I am that OCD.  Erika is a woman of Christ so I decided to share that with a neon yellow cross (which would look kind of awesome hanging in a home I think).  She is also a lover of the 80's so I created a custom "cootie" catcher in her honor.  Under the flaps were 80's dances that she had to do when she landed on them.  We only pulled that out after all the guests were gone and it was just closest friends.  Although she would have done it with the party in full swing.  That is why we love Erika.  For other pops of color I used tall cylinder vases filled with neon pink 'Easter Grass' (I'm calling it that because I have no idea what that stuff is actually called...) and topped it with an air plant.  In other areas I put flowers in empty glass jars I had collected and spray painted on stripes in neon yellow and pink to jazz them up. 

Erika loves office supplies and spreadsheets so what better way to show that than with spray painted calculators and erasers.  

Yes, that is a neon pink fondue pot.  Thanks for asking.  And check out the bling on those skates!  I did NOT do that, btw.  All Erika!  She is full of child-like wonder and joy and so I asked her if I could borrow the skates.  I put them along side some bright yellow bubbles and we were all set. 

It was literally one hundred bazillion degrees that day so we kept food crazy simple.  Pretzels and kettle corn were set out for a little snack and we had a company come and set up smoothies and funnel cakes.  I am not at liberty to say which company we used as they were quite awful and I don't want to recommend them to anyone.  But I will say, they may have been a screaming deal, but you get what you pay for...

Anyone interested in a sugar cookie bake off?  Because Taryn has the best recipe.  And she will go to blows over it.  

I wanted a way to share some photos and mementos from Erika's life and needed a simple way to display them.  I found these two really large frames at a thrift store and used cording to wrap them.  Anyone else a Fanadu (meaning you have an irrational love for the disco movie Xanadu)?  No?  Just Erika, then? 

I borrowed some photo albums and memory books from Erika a few weeks before the party.  I pulled out some of the best treasures I could find, including her DMV written test from when she was 15, report cards and school photos, scanned them and then using neon colored zip ties attached them to the cording. 

We did two versions of a guest book for her.  The traditional writing of sentimental message on a card sort as well as a personalized plate.  You can find the enamel paint pens at your local craft store.  I had really wanted to do something like that since seeing Lauren's tutorial. 

I really love how these books turned out.  I spray painted them and created silly book titles that also represent the guest of honor.  And now I need to give a huge shout out to Ms. Jenny of Hank and Hunt.  She came up with the cool pattern you saw around the party on pennant banners.  She created the banner that hung behind the pool that lead to the look of all the other signage at the party.  And to top that off, she created water bottle labels and cupcake flags.  Boom.  And guess what?!  She is going to share them with you!  Jenny is the best!!! 

{Download printables from Hank and Hunt.com}

Huge thank you to Jackie Culmer for taking such amazing photos.  I can't wait to work with her again!  Huge thank you to Kristin of Meringue Bake Shop for creating a really fun splatter paint cake (of which I promptly forgot in the fridge) and cupcakes.  My parties would not be complete without my father and his super talented skills.  Thanks, dad!  And of course thank you to Taryn for the use of her house and for helping me with some of the crafting.  Oh and to you, spray paint - you're my heart.  What would I be without you?

Sharon

All photos by Jackie Culmer

Three Little Birds Adorable Bob Marley-themed 3rd Birthday Party by Jackie Culmer

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Maybe it is because my family is infatuated with Rastamouse ever since we saw it on YouTube last week.  Maybe it was because I had a very brief phase where I wanted to dreadlocks, wore a lot of red, yellow and green and bought incense (from the swap meet) in high school.  Or maybe because it is just freaking awesome but I had to share the most adorable kid's birthday party that I came across the other day.  Not only is Jackie Culmer a kick-ass photographer (I will be sharing the pics she shot at my neon and neutral bday party on Wednesday!) but she also rocks the house with her party design.  

This is absolute perfection for me.  The theme is totally original, casual and cool.  The graphic design is crisp and fresh.  

It is the perfect balance of kid and adult friendly and is styled without being fussy or too themey.

And what music inspired party would be complete without a cd favor?  I want one!!! 

Check out the rest of the party on Jackie's blog, The Silver Spoon and Paper Plate.  And check out what she did last Halloween while you are there here, here and here.  

She knocked my socks off with the photos she took for my party a month ago, can't wait to share!!! 

Sharon

all photos via Jackie Culmer

Baby Farm Sprinkle Featured!

