Friday, May 28, 2010

Party Planning Tip Friday: Charm Your Party

I would like to *try* and start a new feature, Kate Landers Events, LLC's "Party Planning Tip Friday" to share with you a tip to creating a stylish, classic, sophisticated, charming party for your next event for a little one!

Today's tip: Charm Your Party.

I have found using old-fashioned sweets creates lovely eye-candy, AND delights your guests with the yummiest take home treat!

A few of my favorites:

Old Fashioned Taffy Wands



Swirly Lollipops


(image courtesy of Kissy Squirrel)

Rock Candy




Creating a display of your candy using treats in vintage-inspired apothecary-style glass jars is simple yet stunning. Choose candy in your color-scheme to reinforce the theme of your event! Don't forget to tie in the table linens!

A sweet display is sure to add charm to your next party!

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

"Styling A Birthday"

I am very excited to share with you Kate Landers Events, LLC's feature in the May 2010 issue of Baystate Parent Magazine, voted best parenting publication in North America 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2008.







It is always a tremendous honor to be featured and interviewed, and I want to send an enormous thank you to Carrie for the lovely interview. The entire team has been so kind and supportive of Kate Landers Events, LLC, and I could not be more appreciative!!!!!!!!!

Thank you thank you thank you!
(*image belongs to Baystate Parents Magazine)

Monday, May 24, 2010

Princess Party Inspiration

Planning a party for your birthday princess?

We thought we would highlight for you the latest and greatest princess party treats from Kate Landers Events, LLC.



Our darling princess crown is adorned with a paper star which can be personalized to read "Princess Charlotte" or whatever name you choose! The flowing ribbons and gold trim truly make this a charming birthday crown.







If you prefer a crown that can be worn long after the party is over, our beautiful custom rose felt crown is a beauty.



Available with matching capelet and wand, in a variety of colors to match your princess party color-scheme. We find the wands to make charming party favors as well!



Looking for regal favor packaging? We love our old fashioned party favor crackers, adorned with a paper star, gold crown and beautiful bows to tie in the trinkets you stick inside. Available in colors shown, but custom color combinations are available as well!



How about a whimsical edible wand? Our old fashioned taffy wands are sure to please, and not only make lovely favors, but also are true beauties on any sweet display table. We just stocked up in the yummiest new colors and flavors, so please inquire and see if we have your favorite!



The best part? We can personalize the old fashioned taffy wand wrappers for you with custom artwork, photographs and colored ink! Please e-mail us at http://www.blogger.com/info@katelandersevents.com for more information.



I still adore a classic party hat, and our festoon trimmed party hat is no exception here. Available in stripes or polka dots, in a variety of colors with your choice of "Birthday Princess," "Birthday Girl" or your child's name, these are sure to be cherished (I store mine under bell jars for darling decoration!).





A birthday princess deserves a birthday ribbon--which is darling displayed on a ribbon board to remind the birthday girl of that special celebration day after day!



Of course Kate Landers Events, LLC, has some of the most charming princess party ideas up our sleeves!

Saturday, May 22, 2010

$250 Couture Custom Party Package Giveaway Reminder!

Just a reminder that the lovely giveaway over at The Birthday Girl ends Sunday evening, so please enter if you haven't already!



It would be so fabulous to help you plan your next event!

Have a lovely weekend!

Friday, May 21, 2010

Please Read: A Heartfelt Thank You



Please Read:

A heartfelt thank you for following this blog.

You are here, and I am *thrilled*.

You are talented, you are creative, you are unique, and maybe you love to celebrate life!

My desire is to help you celebrate the lives of your precious children by inspiring you with unique, stylish, classic, old-fashioned, sophisticated, whimsical, eco-friendly, darling, simple and charming parties!

You are so important, and I absolutely adore hearing about all the charming parties you are planning! You are inspiring to me.

The themes you have shared with me are amazing--I hope you will send me photos that capture these joyous birthdays and baby showers, because I would absolutely LOVE to see them! And even greater, I hope you will share them to inspire others!

Thank you kindly

Kate



Oh, and a special treat: Becca at The Birthday Girl is hosting a Kate Landers Events, LLC, exclusive giveaway that I encourage you to enter--because the opportunity to work with you on planning your next child's party or baby shower would be such a treat for me!

