Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Dane's {LEGIT} Ninja Party!

Way back in May my little guy turned 5...seriously. It's still kinda hard to wrap my head around that fact.

We celebrated his birthday a little differently this year, mostly because he had plans of his own and my ideas were quickly brushed aside. Sigh. I knew this day would come - lol! His main request was to NOT have his party at home, he wanted to GO somewhere. We've always done our parties at home, so the thought of venturing out of our safety zone gave me some mild anxiety - not gonna lie!





We spent a lot of time trying to find a fun place to have his party. He finally decided on a NINJA Party...but specified that did not want a Ninja Turtle or Ninjago part...in his words, he wanted a "Legit Ninja Party!" This kid. Cracks. Me. UP!

I found a local place, Revolution Martial Arts Studio, that hosts Ninja-themed Birthday Party packages...it seemed like the perfect fit for us!

As soon as we had the theme nailed down I contacted the AMAZING Gretchen of Three Little Monkeys Studio to request some custom party printables. I basically gave her the colors we were working with and told her it needed to be super "legit" and she took it from there - lol. A fun little side story...Dane  was looking over one of the invite proofs Gretchen had sent and was grinning from ear-to-ear. He told me it was perfect, except that it also needed to say, "Your life is more exciting when you're a ninja!" I mentioned it to Gretchen because I thought it was so cute and funny, and she brilliantly incorporated it into the designs. He was THRILLED!



I still wanted to have some decorations, nothing crazy because I would only have 30 minutes to set everything up. I chose to forgo the usual dessert table/backdrop set-up, mostly just to make things easier. Instead I incorporated the desserts into the kiddos' table and it worked really well.

 
Emily of Emi's Treats worked her magic again and created the most spectacular NINJA Cookies ever! The Ninjabread Men...seriously...hysterical! Dane's favorite were the Ninja Star cookies...they were silver and shimmery...her talent never ceases to amaze me!

 
 
The Birthday Boy very specifically wanted Oreo Cupcakes, which I was happy to make :) For a fun presentation, I put each cupcake in a mini take-out style box decorated with printable cupcake toppers.


I also created these Legit Ninja Chocolate Pops using a candy mold and melts.


 Another fun treat on the table was the Candy Sushi. I had seen several variations of this treat when I searched online. I kept ours fairly simple: gummy fish, Fruit by the Foot, and prepackaged Rice Krispy Treats. All I had to do was a little snipping of store-bought candies with our kitchen shears, some assembling and that was it! I honestly think the Sushi was one of my favorite treats on the table :)




For favors, I found foam Nun-chucks and plastic ninja swords in bulk online. I also picked-up some ninja-themed metal buckets on EXTREME clearance at Target after Easter (we're talking 50-cents a piece here folks!) I very luckily managed to get the exact number I needed for the party...after visiting 2 stores, but it was worth it!
I purchased the take-out containers for the treats from our favorite local sushi restaurant....MUCH cheaper than getting them at the craft store. I also grabbed some fortune cookies and chopsticks while we were there too :)
 


Dane had wanted to wear a LEGIT ninja costume to his party and I was able to find some online that were only $10. I mentioned it to the guests and it was SO awesome...almost everyone got one to wear to the party! They looked like a serious band of mini ninjas :)


The Party Planner in me had a hard time with this one. It was HARD for me to let go of all the little details. I had searched for a TON of fun Ninja-related games and had all sorts of ideas...but...the activities were already planned as part of the package. So I chose to just let that go...those of you who know me personally, well, that's easier said than done - lol! Once we got there I was quickly converted...the kids started going CRAZY Ninja-style...and any reservations I had went right out the window! They had an absolute BLAST! The staff members at Revolution Martial Arts were seriously the best...they really had fun with the kids and it was hilarious to watch. Everything ran so smoothly and the time just flew by, I was beyond impressed.


Monday, June 10, 2013

{CELEBRATE} Chloe's Cowgirl Princess Birthday Party!

I was recently hired to design and style this FUN Cowgirl Princess themed Dessert Display! 
I absolutely love party planning and the dessert tables are always my favorite part to work on. 
You can see more examples of my work {HERE}.


To celebrate Chloe's 5th Birthday, her mother was planning a Cowgirl party using pinks and brown and also wanted to incorporate princess elements. To princess-things-up I added touches of gold, a few sparkles and a little glitter throughout the display. It definitely added a GLAM element to the shabby-chic theme.

The Birthday Girl's mother is quite the party planner herself and had found the PERFECT location to hold this party. The Timber Dome Lodge in Solon is such a neat space...and it was the sweetest setting for a little Cowgirl to celebrate her BIG day!
Timber Dome Lodge Photo originally posted HERE.
  
 RV Parties created these adorable Cowgirl Printables that were just perfect for Chloe's display! They have an entire package designed around this theme! 



I love using custom party printables in my displays because they're such a fun way to add those personal touches.  I definitely get the most use out of the 2-inch cupcake toppers because they can be incorporated into many different treats.


Another amazing creation from Jaclyn of Peckled! She made the adorable Pinwheel Banner for my daughter's Golden Birthday {HERE}and I knew her work would be perfect for this display as well. I asked her to add ribbon "tails" to the pinwheels so they would look like show ribbons. She, of course, took it to another level...each of the pinwheels was glittery and sparkled and it was more than I could have hoped for!

 
The Chocolate Horse Lollipops were created using molds and paper straws as sticks.  
 I created these sweet lettered Cake Pops and the Cowgirl Hat Cake Pops (in the back row).
They looked super sweet displayed in mini bales of hay!

 No dessert table is complete with a dish of nostalgic salt water taffy.
I used vintage milk glass serving pieces from my personal collection throughout the table.

A sweet gilded horse graced the table along with a pair of decorative spurs!

Vintage crocheted doilies were used throughout the dessert table. 
I love the texture that they add, so simple and sweet.
 I created these fun paisley patterned Cake Pops on paper straw "sticks" from Green Party Goods. 
 


A Cookie Family created the custom decorated sugar cookies and they were absolutely perfect! I am always amazed by the sweet talent of other decorators and Amber is a true artist. 
I gave her the colors, theme and a few inspiration photos and she took it from there!

Seriously...too cute to eat...almost :)
They tasted just as sweet as they looked!





 For a more rustic look, I used wooden rock candy sticks to dip some of the Cake Pops. 
I just loved how they turned out!
 
Arrangments of miniature roses, Baby's Breath and Peonies were spaced throughout the display in vintage milk glass vases.
  



I always consider it such an honor to be involved in such special moments in my clients' lives.
The desserts, the decorations, the display, the styling...ALL of that is really for ONE thing...
creating MEMORIES!
This job is a privilege and I feel blessed to be a part of these amazing celebrations.

If YOU need help adding some extra sweetness to your next event please contact me! 
I'm offering party planning and dessert styling services on a limited basis, as my schedule allows.
~Audrey

 Sources
Dessert Table Design, Styling and Photography by Sweet Cheeks Tasty Treats
Custom Cake Pops, Cake Balls, Chocolates and Cupcakes also by Sweet Cheeks Tasty Treats
Custom Party Pinwheel Banner by Peckled
Cowgirl Party Printables by RV Parties
Custom Decorated Sugar Cookies by A Cookie Family
Brown & White Paper Straws from Green Party Goods