Frequent Flyer Miles

This past May, a dear friend and her family broke the news that they were moving. Selfishly, I didn't want her to ever leave our side. She's an immensely talented photographer, works wonders with children (especially mine), is always ready to give 110% and no matter what, she somehow manages to look like a million bucks! Rebecca, of Ondrey Photography, is an all-around amazing woman. D.C., you don't know how lucky you are!

So, when she asked me for help putting together a party that could double as both birthday party for her son, Miles, and farewell for her and her family, I said, "No way! Sorry, you're not allowed to leave. Ever." I'm kidding - of course I said yes! (But I was totally plotting how I could keep them all here the whole time. I failed.)

Inspired by Miles, the soon-to-be 2 year old birthday boy, and his love of airplanes, his travel-earned nickname, "Frequent Flyer Miles" and the family's upcoming departure, I created an airline themed party... logo and all!

Rebecca worked with Annie Taylor Designs  to create the invitations in a classic red, white and blue color scheme. Using those colors, I created the logo and other printables and had a lot of fun incorporating a few nods to traditional air travel such as In-Flight Snacks, a Beverage Cart, Baggage Claim and Flight Training.

The main food table set the tone for the party, displaying the In-Flight Snacks and showcasing many of the custom design elements. The activities complimented the theme and offered young guests a chance to spread their wings and run off some steam outdoors! (My rule-of-thumb... if you're going to fill 'em up with sugar, better find a way to run it off!)

A few of my favorite details to look for...

- Cloud Cupcakes by Caryn Marr with custom bi-plane toppers

- Custom printables for cupcakes, popcorn bags, background and signage

- Custom-stamped wooden forks

- Propeller straw embellishments

- Display table garlands (Super cute airplane & cloud garland by Brandalyn's Bowtique on Etsy.com)

- Suitcase Favor Boxes & Balsam airplane favors with custom luggage favor tags

*Photography by Ondrey Photography (who else?!)

  

What a fun & beautiful day it was! 

Thank you, Ondrey Family, for the opportunity to celebrate with you and your family & friends!

Burlap & Lace Birthday Party

For a couple of months now, I've been working on a little somethin' somethin' that I can't wait to share with all of you. It's an ideas that has been brewing in my mind for years and after launching my own planning & design business a year ago, it has become more and more obvious that there's a real demand. I'm still in the research phase but I already have a few sneak peeks up my sleeve. This week, I've been fighting the urge to post my first sneak peek but, alas, I'm just not ready. Patience, Wendy, patience!

So, instead, in the spirit of the Fall version that I've been secretly plotting this week, here's a little throwback to last Fall when I had the honor of helping sweet Sophia celebrate her fifth birthday...

Pumpkin Patch style!

I ask you, what could be better than celebrating a Fall birthday in a Pumpkin Patch with cider, donuts, cinnamon kettle corn and your bffs?!

The inspiration for this birthday party was the rustic, classic Fall-feel of burlap with the girlie charm of lace. A perfect combination for the tutu-wearing, pink-loving, mud-stomping, birthday girl!

(And how cool is that piano?!)

I started by adding some burlap & lace ribbon to these fantastic vintage jars from the birthday girl's grandmother and the vibe for rest of the party just fell into place around them!

Can you believe these tablecloths are plastic?! Talk about a bargain - at $1.50 each, these bad boys were the perfect (disposable!) touch to this kid-friendly party when topped with a burlap table runner and our vintage jars filled with Baby's Breath!

A burlap banner and doily garlands hung above the amazing chocolate cake from Picasso's Bakery. I'm not normally a chocolate cake fan but I totally snuck a second piece - shhh! Don't tell!

Pink striped paper straws and donut holes dressed up our cups of cider. And the cinnamon kettle corn and buttered popcorn were served in brown paper bags decorated with pink doilies. Not pictured, the ubiquitous basket of freshly-picked apples. Can't have a Fall shindig without the apples! 

DIY gold glitter flag picks topped mini cupcakes and custom-dipped gold glittered wood forks were the perfect matching touch!

It was a bit of a tight space for setting up a photo booth but the kiddos (and adults) still had fun 

playing with the props! The kids also painted pumpkins, visited the on-site petting zoo and had a blast playing in the Patch's hayloft!

Thank you for letting me part of your day, Sophia!

* Most photos courtesy of Shannon Bouchard

Too Pretty to Toss: 12 Disposables to Pretty-Up Your Fall Parties

These ain't yo mama's paper plates! (Or forks, cups, napkins, tablecovers!)

Sometimes, I buy them just to have something pretty on the table for pizza night!

I like 'em all so much, I can't stop using exclamation points! Ha!

Round Napkins Uquisi Store
Wood Stir Sticks InkSpotWorkshop
Green Cups Susty Party
Arrow Wooden Forks Sucre Shop
Orange Stripe Plates TomKat Studios
Baroque Plastic Cutlery Party City
Flower Paper Straws Sweets & Treats
Kraft Fry Cups Bio and Chic
Gold Straws Meri Meri
Set of 3 Serving Trays Sweet Lulu
Orange Gingham Cups Oriental Trading
Gold Link Paper Table Runner Minted

FRIDAY FAVES: 10 Kids' Party Favors Your Little Guests (and Their Parents) Will Love!

I started the week off with some clever DIY favor ideas for y'all and now, I'm going to lead you into the weekend with a few more favor ideas. This time, for the littles in your life.