Enter
here.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Chocolate Bird Nests for Woodland Fairy Party

By popular request, I wanted to share with you the recipe for the chocolate bird nests we made for the "Woodland Fairy Birthday Party" featured yesterday.

They are incredibly simple to make, and taste fabulous!

All you need are the large shredded wheat biscuits, crumbled (I would say 6-8 per pound, you just need to decide how brown you want them), and 2 pounds of chocolate (ie chocolate chips are great).

You melt the chocolate in a double-boiler over med high heat until all just melted, then pour carefully into bowl of shredded wheat (already broken up biscuits). Wait for chocolate to cool (less than a minute) and prepare to get your hands dirty (food-safe gloves recommended)!

Just mix together until it is very, very thick.

Using parchment paper to line the inside of whatever shape you want your nests to be in (cupcake tin, bowl--your choice!), take a large scoop and place on the parchment paper in that container.

You will then press the mixture up against the sides and down against the bottom until it is in desired shape--may need to add more to thicken walls of nest.

Let harden by leaving at room temp, or to speed up, put on cookie sheet and stick in the fridge for an hour or two.

When done, carefully peel of parchment paper, and you have your yummy chocolate nest!!!

Enjoy!

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Woodland Fairy Birthday Party

It thrills me to share with you this Woodland Fairy Birthday Party designed by Kate Landers Events, LLC!



The party took place in the "enchanted" woods of the client's back yard (we had to move to a less "wooded" area due to too much poison ivy that had grown since the original party date--weeks back--which had to be pushed forward due to illness), and the weather could not have been more beautiful!



The color-scheme was a mix of natural browns and greens, soft creams and whites, with the birthday girl's favorite colors of pink and red.



The invitations were from Kori's and Lindsey's darling new line, Paper & Pigtails.



Kori graciously re-designed their original woodland fairy invitation into something custom for us, to match our pink, red, green and brown color scheme, and also to mimic the type of trees the girls would be surrounded by during the party.



Needless to say, they did an amazing job (check out these scallop-edged return address labels!), and we couldn't be more thrilled with such a perfect introduction to the party theme for the guests.

You will see other darling items (like name tags and custom fairy food signs) from Paper & Pigtail throughout this post, which will be linked directly to their shop if you wish to purchase any for your own woodland fairy party!

As with all of my events, I like the children to be encouraged to use their imaginations, and this party was no exception.



We wanted each guest to feel as if they were a woodland fairy themselves, so we had Henry & Grace Designs custom created fairy frocks, hair garlands and wands.



They girls would find these hanging from the trees, standing in a green bubble-glass jug, hiding behind a rock in the woods, or even laying on their plate at the table...finding each piece of their own fairy costume was an activity in and of itself!





Each fairy frock and garland was created using the same materials, all with the lovely green silk vines and pink flowers, but the colors of tulle and ribbon were all unique, so no two were ever exactly alike.

Ireland's fairy frock and garland was created using pale pink and ivory.





Violet's fairy frock and garland was created in a vivid red and rosy pink.





Ava's fairy frock and garland was created in a rich dark chocolate brown and soft pink.





Elle's fairy frock and garland (not shown because this birthday girl was already wearing when we were setting up!!!) was created using the reds and pinks and ivory, and a hint of brown as well. Stunning indeed!

Girls were also each given a pair of our whimsical fairy wings, and let me tell you once they were on, they didn't come off!



We wanted a very whimsical feel, so strands of red felt mini bunting were strung casually along the tree branches near the table.



The tablescape was created using a floor length chocolate brown table covering, custom made toad stools were used for seating (yes, red with white spotted pillow tops and ivory "stems" straight to the ground!), and tableware consisted of our favorite Rice melamine soft pink tumblers and plates, along with red flatware and green cloth napkins folded under each plate.








The most precious trio of toad stools was created by the lovely Miss Jane, which served as the centerpiece.



My personal favorite detail is the fairy door on the largest toadstool, and the pink butterfly on top.



Simply charming!



We created a darling wreath hung by beautiful double-faced pink satin ribbon to hang over the table, adding instant height and sort of pulling together the treetops and toad stools together!







Each girl found their name on a darling printed tag (would make a charming cupcake topper too, I think!), inside their fairy garland on top of their plate.



