Archive for the ‘Actual Party’ Category
Oct 21
Apple of My Eye Baby Shower
My dear friend, Lisa, who I met while we were both students at Portland State University is pregnant with her second child. I just love babies so naturally, I was very excited!! I was even more excited when I found out I could be a part of her very special baby shower. Her bestie Vanessa styled this “Apple of my Eye” baby shower for her. She did the most amazing job.
→Continue reading for more details + photos
*** WARNING*** TOO MANY CUTE PHOTOS, I COULDN’T RESIST!!
December is the most hectic month of my (Jessica Wilcox, Modern Moments Designs) life. Every year, I promise myself it will be easier and I will plan ahead, but without fail, it seems to be crazier than the last. I know many of you feel the same way, and for me “December madness” stems from having two kids with birthdays two weeks apart, being a graphic designer (designing Christmas cards is a full time job in itself), buying presents, and also trying to get ready for Christmas! Wow, I’m tired again just thinking about it all {wink}!
Our youngest son, Emerson, who you might remember from his Office Party First Birthday last year, turned two this month! I’ve been planning a VINTAGE CARNIVAL PARTY for him since last year…
I had my dear friend, Courtney, of Courtney Jade Photography took his photos this summer at Oaks Park, a local amusement park. If you want to check out some of the photos Courtney was nice enough to post them on her blog. The photos were amazing and I knew the invitation had to be spectacular too! I designed a four-page double sided booklet style invitation.
I also included a mini envelope in the back full of raffle tickets to get the kids excited! The envelopes were lined with a coordinating striped paper. (The following photos of the finished invitation were taken by me.)
Selecting a venue is always a challenge since we live in Oregon and December isn’t exactly warm or dry here. Thankfully, my aunt and her husband were kind enough to allow me to use their family “barn.” They own a farm, Lake View Farms, and have an amazing pumpkin patch. The venue was perfect. We took full advantage of all of their amazing old crates and baskets too!
If you’re familiar with any of my parties you know that I only serve items with sugar as their first ingredient. Okay, so that may be a bit exaggerated, but pretty close. I served popcorn (with several topping options, as inspired the perfect Olde Fashion Rustic Popcorn Bar by Pen N’ Paperflowers Sudio and Designs), peanuts, cupcakes, rice crispy treats, cotton candy, cake pops, and totally stocked candy cart.
One of my clients sent me a photo of a candy cart at a local hotel, I was instantly in love with it and knew I had to have one. My Dad was kind enough to build one for me. I gave him a really small photo of what I wanted and away he went. I was so excited with how it turned out! He did the most amazing job! Thanks Daddy!
Since we didn’t have the party at your traditional kids’ party place, we had to come up with our own activities. I kept if fairly simple and setup four games.
The first was “Knock them Down.” I took chip cans from the Dollar Tree and created my own wrap. We stacked them up and let the kids knock them down with balls. The second game we set up was a “Bean Bag Toss“. The kids got to toss bean bags into buckets and won the corresponding amount of tickets. The third game was “Fish Toss” – clear glasses were filled with water and the kids had to toss ping pong balls in them. If they made it, they won a fish. Somehow, all three of my kids came home with fish! The last game was “Spray it Down” which I had intended to have the kids spray ping pong balls with squirt guns. However, finding squirt guns in December was a lot more challenging than I thought. Instead, we used Nerf guns, which ended up being so much drier and cleaner.
We set up a prize table so the kids could redeem their tickets and pick their own prizes! They had a ton of fun selecting from the huge prize table. I also designed custom candy bags that each child could fill with candy before they left! I’m sure the parents love me for that one!
All of my parties are always a group effort. I have a whole team of family and friends that always step-up to help! Honestly, I couldn’t throw these parties without all of their help! A special thank you to everyone who helped me with Emerson’s special day!
Check out some more photos from the big event. . .
