Issue 16: Carousel Magazine Shoot

ROLL UP! ROLL UP!! To this gorgeous Carousel inspired birthday party for Neve which was also a styled collaboration photoshoot for our latest online Magazine!

 

Styled by Belle Events in Sydney for her daughter – you may have seen this shoot gracing the front cover!

Natalie of Belle Events not only styled this but also provided the gorgeous props such as the carousel horse, giraffe and ferris wheel for a gorgeous Carousel setting!

 

 

Balloons by Des created the beautiful pastel balloons against the backdrop by Edgehouse Design and cake by Dulce Trio!

 

 

 

 

 

The kids table settings were simply perfect with craft canvas’s by Candy and Canvas, Partyware from BAM Party and Events and gorgeous paperie by Party & Design Co:

 

 

 

 

Beautiful cookies by Flora Muse Studio were so stunning!

 

 

 

 

 

Cookie mix favours by Sweet Health also adorned the tables next to cake pops by Cookie Queen Kitsch’n:

 

 

 

Cookie Queen Kitshc’n also created the chocolate coated tim tams:

 

 

The favour boxes by Party and Design Co were so stunning!

 

 

Acrylics by Serendipity Design Corner really brought the theme alive!

 

 

 

 

Candy and Canvas entertainment via their art and craft activities and carousel canvas’s suited this theme perfectly

 

 

 

A gorgeous castle by Mimi Bounce was enjoyed by all the kids:

 

 

 

And Pistachio Entertainment provided a ballerina to entertain all the kids!

 

 

Gorgeous birthday girl Neve wore oufits from Wishful Playground. So beautiful!

 

 

It truly was a special and unforgettable day had by all!

 

 

 

VENDORS:

 

Styling & props

Belle Events Sydney

www.instagram.com/belle_events_syd

 

Photography

86th and Lex Photography

www.instagram.com/86thandlexphoto

 

 

Cake

Dulce Trio

www.instagram.com/dulcetrio3

 

Cookies

Flora Muse Studio

https://www.instagram.com/floramusestudio/

 

Cake pops & choc coated tim tams

www.instagram.com/cookiequeenkitschn

 

Dresses

Wishful Playground

www.instagram.com/wishfulplayground

 

Acrylic centrepieces, bar menus and welcome signage

Serendipity Design Corner

www.instagram.com/serendipitydesigncorner

 

Partyware

BAM Party and Events

Www.Instagram.com/bam_party_and_events

 

Plaster moulds and themed canvas activity

Candy and Canvas

Www.Instagram.com/candyandcanvas

 

Balloons

Balloons by Des

Www.Instagram.com/balloonsbydes

 

 

Cookie mixes

Sweet Health

www.instagram.com/sweethealthcookiemix

 

Papiere & party boxes, bottle wraps

Party and Design Co

www.instagram.com/partyanddesignco

 

Jumping castle

Mimi Bounce

www.instagram.com/mimibounce

 

Backdrop

Edge House Design

www.instagram.com/edgehousedesign

 

Venue

Café Gusto

www.instagram.com/cafe.gusto.botany

 

 

Ballerina

Pistachio Entertainment

Www.Instagram.com/pistachioentertainment

 

 

 

 

Carousel Party Supplies

It’s been a big few weeks here at Life’s Little Celebrations with the launch of the new “Celebrating Little Ones” magazine! If you still haven’t had a read make sure you do here.

Now onto this weeks blog party supplies round up! One of the fondest memories I have from my childhood is of a music box that mum would wind up at bedtime, and I’d listen to it before falling asleep, watching the carousel of horses go round and round. It was pink and white and I thought it was just magical.

These days, the song still plays in my head when I see the gorgeous vintage carousels at the carnival, and I’m equally delighted when I see so many talented stylists using it as inspiration for a magical party theme. It’s the perfect mix of vintage nostalgia, horses (everyone’s favourite animal!) and girliness.

Take a look at some of these beautiful examples.