The girls enjoyed the most spectacular fairy feast on a table we designed to mimic the enchanted forest floor.



The table was covered with a green moss table runner, food was displayed on wooden "stumps" and personalized with wooden letters for the birthday girl, Elle.





You will notice tall grass, bundles of twigs and flowers, and a couple of sparkling green butterflies, that almost blend right if it weren't for their sparkled coating!





The menu was all sweets, but with an earthy, fairy theme of course!

Each girl was given a chocolate "bird's nest" to eat out of--incredibly realistic looking, and delicious!



The nests also served as "bowls" for the "create your own trail mix" station.





"Fairy Flakes"(coconut), "Chipmunk Chips" (banana), "Gnome-Made Granola", "Wrinkled Grapes" and "Chocolate Drops" were among the selection of goodies for the girls to use to make their special mix.





Other treats, such as pink "acorns" and "pink feather dust" were also available for the girls to nibble on during the party.







Darling "Ladybugs" were crafted carefully out of apples and chocolate frosting and were definitely a favorite to look at by all the guests.



"Snail Sandwiches" (created of strawberry cream cheese and jelly) and "Woodland Smores" (pre-melted smores served on a wooden "stump") were other delightful treats guests enjoyed (signs but food not shown).





Instead of a traditional birthday cake (originally a custom cake was designed but with the party being postponed, the birthday girl had time to change her mind!), the birthday girl opted for cupcakes that she saw at Whole Foods with her mom--pink frosted flowers, and deep raspberry-red "toadstools" with upside-down white chocolate chips.





"Dandelion Milk" (Milk) was the beverage of choice, in chocolate, strawberry or plain, as all three matched the color-scheme of the party!

The toadstool cupcakes were also an activity.



The girls were given a leaf-shaped bowl full of raspberry pink/red icing, a mini chocolate cupcake and mini white chocolate chips, where they could craft their own toadstool cupcake to enjoy or take home. A messy but fun activity and tasty treat!



Special white-chocolate (colored pale pink) dipped strawberries added the birthday girl's favorite colors of red and pink to the fairy feast, and a nest of "Fairy Berries" added beauty and natural texture to the table.









This table was tremendous fun to set up, and as you can see, the felt toadstools, whimsical wands, and jars of fairy dust were all incorporated in the decor.

The whimsical wands were all personalized with tags tied to their streaming raw silk ribbons.





The fairy dust bottles were carefully displayed in a bell jar, to be handed out by an adult at the end of the party, for the girls to take home and use as a decoration in their room.



These personalized fairy dust jars were a tremendous hit, and the girls had all sorts of ideas of how to use them! (Yes, we do offer those darling custom fairy dust, wand, frock and garland tags for special order, just send us an e-mail with your request to info@katelandersevents.com!)

Activities included "musical toad stools" using the same toad stools the girls sat on while at the table, and a dance around a "Fairy May Pole" (a natural wooden rod stuck in the ground, with long streaming ribbons carefully adhered at the top).The girls more than anything just enjoyed prancing around in circles, weaving around each other--not really making any sort of pattern at this young age, of course!

In addition to decorating their "toadstool cupcakes" they also were given little birdhouses to take home to decorate.



Each guest was given a moss-covered basket in which they were to use to gather butterflies, acorns and flowers (faux flowers and butterflies, real acorns), most of which were hidden behind "fairy doors" at the bottom of trees.



This was a lot of fun, but we made sure to have bags full of pre-alloted decorations and goodies already to go, in the event one girl ended up with fewer decorations than another.



Along with being allowed to leave the parties in their fairy costumes, they were given a copy of an enchanting fairy pop-up book (which I have seen at the store "Anthropologie"), customized with a small bookplate inside to remember the event. I was even given one of these books, and love it!

As you know I am one for lots of details and photos in my posts!

I hope our woodland fairy party may inspire and enchant you! Please contact us at info@katelandersevents.com if you are interested in us helping you create your own woodland fairy party, or if you are interested in any of the products you see featured, as many are available as a custom order.

Also, a very special thank you to Paper & Pigtails for the spectacular invitations and toadstool and fairy-themed imprintables, they added so much more charm to so many aspects of the event!