Cake Toppers

A cake is truly one of the main features at any celebration but can also be quite a costly item! I am amazed constantly at the talent of many cake decorators and the works of art they produce.

However for the times where we either want to make our own cake, or cannot afford something too detailed – there are a variety of cute and unique items to top off a simple cake and make it look extra special!

Here are some I found available to purchase or order:

Tassel garlands seem to be all the rage right now, so why not use tassels for your cake bunting too?:

Tassel garland cake bunting - Red Elephant Creative

Tulle pom poms create such a soft and pretty effect and also make for a wonderful cake garland:

Tulle pom pom cake garland - Pom Pom Princess

Love this personalised cake garland with the name hanging down from the top!

Cake bunting - Hanging Pretty

A classic cake bunting such as this one really gives a beautiful finishing touch to any cake:

Little Boy Blue cake bunting - Pink Grapefruit

How about these flower pom toppers for something special? Bundled together for a gorgeous effect:

Cake toppers - Dunne with Style

These cake buntings come with optional name attachments as well – perfect for a personalised touch:

Shabby chic cake bunting & topper - Taffle Wishes

Washi tape is another new craze and you can find cake buntings pre-made using washi tape if you don’t want to make it yourself:

Washi tape bunting - Inspiration Nest

These felt buntings are lovely and so easily reusable!

Birdy felt cake bunting - Sweet Tashie

Other options besides cake buntings & garlands is of course a cute cake topper such as a figurine that also make a nice keepsake after the party. Here are a few I found:

Nursery Rhyme cake topper - PassionArte

Personalised figurine topper - Cherry Red Toppers

Polymer clay toppers - Creations of clay

Peter Rabbit alphabet figurine - Peters of Kensington

Also available are acrylic cake toppers, and one such as this could be used many times over the years:

Acrylic cake topper - Creative by name

So many pretty, unique and fun options out there to offering simple ways to make a cake look extra special!

What pictures cannot show…

There are SO MANY GORGEOUS parties which talented and creative mums and party stylists have put together and showcased that I am in awe of. However it also makes me slightly intimidated and shy to show pictures of my own daughters celebrations!

I see the photos and I notice lots of things which I should have and could have styled better and done differently.

However it’s also important to keep things real.

As a mum of a 2yr old and a 4 month old having 2 celebrations in a fortnight was hard work and I told myself I would not put as much pressure on myself because I just did not have the time this year.

I know a lot of you are also in the same boat. As much as you would love to have the most gorgeous or uniquely styled party for your child, sometimes you run out of time, or energy or money to do it all the way you would have liked.

I will still show the photos however (once I finish sorting through them! sorry I’ve been slow with this) even though my celebrations do not reach the heights of some of the beautiful parties I share via facebook =) In the end I’m not a party stylist – I’m a mum who wants to celebrate my kids – and I do the best I can with that =)

None of us should ever be shy or intimidated to share our party photos =)

What the photos cannot show is the joy of the child being celebrated and their friends, the pride of their grandparents, the love of their parents. It doesn’t show the love and time poured into the various food and decorations for the party. It doesn’t show all the amazing memorable moments which have taken place during the party and before and after. These are what really matter more than ANYTHING else.

Party Decor reused

As it is nearly time for my daughter’s second birthday I thought I’d show how I have used some of her party items from her first birthday in her room and some of her room items which I may incorporate into her party this year.

Dessert table from Rebekahs first birthday

I think it’s important when we are spending so much money on decorations to include things that you can keep and display in the house somewhere after the party or use again for another party theme.

Last year I had a bunting made by Giggleberry Creations and a name sign made by Chikkimoo designs. Here they are both together now hanging above my daughter’s cot. Sorry about the picture – I really need to get me one of those fancy cameras 😉

I’ve only recently put her room together as we moved house a few months ago and I wanted to incorporate a bit of a teapot theme into her room as I think tea parties is something lovely for a girl that she won’t outgrow too soon. However my other motivation was that I could perhaps use some of the items in the room for Rebekah’s party this year which has a teapot theme…and vice versa, if I purchase something for the party I could perhaps use it in her room later.

Although to be honest I still don’t know how (or if) I will incorporate the Love Mae wall stickers and the teapot/teacup bookends into the party decor! The pink, yellow and green milk bottles on the shelf are also items I thought of incorporating into Rebekah’s party decor this year…again I’m not sure how, but I love these coloured bottles!

So by using nursery decor as party decor and vice versa it ends up saving me a little bit of money or at least making more use out of the money I have spent.

On the side wall I hung up a display that my sister in law made for Rebekah for her first birthday which I had hung up at her first birthday party. Here is the original picture from her birthday party:

I’m no interior designer but have enjoyed playing around with this room and am still deciding what exactly works on the shelves and the location of the wall stickers =)

Lastly below are the pink suitcases I used under the cake stand at Rebekah’s first birthday. I love these suitcases which I have filled with her birthday cards and other bits and pieces.

I still have a few other items from her birthday that I have yet to hang up or display.

Obviously I think it’s best just to pick certain items to reuse or display. Their room doesn’t need to look like a repeat of their birthday party!

This is just my way of making use of some of the special party items =)

Plus it helps me justify my purchases if I know I will get more use out of them than just the one day!

What have you reused after a party in your child’s room?

Planning a small soiree?

We have recently welcomed into the world our second daughter and for her Baptism celebration I am keeping it very small with only immediate family. However I still want to do something special for this occasion and for her.

I know my family won’t care how nice the cake looks, whether there is any decorations etc and I really don’t NEED to organise anything that special! However my view is that the occasion is special, my daughter is precious and therefore deserves something lovely to celebrate this day! Not to mention the fact that I enjoy doing things like this when I get the chance =)

I won’t be having a full dessert table and I know that extra candy and sweets will go to waste if I order them. So I’ve been thinking about how to style something sweet and small when there won’t be many desserts. I think it is more enjoyable sometimes to create something small as you need to be more creative in how to decorate and style and present things since the table won’t be overflowing with a lot of sweet items.

Props and memorabilia can fill a table nicely and make it meaningful. Items such as a photo of the little girl/boy, their candle from the ceremony, fresh flowers and candy jars filled with decorative items rather than sweets are all some simple ideas of dressing up the table.

The other point to think about is where to set up the sweets/dessert. A small celebration means you may be able to be more creative with how you display the cake and desserts as you don’t need as much room as a trestle table/dining table provides. You may have a small occasional table in your home that would be perfect for a small occasion:

Dessert table - Somewhere Splendid blog

Wedding dessert table - Lee Mae Marie blog

Another wonderful example of something gorgeous but small is this setup by Bianca from A Little Delightful who put together a tea party for 2, for her 2 children:

Tea party for 2 - A Little Delightful blog

Here is some more inspiration of small dessert tables which use lovely props to style the table:

Easter dessert table - The White Library

Pirate princess mini dessert table - Cake ink events blog

Table by Imbue Weddings - Polkadot Bride blog

I am looking forward to styling something small and special.

What about you? What is the smallest number of people at a celebration you have organised? Do you prefer to style something for a small or a large celebration?

Party Pretties – May 2012

There seems to be an endless supply of lovely new products appearing for parties these days. They are all so tempting so here are just a few party pretties I’ve spotted lately which I wanted to share with you all! Maybe you’ll find something to add to your collection or next celebration: