Today’s Real Party feature is a Charming Backyard Birthday theme that Kay created for her adorable daughter – Raffaella – to celebrate her first birthday. This party has so many pretty details… from makeshift dessert platters embellished with moss to artificial butterflies and colorful tissue poms.

The party details are very appropriate for a first birthday party, but they’d actually also translate well to adult occasions & holidays like bridal showers, Easter or Mother’s Day too!

Read on for all the pretty details, as told by Kay…

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“We were so happy at how great the party turned out. Everything went according to plan. Her birthday party was one of the best days, we were surrounded by the people we love most and we have a little girl who is happy, beautiful, and healthy. Nothing could be better than that.

Centerpieces:
I bought lots of glass jars and vases from discount stores like Marshalls and TJ Maxx. They ranged from $10-20. I didn’t want to use cut flowers; I wanted them to last in the house for a while after the party, therefore, I went with plants like ferns and Orchids. I added mosses and artificial butterflies to make it more cutesy. Artificial butterflies were purchased online from Barnard Ltd.

Poms Poms:
Poms poms are all the rage these days, so I definitely had to incorporate them into her party! I bought tissue paper in various shades from Paper-Source. I made a total of 17! We literally were making them up until the very first guest arrived.

Dessert Bar:
For the dessert bar, I went with French pastries made by a local bakery, Patisserie Chantilly. We had Macarons in 7 different flavors, Eclairs and Madelienes. We used different plates/platters and propped them up with bowls and mugs for some whimsy. The canopies that draped over the table were from IKEA.

I also didn’t want to do the traditional cake or the ever-so-popular cupcakes and opted instead for cream puffs. I purchased moss from The Home Depot for the makeshift cake stand (pictured at top) that held the cream puffs.

Drinks:
We also served pitchers of Fuzzless Navel (Orange Juice & Peach Nectar) which is the non-alcoholic version of the Fuzzy Navel. Both the kids and adults loved it!

Present Table:
I made the birthday pennants myself (see banner pictured at top), using paper from Joann Fabrics that was on sale. It was a great deal at 5 sheets for $1! I stapled them to strands of green ribbon and attached printed letters with double sided tape.

I also had two types of party favors, one for the adults and one for the kids. For the kid favors, I used Chinese take-out boxes (purchased from Uline) and added some ribbon and a sticker that I stamped the word “merci”. The adult favor were Meringues purchased from Trader Joes, wrapped up and tied off with cute brown faux bois ribbon from Joann.

Cheese Platter:
The cheese platter is actually something I am the most proud of!

I picked out all French cheese, except for the chedder =), Brie, St. Agur Blue, Comte, and Bucheron. They looked beautiful set again a dark slate platter. I used broken pieces of terracotta and alphabet stamps to write out the names of the cheeses on them. (I picked this idea up from a Danny Seo book. It’s a great way to reuse broken terracotta pots!)

Sitting Area:
We created a sitting area for the kids and their parents under green and white stripe hammocks-turned-canopies, that I picked up on sale from IKEA. I put a large blanket in the center and added some square end tables to complete the area.

And of course, thanks to my friend and photographer Brian Khang for taking such awesome pictures and allowing for me to share with everyone!”

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Such a pretty party, Kay! Thanks for sharing! =)

Today’s Real Party feature has got to be one of the cutest and most creative ideas I’ve stumbled upon in a while!  This adorable “Mr. Man” Theme was created by Christina Brian of the Full House blog in order to celebrate the birthdays of her (super-cute) TRIPLET boys AND her brother! (Side note Christina has twin girls too!)

From a garland of ties to hilarious chocolate mustaches, this party is full of great inspiration for both birthday parties of all ages and boy baby showers…

Check out these fun pics – such a great idea for photo opps!

Read on for lots more pics & all the details, as told by Christina…

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“So the Mr. Man party was so much fun. The welcome sign read, “Come One, Come All or just COMB over (get it!)…..MR. MAN PARTY “featuring” ANDREW & The BOYS“.