 

carousel party inspiration

Willow and Duck Event Styling, Melbourne

 

carousel party styling

Kiss with Style, Melbourne

 

 

 

carousel party dessert buffet inspiration

Mon Soiree Dessert Tables and Candy Buffets, Sydney

 

 

 

carousel party dessert buffet ideas

Sugar Coated Candy and Dessert Buffets, Melbourne

 

My own daughters first birthday – Life’s Little Celebrations

 

Like all good party themes, the carousel provides a great foundation of elements to be inspired by. Using striped candy cane poles, elegant horses and your choice of colour scheme, we’ve found some great items from our LLC vendors to inspire you and help pull it all together.

 

Carousel Party Invitations

Invite your guests on a magical ride with gorgeous invitations that evoke a sense of fantasy.

 

carousel party invitations

Carousel party invitations – Eve and Co Stationery

 

carousel party invitations

Giggles & Grace

 

 

 

custom carousel party invitations

Dream A Little Dream Events

 

 

 

 

 

Carousel Party Decorations

This is a beautiful theme for baby showers or first birthday’s, leaving the decorating and styling to be focused on a dessert buffet or set table for afternoon tea. Get creative with a custom backdrop, props and colour using some of these special finds based around some gorgeous colours and colour schemes for a Carousel themed party:

 

gold fringe curtain backdrop

Metallic Gold Fringe Curtain, Deer Little Parties

 

 

 

 

 

pastel decorations

Pastel and gold foil pinwheel decorations, Emiko Blue

 

 

 

 

carousel party decorations

Carousel Horse, Foamtastic Party Decor

 

 

 

 

 

handmade paper flower decorations

Garden Delights, Lavender Honey & Co

 

 

 

heart balloons

Heart balloons, Love The Occasion

 

 

 

pink and gold tassel decorations

Tassel Kit, Poppies for Grace

 

 

 

number balloon decorations

White Gold Number balloons, Ruby Rabbit Partyware

 

 

Script balloon – Sugarlicious Parties

 

 

jumbo confetti balloons

Jumbo Confetti balloon, Ruby Rabbit Partyware

 

 

 

pink paper fan decorations

Paper Fans, The Party Parlour

 

 

 

 

gold decorations

Gold Honeycomb Garland, Ruby Rabbit Partyware

 

 

 

pink sequin table cloth for hire

Sequin Table Cloth Hire, Sweet Heavenly Events, Sydney

jumbo confetti

Jumbo Confetti, The Party Parlour

 

 

 

This carousel horse would make THE most stunning prop to hire if you’re in Sydney!:

 

carousel party props

Carousel Horse Prop Hire, Tiny Tots Toy Hire, Sydney

 

 

Some gorgeous items for the birthday girl to wear too:

 

first birthday party hat

Party Hat, Lavender Honey & Co

 

 

 

carousel party favours

Gold crown, Schooza

 

 

carousel party favor ideas

Costume Unicorn Tail, Schooza

 

 

 

 

Tableware

Pretty desserts deserve to be enjoyed off equally pretty tableware, don’t you think?! Continue your theme with striped, gold foiled and coordinated pieces in your colour scheme and continue the vintage glamour of the magical carousel.

gold plates

Gold Striped Plates, Emiko Blue

 

 

 

confetti cake plates

Gold Confetti Cake Plates, Fantasy Kids Parties

 

 

 

gold party tableware

Gold Themed Tableware, Favor Lane Party Boutique

 

 

 

vintage pink party plates

Pink Doily Plates, Love the Occasion

 

 

 

pastel pink and gold party plates

Blush Party Plates, Party for Stella

 

 

 

carousel party tableware

Daydream Watercolour Plates, Ruby Rabbit Partyware

 

 

 

carousel party tableware ideas

Coral Gold Foil Straws, The Little Event Company

 

 

 

carousel party

Pink Confetti Plates, The Little Event Company

 

 

 

 

Cakes and dessert accessories

With your dessert table taking centre stage, take inspiration from The Sweet Cart in Perth and coordinate your tasty treats into your theme using colour, carousel horse toppers, candy stripes and florals.

 

carousel party styling inspiration

The Sweet Cart, Perth

 

And don’t forget the cake! How amazing is this one from Taylor Made Gourmet?

 

 

carousel themed cake

Carousel cake, Taylor Made Gourmet

 

 

Add a few finishing touches!:

 

carousel party cake toppers

Carousel Cake Toppers, DIY Parties by Renee

 

 

 

carousel themed chocolate mould

Carousel Chocolate Mould, Confectionately Yours

 

 

 

pink and gold carousel theme party supplies

Pink and Gold Candles, The Little Event Company

 

 

 

happy birthday cake topper

Gold Mirrored Cake Topper, The Little Event Company

 

 

 

Party favours

Send your guests home spinning with excitement after their carousel encounter with pretty favors

 

 

carousel party favors

Carousel Party Favors, Glitter and Glue Designs

 

White gold dot party bags – Ruby Rabbit Partyware

 

 

carousel party favors

Pastel Pink Favor Boxes, Emiko Blue

 

 

 

pink and gold party bags

Stripes and Sports Party Bags, Love the Occasion

 

 

carousel party lolly bags

Pink and Gold Spot Lolly Bags, Emiko Blue

 

 

 

 

cupcake boxes

Cupcake Gift Boxes, The Party Parlour

 

 

I hope this theme evokes as much nostalgia for you as it does for me! It’s quite a simple theme once broken down – what would you do differently?

 

Carousel Party

A classic childhood experience is enjoying the merry go round and this Carousel party captures the fun and magic of this as well as the beauty of a gorgeous carousel! Pastel colours, carousel horses and florals can all make for a beautiful setting! This theme could stand on its own or you could incorporate aspects of the carousel theme into a Carnival/Fair or Circus theme as well (have a look at one of my very early blog posts on a Circus theme). It is truly a sweet and unique theme for a little girl!

Invitations/Printables

A few gorgeous invitations (which are often part of a matching set with other items) and as you can see a variety of colour combinations work well for this theme:

Magical carousel invitation – Lovely Little Parties

Carousel invitaiton – Letter D Parties & Paperie

Alannah Rose Take Me to the Fair invitation – Twiggi

Carousel Birthday party invitation – Photo Greetings

Decorations

Carousels often combine beautiful colours, florals and lights. Recreate this with some of these decorative options:

Paper folding balls – Sweet Style

White ribbed lantern – Details, Details

Lavender paper fan – Little Sooti

Small ruby rose lantern – The Party Parlour

 

 

A pretty bunting would look perfect for this party theme:

Alimrose Designs bunting – Tots n Tales

Pretty in pink paper bunting – The Party Studio

Wall decals can really help create an effect and setting for your theme. Here are some beautiful ones for this theme which also is such a gorgeous theme for a girls bedroom as well, so you could definitely reuse them!

Horse Carousel wall decal – Tots n Tales

This lovely carousel horse is available in a range of colours!

Carousel wall sticker – Little Shop of Stickers

Tableware

For your table, combine pretty colours and patterns for your Carousel setting. Stripes work well for a carousel/fair theme or you could work florals into your table decor as well:

Pink table runner with lace trim – I Love Parties

 

Pink/white stripe tablerunner – The Party Parlour

 

Shabby Chic pink table runner – Le Petit Party

 

Pink rectangle plates – Mon Tresor

Provence rose pink napkins – The Party Parlour

Classic soda bottles are perfect for the feeling of being at the fair!

Glass soda bottle – Invite Me

Combine your drinking bottles with a striking colour paper straw! These striped paper straws could also be made into a creative decoration as they are similar to the poles on a carousel. You could attach a carousel horse cut out to them for a cute touch such as the one I’ve shown below!

Purple paper straws- The Little Big Company

Isn’t this gorgeous? Perfect for straws, cake pop sticks or just to use as a decoration!

Carousel horse topper – Charli Mae

 

Sweet Treats

A few items for your carousel theme sweets:

Carousel cookie cutter – CW Cakes

Carousel Horse chocolate mould – Inspired by Chocolate

You can’t have a fair without fairy floss and this soft persian fairy floss is so pretty:

Persian Fairy Floss – Shoppe with Lily

For something different, serve the fairy floss (or other sweets) in these colourful icecream cups. The colourful stripes are perfect for this pretty carousel at the fair theme:

Icecream cups carnival stripe – Invite Me

If you are going for a classic carnival look then these pink and white striped options will look great:

Pale pink stripe candy box – Invite Me

Cupcake wrapper – The Party Studio

I was in awe when I saw this find….a ferris wheel cupcake holder! Could anything be more delightful? It is just gorgeous and it can be shipped to Australia. *Swoon*!

Ferris Wheel cupcake holder – Horchow (US)

 

This is a simpler version for your candy:

Ferris wheel candy holder – Karas Party Ideas

 

Special themed ideas

What is wonderful about a Carousel theme party is that any special item you purchase will look wonderful in your daughters room afterwards. Remember for a theme, you may just need one or two stand out items which really bring the theme to life. You can then carry on the theme in smaller details. Work within your budget and go for items you can reuse or display again in your child’s room.

Hiring is another great option for stand out features to match your theme and this amazing Carousel horse is a gorgeous example of that!  It can be hired out and would be a great photo spot too during the party!

Carousel horse for hire – Addie and Me

A lovely carousel will not only make a beautiful centrepiece at the party table but also a precious gift for your little girl as well:

Musical Horse Carousel – I Love Parties

Musical Carousel – Flying Dreams

 

This beautiful music box would make another stunning gift or centrepiece:

Carousel music box – Honeybee Toys

I know rocking horses are different to Carousel horses but these two items are so pretty and could definitely work into this theme as well!

Rocking horse mobile – Kate Finn

Pick a sweet print to display behind your cake table or around another main item in your party area to carry on the Carousel theme:

 

Personalised carousel canvas – Bright Star Kids

 

Place a gorgeous welcome sign to welcome everyone to the party:

Carousel door sign – Toadally Cute Products

 

These carousel horse items could be used to create some of your own decorations or embellishments to attach to party favours:

9 x 17 Carousel Chipboard – Scrapbook Valley

Clip art images – Goodness and fun

Love the colour of these sweet pink carnival tickets which could be attached to party favours or given to the children to use for party games or perhaps you could come up with a creative way to use them as a hanging decoration?

Watermelon pink carnival ticks – Koko vanilla Designs

Sweet little horses you could use to hold labels for your food table:

Placecard rocking horse – Elegant Bomboniere

 

Cute tin toy for your little girl and as a decoration especially for a vintage style party:

Carousel spinning top – The Hip Infant

This gorgeous pony is beautiful isn’t it? It would make a lovely gift, keepsake and decoration item for this theme:

Alimrose designs jointed pony – Cheese and Pickles

Have your little one dressed for the theme in these items!

Carousel felt crown – The Rice Babies

Milky Pony Tee – Kids Boulevard

Oopsidaisi makes just gorgeous items! Keep an eye out on their page for new releases of items featuring their carousel design:

French Carousel singlet – Oopsidaisi

I just had to mention Vintage Sew and So who makes stunning creations such as this canopy used by Boutique Affairs on this dessert table. You could contact them if you were after a carousel looking canopy for over your dessert table:

Canopy on dessert table (Styled by Boutique Affairs) – Vintage Sew and So

Another option is the use of a playtent such as this one to decorate the area around your dessert table or another space in your party area. Your little one will love it for many months and years after the party!

Pink play tent – Stix and Stones

 

Take Home Gifts    

These lovely Carousel theme gifts will be surely treasured by the little party guests!

Pink Carousel colouring book – I Love Parties

 

Carousel horse glitter sticker book – I Love Parties

 

Carousel bag tag – Katy Jane Designs

Sweet windmills and ribbon wands carry on the fun of the fair:

White windmill – Invite Me

Mini ribbon wand Mauve pale blue – Tout Mon Amour

For your sweet favours how gorgeous are these carousel favour bags?

Pink carousel favour bag – I Love Parties

These would also work in well with the party decor with a cute tag attached:

Tote box with handle and window – Mon Tresor

Dusty pink paper bag – Emerald and Ella

Finish off your packaging with some striped ribbon, pretty lace tape or this fun carousel tape!

Provence ribbon – Sweet Style

Pink lace tape – Emerald and Ella

Musical carousel tape – Huckleberry Hill

Real Parties

I really could not find many specific Carousel theme parties online which shows what a unique theme this is. However you must have a look at this amazing party by Sharnel Dollar Designs which is based around Mary Poppins and has lots of gorgeous Carousel features!

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As you can see, this is a sweet theme and there is so much you can do with it! It really creates that magical childhood feeling and because of this makes for a memorable birthday theme to celebrate your little one!