{blog love} kara's party ideas

I started reading crafty/party blogs when my friend Tootie learned that she was having a little girl--probably around April/May of this year. It is amazing all the talented people out there in blogland! I started a blog just to show off all of the amazing things I find everyday. One of the first few blogs that I started reading was Kara's Party Ideas. I loved (& still love) the party features everyday--such inspiration. Kara is my {blog love} pick of the week.


Party Features:

I guess you can call Kara's "claim to fame" is her daily party features! She's a go-to source for great party inspiration because she showcases such a wide variety of different party themes.

Parties:

Not only does Kara feature great parties....She throws them as well! Isn't that fisherman centerpiece gorgeous! She definitely thinks of all the little details that help carry the theme throughout the party.

Cupcakes:

What's a party without cupcakes?!? Kara is also a cupcake extraordinaire! She has Kara's Cupcakes where she features her cupcake designs.

Go ahead and throw those fabulous parties & submit them to Kara! Maybe you'll be the next winning party feature & get some blog swag (a button) to feature on your blog!

Thanks Kara for being such a source of inspiration!

Enjoy!

Amanda

{real party} zebra glam birthday for amelia

I posted a sneak peek a few weeks back of the party I helped out on for my cousin's 5th birthday.....and now for the final reveal!!! Little miss Amelia turned 5, and a zebra print party infused with accents of pink, green, and orange was just a perfect fit for her personality!

This table was the focal point for the party. Definitely a challenge to tablescape food rather than candy. The menu consisted of hamburgers, hot dogs, chips & dips, and fruit. The background is paper streamers that I ruffled in the sewing machine. I wish it would have created a solid background without letting the light shine through, but I still like the effect.

Tablescape Close Ups:

Fabulous food labels that my friend Krissy @ Trendy Henry helped me design! She was such a trooper putting up with all my revisions. Thank you!!!

First thought: How do I make condiments go with the theme? I don't think that bright yellow and red bottles will coordinate!!! I remembered my fab sticker paper and seeing clear condiment containers at the store= fun, cute squeeze bottles that compliment the decor! One of my favorite touches of the party! Those cute little orange balls in the apothecary jars are cheese balls. Perfect snack item!

I am a fan of symmetry and needed something to anchor the tablescape. I whipped up some paper flowers, added feathers & a boa, and added some zebra "poms" and sparkly bits...Viola! A centerpiece!

Drink Station:

Decided to give the pink lemonade and orange punch cute, theme appropriate names: Citruslicious & Pink Zebra.

Party Favors:

I saw a lollipop tree created by A to Zebra for her daughter's birthday and Diane and I agreed that it was very creative & a must have! Heads up: The lollipop tree is very, VERY heavy and could possibly be a hazard! It held 2 regular and 1 large bag of tootsie roll mini pops.

Mini candy bars were a part of the favor buckets. Wrapped in all the colors of her party with sayings: Happy Birthday, Amelia, Thank You, & 5.

Banner & Decor:

This is the banner I created for Miss Amelia. I found the inspiration in an etsy shop. Since I am the crafty type, I made it myself instead of buying it. If you're not crafty I encourage you to get the one of etsy!

The paper lanterns added such a great pop of color to the party. We also had them lined along the top of the wall dividing the kitchen and living room.

What's a party without a wreath? :) Don't know if you can see through the window, but the moon bounce was in the backyard. They were definitely the coolest parents on the block that day!

The Cake:

Here's the fabulous cake made by Oh My Ganache! Bakery. Isn't it great?!? It is chocolate cake with buttercream icing & fondant accents. They did a great job capturing the look of our inspiration cake! They also made the fondant cupcake toppers as well.

There is the birthday girl, Amelia! Isn't she darling?!? I think her party was a success! More pictures can be found in my Flickr Feed!

Enjoy!

Amanda

{martha monday} centerpiece ideas

Have I been lazy lately? Why yes I have.... Sorry to all! Now on to Martha Monday!

Do you remember these?!? I remember doing these in kindergarden. My thumbs would hurt from putting all the cloves in. Needless to say mine didn't look as chic!