*****
VENDOR CREDITS:– Graphic Design: Modern Moments Designs – Event Styling: Double Take Event Styling and Modern Moments Designs – Bag Sewn By: Julie of Tots in Tow – Suckers (“W”, “E”, & “2”): Vintage Confections – Fondant Cupcake Toppers: Two Sugar Babies – Straws, Cups, Plates, Popcorn Boxes, Prize Bag, & Sucker Candle : Shop Sweet Lulu – Cake Pops: kCreative – Ferris Wheel Wood Cutouts: Bullfrog Laser Works – Chalk Board Sign: Custom Chalk – Donuts: Every Day is a Donut Day – Cotton Candy Machine Rental: The Party Pros – Prizes: Oriental Trading Company – Candy Cart: Don Studer, (My Dad) – Jars in Candy Cart: Anchor Hawking at Target – Table Cloth: TabelVogue – Venue: Lake View Farms – Photography: Courtney Jade Photography
** If you missed part one, check it out!!**
The most important part of every party or shower is the food. Well, aside from the party decor and invitations, of course! This bridal shower was no exception. We wanted to give our guests an assortment of different foods in small portions so they could try everything and not feel guilty!
We tried to incorporate traditional breakfast foods, including stacks of mini buttermilk pancakes, bacon, mini quiches, yogurt parfaits, an assortment of mini muffins, scones, amorreto and cream cheese filled strawberries, macarons, donut holes, and beautiful chocolate fruit cups. We also had an equal amount of drinks which included tea, coffee, water with frozen raspberries, orange juice, raspberry lemonade, and pink sunrise champagne cocktail. We definitely didn’t run out of food or drinks!
We made the mini pancakes using a few helpful tools from Williams-Sonoma. First, we poured our buttermilk pancake batter into the Pancake Pen and then poured the batter into the round pancake mold (also purchased at William-Sonoma). These handy tools helped keeps the pancakes a consistent size and really made a difference.
The pancakes were placed in stacks three high on my DIY mini stands. If you are interested in making them yourself, you can follow the tutorial. The only difference here was that we added an extra disc to the tops of each stand and attached beautiful ribbon around the outer edge with hot glue. Once the pancakes were added, we used a tooth pick to keep them together. A small ring and raspberry were also added to make the pancake stack look prettier!
We included a variety of syrups beautifully displayed in glass cruets. We went with a traditional maple syrup, an amoretto maple syrup, and a strawberry vinegar syrup. Additional pancake toppings, which included sliced bananas, powdered sugar, and pecans, were also available so that our guests could customize their pancakes.
For our yogurt parfaits, we used tall shot glasses and layered vanilla yogurt, raspberry pie filling, and granola. This was so simple to do. I placed the yogurt into a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip. I also placed the raspberry pie filling in another pastry bag fitted with a smaller round tip. Start with yogurt and place a small amount of yogurt into the bottom of your shot glass. Next, do a layer of raspberry pie filling. Place your tip against the glass and rotate your shot glass as you go until you have added a layer of filling all the way around. Place a small amount of granola on top and then repeat. We also purchased mini spoons from IKEA to accompany these little yogurt parfaits. Simple, beautiful, and they taste great! You can’t beat that.
The amazing donut tower located in the center of the table was directly inspired by Paige, from Paiges of Style. She used a similar donut tower in her {Charming & Fresh} Spring “Baby Sprinkle” shower. We stacked mini powdered donuts on a cake stand, used a skewer in the center of the stack for added support, then started stacking donuts. We embellished the donut tower with amazing mini fondant peonies from Charynn of Two Sugar Babies. Floral pins were also added to the peonies for addition glam.
The beautiful chocolate swirled fruit cups and faux straws were purchased at Whole Foods. Instead of buying these pre-filled, Lindsey purchased the chocolate cups and straws and added her own assorted fruit to help cut down on the cost. In store, the “finished” versions are around $5.99 each. She was able to make these for almost half the price!
A ton of the other food was made by the bridal party – including the mini quiche, strawberries filled with amoretto cream cheese, scones, and bacon. The macarons were purchased from Jade Teahouse in Portland. I made the shortbread cookies, and sent my friend Jennifer, of Frost the images for the edible frosting decals.
The shower was more than any of us could have ever hoped for! It just goes to show you that a good idea, planning, and a lot of help can make any event perfect!