Yes my brother was so kind to share his birthday with my boys in which I am very grateful for….like he really had a choice in the matter! =)

This birthday meant that my boys were kind of a coming of age. When you hit 2 years old you’re kind of not a baby anymore so I had been a little sad to see this day come. That’s where the whole idea started unfolding in my head for a “Mr. Man Party”. If you can’t beat ‘em join ‘em.

Seriously it won’t be to long before they are wearing ties and carrying briefcases but hopefully not mustaches (unless they are chocolate ones on a stick). I promise to savor every last minute of these little tikes.

The cookies, especially the tie ones were so cute & tasty. Michelle makes very cute cakes as well…check her out.

The cupcakes were awesome because one of my favorite people came over and made them for me the day before the party. My Dad loved them so much that he even asked for the recipe. Perhaps I’ll post the recipe because they are sure to trick the pickiest of eaters. On second thought, I don’t know if I should because then my Dad would find out they were actually healthy & wouldn’t eat them again. They were made with agave nectar, whole grain spelt flour, coconut oil, pineapple and carrots.

The chocolate mustaches were a hit!

My Mom made the shirts (pictured below). The front had old ties sewed on with the back having their initial embroidered on it. Thank you Momma, they were perfect.

Don’t worry my brother got one too, except his said “The original Mr. Man” on the back. We really did call him Mr. Man when he was a little boy so it was very fitting!”

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So cute, Christina – thanks again for sharing!

Today’s Real Party feature looks like so much fun! It’s a “Wild Rumpus” Birthday that Kristen Gau created to celebrate the milestone first birthday of her (super adorable!) son Henry.

Inspired by the colors of autumn and the Where the Wild Things Are book & movie, this party is packed with creative ideas! Read on for lots more pics & all the details, as told by Kristen…

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“My husband and I love reading Where the Wild Things Are to our son Henry and are have been a bit overly excited about the movie. Months ago when we learned the movie would be released one week before Henry’s first birthday, we decided a Wild Rumpus would be the perfect party theme!

My first inclination was to do a jungle atmosphere incorporating Max and the Wild Things, but the beautiful autumn colors here in the Midwest and close proximity to Halloween inspired me to give the “jungle” an autumn twist.

I designed the invitations in an orange, yellow and black, then made a pennant banner and door sign to match.

I coordinated the orange color in the printed elements to Paper Source’s papaya envelopes and used a roll of papaya wrapping paper as a table runner for the food table.

I also used my large collection of Paper Source die cut leaves to decorate the “trees“, which were fallen limbs that I spray painted black.

To bring in more elements of the book I found Where The Wild Things Are plush dolls from Crocodile Creek and boxed puzzles for the kiddies at Mudpuppy.

Food:
We had fruit cups and cheese sticks for the little ones and “grown up” kid food for the adults such as mac and cheese, gourmet grilled cheeses and pb&j sandwiches, tomato soup, apple slices and popcorn balls.

For the table I found some cute, colorful first birthday plates at Target and ordered the BEAUTIFUL mini cake and cupcakes from a local shop, The Cakery.

Henry loved his cupcake and got icing all over himself as every one year old should.

Party Favors: Oh Henry Bars, orange fangs, and crowns!

Henry’s Wild Thing onesie and Max costume were handmade by sellers on Etsy and I sewed the crown and bib.

My husband designed and built “Max’s private boat” that fits over the top of Henry’s new red wagon. We plan to pull our little Wild Thing around in the boat for trick or treating.

We had a perfect day for the party and enjoyed celebrating our little man’s first birthday with our family and friends. Even though Henry will likely not remember his first birthday, I wanted to make it special and it will be a memory I will always treasure.”

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Everything turned out SO CUTE, Kristen! Thanks for the party inspiration!

There’s something so fun & inviting about pinwheels… and I love that Anne from Hot Apple Pie was inspired to create a whole party out of them for her daughter’s first birthday! She also utilized tons of great Etsy shops for the pretty pink & orange celebration. Read on for all the details, as told by Anne…

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“When our darling daughter, Isla, turned one, I knew I wanted to do something special for her first birthday party. Our neighbor has pinwheels in his yard and she loves to watch them spin around, so I decided a pinwheel themed birthday party would be perfect for our little girl!