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I'm SO excited!  You guys know The Wedding Chicks right?  Well they got even more awesome and started On to Baby to feature what happens after the big day is over.  They feature adorable nurseries, kid and maternity photo shoots and of course showers and kid parties.  I never understood how you got a party featured on one of these big sites.  I always thought they patrolled the blogosphere, scouring for the coolest of the cool.  Turns out, most often, you submit them.  So I decided to submit my 'Baby Farm' themed baby sprinkle and they chose to feature it! Woo Hoo!!!!!  I haven't even posted any of the photos on this blog yet so you simply must head over there to see them all.   

BABY FARM SPRINKLE by Cupcakes and Cutlery 

The party was for my best friend, Taryn, who was having her 4th kid.  She's classy and fun but I really wanted to do the farm theme so had to figure out how to make it all work together.  She likes modern but  I wanted it to be different from her other showers.  So we took it a little bit country. 

Want to know how to make a cute dessert table?  Split up the work.  I used some store bought items, made some simple but delicious desserts and had Meringue Bake Shop make the specialty stuff.  It didn't cost a ton of money and I wasn't slaving away in the kitchen for days and the table looked really cute!

While I knew what I wanted the end result to look like I get utterly paralyzed by the actual styling of things.  I called in backup and had Lauren come over to help me finish it up.  She is awesome and I will just leave it at that so it doesn't get all weird and gushy.  She worked the chicken wire into the hanging balls - GENIUS!  Of course she did more than that but I was blown away!  It looked so cute!

I forgot to submit this photo of the invite!!! How cute is it?!  Designed by Lauren.  Sorry my editing skills suck so bad and I had to cover the address with those two dumb boxes.  Don't let that detract from the handpainted!!!! background and squiggly swirls (that is the name for those framing thingies, right?).

I hope you guys like it!  Thank you On to Baby for sharing it! 

Mini pies and decorated sugar cookies done by Meringue Bake Shop

Styling done by A Fabulous Fete

Woodwork done by my Dad!  Holla

Large sign printed by Direct Edge Media

Sharon

All photos by me! 

Wrap Up - Ziggy Stardust Space Party

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This is the last post about the party.  I mean it.  I hope this gives an overall feel of the party for those who can't handle my long winded, oddly categorized previous posts.  I can't even get over the beautiful photography done by Dez and Tam.  I am in LOVE with their style and they are literally the nicest family I have ever met.  If you are considering family portraits I highly recommend them!  Check out their site to see their past work and I know you will be convinced!  And I know I put on a more detailed kid's party than most, but I would encourage you to hire them for your next party too.  I can't tell you how relaxed I was that day knowing I would get to these two crazy talented people were capturing all the memories for me.  Thank you Dez and Tam! (and little Riley too!  Their son is the cutest and sweetest little boy ever!)  

All photos by Dez and Tam except the fabric flowers and the metal stud. 

Cake and Push Cakes by Meringue Bake Shop

Sharon

Ziggy Stardust Space Party - over and out. 

Ziggy Stardust Inspired Space 5th Birthday Party - Part 4

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Often my parties have a unique theme which the guests may or may not know about.  I usually try to put info around for guests to find throughout the party.

The only thing O wanted for his party was a bounce house.  But our backyard isn't big enough for one and so I thought it wasn't going to work out.  Then our friends, Jimmy and Vanessa, offered their small bounce to use!  O was SO happy.  A HUGE thank you to them!  

Since my son is really in to music and because Ziggy Stardust is a rock star, I decided to set out all the toy musical instruments we had for the kids to play with.

This is sweet K.  If you look behind her you can see my fabric backdrop that I put up for the kids to jam in front of.  You can just barely make out the other feather garland made by Jenny.  How rad are K's nails? 

photo by me

Here is a picture of Jenny's garland I took after the party.  How gorgeous and fun are all those feathers?  These garlands must have taken her forever and I am so grateful that she made them for me!!!

I saw these masks in random blog posts around the web after I started planning the party.  I knew I had to have them.  Here is the link.  They print out small, pretty much kid sized, so if you want them for adults you need to blow them up a little. 

I decided that we needed to do another smash cake like the one we did for my other son's party.  I asked Kristin of Meringue Bake Shop to make it this time because I wanted it to be way cuter than the other. :) It turned out super cute.

So you make a small cake, cut a hole out of the center then fill it with candy.  Then you cover the cake with a dome made of chocolate.  Then you give the kid a hammer and...

