{Real Party} Alice In Wonderland

It must be Alice in Wonderland theme party week at KEC! I fell in love with this modern-meets-whimsical Alice in Wonderland Party featured on Hostess with the Mostess and planned by Lollipop Events & Design. It's always been one of my favorite inspiration parties and I'm finally getting around to blogging it!

This colorful Alice in Wonderland design is like your own personal fairy tale...charming,

stylish and perfect for everything from a baby or bridal shower, to a birthday party or

ladies luncheon, or my favorite would be a "Very Merry Un-Birthday Party" so that anytime

would be the right time!!

I love 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…

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.”

One of my absolute favorite parties!

Inspired by Fancy Nancy

I am in love with creating theme parties based on beloved children's books...

and was delighted when I found this inspiration board via Terra Bailey Photography

We were recently introduced to the delightful Fancy Nancy book series by my dear

friend, Andrea Rytky. It is nearly impossible not to fall in love with the wonderfully

written and creative adventures of Fancy Nancy.

So as with everything in my life, I look to every new experience as inspiration for a theme party, and after reading the first book (which was a birthday gift from Andrea to my daughter)

I find it hard to resist the urge to add a little more Extravagance to our life and celebrate in a Spectacular way by dolling up and doing a party Fancy Nancy style!!

To transform any plain party into an Exquisite (a fancy name for fancy) Soiree -

I would begin with a big Glamorous invitation..

Then splash a color palette of Fuchsia (a fancy word for pink with a tinge of purple)

to the tablescape and party decor, and add some Scrumptious (a fancy word for delicious)

tasty treats; and Noble (another word for posh) tiaras.

As all the little Fancy Nancy attendees arrive they would be read some of the Fancy

Nancy books; play pin the jewel on the tiara; attend charm school where they learn to

curtsy, to walk with proper posture with books on their heads, to drink with their pinkie fingers lifted and learn some fancy vocabulary and French words.

Next your little guests could be escorted into the Posh Pampering Salon for their

manicures and make-up consisting of coordinating finger nail polish and lip gloss.

Once the girls are all dolled up they are set to enjoy a fancy luncheon and tasty treats!!

Oh, how I love planning parties.

Click here for more your guide to hosting your own Fancy Nancy party; included are reproducible event invitations, costume ideas, story hour props and many more ideas to explore, play and party with Fancy Nancy!

Inspired by Alice in Wonderland

I just love this recently styled shoot from My Sorted Affair that was inspired by Alice In Wonderland. Complete with a real life bunny and The Mad Hatter who actually looks quite mad in his own right.

I could see using this venue and tablescape for the perfect bridal shower or birthday party!

All the incredible paper goodies you see are from The Papeterie Store.

Jessica Frey Photography snapped all these delightful photos for your enjoyment.

The shoot was inspired by the upcoming Tim Burton’s New Disney movie, Alice In Wonderland and a beautiful blossoming almond orchard in Bakersfield was the chosen venue to help bring the vision to life.

The dishes and most props including teapots, vases, frames, books, etc. are part of My Sorted Affair private collection. Some of them, like the yellow chair also came from Jessica Frey Photography private collection of photography props. They were picked up from years of antiquing and thrifting. The hanging painted frames are Ribba frames from Ikea. Alice’s hair bow is a hair accessory made by My Sorted Affair‘s Boutique over at Etsy.

The dress can be found at Forever 21

Adapted from The Wedding Chicks Blog - click here to see the entire post

Cindo de Mayo Fiesta Inspiration

Happy Cinco de Mayo! I wanted to enhance your fiesta with some {free} DIY printables and some colorful craft and decor inspiration from Martha Stewart!

Yes, once again, Kim over at The TomKat Studio has designed some adorable {and free} DIY Cinco de Mayo printables for your party! If it's too late for this year's celebration, print them out or save them on your desktop for next year's inspiration.

Click on The TomKat Studio to download your free Cinco de Mayo printables!

Fiesta Flower Arrangement

This assortment of brightly hued blooms is the ideal centerpiece for your

Mexican-style fiesta.

Get the how to directly from Martha Stewart

Ribbon Lanterns

Brighten up your fiesta with ribbon lanterns. For each, you'll need one paper box lantern and

four lengths of ribbon, each measuring nine times the height of the lantern.

Get the how to directly from Martha Stewart

Tissue-Paper Decorations

Decorate your Cinco de Mayo party with these festive tissue-paper streamers,

bowl bands, and flags.

Get the how to directly from Martha Stewart

Fashion Plate News - Lenox partners with Marchesa!

Lenox debutes couture Tabletop Collection by Marchesa....

your best dressed dinnerware is now set to go from runway to tabletop!

On April 14th, Lenox unveiled it's new couture tabletop collection by Marchesa at an

exclusive cocktail party at the NYC Tabletop Market Show. The new tabletop collection

will debut in stores and on www.lenox.com this fall. Here is a sneak peek of a couple of the

new couture tabletop collections by Marchesa.

Marchesa is well known for elegant red-carpet eveningwear and exquisite bridal gowns. Lenox writes,"Each charming dinnerware, stemware and giftware piece features Marchesa custom designs as well as the unparallel excellence and quality that are synonymous with each of the brands. The debut grouping will feature eight exquisite dinnerware patterns inspired by Marchesa's one-of-a-kind dress designs."

Georgina Chapman, Co-founder of Marchesa, had this to say about the new tabletop designs . . . "We wanted to develop this collection the same way we do each of our gowns, with one-of-a-kind designs and detailed craftsmanship – creating a uniquely elegant dinnerware style not yet found in the market." Each dinnerware pattern is handcrafted in the USA and made from the highest quality fine bone china, and is dishwasher safe.

The eight patterns shown below include: Floral Illustrations, Spring Lark, Palatial Garden,

French Lace, Painted Camellia, Porcelain Lace, Paisley Bloom, and Marchesa Rose.

Adapted from Brenda's Wedding Blog

FREE DIY Printable Mother's Day Designs

Just in time for Mother's Day - here are adorable, and FREE, printable Mother's Day cupcake toppers and gift tags designed by Kim at The TomKat Studio for Project Nursery.

Mother’s Day Party Circles – TomKat Studio

Mother’s Day Gift Tags – TomKat Studio

You can simply find and download the 2 files here: Project Nursery

Thank you Kim!!

{Real Party} Adorable Raggedy Ann Birthday Party

Centering your theme around a favorite childhood story, like Raggedy Ann, can add

a touch of nostalgia to your party.

I found this adorable Raggedy Ann party on The Party Dress, one of my favorite

inspiration blogs for all things party.

Start by focusing on a fun color combination, such as red and aqua, for all the details and you won't over do the theme and keep the party expenses down. Incorporate your color scheme into the food presentation with red & aqua taffy, and oversized red lollipops. Then you can pull color into your other details by wrapping sandwiches in coordinating paper, tying popcorn balls and yummy chocolates with matching ribbon, and adding a custom banner.

Then highlight and splurge on just a couple of the most sentimental touches of the

beloved story to add wow to your party; like Raggedy Ann's famous "I Love You" heart

as cookie favors, and a custom designed cake.

I love this party - it brings back some favorite childhood memories!

Photography by Nicole Hill Gerulat

Party Designer One Charming Party