Author: empadmin

Summers for our family seem to be filled with one birthday party after another. My husband and youngest daughter both have birthdays in June and my father-in-law and oldest daughter are both July birthdays. For years when my girls were younger, we had many, many pool parties. Now, there is nothing wrong with pool parties, as a matter of fact I love them, but my girls grew a little tired of the same thing over and over. You know…same song, different verse kind of thing. I thought I would recap a couple of our favorite past summer birthday parties that varied from the traditional pool party. 

• When my youngest was around the age of 14, she had an obsession with Lily Pulitzer. In fact, we made a special stop in Key West on a summer vacation just to go to the Lily Pulitzer store. I am telling you…obsessed! Anyway, she decided to have a Lily Pulitzer-themed birthday party. Now, I’m not sure if you have priced anything in the Lily line, but it can be quite expensive, so I did what any good mom would do…I improvised. I based the party around one of the Lily patterns and colors and focused on the details. First, let me back up. We decided to rent the soda fountain at The Fort Smith Museum of History for the venue. It was super cute and worked great for the party.

We added touches of Lily throughout with paper flowers and lanterns.

We finished off with balloons in coordinating colors and fresh flowers in vases filled with lemons and limes. For the cake, I sent a picture of the pattern and a general idea of what I wanted the cake to look like.

As always, Sweet Boutique delivered something better than I could even imagine. For the craft, the girls painted white sneakers with Lily Pulitzer as their inspiration. The girls had finished off the party with ice and soda from the soda fountain.

My oldest daughter made Lily dress inspired cookies for Grayson to give as favors to her guests. Grayson still talks about that party today and she is 18 years old!

• Another time Gracie was obsessed with anything French (well, she still is, one of her majors is French). We had a Paris-themed birthday party.

The guests were asked to dress in vintage dresses. I found a great deal on Gracie’s at Designer Again in downtown Fort Smith.

As they arrived, they were greeted with an easel board written in French.

Since this was a sleepover, as they entered the house I had a table set-up as if they were walking into a hotel. I used French flags, Eiffel Towers, flowers and balloons for decorations.

We ate French food on the china and had yet another fantastic cake from Sweet Boutique.

 

These two parties rank up there with our top five favorite parties. Of course, we have had countess luau-themed pool parties, which are always lots and lots of fun. I love luau-themed, because it is easy and fun for all guests. In my opinion, the key to any party is in the details. Focus on the details whether your budget is big or small. Simply picking one or two colors or aspects of a theme to really hone in on makes all the difference. Use the luau for example, I have gone to luau-themed parties that really went all out right down to fresh orchids everywhere and I’ve gone to others that didn’t get that elaborate but had nice little touches throughout like paper lanterns, grass tableskirts and tiki torches. You know what? I had just as much fun at both and I thought both were fabulous. Each had unique aspects special to that particular party. Again, it’s all in the details! So, when deciding on a party-theme, first, set your budget and then focus on one or two aspects of the theme and go for it!

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I consider Memorial weekend to be the “official” unofficial start to summer! Yippee!  It’s time for warm days and easy summer nights cooking out and enjoying the great outdoors.  The order for summer parties is about the same—easy and simple. The great thing about Memorial Day party decorating is that it is appropriate all summer through Labor Day and American patriotism never goes out of style.

The first order of business is flags, flags, and more flags. A person can never have too many American flags. Heck, I put a few of the little ones in our camping gear to jazz up the picnic table. This month’s blog is dedicated to the good ole’ stars and stripes. I know many of the younger readers will not remember this, but right after 9/11 there was a real shortage of American flags in this country. At that time, everyone wanted to show his or her patriotism and our country truly felt united. I personally had not ever experienced anything like that. At the time, we had just moved to Pensacola, my youngest was only about a year old and my husband traveled for his job the majority of the time.  Frankly, I had never felt more alone or terrified in my life but somehow the patriotism in that town, seeing the Blue Angels practice over the house weekly (trust me that’s a sight one never tires of), and simply living next door to a Lieutenant Colonial comforted me and made me feel safe. Heck, we rode out Hurricane Ivan with him and his family (trust me when I say, that that created a friendship bond stronger than any I have ever known, but that is a story for another day).

Flags are super easy to decorate with and fairly inexpensive. I suggest getting various sizes from the minis to the larger flags.

The minis are great for popping in a Mason jar or flower arrangement. For an easy table centerpiece, place a handful of small flags in a clear vase. For a more finished look place creek gravel or red, white and blue stones in the bottom of the vase before adding the flags.  These flags are perfect in a vase full of daisies. Simply arrange your flowers first and then add the flag.

The larger size works well in flowerpots. I flank my front door with ferns and a flag in each.

Another way to greet your guests with patriotism is to create a hanging basket full of flags. This craft is easy and simple, even if you do not consider yourself very crafty. Use a flat-backed hanging basket, add dry foam so your flags don’t move and then fill with small American flags.

Red, white and blue balloons anchored with a silver-star balloon weight liven up any summer party.

You could also do something fun like this balloon flag from Ella Clair. Balloons have a way of making anything look festive and fun.

The classic red and white buffalo check table cover is perfect for a patriotic party. After all, what is more American than having a cook out for one of these holidays?

Again, summer parties are supposed to be simple, fun and relaxed. Stay tuned for next month’s Grill and Chill. For all your party needs, go The Party Place today!

