Emerson’s Classic Fire House Party

**** As Seen on Hostess Blog ****

This is long over due. You know how it goes. I have have WAY too much going on in the month of December and add a FOURTH kid to the mix (I have four kids, how did that happen?) and things get a little hectic around the Wilcox Residence.

Now that January is almost over and I can breathe again, it’s time to get back to work. Hey, at least I took down all my Christmas photos. Last year I left some silhouettes of the boys in snow flakes up until October. So, at least I am ahead of the game there. Plus, I’m half done with the kids parties! Whoop whoop!

Of course, I started with the invitation! My bestie, Courtney of Courtney Jade Photography accompanied us to a local fire station and we got some great shots of Emerson. I am still in love with the chalk board look and wanted incorporate that too. I even attempted to make my first envelopes for this party and I LOVE them. This is one of my new favorites things. Now I just need to buy a printer that can print envelops. Anyone have any suggestions for an amazing printer?

Now that we’ve set the tone of the party with this Fire House invite, let’s get back to what you really care about. . . Parties!! Parties!! Parties!! Can you believe that our little Emerson is THREE now? Well, I can’t! Sort of makes me sad! Both Jackson and Emerson have always loved Fire Trucks and fire siren sounds. I thought it was about time to design a new classic fire truck party.

Thankfully, my sister Kellie lives right next to a fire station! So, we started the party off by visting the fire station! Can I just tell you how fun that was? The kids got to climb on the fire engines, see all the tools, take a tour of the fire station, etc. Plus, they even gave all the kids a fun goodie bag. Honestly, I think all the kids would have been fine with that, but then I wouldn’t have gotten to do what I love!!

After our fire station tour, we headed back to my sister’s club house. That’s where I had my big dessert spread setup. I started off with a few hanging backdrops. I wanted them to look like chalk boards. So, I just had them printed and my party crew set them up. NOTE: For all of my parties, I have a handful of friends/family members who so kindly donate their time and skills to help me setup and cleanup. I just couldn’t do any of this without them! Thank you everyone, you all know who you are. After the back drops were hung, we took to setting up the table.

I had purchased a few things at HomeGoods a while back that I used for inspiration. I wanted to create a classic feel, but I wanted it to be fun too. You know that all of my tables always have SUGAR, SUGAR, AND MORE SUGAR! That’s just how I roll. If you are looking for nutrition, hit up someone else’s party! Just sayin’!

This party was no exception, we had cookies that I just adore from the most talented Renee of Bee’s Knees Creative. We also had a ton of assorted candy which I put in little jars I purchased at Specialty Bottles and I had my hubby spray painted the lids red. Then I glued dalmatians on top. I just love how they turned out.

One of my favorites items was the “flaming” cotton candy! I’ve had the pleasure to meet some talented ladies and I am so thankful I met Lisa of Whirly Girl. She is the creative brains behind these new cotton candy creations. Check out the awesome cotton candy that they created for the party!

Another one of my favorite and talented ladies, Charynn of Two Sugar Babies out did herself, as usual! These fondant toppers are a perfect fit for this party. Everything that she creates is incredible. Thanks Lady!! I’m also loving using premade food, such as the White Fudge Oreos (which I think may only be available during the holidays) and just creating a pretty wrap for them. I used a similar technique for my baby shower. This is just a fun simple way to add in color to your dessert table without having to go to a ton of work! I’m all about impactful little details that reinforce your party theme.

I just think party hats are super fun! Just add some pom poms to the bottom and a little bom on top and you are ready to rock! I also purchased these super cute Fire Hydrant drink bottles from Birthday Express and just added a personalized tag so the kids would tell all of their bottles apart. I just adore these.

When I was planning this party, I always like to buy fun party favors that go with the theme. I found these cute squirt gun style fire extinguishers at Party Supplies Delivered. The label that came on the squirt gun wasn’t terrible, but I knew I could make it look better. You know, sometimes that’s all it takes is a little label here or there to give things a little personality!

These Faux matchbook covers were super fun too! I always forget that when you buy chocolate from Michael’s and Jo Ann’s that it’s super think! So, if I do these again, I would start by thinning the chocolate. That’s just a free little tip from me because I think the actual match would look less bulky. Basically, these are really easy to construct. I took a matchbook and used it as a guide so I knew where to score these little beauties. Then you just need to dip pretzel sticks in red and then white chocolate and secure a few in the match book with a clear elastic hair band.

I think my Mom was concerned that these may encourage kids to play with matches. To tell you the truth, I don’t think my kids have ever seen a matchbook before! Do they make them any more? At any rate, since most the party goers were younger, they were just excited to eat the pretzels. Clearly, playing with REAL matches could be very dangerous, so talk to your kids about this if you are concerned!

Every Fire Fighter needs water to extinguish their thirst. These easy and fun water bottle wraps are available for both regular size and the tiny Trader Joe’s water bottles. Just another fun party detail that really adds to the overall look of your party!

That’s right, here are more fabric favor bags! I love these! They are always a fun, yet functional addition to any party. The kids can fill these with candy , cookies, or other party favors too. I think it’s a great keepsake too! I need to get on designing generic ones of these for every holiday!

Okay people, that’s a wrap! Another party in the books, er on the blog! Please contact me if I left out any details or if you have any questions! These invites and printables will be available in my etsy shop, Modern Moments Designs later today! Thanks for hanging in there through all of this eye candy!

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VENDOR CREDITS & RESOURCES:

– Styling and Design by: Jessica Wilcox, Modern Moments Designs
– Photography : Courtney Jade Photography
– Cupcake Toppers: Two Sugar Babies
– Fondant Fire Hat and Hose Cake: Sugarhouse Cake
– Detailed Fire Themed Sugar Cookies: Bee’s Knees Creative
– Cotton Candy: Whirly Girl
– Glass Jars: Specialty Bottles (I spray painted the lids)
– Dalmatians: Tapir & Friends Wildlife Animal Store
– Lollipops: Jo Ann’s
– Stripey Straws, Mini Wooden Candy Scoops, Twine: Shop Sweet Lulu
– Chalk Board Signs: Save on Crafts
– Mini White Vertical Frame: Ikea Tolsby Frame
– Fabric Lined Baskets, Fire Hydrant Nut Cracker: Target
– Table Cloth: tablevogue
– Fire Extinguishers Squirt Guns: Party Supplies Delivered
– Fire Hydrant Drink Cups: Birthday Express
– Vintage Fire Helmets & Gas Pump: HomeGoods
– Plastic Fire Helmets: Dollar Tree (replaced label)
– Cupcake Stand Tutorial: Shanty 2 Chic