Celebrate New Year’s Eve in Style

With all the Christmas preparations happening it is easy to leave NYE planning until last minute…but now is the time to organise what you need  – so to help you get organised I’m sharing some NYE party supplies early to ensure they will arrive in time!

New Year’s Eve celebrations are one of my favourite – there is something special about a new year beginning and celebrating with close family or friends!

 

 

 

Our little ones are still quite little however for those of you with slightly older kids it is a perfect chance to organise a gathering that doesn’t centre just around the kids!  It’s a chance to get together with friends and family, letting the kids stay up a little longer than usual before having a slumber party on the floor, and then it’s all about letting the adults relax into the New Year with a more adults only style occasion (aka, champagne!).

When I look back at all the many amazing new trends in themes we’ve seen this year, there’s one in particular that I’ve been saving for NYE and just screams sophistication and ‘Happy New Year’ to me, and that’s the classic black and metallics with a touch of marble. Adult opulence at it’s best!

So if like me, you’ve had a big year of parties filled with flamingos, doughnuts and unicorns and are just craving something a little more grown up, I’ve sourced the perfect pieces from our LLC Vendors to pull together the perfect New Year’s Eve celebration for the adults (and kids, until bedtime!) so you can start your planning now, and have something to look forward to after the Christmas ham is finished.

 

New Year’s Eve Decorations

Whether it’s a backyard BBQ, seafood buffet or canapés after watching the fire works, this theme looks stunning in the evening as the metallics shimmer and glisten when styled with plenty of candles, and black or metallics make a great backdrop for these to pop against in the evening.

So start with black as your base, and build on it with hints of metallic (either gold or silver) and marble accents for depth and interest. Use your marble kitchen bench top, a black trestle table or one covered with a table cloth for a more polished look, and create drama and interest with varying heights of stands and platters to serve your food, or set an opulent dinner table complete with candle light.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why not take cues from the countdown and incorporate giant helium number balloons.

 

 

Or mix and match decorations with a mix of black, white, gold

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For real wow factor, a gold sequin tablecloth creates the perfect setting for a gorgeous New years eve dessert table!:

 

 

Don’t forget the confetti at midnight! This would also look great scattered down the centre of your dining table.

 

New Year’s Eve Tableware

Whilst it’s always nice to bring out your best dinner set (you know, the one you received for your wedding that’s still in the box ?) no one wants to be washing dishes on New Year’s Day – so opt for some stylish disposables instead!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How gorgeous are these Kate Spade coasters?

 

 

 

 

 

New Year’s Eve Sweet Treats

Finish the year off with a bang and start your diet resolutions the following day – it’s time to eat cake! Nothing beats a glass of champagne and delicious dessert now, does it? Here’s a sample of what LLC partners in the Directory can create for your event!:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If the kids are a part of the NYE celebrations – why not setup a cute table setting for them complete with colouring, board games or other activities to keep them entertained? You can hire some stylish children’s table and chairs from LLC partners around Australia – here is a sample!:

 

 

 

How great are these take home bags? Perfect for the kids who would have missed out whilst they were sleeping!

 

 

Another fantastic idea are these labels for mini wine or champagne bottles for your friends:

 

 

Attach these tags to any take home gift for your NYE guests for instant NYE style!

 

 

Like all celebrations, New Year’s Eve is a wonderful excuse to get your nearest and dearest together and get creative with your styling. So say farewell to another big year by going bold, and celebrate the prospect of new opportunities, milestones and adventures together in style – cheers!

 

Celebrate Unwrapped: Gorgeous Signage

How your friends or guests are greeted at an event can really help set the initial tone for the celebration. So when it came to planning Celebrate I knew that some welcoming signage would ensure that attendees would not only know they were at the right place, but felt welcomed and excited!

I enlisted the help of Jo’s Signs by Designs which is THE place to get signage or banners printed for any celebration or event. They are located in Sydney but can post Australia wide.

As guests arrived at The Deckhouse we had a sign in the carpark to point them in the right direction (unfortunately I don’t have a photo of this carpark sign to show you) and then another welcoming sign at the door:

 

I just love the colours and how well they were printed on this welcome sign. All the graphics for the Celebrate signs were by Pretty and Print

 

Jo’s Signs by Design also printed this pull up banner so all who were attending had a snapshot of what Life’s Little Celebrations was all about.

Again fantastic quality (colours were more vivid in real life) and a banner I can reuse – and this type of banner is perfect for all of you who do expos and markets.

When printing this banner I know that Jo had to do a few modifications with her printing machines and worked extra hard to ensure the colours were coming out JUST right – and that is the type of service you want when it comes to such large signs compared to the service you may receive at a larger printing chain store.

 

 

Jo’s Signs by Design also create a range of other signs for both large and small celebrations! Everything from fun Instagram photo frames to large scale photo walls:

 

 

 

Beautiful signs and backdrops can be printed to welcome your guests to any celebration (design below is by Eve and Co):

 

 

 

Such a pretty backdrop printed by Jo’s Signs by Design! Graphic design by Edge House Design and name sign by Foamtastic Party Decor:

 

 

 

 

An easy way for adding some decorations is by using decals and Jo’s Signs by Design can also print decals to use for your party – how cute is this idea?:

 

Whether you need a backdrop designed and printed or just need a printable file printed – make sure you speak to Jo from Jo’s Signs by Design and see how she can assist you with her range of printing services!

 

 

 

Going Bananas: Tropical Party Theme Inspiration

If I was to do a poll on the most popular party themes for 2016, Tropical would be one of the clear winners by a mile. Not a day goes by without spotting another beautifully styled, colourful tropical party on my Instagram feed. What’s not to love about bright colours, cheeky fruit, sunglasses, flamingos, palm leaves and inflatable pool toys? Bring on Summer!

