Finally having a moment to share the photos from the Paper Airplane Birthday Party! This party was for my sweet son who turned two, and like many little boys he’s in love with any type of transportation – especially planes! I wanted the theme to be youthful but still fun for the kids and adults, which is why I combined the idea of “vintage airplanes” with “paper airplanes” for this party – a fun throwback for adults and something the toddlers got a kick out of, too! If you didn’t see the invitations yet, check them out here. Enjoy the photos and as always, all the paper products are available on my Etsy Shop.



A paper airplane garland soared above the main food table, made up of over 100 little paper planes! The blue and red color scheme was incorporated into the food table through the food signs, banner and star confetti. The main food table was home to lots of easy-to-eat brunch food items including quiches, mini-muffins and mini-scones, baked doughnuts, bagel + lox sandwiches, gingerbread shortstacks, fresh fruit – plus star pb+j sandwiches and bunny grahams just for the kids. The theme and free-spirited tone of the invite was carried through all the little signage pieces. The food cards were categorized by “in-flight bites” or “in-flight sweets”, with canny little remarks about the food items.





“Hudson’s Hangar” was the spot for all the beverages and favors – water, hot coffee, milk and of course bloody mary’s and mimosas for the adults. The flags for the red stripey straws and toothpicks said “paper / forces”, “air shark / for life”, “party / party” and “happy / birthday”.




There was a little paper airplane station encouraging the “paper forces to unite”. The station was set-up with pre-cut paper, custom-made star crayons and instructions on how to make their own Model #HJP-1212 DIY Paper Plane. Once the kids (and adults) colored their planes they could take them for a test flight in the Test Flight Zone and try to make it inside the blue and red rings. I loved how the adults and little ones got into this activity, and was very impressed with some of the adults’ paper plane models they remembered making from their childhood!




For sweets we had vanilla and chocolate babycakes, with red and blue stars indicating the flavor, a delicious black and white cake with raspberry filling, and adorable custom-made paper airplane sugar cookies – a paper plane, radar with plane and star – from Sugar Lane Bake Shop (shop is out of New York but ships anywhere in the US).





Given his first birthday party was a much larger affair, I wanted to keep his second birthday a small but special celebration with his closest buddies and family. It was not only much easier to plan and manage, but the birthday boy was comfortable and happy to play with everyone there…which can always be questionable with a two year old!  His fellow little paper forces pilots went home with red suitcases filled with star crayons, paper to make their own DIY Paper Plane at home, a toy tin plane and paper plane themed sugar cookies.





{Resources} :: Cake and Babycakes :: Red and Blue Cupcake Star Toppers :: Star Crayons :: Custom Sugar Cookies :: Invitations and Paper Products

My friend, Erika, and I have been trying to put together a girl’s night with wine and apps and girl talk since the summer. So since summer came and went, we decided to embrace the holiday spirit and put a festive spin on our get-together by hosting a Favorite Things Exchange.



Everyone brought something they LOVED for $30, and after a bit of eating and drinking and chatting we did the favorite things exchange. For the food Erika and I kept it simple with some savory appetizers: a butternut squash flatbread, puff pastries with caramelized onions and feta cheese, caprese stacks and a cheese tray. We rounded out the spread with some sweets: pink and white macaroons, vanilla cupcakes with custom-made heart toppers and chocolate truffles. We washed everything down with some delicious red wine and a hot spiced and spiked apple cider.






For the exchange portion of the evening, all the girls selected a number at random from the board and chose a gift from the pile according to their number. If they guessed who brought it, it was safe. If not, it was up for a steal (with a maximum steal of 2 times). The “favorite things” spin really made it a fun exchange, some items were more popular than others – but all-in-all everyone literally went home with something awesome…or I guess I should say, someone’s “favorite something”.




The night before, E and I made the Cherry Pies-In-A-Jar for party favors. They were surprisingly easy to make and used this tutorial as a guide. It was a fun time and something we agreed to host for next year. Never too early to start planning…well, maybe I’ll try to get through this Christmas first

I shared the invitations for this party last week, and I’m thrilled to post these photos for this baby gender reveal party which was recently featured on Pizzazzerie, Hostess With the Mostess, and Lil’ Sugar Editor’s Choice. I wanted to create something that could get guys, girls and kiddos excited, so I chose a Sky Blue and Cherry Red and Apple Green color scheme, all set against black and white patterns. Enjoy the details and photos below, the invitations and partie kit are available on my Etsy shop.



The Voting Station gets guests involved in the party and is bound to start cocktail chatter when people don their I VOTED stickers – with lips or mustaches depending on their vote. For the big reveal, I wanted to do something, well…BIG. I’m loving the extra large round balloons these days, so I opted to have a giant balloon “float” out of the box for the parents’ reveal. No leaning over shoulders to see what’s inside the cake filling…just look up!



For the party favors I working with Sweet Shop Cookie Co to create coordinating sugar cookies for the party favors, which were stuffed in black + white chevron bags from Shop Sweet Lulu.