And the kids go wild!  I then cut the cake and let the kids go to town.  I don't provide plates or silverware.  Its a free for all. 

It is one of my favorite party surprises.  This cake was vegan and the candy was friendly to O's allergies.  

I'm going to wrap up the party tomorrow with a collage that will hopefully share the feeling of the whole party and since I know that some people don't enjoy such long posts as all of them from this week, then they will have a quick post too.  Probably should have posted that first...whatevs.

Sharon

All photos by Dez and Tam

Ziggy Stardust Inspired Space 5th Birthday Party - Part 3

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This post is picture heavy.  Be warned.  So the premise of the party was that O was inviting his friends over to be part of his space exploration team.  And since the first question I always ask when starting a new activity is "do I get a new outfit," I decided that I should make "uniforms" for each kid.  I created a store to be where they could get their new shirts, as well as accessorize it.  It would be another activity to engage the kids and also act as a favor "bar."

photo by me

I created wallets out of black card stock and designed space money.  The front features a well-known look of Ziggy Stardust and the back I created with a hand-made stamp that Lauren made for O. I had the wallets at the front door with the instruction to head right to the store to pick out their uniform.

The uniforms.  I found cheap packs of Hanes white t's at Target and they came out to less than $2.00 a piece (way cheaper than the local craft stores...)  Then I used black spray paint or black fabric paints and home-made stencils to create different looks.  My intention had been to add trims to the shoulders but well, even I am not THAT crazy.  

I did add some to O's shirt (which was also gray so he would stand out a little more) and it turned out really cute. 

photo by me

photo by me

My kids wear the leftover shirts all the time.  They wash well and are kind of cool to boot. 

Since some of the designs were on the backs of the shirts, I wanted to make sure that each kid had a name tag on the front.  I used large foam craft letters and embellished with star shaped brads.

I asked my niece, P, to run the store.  I thought she would enjoy it and it would add a nice touch to the store atmosphere.  She took it super seriously.  My intention was to tell her that although each kid was given 7 space dollars, they could take as many things as they wanted as long as each kid got an accessory.  But in the craziness of party day I forgot to mention that to her...It wasn't until much later that I learned that she respects policy and procedure and held every kid firm at $7.  Which meant that a lot of the hand-made jewelry was left over...as well as tons of cheap loud or flying space toys...my bad. 

As Ziggy sported bright orange hair, I wanted the kids to get glam rock'd out if they chose.  I had these clip in hair braids for the girls and also gold and orange spray hair color for the boys.  

I made several types of headbands, bracelets, cuffs, barrettes, and pins for the kids to choose from.  This severely stretched my craft skill limits.  I may have turned to vices. 

photo by me

photo by me

I tried to incorporate things in the party straight from song lyrics.  I'm not going to lie, there were only a few kid friendly lines.  I loved that I could work in coloring pages from everybody's favorite 'cat from Japan'.  I chose to use only that portion of the line as I couldn't figure out how to make 'well hung and snow white tan' appropriate for a children's party...

photo by me

And of course we had to have 'spiders from mars'.  {note - I use a lot of punctuation and grammatical errors in my posts.  On purpose.  I feel it sets me apart from those nerdy, good-at-school-and-other-important-stuff types}.*/~it"s

I used the same image of O from the invite on the favor bags provided by the store clerk.  How cute is that 'Oliver' stamp (also hand-made by Lauren).  

I made this sign for P to put up when she was done playing shop girl.  While I saw her run off a few brief times (and I was sent on Push Cake runs for her) she relished her role running that store.  At one point of the party, she ran up to me and handed me one of the favor bags.  I had no idea what it was so I opened it and peered in.  It was full of space money.  I looked back to her for explanation.  CASH DROP.  The girl took it upon herself to do a cash drop.  She's 8.  I am going to go ahead and write her a letter of recommendation now.  But I won't expect any freebies.  

Sharon

All photos, unless otherwise noted, are by Dez and Tam.  They are freaking radical people and seriously turned this mother out.  

And super huge shout out to my homegirl, Taryn.  She pawned her spawn off on a sitter to come over and help me package up some of these favors for the party.  She is awesome.  And a ridiculously big shout out to my mommy.  She helped me cut an Earth-crippling amount of space money (this is huge because an elementary school teacher commented on her sub-par cutting skills and she's never been able to shake it and I only slightly jest.)