Today I am delighted to share with you a unique baby shower styled by Lettuce & Co. I love that it is based around a classic nursery rhyme which is always good inspiration for a baby shower. My favourite element has to be the drinks setting on the vintage pram and the sweet cake bunting to match the rhyme!
Lisa from Lettuce & Co writes – This gorgeous baby shower took us back in time. The time the nursery rhyme was sung to us by our grandmothers to the time we were singing and dancing to the rhyme ourselves with our little friends.
There is just so much to love about it with its vintage rustic theme. Despite the nursery rhyme’s old history the vibrant colours of the oranges and lemons bring it to life, which is what we were celebrating after all, a new life! Our client didn’t know what she was having either, so these colours worked perfectly whether it was to be a boy or a girl.
The rhyme in almost its entirety (for those that had forgotten it!) hung above the old wooden table filled with orange and lemon goodness and the vintage pram was a real find and works just beautifully as the drinks station, laden with homemade lemonade and flowers.
In keeping with the themes old history but celebrating the new life, we worked the cakes and desserts around the old and the new.
Tangy lemon curd mousse pots and layered orange cakes with buttercream topped with orange zest, ‘jam drop’ biscuits filled with orange marmalade and lemon curd and dusted with icing sugar had a real rustic feel to them, mini lemon meringues and the gorgeous citrus cake, with ruffles.
A lovingly handmade bunting by us girls with cut out children signifying the ‘oranges and lemons’ game took centre of the cake.
Credits:
Styling & Design, Floral & Stationery: lettuce & co
Cake & Biscuits: Cakes & Biscuits by Lisa
Desserts: Sweet Empire
Photography: Willem dirk du Toit
Thank you Lettuce & Co for sharing this event with us!
Today I am introducing you to the most divine little chairs for hire from my blog sponsor Little Wish Parties in Sydney!
I had my eye on these chairs for a while to use at one of my daughter’s parties however it was at my daughter’s 3rd birthday I finally had a “kids table” set up.
While us adults made do on normal sofa’s and dining chairs, the little girls felt like true princesses on these special chairs!
Little Wish Parties, who are the original providers of these chairs, is run by a lovely mum of four, Michelle who is truly passionate about these unique stylish chairs.
Besides the chairs, you can hire a range of accessories to suit your colour scheme and theme such as chair cushions and chair decorations!:
The chairs are available in gold, silver, black and white and you can mix and match with the cushion colours to suit any theme (or you can choose to have them without cushions!).
Boys are not forgotten and with the accessories available at Little Wish Parties, these chairs can suit even the most boyish of themes. I love this Superhero chair cover!:
To find out more about how to hire these chairs along with other unique hire items (including tables, cake stands and more), visit Little Wish Parties website here, and the facebook page here.
One party which always has “wowed” me was a Mystical Mermaid party by the lovely Kate of Kate Landers Events in the USA.
It was beautiful, unique and so detailed. I am a big fan of her work and I am thrilled to share an interview with her today where she talks about some styling tips as well as party planning tips for mum’s. So much useful advice in this interview – I hope you enjoy it!
My favourite party styled by you is the Mystical mermaid party. How do you plan and dream up such a beautiful event? Do you tackle one area at a time (eg: first stationery, then decorations etc) or brainstorm all the ideas together?
Thank you so much Tanya!
Sometimes a single item serves as a source of inspiration (like a vintage tarnished candelabra), other times it is a color-scheme, flower, creature…in the event of the Mystical Mermaid Party, it was working off of a wish list from a mom who wanted a mermaid party that was non-traditional.
I knew she wanted something free-spirited, magical, soft, feminine, fanciful. I instantly thought of a shabby-chic inspired look with vintage treasures you would find at the bottom of the ocean. I loved the idea of creating a space where the guests would feel like mermaids.
Thus, a low-table and chair cushions on sand on the “sea floor” as mermaids would possibly dine. Draped tulle above to give that feeling of being under the ocean.
Lots of seashells and starfish, sea glass (but in a non-traditional white and pale pink), pearls, ruffles…things mermaids might like to collect. Mermaids were, after all, known to steal pretty things from ships lost at sea. Taking that bit of folklore gave me a springboard to jump off of.