If you’re looking to add a little bling, bling to your next soirée look no further than Over The Top Studios for some super fabulous party hats. These are not your standard birthday crowns, these hand-crafted beauties are meticulously designed using “found” materials and vintage millinery and paper. A client introduced me to these over the top sensations, and I’ve since used them at several parties for adults and kids – I really don’t know who had more fun wearing them! Great for birthdays, photo booths at parties or weddings and a classy, yet fun accessory for a bride-to-be during a shower or bachelorette party! Over the Top Studios does beautiful wedding cake toppers and custom orders as well, so visit her Etsy shop to see her existing designs or to dream up something truly one-of-a-kind. Below are a few photos of some my favorites – and my birthday is coming in October…just saying…



{Resource} 1. Marie Antoinette Crown | 2. Happy Birthday Floral Crown | 3. Happy Birthday Glitter Crown | 4. Kid’s Party Hats | 5. Fit For a King Boy’s Crown {Photos are used with permission, copyright Over The Top Studios}

Excited to be able to share with you some photos from a party I helped plan and style for a client in the Palisades. Unfortunately I forgot my camera, but luckily I had my iPhone to snap a few photos (thank goodness for Instagram!). My client is the matron of honor in her dear friend’s wedding, and there were lots of friends flying in from out of town for the bride’s shower the next day. Being the hostess with the mostess, she wanted to have a welcome dinner party for the bride and all her guests…how amazing is she!?! The evening began just before sunset upstairs on her rooftop deck with cocktails and appetizers. It was followed by an al fresco Southern-Inspired dinner served family-style downstairs, which consisted of a Grilled Flank Steak, Southern Fried Chicken, Macaroni and Cheese, Brussel Sprouts Salad and Green Beans. And if all that wasn’t enough, there was an incredible dessert display inside with coffee. Enjoy the photos!

{Vendors} :: Food prepared by Chris Green Catering, Flower Arrangements crafted by OCD Events, Desserts by Sweet E’s Bake Shop, Ruffled Burlap Table Squares by Jen at Shop Snug Haven, Planning + Styling by Le Partie Sugar

First, let me THANK all of you who have kept me busy with such amazing projects! It has been an incredible 2012, and I can’t believe how quickly it’s flown by…how is it already May? I’ve been very busy with lots of Etsy orders and some really fun Custom Orders that I cannot wait to share with you. I also just finished working on this fabulous Royal Birthday Bash event with some other amazing vendors…sure to be some eye candy for everyone! I’ve got so much to share – and I’m starting with these two custom kid’s birthday invitations. Enjoy!

It’s only fitting that every little boy think he’s a super hero, and who else to pretend to be than Batman? This mom of a Batman-in-training knew exactly what to throw for her four year old’s birthday party…a Batman-Themed Party! And what fun he had! Here are the invitations that went to each guest.





Being the mom of a little boy, I had SO much fun designing this fun invitation for a tomboy mama of a girly-girl! Her little gal – the youngest of two brothers – channeled all the girly-girl in the family. At two years-old she knows what she wants…pink and glittery and sweet (she’s my kinda gal!). Here are her birthday invitations:





Much to come soon!

I’m so excited to finally be sharing this party I had the honor of being a collaborator on…there were over 10 vendors, and one very inspired mama. When I met with the birthday boy’s mom, Samantha, in January to discuss her son’s first birthday in late April, I immediately knew we would be putting together an amazing birthday bash. Her son, Shia, is her little prince, and she wanted to do a prince-themed birthday party. Samantha had lots of ideas of her own and was open to new ones, with only two “must-haves”: avoid pastels to keep it different from her baby shower, and keep party adult and kid friendly.

The party tone was set by the invitations, telling a fairytale-like story of a little prince being born in Los Angeles and the Royal Birthday Bash his parents decided to throw him in honor of his first birthday (and them making it through the first year!). From there the venue was like his “enchanted kingdom”, filling the space with lots of treats, activities, live entertainment and a fabulous little play area.




Samantha had a knack for party planning and quite the vision for the party, finding lots of adorable decor pieces and items to bring the theme to life. Guests were greeted to the room with an oversized Chalkboard Art sign by Custom Chalk, repeating the silhouette artwork and wording from the invitation. Photos of Shia throughout the first 12 months were displayed on a tiered-crown table in paper baroque-style frames, givings guests a chance to see how he’s grown over the first year.



The regal purples were carried through to the linens in the dining room and all the tables had gorgeous purple and red floral displays perfectly set inside crowns, done by OCD Events. Dark purple napkins were gold foil-stamped with the same prince silhouette from the invitation and the ever-popluar stripy straws dressed up the Royal Refreshments.



There was a Royal Birthday Feast consisting of two omelette bars (which was a must for a 100+ birthday party), a salad station plus lots of brunch treats like blintzes, sausage, bacon and smoked salmon. And for the pint-sized royal guests, there was special table set-up with cheerios, silver-dollar pancakes, milk and baby purees. There was no shortage of food or desserts at this birthday extravaganza, and the dessert table featured a stunning cake designed by Fantasy Frosting. There was also plenty off bite-sized treats from Sweet E’s Bakeshop, like fruity pebble treats, shortbread cookies, cake pops, caramel apple pop, peanut butter bliss bars and more. To balance out the dessert table there was Fresh Fruit buffet with a seasonal berries, melons and tarts.





