Archive for Birthdays & Parties
October 16, 2009
· Filed under Birthdays & Parties, Crafty!, Etsy Finds, Molly, Pretty Things · Tagged birthday party decorations, fairies, kids birthday party ideas, woodland animals
Things I already know:
1). It’s only October, which is a full 2 months before Rosa’s birthday and 3 months before Elena’s.
2). I’m nuts.
In my defense, if I don’t start thinking about the girls’ birthdays now, then I run out of time to do something fun and interesting. I don’t know if you know this, but Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s really get in the way of planning two girls’ birthday parties (or one combined party).
So, I’ve been collecting pictures/ideas of what’s inspiring me for this year’s party – a woodland themed party, since we’re all about animals and trees and fairies in this house. Do you have any ideas for me?
Pom Pom decorations by Party Poms
Forest Friends Rubber Stamps by Niko Art
The Tiniest Garden scrapbook/design kit by A Print A Day
Felted Acorns by Fairyfolk
Shades of Fall cookies by Eleni’s
Bird Whistles by Bake It Pretty
Forest Party invite by Paper Culture
Hoo’s Having a Birthday invite also by Paper Culture
Owls Invite by Letterspace Paper
October 2, 2009
· Filed under Birthdays & Parties, Family Fun, Freebies, Kids, Molly · Tagged family games, fun party games, print your own bingo cards
No, not the song. (Is it stuck in your head now? Sorry.) I’m talking about the game of Bingo. If you ever do a family game night, Bingo can be really fun, especially if you hand out small prizes to the winners.
You can print out Martha Stewart’s bingo cards (pictured above) if you don’t own a bingo game. She suggests making your own ping pong balls with numbers, but you really don’t have to go that far (plus, you’ll go bankrupt buying that many ping pong balls). You can just call out numbers. You should know that this particular set of bingo cards is really designed for small kids, so it goes quickly, and the bingos come fast and furious.
Alternately, you can easily find bingo sets at places like Target or any store that sells a decent selection of board games.
Prizes? Well, that’s the fun part. How about Matchbox cars or small pieces of candy or some spare change for their piggybanks? Crayons, little notebooks, or stickers? How about things you might already need, like a pair of new socks, or barrettes or a new toothbrush (so you’re not adding clutter to the house)? You can always raid the $1 bins at the store, too.
We’ve done this for special occasions, like on New Year’s Eve, and also for Elena’s birthday party last year.
I love how Elena (in the purple sweater) is eyeing other people’s cards. Oh the suspense of being just a space or two away from BINGO!
(Incidentally, we played until every one of the kids won. We had a big bowl of prizes for them to choose from).
Tomorrow Karin and I are going to Crafty Bastards in DC. Can’t wait for that! I’ll be sure to do a Crafty Bastard round-up next week. Stay tuned!
September 21, 2009
· Filed under Birthdays & Parties, Crafty!, D.I.Y., Etsy Finds, Molly, Pretty Things, Projects · Tagged cheap party decoration ideas, diy wedding and party decorations, how to make paper flowers
My brother-in-law is getting married in 5 weeks, so I’ve been thinking about weddings and such. Plus, you guys really seem to like the wedding and party favor posts (here and here) on this blog, which consistently get a lot of views each week.
So you know what? I like you. Here are some more wedding party ideas, of the flower variety, for you.
I saw this tiny paper flower idea from Zakka Life on iDIY. Pretty and cheap. Score! You can find the tutorial here. And check out the tutorial for the centerpiece (below). Gorgeous.
Have I mentioned that I think “I DO- it yourself” is a pretty clever name for a wedding site? Thumbs up.
The tiny flower idea reminded me that I bookmarked these paper flowers by truLuxe on Etsy awhile back. I love this photo, don’t you? I love the combination of the flowers with the silver vases.
Turns out that there are dozens of Etsy shops selling flowers like these in a huge array of colors (search for “party poms” and enjoy the insanely cheerful results). I am definitely buying some for the girls’ birthday parties this year.
While I was looking at the party poms, I couldn’t help but notice these sweet cupcake toppers (which you could also use as table decorations) by Millalove, who has a whole shop full of really terrific paper flowers and cupcake toppers.
I also found this beautifully simple paper roses tutorial by Dozi Design, (which Creature Comforts laid out in this easy to follow grid for you).
