Confetti Fair & Kara’s Party Ideas workshop – Sydney 2014

 

Last week I had the fabulous opportunity to attend the Kara’s Party Ideas workshop and Confetti Fair in Sydney. You can see the professional photos from this event on the Rosie and Rolf Photography facebook page. Most of the below are my own personal iphone pictures and they don’t do the beautiful styling justice!

It was a wonderful opportunity to learn some party planning tips from Kara Allen as well as meet with others in this lovely industry and see gorgeous styling, party products and ideas!

We were greeted by this amazing feather feature as we walked in to the beautiful Byron Kennedy Hall. Gorgeous!

 

 

The workshop was lots of fun (how could it not be with the fantastic Sugar Coated Mama co-hosting and creating lots of laughs!) with some wonderful party planning tips by Kara Allen which were also accompanied by a party planning folder filled with lots of practical tips. She provided advice which was useful for event stylists as well as “mummy stylists” like me.

 

 

She was friendly, sweet and down to earth and we were able to watch as she styled a table herself.

I won’t give too much away so as not to spoil the workshop for those of you yet to attend!

However we also received a wonderful party goodie bag filled with some fun party items.

Sarah from Sugar Coated Mama was a delight to meet and hear from in person. She doesn’t just talk party, she walks the talk! I loved this gorgeous stand she created:

 

 

We also heard from other wonderful speakers and panel members! Michelle from Inspired by Michelle Cake Designs provided some honest business advice. She discussed the importance of not worrying about what everyone else is doing and posting on facebook. Instead, focus on your client and what your client wants. If you please your client, then your reputation will grow as word of mouth is so important for your business. Even if you don’t like the cake or table etc your client wants you to create – still do it. You don’t have to post it up on facebook, but if the client is paying you then do what they want.

 

 

 

I thought this was such important advice as so many of us are integrating social media with our business and sometimes there can be a clash between what our facebook likers would enjoy seeing and what our actual client wants. As Michelle explains – most of your facebook likers won’t become business for you, so focus on what your client wants first!

 

 

There were lots of chances during the workshop breaks to have a browse of all the Confetti Fair setups and chat with everyone. It was lovely to meet up in person with the vendors on my directory, other people in the industry and meet some new faces and even some blog readers of my blog!

I have included some images in this blog post, however to see all the photos and stands pop onto the Confetti Fair facebook page.

Tiny Tots Toy Hire shared an array of some of their wonderful props they have for hire! As you can see Flamingos are still trending and made an appearance around Confetti Fair:

 

 

Lots of loveliness, inspiration and props:

 

 

 

Such an amazing Alice in Wonderland cake at the Little Wish Parties stand!:

 

 

 

Gorgeous vintage prettiness!:

 

 

I was able to view these popular light up toppers in person:

 

 

Purple made a feature at a few stands and I loved the ombre look created here:

 

 

What I love about Confetti Fair being a mum, is that it showcases ideas and products for kids parties (along with adult events).

This was a creative Art Party setup. Loved the kids table settings!

 

 

How clever are these colour in cookies?:

 

 

These mini honeycomb balls were so cute:

 

 

Such an array of partyware on display:

 

Sweet Health had their fabulous cookie mixes in a bottle at the fair and I took the opportunity to buy another mix to make at home with my girls:

 

 

 

Lots of unique chocolate favour ideas for kids parties, and smashcakes:

 

 

Some really cute party stationery on show plus I picked up some delightful fairy wings for my girls at the Hoot Invitations stand:

 

 

 

Such a unique setup by Mumma Cakes who sell DIY cake kits. I also picked up a DIY play dough kit for my daughter here:

 

Lots of toys, creative play and party game ideas:

 

 

These are just some of the stands at the fair and as you can see there was plenty of ideas and products to take in. My head was definitely in party planning mode over that weekend!

If you have the chance to attend the Kara’s Party workshops and/or Confetti Fair in your state, I highly recommend it! You’ll discover so much inspiration, products, ideas and tips which are relevant for ALL celebrations whether they be a baby shower, birthday party, Christening, engagement, wedding or other occasion.

You can find all the details on the Confetti Fair website.

 

 

 

 

 

*This is not a sponsored post*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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!

 

 

 

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).

 

 

 

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!

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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!

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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!

 

 

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.

 

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!

 

 

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