I dread the goody bag. The last thing my 3 boys (my 3 messy, unorganized, careless boys... my boys who have no concept of cleaning up after themselves) need is another bag of bouncy balls and plastic mini frisbees.

So, if you're like me, you want to offer your guests something that doesn't drive parents completely crazy. Here are a few ideas to get you started!

But first, a few tips for picking the perfect favor for your party...

1) This one is probably a no-brainer but it's quite literally rule #1. Chose something that fits with your theme.

2) Favors don't have to be an extra goody, that gets pricey! Favors are any kind of party-related take-home. My favorite kind for kids parties are crafts or activities! (don't worry, I've got some examples below)

3) Make sure your favors can be easily transported after the party (i.e. anything painted or glued will need ample dry time and don't give kids anything parents wouldn't want in the car)

And now, on with the show!

THE TAKE-AWAY:

Sidewalk Paint Kit...

Don't get me wrong, sidewalk chalk tied up with some baker's string and a cute little favor tag is just dandy but this kit is level-up material...

Click on the photo below for the full recipe/instructional but spoiler alert... it's crushed up chalk and water. Yep. That easy! Then, just pour paint into small plastic containers, place in cellophane bags and tie up with some string and a brush! Boom.

 *PARTY HACK* Dollar Store chalk + Dollar Store tempera paint = vibrant colors on the cheap! 

Best Part - this works for boys or girls and is customizable to your party theme colors! Yay!




Monogram Chalk "Slate"...
And, while we're talking about level-up chalk favors, here's another awesome & easy DIY chalk favor that you better claim asap because your fellow moms are totally going to want to make these for their little one's next party!

Hula Hoops...
The hoop is back! And it makes a great (easy, inexpensive, fun) party favor! Once again, I recommend you check your local Dollar Store (man, I should be getting a commission from them for this post!) They stock them seasonally and offer different sizes and simple color combos which is what I like - pink and white, green and white, blue and white, etc...

Punny Favor Tag Ideas:
Hoop you had a great time!
Thanks for coming today! I had a Hula-t of fun! (ok, that one sounded better in my head...)




Tic Tac Toe...
Why do I love these little favors? Let me count the ways...

1) Wicked easy one-of-a-kind DIY!

2) Upscale it with a linen bag & gold paint

3) Buy colored rocks (check out "beach pebbles" at Home Depot) instead of messing with X's and O's.

4) Use fun colors to paint the X's and O's to match your party theme or paint the pebbles! 

EDIBLES:

Cookie Decorating Kit...

Skip the messy cupcake decorating! With this favor you don't even have to make the mess during the party! Bag 'em up and send 'em home! Mom won't mind the mess of their 1 child as much as you'll dread the mess of 12 little guests. Promise.

For kids, I'd suggest 2 cookies, 1 mini jar of icing and 1 mini jar of sprinkles. They'd look super cute arranged in a little berry basket - Michael's has paper ones in four colors and also wood!!

Fla-vor-Ice... 

Do yourself a flavor favor and give these a chance... 

Such a colorful and simple favor idea that kids really love. And, keeping them un-frozen allows parents to choose when they get enjoyed!

Once again, these can be color coordinated for your party's theme and all you have to do is add some ribbon or twine and a favor tag! 

Rice Crispy Treats...
Give this Oldie-but-Goodie a little makeover for theme-perfect (and nut-free!) party favors!
Rice Crispy Treat + Colored Chocolate = SUPER CUTE!
Even easier, just add food coloring to your regular batch of Crispies!
(or a dash of Jell-O for a hint of flavor & color)

Ice Cream Cones       Number 1       Monsters       Hearts       Watermelon

ACTIVITIES & CRAFTS:

Create-A-_________...

You fill in the blank!
Whatever your theme is, there's always some element that you can make or decorate! Give the kids something to take home AND enjoy a fun activity (and give yourself one less item to buy or prepare)!

(As kids get older, this can even BE the theme... in-home cake-decorating class, neighborhood scavenger hunt, etc. But that's a whole other blog post!)

Sword Decorating      Snowglobe       Hero Mask       Fairy House       Princess Crown


Punchbox...
Have you seen these? They've been making the rounds over the past couple years and I just love 'em. They're a great alternative to pinatas (yay! no blindfolded kids swinging sticks in your living room!) Unlike pinatas, punchboxes can have just about anything for a prize! What a fun way for kids to claim their favors!

Bubbles...

Kids. Love. Bubbles!

Even the big kids love bubbles :-)

So, give 'em what they love... with style! 

(Let the kiddos blow bubbles during the party and refill their containers before they leave)

Pinwheels     Ballerinas     Silver Canister     Glass Jars     Dinos & Army     Bubble Refill Station

Hope these favor ideas have given you some inspiration! And if you're in search of a unique theme-specific favor and none of these strike the right chord, let me know - I love a good challenge!

HAPPY HOSTING!

20 Clever (and Totally Do-Able) DIY Favors Your Guests Will Actually Love!

You chose your color scheme, found the perfect decorations and ordered that Pinterest-worthy cake you've been drooling over. Now, what about the favors?

Want to give your guests something they're sure to love? Then handmade is the way to go! 

Wait! Don't go! No need to be scared - DIY doesn't have to be complicated!

Here, take a look...

(And, if you're wondering why these are all "wedding favors", to that I say, "Why should weddings get all the cool favors?!") 

Minis...

Local Eats & Treats...

Seasonal...

Trend...

Personal...

See?! Told you DIY isn't scary :-)