And lastly, this is another really pretty (and double-sided) flower garland by Panda with Cookie (check out her hilarious logo) that you could buy or try to make yourself.
Garlands are a good, easy and cheap way to decorate for a party. All you need is a ton of ribbon, some pretty paper (or cardstock or fabric), scissors and a hole punch.
Flowers make me cheerful. I had fun finding all of these pictures.
August 6, 2009
· Filed under Birthdays & Parties, Design, Molly, Pretty Things · Tagged Anthropologie
I got this little envelope in the mail the other day. (I erased the address in this photo, but perhaps I should have left it on there in case you suddenly get the urge to send me gifts and need my address).
So I turned it over…
Hm! Ok!
Yes, go on…
I love the buttons and thread. This thing is CUTE!
I’m listening!
(For your birthday, treat yourself to something special.
Use this card for 15% off your total store purchase any day this month.)
Well, ok! Don’t mind if I do!
I love birthdays.
August 5, 2009
· Filed under Birthdays & Parties, Design, Molly, Pretty Things, Stationery & Paper Goods · Tagged letterpress cards, Port2Port Press, the Card Society
Prepare to be jealous.
I got this in the mail yesterday:
Karin, you are very good to me.
I am VERY excited about this gift. What’s better than receiving two surprise limited edition letterpress cards in the mail each month? Not much, I tell you. Not. Much.
The Card Society is the brainchild of Maria Alexandra Vetesse of Port2port Press in Portland, Maine.
Take a look at some of the previous months’ designs (the photo on the left is the inspiration for the design):
March
September (2008) – hard to see both designs (His and Hers) but you get the point
June is birthday card month; for the last three years, the cards have been designed by Christopher David Ryan (whose Obama poster adorns my office wall).
Just gorgeous.
And you know what’s equally nice about this gift? It helps support an artist, which I think is terrific.
Thank you, Karin. You are too kind and I am very lucky.
August 3, 2009
· Filed under Birthdays & Parties, Crafty!, Gift Ideas, Molly · Tagged do it yourself party favors, make your own lottery tickets, party favor idea
This may be the greatest little craft idea ever.
EVER!
ArtMind shows us how to make our own (are you ready?!?) scratch off lottery tickets!
(Did your mind just blow thinking of the possibilities?)
With some simple materials you can make these fun favor/gift ideas yourself.
Apparently the key is adding liquid soap to the metallic paint to get it to scratch off easily. Genius!
Get the full tutorial here.
Spotted via You Are My Fave (which is one of my faves).
July 17, 2009
· Filed under Birthdays & Parties, Family Fun, Molly, Travel · Tagged birthday greetings, Cuba
Lotsa family goings on this weekend.
Hello and welcome to my nutty sister, who decided to hop on a train with her son Sam and come all the way from Indiana to visit us. A train! 18 hours! But hey, she’s not one of those “shortest distance between two points is a straight line” gals. Apparently.
Gillian is an awesome mom (she’s got three great kids), she can juggle like a pro, and mastered the Rubik’s Cube when my pea-sized brain could only ever manage to finish two sides. She rocks.
Here she is with my girls. Doesn’t she look like fun?
And goodbye to my husband Rolando, who is heading to Cuba (jealous!) on Sunday to start his graduate research. He’ll only be gone for a week, but I’m sure it will feel somewhere closer to an eternity. Who’s going to grill my dinner for me all next week?
Rolando is going to be in Cuba for his birthday, so I feel obliged, despite his vehement objections to acknowledging his birthday this year, to at least throw up this picture of him with the girls in Hawaii, which is the one that sits above my desk, and say, “Isn’t he adorable?”
Rolando, if you were a cupcake, you would be lemon. With raspberry filling.
And lots of icing.
Next week, I’ve got some Cuban food and Cuban poster art coming your way. I’ll also share some pics from when we went to Cuba in 2000. Here’s a taste. This is the house in Havana where Rolando’s grandmother grew up, and where his great uncle still lives (and where Rolando will be staying next week):
And this is the house, a block off the Malecón, where his grandfather grew up:
Both of his grandparents, by the way, are alive; they turn 94 this year.
Wishing everyone a happy, sunny weekend – see you back here on Monday!