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The Easter season brings us a sense of new beginnings and new life.  We all know the old saying, “April showers bring May flowers,” but April showers also represent new life just like Easter, possibly celebrating the upcoming birth of a new baby or the joining of two families in marriage; whatever the reason for the shower it’s a time of celebration and renewal.  In fact, just a couple of weeks ago, I went to a baby shower for someone that is like my daughter. Her family sure knows how to throw a shower, they cover every tiny detail. It was a perfect day for a perfect mom-to-be.

It’s always fun to host or go to a themed wedding or baby shower. It can often make gift giving easier for guests. Here are a few of my favorite themes:

Weddings: 

• Wine and … (cheese/beer/music/cigars, etc.): This is probably one of my favorite themes because it can help a young couple begin their wine collection and add-on. Guests can either bring a bottle of wine or a selected add-on like cheese knives, a case of microbrew beer, wine glasses, etc. A Rustic Italian theme would be perfect for this theme.

          Corks piled in vases, empty wine bottles with tapers and sunflowers would make beautiful decorations.   

• Around the world: This shower is perfect for travel enthusiasts. This party lends itself well to a cocktail party with hors d’oeuvres from all around the world. Gifts might be travel accessories or books on travel and other cultures.

          Decorations like this from ultimatebridesmaid.com fit the bill for this shower.

• The great outdoors: This shower supplies the adventurous couple with presents to help them stay adventurous. The invitation should indicate what activities they like to do. For example, if a couple likes to hike, an invitation similar to this one from Little Ivy Design would be perfect.

          Depending on what the couple enjoys doing, guests might bring them camping equipment, fleece blankets, matching ski hats, or golf clothes, to name a few. 

• Tools and gadgets: This shower is especially great for couples that have all the necessities.  This shower supplies the couple with all the little tools and gadgets for the house. Use a bucket of wooden paint sticks for guests to leave advice to the happy couple.

      Gifts might be a mini blowtorch for crème brûlées, power tools, and so on.

Baby Shower theme ideas:

• New sibling shower:

          The focus of this shower is to honor not only the new baby and his mother but also the young child that will have a new baby sibling.  This is a wonderful way of including the sibling in a sometimes hard transition period.  The guest list should consist of the mother’s friends and their children and the sibling’s friends and parents.  Keep the colors bright and the activities child-driven.

• Grandma’s Tea:

          This party is usually reserved for the grandmother’s closest friends to celebrate her new role as grandmother. A new grandmother needs to stock up on the necessities for when baby comes to visit.  Give her helping gifts to care for her new grandbaby, such as diapers, bottles, receiving blankets or books for her to read to the new addition.

Regardless of the theme you choose, have fun and enjoy! Come see us at The Party Place for all of your party supply needs.

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Easter is just around the corner and that means it’s time to welcome spring with a fun party. Easter is one of my favorite holidays (ok, every holiday is my favorite holiday). I really do love Easter, though. I think it’s the newness it brings after the cold, dark winter months. Everything feels alive and happy! An Easter party is the perfect way to bring a little happy to your life!

For the table, start with a clean slate (a white tablecloth); add something fun like a jellybean tree like this one from www.southernliving.com.

Simply gather twigs from your yard and hot glue jelly beans onto the end of the branches. Place in a vase or metal bucket for an instant centerpiece. You can either make a big arrangement or a few smaller ones depending on your table and what you’re trying to accomplish. If you want a big impact, I would suggest one big arrangement with a few supporting items like Easter eggs, candles and small vases of flowers. If you are decorating a buffet table, two smaller arrangements are in order to flank each side.

Jazz up your menu with fresh flowers and balloons.

This beautiful display from Homegoods is festive, beautiful and inviting. All you need is a roll of Kraft paper for the menu, flowers and balloons. You can use either fresh flowers or silk. If you are using fresh you will need to use a floral cage with wet foam. Attach it to the wall with a 3M hook and then add flowers and balloons. In my experience, working with fresh flowers and wet foam, although not impossible, can be frustrating. I suggest using silk flowers especially if time is of the essence. There are some really beautiful options out there. A floral cage is still your best bet for adhering to the wall, but replace the wet foam with a dry foam used for silks. To arrange balloons, attach a wooden floral pick with wire to the end of the balloon. This allows you more options when arranging. Have fun with this and don’t get too wrapped up in making it look just like the picture. One piece of advice:  leave the stems longer than you think they should be.

The Easter Bunny himself will approve of this basketful of “carrotware” from Oh Rosie Day.  Simply wrap green plasticware in an orange napkin and tie with a piece of burlap. Arrange in a basket and you are done. This is a great project for little ones to help with.

Speaking of little ones, you can’t have an Easter party without dying Easter eggs. Some of my fondest memories as a child are dying Easter eggs. Let the kids have fun and be creative. You can even use them to decorate by displaying them in a beautiful crystal vase. I also love the naturally beautiful soft hues of farm fresh eggs. The blues and browns are certainly a gift from nature and there is no need to dye these beauties.

I like to give my guests a fun little something for coming; these Peeps favors are perfect to let them know you appreciate them. Download the printables here from www.yellowblissroad.com.

Don’t forget to stop by The Party Place for all your party supply needs, like the green plasticware, orange napkins, bags for the favors and so much more spring fun!

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