 

 

With so many new and tempting partyware options available for this theme however, it can be hard to know where to start, so I’ve done the hard work for you and rounded up a few supplies and inspo ideas from our LLC Vendors to get the party started.

 

 

Tropical Party Invitations

When I think of a tropical party, the vibrant colours of summer fruits and lush green palms always spring to mind. So use this as your inspiration for colour and design in your invitations, and have some Rio Carnevale style fun by adding some pink flamingos!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A lovely keep sake idea is a custom print recording all the special details of your child at the age they are at the moment! This fun tropical themed custom print would be perfect for this theme:

 

Tropical party decorations

You can literally go bananas (pardon the pun) decorating with this theme. Go bold with lush foliage or create your own palm or Monstera leaves using large pieces of paper, include plenty of fruit and florals as props, and don’t forget a flamingo or two for a bit of fun!

 

 

 

 

How gorgeous is this floral chandelier by Hanging Pretty?

 

This garland would make a fun backdrop or centrepiece!:

 

 

These hand painted water colour decorations by ELK Prints are perfect for table settings or the sweets buffet.

 

Of course what’s a party without balloons!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The use of natural or artificial flowers is also a great idea, and I love how Kirei Handmade has used them on giant letters.

 

You can also hire a foilage wall such as this for a tropical feel backdrop:

 

 

Flamingos or pineapples? Can’t decide? Go for both!:

 

 

 

Giant honeycomb balls in abundance and a selection of bold colours also looks fabulous.

 

 

 

 

Can’t go past these flamingo pinatas for some fun or decoration:

 

 

 

Tropical party tableware

Is it getting balmy in here yet? Let’s turn the heat up a notch with the perfect table setting for guests to sip on tropical punch and enjoy sweet fruit treats.

You’ll find an abundance of bright tableware perfect for this theme, including these fun finds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This fun lemonade stand from Tiny Tots Toy Hire (Sydney) is perfect for a cool drinks bar at a hot tropical party and seen in the below tropical setup:

 

 

 

 

Hire some flamingos for extra decorating fun!:

 

 

 

 

 

Tropical cakes, cookies and desserts

With a theme that takes it’s cues from food, it’s fair to say that your sweets table will be the centrepiece of this occasion. Think cakes and desserts decorated with tropical flowers or fruit, and cookies shaped as exoctic birds, monstera leaves and tropical fruits. Don’t forget the real thing either!

Here is some of what has been created for this theme from LLC vendors around Australia who you can order from:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tropical party favours

From fruit inspired cookies to whacky flamingo foam glasses, your guest will go home feeling like they’ve been on a tropical holiday with these finds and packaging!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before the little guests head home – why not have them stamp their fingerprint on this unique guest book idea! This ceramic hand painted tile will make the perfect keepsake for after the party!:

 

 

With so many partywares available, you can see why the tropical theme is just so hot right now, and a really easy one to pull together. I hope this has helped narrow the search down a little for you and provided the inspiration you need for your next occasion!

 

Creating the ultimate 1st birthday celebration for your little ones!

Let’s face it, the first year of a baby’s life is challenging for all involved to say the least so when it comes to planning this special milestone, it is definitely worth celebrating and well to be honest, we all deserve a party!! Today  Melbourne event stylist Helen from The Sugar Topped Table is sharing with us all some tips when it comes to planning this first birthday!

 

It all begins with choosing the perfect theme that may reflect the tiny personality already formed by your little ones. These may include a cute little princess theme for a sweet little girl or a Peter Rabbit theme for that handsome yet so cuddly little boy.

Once you’ve decided on your theme, its then much easier to work out what you are after when it come to the invitations

 

 

 

Why are these so important you may ask? Well they create a level of excitement & anticipation for all your guests which then leave them guessing as to what you may have planned for this special celebration.

 

 

This also helps with the design of any other stationery items you are wanting including backdrop, welcome sign, thank you tags, chocolate wrappers – the list goes on!

 

 

I know that I absolutely love receiving those WOW factor invitations; it just confirms that this event will be amazing!

Now that the unique style of design is complete, we can focus on all the other fun items including the decorations, table settings, main cake, desserts, guest favours, entertainment – the list goes on!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Creating that special celebration can be stressful at times but remember that its all about having fun!

If you’re in Melbourne and need a helping hand to plan your little one’s birthday party, head to The Sugar Topped Table to find out more about their styling services.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Celebrate Unwrapped: Floral tags

Celebrate attendees were already receiving delicious desserts and treats to take home in their swag bags – however I wanted to provide them with another type of buffet to enjoy as part of their experience at Celebrate. The flower bar did just that with each guest taking home their own hand picked posy of flowers in mini bottle vases dressed in stunning watercolour tags by ELK Prints:

 

 

The tags had a simple reminder keepsake message for them to “flourish” their business using the tools from the day. So many commented on the beautiful handpainted design on each tag:

 

 

It was a lovely area for guests to enjoy during the break to create their take-home floral gift:

 

 

ELK prints – who created these tags – is an expert in beautiful bespoke creations for celebrations!

From stunning invites to handpainted decorations – each piece is  custom made and totally gorgeous! I personally love the watercolour effect and it is still a huge trend in art and print at the moment!

 

 

 

 

Beautiful hand painted signs for a room or for an event become a true keepsake!:

 

 

 

 

Unique decorations can also be created such as these handpainted feather balloon tails!

 

 

Contact Elizabeth at ELK Prints and discuss what she could create for your next celebration!

Follow her on facebook here and instagram here and also visit her website here.

Thank you ELK prints for your stunning work on the Celebrate flower bar tags!