Introducing Occasion by Design

Today I am introducing you to one of my fantastic blog sponsors: Occasion by Design who was one of the party boutiques I use to purchase from even before I had a Directory that they were advertising on.

The range on the Occasion by Design store is vast – a variety of colours, decorations, tableware and more which meant I could always order lots of items from the one place. I also always found the service by Helena exceptional.

This year Occasion by Design also set up a bricks and mortar store in Hobart so all the lucky Tasmanian’s can enjoy a beautiful party boutique!  This is a bonus when dealing with an online retailer as you can have confidence that you are dealing with a “real” credible store.

Wouldn’t you love to be able to walk into a store like this when party planning?:

 

Occasion by Design has everything from tableware, decorations, invitations, styling accessories and favour bags and more. I love that you can easily search for the items you are looking for and the shipping is affordable at $9.95.

All the popular partyware brands are stocked at Occasion by Design but besides the large range of partyware items such as tissue pom poms, jumbo balloons, lanterns, tableware etc I also love that you can find some more unique items such as these:

 

 

Square dessert cups – Occasion by Design

 

 

Foil mega balloons – Occasion by Design

 

 

Mini vintage mail box – Occasion by Design

 

Mini blackboard easels – Occasion by Design

 

 

Disposable push pop containers

 

 

Floral lantern – Occasion by Design

 

They have some great items in for Christmas as well:

 

occasion by design

 

Next time you’re planning a celebration, you must pop into the Occasion by Design online store and if you’re in Hobart make sure you visit the shop front!

 

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Interview with Kara Allen of Kara’s Party Ideas

I am thrilled to be featuring an interview with THE Kara Allen of Kara’s Party Ideas today. I am sure I’m not alone in saying that the Kara’s Party Ideas blog was one of the first I discovered and loved for party inspiration. It is the number 1 party idea website on google USA/Europe and her site receives over 1 million unique visitors just in the past month and she has over 213,000 facebook followers!

So when the Kara’s Party Ideas tour of Australia was announced (Pssst…see the end of this blog post for a discount code!) I knew that that I, along with many others would enjoy and benefit from these one day workshops:

 

 

In this interview for the Life’s Little Celebrations blog Kara shares some party planning tips and ideas and lets us know what to expect at her upcoming tour!

 

 

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How did Kara’s Party Ideas start?

I started KarasPartyIdeas.com four years ago when there were hardly any party sites or blogs out there. I would search all over the internet for party ideas and could never find a place that had it all when it came to party inspiration, descriptions, recipes, vendor lists, party supplies, tutorials and good party images (I’m very visual, so seeing the parties in front of me instead of just reading about them was really important to me).

 

 

Ice Cream social by Kara Allen

 

Can you share what types of tips and ideas you are hoping to share at the workshop?

 

I will guide you step by step through my top 10 party planning tips covering everything from guest lists, venue, catering, timing, pricing, entertainment, styling and my party secrets!

 

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You will learn new dessert styling ideas from around the world and techniques on how to style a stunning dessert table including sweets, theming, planning composition, colour palettes and more.

I will showcase exclusive dessert tables designed especially for my Australian Tour.

 

Back to school vintage party by Kara Allen

 

You will also learn baking tips from some of Australia’s finest cake artisans. They will be sharing their trade secrets in their baking demonstrations. I will also share some of my top baking cheat ideas!

I also love a bit of DIY action, so sit back and relax as I teach you some of my favourite DIY ideas to make your party unique.

 

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What will party planning lovers get from your workshops?

Learn how to plan & style the perfect party. Tons of dessert styling ideas as well as demonstrations. This workshop is for mums who throw parties for their kids, those who love events, wedding planners, professional event planners, bloggers/site admins wanting to learn how to take their site to the next level and more!

 

Circus train big top party by Kara Allen

 

How will your workshops assist business owners in the party industry? 

I feel so fortunate about KarasPartyIdeas.com being one of the largest party inspiration blogs in the world.

 

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I use social media as a key tool to build my business.

Find out how I have done all this in just four short years and how you can use this new knowledge to build your own small business.

There will also be a lot of networking opportunities with like-minded women.Through fun getting to know you activities and ‘Kara’s Cupcake Corner’, you will have excellent opportunities to meet people with the same passions and form great relationships that can help in your party journey.

 

Geologist rock themed party by Kara Allen

 

What are you looking forward to about coming to Australia?

Meeting all of you! I can’t wait to party it up down under! Australia has always been on my bucket list. Not only because it’s absolutely gorgeous with so many amazing locations and things to see, but because there are so many talented party stylists and artists there!

 

Colourful art party by Kara Allen

 

What is your number one party planning tip for mum’s?

Start planning ahead so you give yourself ample time to organise an amazing event. Planning ahead will save a lot of money, but it makes the process fun and enjoyable, cutting out a lot of the stress. Also, remember to have fun, because planning a party can be so rewarding.

 

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It’s also very important to have a good attitude, especially on the day of the event. No matter how hard you have worked on the party, it seems that there’s always something that goes wrong or something that doesn’t quite turn out like you had planned.

This is okay. Know that these things happen and just roll with it!

Your party will be a huge success because of all the hard work you put into it!

 

Mickey Mouse party by Kara Allen

 

Thank you so much Kara for sharing your thoughts with us as well as what to expect during your upcoming Australian tour! If you want to book your tickets to this not to be missed event, please click here!

