Pictured at top: adorable tweet & felt plushies by Etsy shop SleepyKing… Butterscotch Tweed Fox ($18), Belchick – The Mischevious Squirrel ($22), and Douglas Fir – “the little bear with freckles” ($24).

Pictured above: This whimsical Woodland Trail Mobile features a tree stump, bear, bird, squirrel, and bunny… and the colors can be customized to match your theme! (…could also double as a special gift for mom-to-be – $82 at GiftsDefine.com) And pint-sized Pet Pals would make for charming additions to woodsy-themed table centerpieces! ($18 each)

Pictured below: I’m planning to use this playful Friendly Forest collection by Colorbok to create DIY placemats, napkin rings, and drink charms, and also to embellish vases and party favors…

I also ordered some blank Wood Coasters and a Chipboard Family Tree (right hand corner, below) to decorate with the Friendly Forest paper and use somewhere in the party. Not 100% sure where the tree will end up yet, but it reminded me of this cool tree wall graphic that I love (below, left)… and I couldn’t resist =)

(Above, left: Bunny and Squirrel Bean Bags by Cocoon Couture)

Creative place cards are always a great way to play up your party or wedding theme, and Etsy shop Timeless Paper offers countless – and extremely stylish! – ways to do just that.

These intricate place card designs cost about $1 each and range from peacocks and butterflies to nautical, flora, and more. You can even have a completely custom shape created for a $30 fee.

Pictured above: Peacock, Suitcase, and Airplane place cards.  More favorites are pictured below, starting with the lovely Butterfly, Butterfly (tent-style), and Love Bird (tent style) designs…

Pictured below: whimsical Dragonfly and nautically-themed Anchor designs…

And last but not least, these Autumn Mix Leaves and pretty Pumpkin Place Cards would be an elegant addition to fall-themed weddings or Thanksgiving tables!

(Note: The pumpkin set is listed as 280 pieces, but you can message the seller if you need more or less.)

This week’s Surprise Giveaway is all about entertaining! It comes from Gallery 19 – a fabulous website for party lovers & hostesses of all sorts of occasions – from holidays to birthdays to everyday dinner parties and beyond!

There’s so much great stuff at Gallery 19 site…it was really hard to narrow down what to feature in this post! You’ll find everything from paper tableware, gift wrap, and gift ideas to stationery, serveware & home decor, and much more. And today they’re offering up a $100 Shopping Spree to a lucky HWTM reader to spend as they please on the Gallery 19 website!

A few personal favorites are pictured above at below… At top: various hand-painted napkin rings, spreaders, and serving dishes that come in an array of fabulous colors!

Directly above: various products from the colorful PARTY ON Birthday Collection.

Pictured above: a few of the many stylish paper plate designs… and pictured below: Halloween party products for your October celebrations!

Here are a few of Gallery 19′s humorous gift ideas, which include magnetic notepads, purse pads, coffee mugs, wine stoppers, & more…

And just because they’re way too cute, I couldn’t resist featuring these fun Barnyard Collection items too… =)

HOW TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:

• Post a comment here telling us which product(s) from Gallery 19 look especially fabulous to you!

• Giveaway ends Tuesday, September 1st at midnight PST. Winner is chosen randomly and will be notified via email Wednesday, September 2nd. Good luck!!

Winner Update: 5/29: This giveaway is now closed. Thank you so much to everyone that entered! And the lucky random winner is… Commenter #529 – Nicole F, who said, “I LOVE Sweet Treats … its absolutely adorable!”. Congrats, Nicole!

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I’m really excited to share this week’s Surprise Giveaway with you – because it comes from a fabulous company that makes party planning for all sorts of occasions a whole lot easier!

The Celebration Shoppe is all about unique custom invitations AND party supplies that coordinate with the invitation design. For example: Want to create a cupcake themed birthday party? Not only will you find a Cupcake invitation at The Celebration Shoppe – you’ll also find coordinating invitations, plates, napkins, cupcake wrappers, thank you cards, candles, and theme ideas… all in one spot! How easy is that?!

Even more good news: This week, The Celebration Shoppe is offering up a $100 shopping spree on their website to a lucky HWTM reader! (Find the details on HOW TO ENTER below.)

There are tons of different theme ideas at The Celebration Shoppe – from the modern red & white Movie Night and Pirate Ship themes to the bright, colorful Birthday Bash and Spooked Pumpkin {Halloween} themes. A few other favorites are pictured above and below…

How cute is this Pumpkin Carraige Centerpiece (above) for a Princess Party theme?! This Bridal Shower centerpiece is pretty sweet too…

Or maybe something a little less girlie… like this fun Rock Star theme for a birthday or congrats party…

All of the invitations and themed party supplies are sold individually at The Celebration Shoppe, so you can tailor your order to your needs. Also – the order mininums on their invitations are as few as 8, so you can still get personalized, professional invitations – even when you just need a few!

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HOW TO ENTER:

• Post a comment here telling us which theme(s) from the The Celebration Shoppe you think are especially fabulous!

• Giveaway ends Wednesday, May 27th at midnight PST. Winner is chosen randomly and will be announced Thursday, May 28th. (We’ve recently extended the giveaway for one day longer that the original post stated.) Good luck!!

Today’s Real Party feature is pretty much the cuteness. Wait… make that the sweetness!

This “Yummy Lollipop Birthday” theme was created by the ultra-creative Kim from TomKat Studio for her daughter Kate’s second birthday celebration! Everything from the invitations & decorations to the food & favors played up Kim’s colorful lollipop theme. (P.S. You can purchase a lot of this stuff in her Etsy Shop!)

The base for the fabulous “Lollipop Cupcake Tower” pictured above is a basic, all-white cupcake stand purchased at Michael’s for around $20. I love the versatility in this item because you can use fun decorative papers to tailor it to any sort of theme!

Kim also designed cupcake toppers that read “kate’s sweet shop“, “k“, and “kate“, which were added to the some of the cupcakes via lollipop sticks.

On the menu: Adorable marshmallow pops (inspired by Bakerella), a rainbow jello form that was stuck with a lolli stick, fruit on lollipop sticks, and pink snowballs turned lollipops…

Pictured below: Homemade Sweet Shop Door Sign and giant lollipops made of paper plates, paper, wood dowels, cellophane & ribbon! GENIUS!

Party favors: Themed favor tags that read “thank you for being sweet” were tied to mini swirl lollipops!

Thanks so much for the inspiration Kim – you truly are a creative genius!

For those of you that want to recreate this theme at home – and personalize it for your own guest of honor – check out the Yummy Lollipop Birthday Party Collection at the TomKat Studio etsy shop!

Winner Update – 3/17: This giveaway is now closed. Thanks so much to all 300+ of you that entered! And the FOUR lucky, random winners are: Commenters # 221 (Five O’Clock Somewhere), #223 (Danielle), #114 (Amber), and #188 (Whitney). Congrats! Garnish will be contacting each of you directly to coordinate your prize!

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I’m really excited to share this week’s Surprise Giveaway with you… this one comes from Garnish – an online shop that offers simple, budget-friendly packaging, then loads you up with the most clever, creative on ideas on how to incorporate them into your parties & celebrations!

Kraft paper sheets as beer sleeves? Yep! 10 ¢ party cups as Easter egg holders? Why not?! A little dinero will get you a long way at Garnish… and today they’re offering up $25 shopping sprees to FOUR hwtm readers! Just look at all the fun stuff you can do with your winnings, from party favors to picnic lunch boxes:

Check out these clever ideas for Easter celebrations and Kids Parties… the Lego®-filled tubes are way too fun! (Details on how to enter after the jump…)

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HOW TO ENTER:

• Post a comment here telling us which inspirational idea from Garnish you especially love… or share an idea of your own!

• Giveaway ends Monday, March 16th at midnight PST. Winner is chosen randomly and will be announced Tuesday, March 17th. Good luck!

…absolutely loving these fabulous Jardins Japonais and Fruits Deguises paper placemats from French design house Atelier LZC!  At $20 & $25 per set of 8 though, I might be more apt to frame these and hang them as art – or decorate with them in other ways that might go a little further (wrapping vases, creating table runners, etc).  Available at bunnymaxwell.com.

Today on GlamDish: get the recipe for Steamy Kitchen’s mouth-watering Lobster Mac ‘n Cheese, and over at Simply Stated: Celebrations: check out super stylish partyware from Paper Table!

I was at (San Diego’s new 2-story!) Crate&Barrel last week and have to tell you that the adorable floral Alison Paper Plates pictured above are even cuter in person than they look online! Great choice for girlie graduation celebrations and backyard cocktail parties!

C&B actually has tons of other great outdoor entertaining products out right now too – several of which serve as great company for the Alison Plates, such as the coordinating Alison Napkins, bright red – and earth friendly – Preserve™ Flatware, Citronella Mini Torches, and classic Red Lantern pictured above.