The kid’s play area was one of the highlights, in which there was tent made by Shop Snug Haven, complete with a glittery chandelier, oversized stuffed lion, kid’s chairs and toys. It was nice for parents to have such adorable “safe zone” for the kids and still be part of the party. The Silhouette Artwork and Photobooth Photos were the perfect take-home favor for the adults and each child left with a personalized felt birthday crown. Truly a memorable event!







{Vendor Credits} :: A.| Venue (location, food and drinks): Hillcrest Country Club |B.| Birthday Cake: Fantasy Frosting |C.|Desserts: Sweet E’s Bakeshop |D.| Floral arrangements: OCD Events |E.| Photography: Diana Henderson Photography |G.| Photobooth: Flash Life Photobooth |H.| Photobooth Party Hats: Over the Top Studios |I.| Customized Kid’s Crowns (Party Favors): Maureen Cracknell |J.| Silhouette Artist: Nancie Marie Overpack |K.| Chalk Art Sign: Custom Chalk |L.| Music Performers: Music Together |M.| Kid’s Play Area (Tent and Floor Mats): Shop Snug Haven |N.| Invitations + Paper Design and Partial Planning + Styling: Le Partie Sugar

I gave a little peek of the invitations yesterday, and I’ve been so excited to share with you the details for this sprinkle I had the honor of co-hosting for a very dear friend’s second baby. Once she shared the news she was expecting her second, my friend Jen (of Shop Snug Haven) and I knew immediately we wanted to throw her a sprinkle that centered around her love of popcorn! Below are some photos and details from her “Ready To Pop” Sprinkle!

Tissue poms floated over the food and drink table, with the three different blends of popcorn taking center stage. We had sweet and savory popcorn options, plus other “pop-related” food items like Cheesy Popovers, Chocolate Cake Pops and yummy Kettle Popcorn Cookies. For the beverages we served Rose Sparkling Wine, Italian Soda Pop, Sparkling Water, Red and White Wine.






For the party favors, we put together bags filled with “things that go pop”, which included: Mini-Champagne to pop open on 02.29.12 (baby’s due date), Pop Rocks (who doesn’t love those?), Gumballs, Kettle Popcorn and Cake Pops.



The invitations and printable partie kit will be available on my Etsy Shop later this week, and comes in three different color options! I’ll also have a photo tutorial for the tissue poms next week ready to share.

Thanks for hanging with me over this four-part party series breakdown. Today’s my last post featuring some of the photobooth shots as well as some candid party photos of our guests and the birthday guy! If you missed any of the recap posts check them out here: invitations, party inspiration + overview, food + drink, decor + favors.

To bring out everyone’s inner-child, we had a photo booth set up in the corner complete with mustache and tie props, plus “Mister Hudson Is Turning One” and “I heart hudson” signs. After the photo session, guests could leave a birthday note to Hudson in his photo book next to their photos.

Here are a few of the photobooth photos:

And some candid shots at the party:

And the birthday guy after a bite of red velvet cake

Thanks to everyone who made it to Hudson’s first birthday bash, it’s a not celebration without fun party guests! And of course, a special thanks to my amazing parents who flew out to help with the party and my girlfriend Jen who made the amazing favors, pom-pom table squares and helped me set-up the bash and kept the food table stocked!

If you want to put this party together for your little (or big) guy, the party printable kit will be available on my Etsy shop later this week, the kid’s t-shirt party favors are available through Jen at Shop Snug Haven, the photobooth mustache and tie props are from Little Retreats and the fondant mustache toppers were from Sweeten Your Day Events.

So I’m starting this week off by wrapping up my Kitschy Little Man party recap. Last week I covered the party overview + inspiration and the food + drinks, and today I’m sharing the decor + favors followed by the last post tomorrow with some photobooth and candid party shots.

A red, aqua and chartreuse color theme kept this kitschy birthday shindig coordinated, along with a few splashes of mustache, tie and “man” elements. The table centerpieces were kept playful, with framed Jonathan Adler mustache and tie graphics and pom-pom table cloth overlays.

I made these heavily starched men’s shirt cuffs to hold all the menu cards labeling the food and drink, which were nicely complimented by the necktie napkins  .

Since the party would go until dusk, we also had aqua and chartreuse paper lanterns hanging overhead which all the little ones loved to see.

For the party favors, my über-creative girlfriend Jen,of Shop Snug Haven, made the most adorable t-shirts for our Little Ladies and Gents. I picked up each child’s shirt size and Jen used her stash of fabric (which coincidentally was leftover men’s dress shirt fabric from back in her NYC days) to make ties and lips for our little guests. How cute are these?

The favor tags for the little kids said “Bye Gorgeous” for the little ladies and “Bye Handsome” for the little gents, followed by their name so they could identify their shirt.

We used also used that fabric to make the little cake bunting for Hudson’s cake and the fabric garland for the photo booth. The other guests (who outgrew the 12 – 18 month size many, many years ago) took home Dapper Little Gingerbread Men favors.

That’s it for today…check back tomorrow for the Party People shots!