Aren't these darling?!? I found these a few weeks ago & have loved them everytime I see them! It's so simple to make, but such a cute touch! Find the details here!

I definitely could make this work for my theme. I would probably would use a glitter (gulp) sage leaf instead of evergreen, but I do like the twigs!

Don't you see these feather trees everywhere?!? Thank you Martha for providing a tutorial! An easy and inexpensive way to create them. Take that pier one! ;)

Enjoy!

Amanda

{instant love} advent calendar adventure!

I know it its too late to do an advent calendar, but this is the one I want to create for next year. Geez, I feel as if I should start searching out things for Valentine's day so I have to time to craft! Anywho... I found an advent calendar that I absolutely LOVE, and I tried to re-find it. It was definitely a quest--let me tell ya! My blog reading hops from blog-to-blog so much I should leave behind breadcrumbs to find my way back! How can I help it?!? There is so much INSPIRATION out there! My only regret is that it took me this long in life to discover just some of it!


I turned to my top 2 blogs that post all kinds of crafty goodness: Tatertots & Jello and Someday Crafts. I was hoping they lead me to my dream calendar. No luck! Next up, GOOGLE. I got pretty inventive in my search criteria. The one that finally put me on the right trail:

From there, I saw the picture! It led me to A Little Tipsy which in turn led me to my final destination! The Painter Family's Advent Calendar.

Isn't she a beaut?

Mission completed ;)

Enjoy!

Amanda

{FREEday} packaged oh-so-pretty!

Oh! the weather outside is frightful, but wrapping presents is so delightful!

I LOVE wrapped presents--definitely way better than gift bags! I do fully understand that in some cases a gift bag is necessary, but who doesn't enjoy the eye candy of a beautifully wrapped gift? This week's theme of free printables is goodies to make your gift-ies look fabulous!

A perfect way to theme your gifts to your Holiday party! Tip Junkie kindly posted that West Elm has created FREE printables for gift tags, place cards, and menus in 4 fun themes. A lot of the elements could be used past Christmas. This is definitely a printable to keep for future use!

Bag it & tag it--with these printable labels from Amy @ Living Locurto! Use decorative scissors to add fun edges or print them on sticker paper to apply them (mess free!) your packages!

These are more fitting for my Christmas theme. I love all the colors & accessories that go with "fun" Christmas, but my colors are more muted with a nature vibe. My Mom likes snowmen and my Aunt does Santa--I need my niche! I have decided that I will do reindeer. These tags by Kellie @ 74 Lime Lane would be a great touch to my gifts!

I cannot tell you how much I love the aqua & red color combo (which is huge in print design this year)! Paper Crave has created labels in fuschia/lime green & light blue/dark blue in case those colors don't strike your fancy!

Enjoy!

Amanda

{sneak peek} zebra glam

Here's a sneak peek of a party I helped with this past weekend! It was for lil' miss Amelia's 5 birthday. More to come (once I find my camera cord!)

Enjoy!

Amanda

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{blog love} living locurto

I don't know if all of y'all have heard of the fabulous Amy from Living Locurto? I enjoy my frequent newsletters & especially enjoy all the GREAT FREE printables that she creates!

She is one talented, busy lady: a mom, graphic designer, co-owner of I Heart Faces, fab blog writer, creator of crafty things for Family.com.

Where does she find ALL of that TIME?!?

Printables:

Yes, she does design these oh-so-cute printables! The Red & Black birthday party is her newest party pack and isn't it divine! Sigh, don't we all love owls? This Pink Owl theme is a must have for a little girl's birthday party! These are just a sample of all the great printables that she sells in her shop. Take a visit to view more!

Free Printables:

These are just a sample of all the FREE printables that she designs! The Thank You cards are free on the website, but the Happy Birthday Bird Notes are FREE to email subscribers. I highly encourage you to sign up for her newsletter! Its FREE & you get FREE goodies--can't beat that!

I Heart Faces:

She also gives updates on weekly photo challenges for I Heart Faces. The ones above are for scenic black & white and the color orange. All you budding photographers out there submit your images!

I could keep going on & on, but I have to leave some surprises for you when you visit her blog! Make sure to also check out her weekly meal plans & party ideas!

Enjoy!

Amanda