*****
VENDOR CREDITS: – Event Styling: Modern Moments Designs, Double Take, D’Lorah Ter Har – Invitation & Party Printables: Modern Moments Designs – Paper Straws: Shop Sweet Lulu – Fondant Peony Flowers: Two Sugar Babies – Tables, Chairs, & Linen Rentals: The Party Pros – Donut Holes: Every Day is a Donut Day – Macarons: Jade Teahouse – Edible Cookie Designs: Frost – Coasters & Parchment Bags: Run Ellie Run – Chocolate Cups and Chocolate Sticks: Whole Foods – Large Gray Frame: IKEA (spray painted Gray to match the party) – Ribbon: Fabric Depot – Table Cloth: Table Vogue – Photography: Courtney Jade Photography
So, this has been a long time coming. Many of you may have already seen some of the amazing shower photos on Hostess with the Mostess. One of the many perks of being a contributor is that I get to feature some of my own work on Jenn’s site. The downfall is that I am usually more concerned about getting Jenn all the information, that I forget about my own blog. Also, all of these items are NOW available in my shop.
My dear friend, Courtney Jade, took a million photos and there are so MANY that you haven’t seen. Since the party, Laura’s shower has been featured on a ton of websites/blog sites and several countries too including Hostess Blog {Part 1} and {Part 2}, Courtney Jade Photography Events, Marabous {Bridal Shower} and {Dessert Buffet}, and So Lovely Moments, and I hope more. . .
Here are all the details from the shower starting from the beginning, but now all of this is past tense. I was lazy and didn’t feel like re-writing it all. Sorry. . . here are all the details. . .
*****
My dear friend, Laura is getting married in August and her twin sister, Lindsey was in charge of throwing her a beautiful bridal shower. She started planning months prior, which is a good thing because we had a lot of work to do! I was lucky enough to help out with the designing and styling.
Lindsey took inspiration from many different places, but Paige of Paiges of Style was a huge inspiration to us all. Lindsey wanted the shower to be romantic and stylish. Her color palette included shades of gray along with pretty corals and shades of soft pink. Lindsey also wanted to include many vintage pieces to tie the theme together. We also added the chevron stipe pattern for a clean and timeless feel.
The shower was held in a terraced backyard. It was a very intimate bridal shower with 30 of Laura’s closest friends and family members. We served brunch along with many sweet pastries and desserts. The shower featured the main food table and a drink bar. Lindsey styled and designed this whole fabulous drink area. The incredible table came from a second-hand store. Lindsey, along with the help of her Mom, did an incredible job refurbishing it. It looked so amazing and to think they only bought it for $30, what a steal!
Since the party was outside, we still wanted it to feel warm and inviting. We set up several vignettes throughout including the seating area, gift station, and of course the bar. The backyard really went through a major transformation and looked so beautiful! Each table was also styled. The centerpieces were comprised of bundles of books. The mother-of-the-bride, took paper back books, removed the covers, and tied them with twine. She also incorporated scrabble tiles that said “Bride to be.” She pinned beautiful vintage broaches on them, which happen to be the broaches that will be on the bridesmaid bouquets for the wedding. We then topped the book bundles with beautiful vases full of peonies. In the center of the peonies we placed floral pins to glam them up a bit. Lastly, we we used the same flags that we used on the straws and placed those around the base of the vases. They were stunning!
Thanks to all the people who helped make this shower possible. We seriously had a whole group of people who selflessly pitched in. We couldn’t have done it without each and every one of you. We spent countless hours cutting, gluing, and making sure every detail was perfect!
Here are a few photos of Emerson. He accompanied me to the shower. Also, here is a photo of the gift that my Mom and I put together for Laura.
Ready to see more? Stay tuned for Part 2 coming soon. . .
*****
VENDOR CREDITS: – Event Styling – Modern Moments Designs, Laura Grim & Lindsey Ter Har {Double Take} & D’Lorah Ter Har – Invitation & Party Printables – Modern Moments Designs – Paper Straws – Shop Sweet Lulu – Fondant Peony Flowers – Two Sugar Babies – Tables, Chairs, & Linen Rentals – The Party Pros – Donut Holes – Every Day is a Donut Day – Macarons – Jade Teahouse – Edible Cookie Designs – Frost – Coasters & Parchment Bags – Run Ellie Run – Chocolate Cups and Chocolate Sticks – Whole Foods – Large Gray Frame – IKEA (spray painted Gray to match the party) – Ribbon – Fabric Depot – Table Cloth –Table Vogue – Photography – Courtney Jade Photography