July 13, 2009
· Filed under Birthdays & Parties, D.I.Y., Molly, Pretty Things · Tagged baby shower gifts, baby shower ideas
Hooray! At last I get to talk about Rebecca and Chiara’s baby shower, which we hosted yesterday, and which I’ve been dying to talk about for weeks now. The baby shower gods were smiling on us; the sunny, breezy weather could not have been more perfect. We had a lovely time.
Are you ready? I have a lot of photos for you.
First, the decorations.
My friend Cathy hosted the shower. We set up lunch in her screened in porch. Here’s what the table looked like:
The yellow gingham with green rick rack trim tablecloth and napkin rings were made especially for this shower. Who can resist rick rack?
The placecards (the little white decorative boxes) were a Martha Stewart kit from Michael’s, which we embellished with these sweet daisy flower stickers (also Martha). Inside were two yummy pieces of chocolate from the local chocolate store.
We also put up a flag garland to decorate.
The other side of the porch, with the food and gifts, looked like this:
Take a closer look:
A chicken and goat cheese salad, fruit salad, homemade bread and an eggplant and tomato tartine.
Do you love this detail on the gerbera daisies? It’s adorable, right?
And the delicious cheese platter. Daryl is quite the food stylist!
Here we are, pouring a glass of wine and getting ready for lunch.
(Apologies to my friends Cathy, Daryl, Michelle, Rebecca and Chiara, but I can’t show everyone the baby shower pictures without showing them my fabulous friends, can I?)
The guests of honor: Rebecca on the left (having a girl), Chiara on the right (having a boy).
Michelle and Cathy.
Read the rest of this entry »
July 7, 2009
· Filed under Birthdays & Parties, Kids, Molly · Tagged baby shower decorations, baby shower favors, baby shower ideas, baby shower invitations
We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming (because I get the dry heaves when I have to come up with a recipe or some interesting post about food every week) to bring you…
Babies!
My friends and I are gearing up for a baby shower for two of our friends this coming weekend (one baby boy and one baby girl on the way), and it’s killing me that I can’t write about what plans we’ve come up with so far. But, I don’t want to spoil any surprises here, so I have to wait until next week to share pictures.
Instead, I’m going to toss out a few baby shower ideas that we’re not using, but that are super cute and might be useful to you.
How about these little nest egg soaps from beaucoup as favors?
I love these classic pram favor boxes (filled with chocolates, right?) from The Corner Stork:
Because I’m a stationery junkie, I thought about giving little stationery gifts as favors, like these practical and very pretty 3″ x 7″ list pads by Anne Kelle:
As a decoration for the party, or for the nursery (or both), this bird mobile from Martha is so sweet. You can watch the video tutorial here.
I also adore these rubber ducky centerpieces, which are made with fishbowls, styrofoam balls, and floating glass “bubbles” (all available at craft stores) from Hostess with the Mostess:
Since the invitations have been sent already, I can share it with you: the “Mother Goose” invitation from letterspace paper, which is my favorite place for party invitations. (You may remember that I got Elena’s sewing party invitations from there as well).
So, that’s just a little taste for now. Stay tuned next week when I can give you the full rundown.
June 15, 2009
· Filed under Birthdays & Parties, Crafty!, D.I.Y., Etsy Finds, Freebies, Molly · Tagged DIY party favors, wedding favors
With a little digging, and for a very small price tag (or even for free), you can find lots of printable patterns for favor boxes, labels, and other fun party and wedding favor ideas.
Here’s a thank you party favor box (which comes in several colors) from Twig & Thistle; for $4, you can download the pattern and print as many as you want:
Twig & Thistle has also designed similar boxes (2 other styles) you can download for free, from Style Me Pretty right here and here.
Also from Style Me Pretty (and also free), I like these “Eat, Drink and Be Married” napkins wraps:
How about these colorful cones ($3.50 for the pattern) from Chichiboulie on Etsy, which can be filled with candy or anything you want:
A couple more, both from A Little Hut (both $5 each for the downloadable pattern):
The airmail envelope could be filled with something really interesting – maybe a nod to where you’re taking your honeymoon?
And LOVE blocks, which would make really nice table decorations for a wedding:
The iDIY (“design goodies for ‘I Do’ it yourself weddings”) website has lots of good DIY wedding ideas.