The dessert table was also inspired by all things you would find under the sea. I named them appropriately as well. It was a dreamy party.
You recently celebrated your own son’s Noah’s 1st birthday. How did the planning differ for you in planning your own child’s celebration compared to clients events in the past?
Any tips for stylists who also plan their own children’s parties and perhaps feel more pressure to prepare a “perfect party” since they are stylists themselves?
Planning your own child’s party is completely different than planning someone else’s. It really tugged at my heartstrings planning my son’s first (and recently, second!) birthday parties.
I wanted everything perfect, yet at the same time more than anything, I wanted to be fully present for the parties.
Therefore, I made sure to hire a professional photographer to capture everything for me, so that I could be with my husband and Noah and savor the moment. I am so thrilled I did. Of course there was a bit of added pressure, I think, to make everything perfect–but more because of my own perfectionism than anything else.
I think it was very clear to me–this was my son’s party, not something to wow others. Of course I hoped that my parties for my son would inspire others when planning their own child’s birthday parties, but the focus was on him.
You have mentioned the importance of creating an ‘experience’ for the children at a birthday party. As mum’s in the midst of party planning do you have tips on what we should keep in mind when planning to ensure the party is an “experience” for the guests?
I believe the key is trying to look at the party through the eyes of a child.
For example, if it is a woodland fairy party, imagine what you can do to create an environment to inspire the child’s own imagination, to give them props to feel like a fairy!
Whether that be wings and a wand, a little toadstool to sit on or jar of fairy dust to sprinkle…it is creating an environment that nurtures their imagination, fuels them to feel transported to a land of wonder for an hour or two.
Do you have any tips for mum’s wanting to create a beautiful celebration but on a budget?
Yes! First: a smaller guest list and hosting a party mid-afternoon really keeps costs down. Have as many guests as the age the child is turning (ie if turning five, have five guests, plus/minus two). This helps keep everyone from getting overstimulated and gives you the opportunity to buy that party favor you really want to give out because you aren’t buying 30 of them!
Also, by hosting mid-afternoon, you do not need to serve a meal. Simple healthy fruit and a birthday cake with beverage is all you need. It is really that simple.
When it comes to decorations, take simple balloons and tie pretty gingham, satin or grosgrain ribbons on them to make them that much more stylish. Very easy, inexpensive and looks so much more stylish.
Using solid colored party plates and cups will look beautiful, and homemade party hats (pretty crafting paper or fabrics adorned with tissue festooning or ruffled ribbon) makes such a statement.
One party favor can be spectacular, and cost less than a bag full of many smaller trinkets. A book with a personalized bookplate, beautifully decorated cookie–great favors.
When going onsite to style a party, what are your “must-have’s” that you always carry with you?
I am sure I will forget some. Off the top of my head, scotch tape, glue dots, fishing line, scissors, mini glue gun and glue sticks, ribbon, baker’s twine, band aids, ribbon, upholstery pins and mini hammer…stuff to hang props, trim frayed edges, cover up a stain…
Have you ever had something you had planned for go wrong on the day of the event? How did you deal with it?
YES! Absolutely. Deep breath. Cupcakes get damaged in transit–get basic white frosted supermarket cupcakes as a back up. Always have extra party favors in case guests’ siblings come along. Just a couple things that help.
Expect the unexpected. And remember, no one is perfect. Focusing the joy of the birthday child’s face and all of his or her guests, reminds you what is really important.
What is the most important attitude for a mum to have on the day of their child’s celebration in the midst of all the busyness!
Stay in the moment. Imagine yourself a week from now, looking back. How do you want to remember the party? Do you want to see your child blow out the candles? Do you want to help your child hand out the party favors? Make sure you have a family member or babysitter to help with the duties you want done, and celebrate the life of your precious child!
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Thank you so much Kate for sharing your thoughts, advice and inspirations with us all!
See more of Kate Lander’s work on her site here.
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:
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!
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).
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!
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.
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.
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.
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