You can receive a 20% discount off your ticket by quoting:

the booking code: kara20percentdiscount.

In the ‘referral section’ put Life’s Little Celebrations

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Colour your party: Mint Green

Ahhh mint green…a colour I am always tempted to include in my party colour schemes as I just love it!

It goes beautifully with many other colours – seen very often with gold as well as other pastels and would work just as well for a boy’s party with grey, or light blue. Or step out of the box as this post suggests –  “Mint to be” on the Oh It’s Perfect blog where Ania (From 2 Love Birds)  has teamed mint green with black and white!

I’ve included a gorgeous mint/gold party in this collage by Sugar Coated Mama, but also must make mention of this mint/gold Christening party styled by Thetis of Little Sooti which is a stand out celebration!

All the links are below the inspiration board. If you’re looking for something in mint green that I haven’t included, simply e-mail me at lifeslittlec@gmail.com and I’ll let you know where to find it. Also make sure you visit the Life’s Little Celebration’s children’s party directory as well in the midst of your party planning!

 

mint green

 

Milk glass cake stand

Pom Pom tags

Tissue paper fan

Mint scalloped box

Mint green chocolate buttons

Honeycomb ball

Mini cake stand

Mint green compote bowl

Heart paper garland

Mint party fringe noise makers

Mint green and gold party by Sugar Coated Mama

Chevron straws

 

Here I used mint green with purple and gold for my daughter’s 1st birthday which you can view more of in this blog post.

 

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Is mint green making an appearance at the next party you’re planning?

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Introducing 2 Love Birds – creative printables for your next party

 

If you love party printables and great designs, then you will enjoy this blog post where I introduce one of my blog sponsor’s – 2 Love Birds

I love seeing the new designs that Ania from 2 Love Birds creates so I’m excited to share them with you

When I am party planning – finding printables that I love are at the top of my list. Using great printables helps theme and decorate a party in such an easy way and 2 Love Birds, love to design party stationery and love to party!
They specialise in design of personalised printable social stationery to suit any event and can design custom-made party invitations and stationery, from 1st birthday to all ages, engagement parties, hens parties, weddings, the list goes on.

They also offer full graphic design services including business logos, stationery and websites.

Hot Air Balloons is one of my favourite party themes and this design is perfect for boys, girls or a baby shower!:

 

2 Love Birds HotAirBalloon PrintandParty

Ania, the creator of 2 Love Birds is a graphic designer, who has worked with children’s brands, fashion, packaging and product developing for almost 10 years. She also has qualifications in interior decoration and business.

She tells me – “I love blogging about everything sweet design and party on my blog 2lovebirdsblog.com. I’m also a regular contributor to the Oh it’s Perfect blog. I’m always looking for a creative project and a new challenge”.

You can really see this creative flair and passion through all of Ania’s work at 2 Love Birds! I love this gorgeous range and the colour scheme – a mix of modern and vintage for this High Tea design:

 

2 Love Birds HighTea Printables

 

A backdrop can make such a difference to a dessert table and 2 Love Birds have designed some amazing backdrops to set the scene for fantastic party tables:

 

'Cute as a Button' Party (Backdrop design) Styled by Sweet Coco link

‘Cute as a Button’ Party (Backdrop design) Styled by Sweet Coco

 

So how did 2 Love Birds originate? Ania explains – “A couple of years ago I had a task of designing wedding stationery for my own wedding. The enjoyment of designing and co-ordinating the visual aspects of the big day started an idea … a year after 2 Love Birds were born. 2 Love Birds designs are fresh, fun and on trend. I hope that through my designs I can make parties that extra bit special and memorable”.

 

Here are a few more of the designs you can find over at the 2 Love Birds website. I love all the colour combinations Ania chooses to use for the designs:

 

2 Love Birds LittleRedRidingHood Printables

 

 

 

 

2 Love Birds GirlsNightIn Printables

 

2 Love Birds Kokeshi Doll Printables

This was a custom design created for a winner of a Life’s Little Celebrations competition. Too cute don’t you think?:

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With Christmas just around the corner, 2 Love Birds has this wonderful printable range and I love the mix of kraft and red together!

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I have really enjoyed working with Ania so far this year as a Life’s Little Celebration’s blog sponsor and you’ll be guaranteed great service if you are wanting printables from her collection or a custom design.

2 Love Birds also has 20% off their current printable invitation collection. Just mention LLC when you order!

Find 2 Love Birds here on their website or on facebook here

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Christmas Showcase

Leading up to Christmas so many of the businesses in the Life’s Little Celebration’s children’s party directory have such fantastic items on offer!

I wanted to find a way to share these all in one place for my facebook followers/blog readers to view! So I created the CHRISTMAS SHOWCASE ALBUM on my facebook page.

In the one album you can browse; Christmas decorations, printables, gifts, desserts and more! Everything you need whether you are planning a special Christmas party or just need some fun printables to use for classmate/workmate gifts or letters for Santa!

 

xmas showcase collage

 

 

I hope you’ll make time to browse the showcase as there are so many wonderful Christmas items available and it will definitely give you some ideas of things you can prepare for Christmas time!

Thank you so much to all the vendors from the children’s party directory who contributed something for the showcase.

 

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