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!

 

 

 

Gymnastics Party Theme Supplies

Do you remember going to gymnastic classes as a child? So much fun!

Tumbling, jumping and climbing make it a popular choice of extra curricular activity for lower primary school aged children, and the perfect party option for this age group too.

For the full experience (and safety of your household items) many gymnastics venues offer party packages on the weekend, making it a great option for catering to larger numbers too. You’ll find many provide a room or separate area (and sometimes tables and chairs) for you to set up and bring your own catering, and they’ll take care of the rest. Too easy!

Here is some inspiration to get you started!:

 

 

Regardless of where you host your gymnastics party, we’ve done a little search of our LLC partners for some inspiration and general partyware you might need to help bring it all together for you.

 

Invitations

Get your guests excited with a fun and creative invitation that will have them bouncing with anticipation. I love the idea of including a photo of the birthday boy or girl as a gymnast!

 

 

 

 

 

Decorations

If hosting it at a venue, you may be limited to the decorations you can bring in and the allocated time to set up, so stick to some fun balloons and coordinated tableware for a quick and easy set up and clean up. Or if at home, go all out and let your imagination run wild! Choose bright primary colours, pink and gold or even metallics just like a gymnast’s leotard!

A styled table with customised cookies, wrapped chocolates or cupcakes with toppers is also an easy way to achieve your look.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cake and Desserts 

Although it is hard to find Gymnastic specific partyware and decorations, theming your cake and desserts to match a Gymnastics theme is a fun way to bring the theme out :

 

 

Tableware

You know I love a coordinated table – whatever the occasion! This theme allows for plenty of play with creativity, choice of colours and degree of detail, so here’s a few finds to get you started. How cute are these individual boxes?

 

 

Here are a range of fun and colourful options for tableware depending on what colour scheme you go for:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Favours

When all the gymnasts have tumbled themselves tired and it’s time to go home, what better way to say ‘thanks’ and reward them for their outstanding ability, than to award them all them with their own gold medals or trophies! Kids go wild for these and they’re easy enough to find and be added to a goodie bag with a customised cookie, treats or other personalised gifts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is such a fun party theme for both boys and girls of all ages, and with a few small customised touches, an easy one to style too. Have fun!

 

 

 

 

 

Celebrate Unwrapped: Balloon Arrangements

Gone are the days of the humble balloon being tied together in a bunch and hung from whatever could be found for decoration.  Instead, these days we’re treated to spectacular colours and sizes, adornments, fillings and let’s face it, next level styling with these decorations!

Our Celebrate conference was held at the beautiful Sydney venue, The Deckhouse, with stunning water views of Sydney Harbour and the Harbour Bridge thanks to being surrounded by floor to ceiling windows. So room decoration needed only help bring the table styling together and provide backdrops for our guest speakers, rather than detract from our beautiful surrounds. But nothing short of spectacular either!

So to pull it off, we called in the help of Sydney’s own balloon Queen, Shannon from Born To Party, to design a custom balloon arrangement and add some great visuals to the room itself.

Shannon shared the load of the Celebrate balloon decor with another balloon master – Michelle of Party Splendour and we’ll be showcasing her work at Celebrate in a future blog post.

 

This balloon arrangement was truly a show stopper and everyone at the conference commented on it!

 

 

 

I loved how it looked like a waterfall of balloons was spilling out over the floor near our guest speakers! It created a brilliant feature at the front of the venue:

With no limit to what Shannon can do with balloons, balloon arrangements are a great addition to any event, and don’t be afraid to think big and be bold with your arrangements by combining tassel tails, mixing and matching the colours, styles and sizes for a dramatic effect. You can see more of Shannon’s designs on the Born To Party Facebook page.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can find a great range of balloons and of course Shannon’s expertise at her shop in Mosman, or visit her online store where you can shop for invitations, decorations and  tableware too.

 

THANK YOU so much for your balloon magic Shannon!

 

Let’s get pampered spa party theme

I can remember some pretty fun parties as a kid, with many of my favourite themes still being reinvented these days, which brings back some memories!

But if there’s one theme that I so wish I had thought of when I was 10, it’s a pamper party theme.

Perfect for double digits but just as easily adapted for younger girls, the pamper party or spa party theme is quickly becoming popular so I’ve done a quick whip around our LLC vendors to provide you with a little inspiration!

Now of course I am all about keeping things fun and age-appropriate when it comes to this theme. I think there is a way to keep this party theme light hearted and just a bit of fun for the girls without mum’s having to stress about creating a truly adult-like spa or pamper experience.

 

 

I love this glamorous take on the theme, incorporating a fashion parade at the end!

Or why not make it a slumber party, complete with individual tents and TV trays for a DIY makeover before bed?

 

 

You can use one of the hire companies on the Directory to set up a cute setting for the girls:

 

Invitations

Dependent on the age, your invitations and colour palette can be anything from pretty pastels, to pink and gold, or black, white and hot pink for the older girls.

Give your guests a taste of what to expect with these gorgeous examples and matching printables.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Decorations

Of course every great spa has a relaxing ambience and stylish decor, so prop your room with individual foot spas, hand bowls for manicures, cute chairs, towels and flowers ready for a little TLC.

Then add pops of fun with balloons, hanging decorations and table arrangements.

A printed backdrop such as this one can be used for a dessert table or a photo backdrop:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tableware

Rather than setting a table for a seated party, opt for a table filled with bite size sweets and savouries for the kids to nibble on in between treatments, styled with coordinated tableware.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sweet Treats

A party wouldn’t be a party without a few sweet treats, but best make them bite size to prevent ruining wet nail polish!

I love the idea of high tea stands stacked with finger sandwiches, macarons, strawberries dipped in chocolate, and themed cookies that double as take home treats. Oh, and cake. Always cake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How great are these chocolate moulds for manicure sets, lipsticks and hairdryers?!!

 

 

 

Love this fun pamper party cake!:

 

Party Favours

Let the guests take home something special in these favour bags

 

 

 

What do you send your pampered little guests home with to top it all off? Nothing less than a personal mirror of course!

 

This is also a super sweet party favour idea:

 

 

Of course for those who don’t have the room at home or the time to organise it, many venues and roaming entertainment providers are now offering pamper parties as part of their theme repertoire, making them a great options for larger groups too.

 

 

 

 

Perhaps I need to relive my childhood and plan one of these myself…especially being pregnant at the moment I think I’m due for some pampering!

I hope you’ve found some great inspiration for your child’s spa pampering party.