I found these simply stated and adorable invitations from Jack and Izzy which set the tone of the party.

Guests were greeted by a Happy Birthday banner when they entered the house. Pinwheels were also put on the front door and scattered throughout the house in glass vases filled with orange Jelly Bellys. The banner and pinwheels were created by the amazing Shana from Crossroads Cottage.

The adorable Sweet as a Flower 1st Birthday Hat was created by Kylala Boutique.

Guests sipped peach slush, pink lemonade and soda from pink cups decorated with a pink pinwheel sticker from Jack and Izzy.

As party gifts, guest received small pink bags filled with candy. The bags were adorned with a small “thank you” tag created by fellow Haute Apple Pie blogger, Katie, and fastened with a mini clothes pin.

For dessert we had a 2 tiered pink cake created by Aly from (Milwaukee-based) Sweetness by Alice. It not only looked amazing, but tasted out of this world! The bottom layer was vanilla cake with cookies and cream filling and the top layer was lemon cake with lemon and raspberry filling.

Isla also had her very own cake to dig into! {both cakes pictured at top}

The birthday girl wore a onesie by sticheroos and a pinwheel headband (also from Kylala Boutique).

All in all, Isla’s first birthday party was a success! She played, opened lots of wonderful gifts, ate tons of cake and then took a long nap!”

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Super cute, Anne – thanks again for sharing!

P.S. If you love pinwheels, be sure to check out the adorable Pinwheel Cupcakes featured in the Baby Gender Reveal party from earlier this year!

I’m excited to share some inspiring party pics with you today… Clau! created this wonderfully colorful candy/dessert buffet for her nephew’s M&M-themed birthday. Everything is bright & cheerful, just like a birthday should be!

One of the first things to catch my eye was this awesome Kit Kat / M&M birthday cake, which she found the tutorial for here. This one is definitely getting starred as a “must-try” in the kids party ideas archive!

Another eye-catcher… the florescent orange & yellow Oreos. (To make your own, melt colored chocolate chips or Candy Melts, or tint white chocolate chips with food coloring).

I also loved the yellow ribbon used to accent the candy scoops, tongs, and glass containers. The use of just one color of ribbon on everything helped give all the different types of candies a cohesive look.

The table sign, treat bag stickers, and food tags were inspired by the Dylan’s Candy Bar logo and m&m’s theme.

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Thanks again for all the great eye-candy, Clau!

I’ve been receiving a lot of requests for downloadable versions of the posters from this Enchanted Fairy Birthday Party theme I did a while back, so…. here they are! I made a more “general” version of the “Happy Birthday” poster that could be used by anyone, and also created versions of the “number” poster in ages 1-5.

The individual designs can be downloaded below, and each .zip file includes both a 20×24″ and an 8×10″ sized jpeg (high-res). For the large posters (which will most likely need to be printed at a local print/copy shop) I’d recommend either mounting them on foam core or displaying them in a poster frame (all pictured below).

• Enchanted Fairy Happy Birthday – Download now

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Enchanted Fairy Birthday – Number Posters

• Age 1 – Download now
• Age 2 – Download now
• Age 3 – Download now
• Age 4 – Download now
• Age 5 – Download now

P.S. If you’re looking for a printer, here’s the company that I always use to print my posters for parties. They’re located in San Diego, but will ship anyhere in the US: http://www.emaginedigital.com

P.S.S. If you’re interested in an invite to match these posters, the girls at PrintYourParty on Etsy recreated the digital invitation that I designed for this party in a high-res printable format. Click here to contact them about it!

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*IMPORTANT NOTE: You are free to download and print these designs for your personal use only. Please do not attempt to resell or redistribute them. If you’d like blog about these templates, please make sure to link to the full post at HWTM and not directly to the downloadable files. Thank you!

You might remember the B is for Baby Shower party that the girls from Lollipop Events & Designs created earlier this year. I’m a huge fan of their modern-meets-whimsical style, and they’re back with another fabulous party theme to share!

This colorful “Alice in Wonderlandia” design is like your own personal fairy tale… charming, stylish, and perfect for everything from baby & bridal showers to birthday parties or a ladies lunch.

I’m especially loving the clever tea cup centerpiece and eclectic mix of vintage patterns & textiles! Read on for all the DIY tips for this setting, as told by the Lollipop girls…

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Table:
“Start by draping the table with a bold and bright floral table linen. For multiple tables, use the same patterned linen on each table or feel free to mix in other patterned linens to create an eclectic garden feel. Next, use colorful patterned kitchen aprons and tie them around each chair to create customized chair covers!

Centerpieces:
For the main centerpiece, take vintage teacups in any size, shape or pattern and simply glue them on top each other using a glue gun. You can make the centerpiece as tall or short as you would like, just make sure it’s sturdy, so that it does not topple over! To top off the teacup centerpiece add a ball of pretty pink or white garden roses and an artificial butterfly.

On each side of the teacup centerpiece add small glass bud vases with seasonal garden flowers. To add an extra eclectic flair, find ceramic pots with a floral design and top them off with basic moss balls, which can be reused for future parties. Moss balls will save you time since you won’t to arrange flowers! The moss balls can also serve as décor in your home after the event!

Table Settings:
Any vintage patterned dinnerware will suffice! It does not need to match the table linens or the aprons perfectly. Look at our table! We used over four different patterns but opted to keep the colors of the dinnerware and centerpieces in the same pink palette. Feel free to use anything from your grandmother’s old china, patterned melamine plates or even floral paper plates. It all depends on the time and the mood of the event.

Each guest received their own hot pink galvanized watering can at their place setting, filled with ice and small bright blue bottles of champagne. This allowed guests to keep their champagne chilled on the hot summer day and also served as a party favor!

Paper Candy:
Personalized monogrammed tea bags with each guest’s initials on them were strategically placed at each setting in the teacups. This is a creative way to add a customized touch to the event while doubling as a place card.

We also added a whimsical “Alice in Wonderland” flair to the table by placing playful blue and white menus to the side of each plate. Please see the paper candy section on our website to purchase semi-custom menus and monograms similar to these.”

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This gorgeous party that Linda Roos created for her 35th birthday is so colorful, chic… and versatile! Her tiered centerpieces – and this overall look – would also be great for wedding showers and anniversary celebrations. And how great is this homemade birthday banner:

Read on for lots of photos and all the details, as told by Linda herself…

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“I pictured this party being colorful, cheery, and sassy…

Tabletop:
I totally lucked out in finding the striped fabric on the clearance table at a fabric store. It matched the colors of the invite perfectly. With the fabric having so many different colors, I decided to use it as a table runner along with white china. I alternated hot pink and white napkins at each setting.

I used big plates so that the guests could load up on different cakes and desserts from the buffet. I also put glasses and then altered espresso cups, larger coffee cups, and tea mugs on the table to give the guests a choice of what to drink.

Centerpieces:
I saw a post on HWTM a while back about a tablescape from Brides that I have been wanting to do for the longest time. It had a tiered cake stand full of flowers. So I got the stands from IKEA (which were ideal for flowers as the plates are deep enough to hold water), a bunch of fresh flowers and different colors of polka dot ribbon. I am so happy with how this turned out. Thanks for the tip Jen!

I also also hung pink glass ornaments from the chandelier over the table to add some bling (gotta have bling!), and spent three nights cutting and stringing scrapbook paper into flags that I hung across our dining area and over to the kitchen island where I had the buffet.

On the Menu:

The buffet was filled with different kinds of homemade cakes and desserts. I am so not a baker and it took me all night Friday, huge chunks of Saturday, and all morning Sunday to make everything. But thanks to delish recipes from one fabulous sweetheart – Swedish celebrity cook Leila Lindholm – it all turned out amazing! I made two times too much and had to send some of it home with the guests as they left. But it’s all good, LOL. I think it made them happy.

I served New York blueberry cheesecake, torta della nonna (which I think is my favorite cake ever!), chocolate chip walnut brownies, creme brulée, raspberry mousse, fruit salad, and a cupcake tower (inspired by Martha Stewart).

I also had glass jars with some sweets (marshmallows, M&Ms, and Toblerone chocolate) and made little labels for each item by using a digital scrapbooking label by Jessica Sprague (from her Thank Ya Kindly kit).

For drinks I served: espresso, freshly brewed coffee, blackcurrant juice, pineapple juice, and soda.

It was a lot of hard work but all worth it I think!”

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Thanks for all the great inspiration, Linda! We think your hard work was worth it too!

I’m just loving this khaki & blue party that Noel Culbertson put together to celebrate her husband’s birthday and recent promotion! The color palette is so crisp & chic… this look would also be gorgeous for a wedding or engagement party, or any nautically-themed celebration.

Read on for all the details, as told by Noel…

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“My husband went through the grueling six week induction process upon being promoted to Chief Petty Officer in the US Navy. The process culminated just before his birthday, it seemed only natural to celebrate both.

I went with a khaki theme for the party since all of his new working uniforms are now khaki. I used the B is for Baby Shower party on HWTM as a springboard. For a fun touch I ordered custom fortune cookies, which started me on the road to filling these apothecary jars along with several milk glass jars from local antique stores with khaki goodies.

I picked up khaki table cloths and mini paper bags at Target, and found fabric for the table runner at Joann’s. With so much khaki on hand, I ordered some blue candies to throw a little color in the mix.

To speed up cupcake baking I ordered these wrappers that you can set on a cookie sheet and bake as is. I printed and cut the flags then glued them to lollipop sticks I picked up at Michaels. The rest of the goodies came from Costco, which helped keep costs down.

I designed the jar labels, flags and party “logo” in Photoshop and printed it off for the party favor bags, frame, and a large vinyl “congratulations” sign i had made for the house.

I also hung sepia-tone pictures of the induction process in rustic wood frames behind the table to show off the process and to keep the look unified.”

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Thanks for the inspiration, Noel!

I’m in the midst of planning a Woodland Forest themed baby shower for a friend next month, and I gotta tell you this theme ha been so much fun to brainstorm! There are tons of different elements that fit with a forest theme – from nature-inspired elements such as wood, bark, moss, acorns, rocks and toadstools (all covered in this post) to cute “woodland creatures” like squirrels, owls, bunnies, hedgehogs, and more (see post #2, coming soon).

Here are some woodsy & toadstool-inspired items I’ve found so far that would be a good fit for this theme (which would also work well for a first birthday party or autumn get-together!)…

Starting with the image at top: flexible Birch Bark ($4.99); Moss Cobble Balls* ($3.99 – $22); 11.5″ Moss Bunny Topiary ($8.99); 12″ Wood Tree Stump ($19.99); 8″ Wood Tree Stump* ($11.95); and flexible 20×10″ Moss-covered Tree Bark ($11.99).

*I’m thinking that one of the medium Moss Cobble Balls + the 8″ Wood Tree Stump would make for super cute DIY tree centerpieces!

2nd image, above: Natural Bark Slices ($3.99 / 15 pieces) – these could be great for place cards or party favor “tags”; Decorative Acorns, set of 6 ($15); 48″ Flexible Moss Twig Garland ($11.99); Natural Preserved Moss Baskets, set of 2 ($18.99); 11″ Moss-covered Twig Basket ($32); and Flocked Moss Cobbles ($8.99).

Pictured below: Felted Acorns by Etsy shop Fairyfolk would make for charming party favor or place card embellishments. ($12/set of 6)

Pictured below…fun toadstool-inspired finds {clockwise from top left}: Tiny Polymer Clay Toadstools ($16/set of 7); adorable, plush Red Mushroom Toadstool Family ($68/set of 3, custom-made to order); Toadstool Gift Tags ($3/set of 10); Set of 2 Crochet Mushrooms ($10); and “Toadstool Bite” appetizers made from hard boiled eggs, cherry tomatoes, and feta!

Stay tuned for Part 2… coming soon! (And if you have any ideas or product suggestions for this theme, please share them in the comments!)