Kate Landers Events, LLC

Kate Landers' Classic Boy Baby Shower {Signature Party}

2012-01-23T22:42:00.000-05:00

A timeless, classic, sweet, sophisticated, elegant, warm, charming baby shower...for a BOY!

What a great joy to be able to share with you more details of our very own classic boy baby shower!

All the gorgeous images were captured by the incredibly talented photographer Liza of Liza Voll Photography. She absolutely blew me away this time!!!!

It was a tremendous honor to have it debut on Layla Grayce, as they made the post more beautiful than I imagined!

Here is my chance to share with you a few more images, personal thoughts and designer details from this precious, personal event. If you are looking for a clear and concise vendor guide, a number of personal tips from this shower, I highly recommend you visit Layla Grayce for my post there which offers all these wonderful things.

If you are up for a lengthy, ultra-personal narration, then grab a comfy seat, pour a cup of tea, and enjoy!

Prepare for lots of gushing about the amazing women who created so many of the beautiful sweets and decorations you see here.

With a passion for designing events, it was a tremendous joy and pleasure to work on designing our baby shower (though I am well-aware this goes against all etiquette!).

It was also, however, a wonderful opportunity to learn the power of party partners! I typically work alone and struggle with allowing myself to share my work with others, but knew I would physically need a lot of help, and more than that, I wanted to explore something new for me: share the joy of the party designing, setting up, hosting/executing, and clean up/break down process with others passionate for parties. WOW. It is a far more rewarding experience than I EVER imagined.

I reached out many months in advance to find highly motivated, organized, talented, creative women in the party industry (not necessarily professionals) and was blessed to hear from two most perfect co-designers I *ever* could have asked for: Jenny of Crossing The Bugger Dixon Line, and Christy of Inspired Design.

Jenny is one of the warmest, sweetest, kindest, most thoughtful, gracious and lovely women I have had the privilege of meeting. I was instantly drawn in to her with that sparkling smile and a gentle disposition that put me right at ease. Jenny came a long distance for this event, and did a stunning job as a co-designer of our baby shower. Her creativity is highly underrated.

I gave her some challenges and she exceeded all expectations, such as creating the most darling guestbook alternative: signing wooden baby blocks for our baby-to-be. What a precious idea that I must say was an enormous hit at the shower!

I have a feeling we will see a lot more creative brilliance come from Jenny, she is just wired that way, and is full of passion for party design. If you don't know Jenny, I recommend you get to know her--a true gem and enormous blessing in my life. I cannot wait for us to get together again. She also shares my passion for writing, and has a fabulous blog. Jenny has some wonderful projects lined up, and I look forward to watching her children's party dreams come true.

Christy is practically around the corner from me, and when she drove up to the shower set up with the most incredible party tool kit you could ever DREAM of, I couldn't stop thinking "Where have you been all my life? How do people not know you?"

Christy, much like Jenny, instantly gave me a sense of comfort, with a thousand watt smile and a rare passion: not only does she love to design events, but she thrives on the execution of them. In addition, she is an all-star crafter who has more skills in that brilliant mind of hers than I could ever wish to have. Her attitude is positive and motivated, willing to make rice krispie treats late the night before the shower at my last-minute request, as well as assembling that most precious edible cake banner without sweating one bit (I was a disaster just looking at it). She did it quickly, calmly, and perfectly.

I tried to pry myself away a teensy bit and open up the dessert table set up to Jenny & Christy, and they did a fabulous job. Christy thought of displaying the edible fondant-covered rice krispie baby blocks across the front center of the table, using charming cupcake stands for height of the back row. BRILLIANT. Christy is one to know, one to follow, she has much to offer. She has a pretty incredible project lined up and I cannot wait for her to share more about it with us.

In addition to these amazing designers, I also had the tremendous honor and privilege of working with the most talented designers and crafters, who donated so much of their time and talent to creating custom and purely perfect treats for our special celebration.

Holly of Holly's Sweet Hobby is a true artist far more talented than she is aware of. I am in absolute awe of her work, and the moment the fondant covered rice krispie treat baby blocks, the gum paste baby blue and white saddle oxford shoe cookies, and the fondant smocked romper cookies arrived it took me several moments to pick my jaw up off the floor. Oh. My. Goodness. TALENT. BEAUTY. SWEETNESS. And the most perfect attention to detail and colors. I adore Holly and her work, and hop you find her work incredibly inspiring as I have. Thank you, Holly!

Lynlee of Lynlee's Petite Cakes created the most spectacular fondant diaper bags (designed after my very own from Petunia Pickle Bottom) that made me think "MAGAZINE COVER!" the moment I saw my first preview. She truly has an attention to detail that sets her apart from other artists in her field. She is also a sheer delight to work with, something important as a designer when selecting vendors to collaborate with. She also crafted the perfect pacifier cupcake toppers for the shower as well. P-R-E-C-I-O-U-S. Thank you Lynlee!!!

Tara of Bambella Cookie Boutique is one of the newer cookie designers I had the pleasure of working with, yet her talent displays as someone who has been in the industry for years. She has a style that is so unique--the very shape of her cookies, the detail in the silver baby cup and rattle cookies, the sweetest little lamb and that perfect cookie design of the Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bag...Tara is a big talent and it was a treasure for me to work with her and see her work displayed so beautifully on the shower dessert table.

Renee of Dainty Delights, Inc, had me smitten with her work the first moment I set eyes on her designs. Oh My Sweet Goodness, her cookies are utterly divine!!! I love the detail, each cookie looks like a petite piece of art. Almost too pretty to take a bite of out--I am still smitten with those rocking horse cookies she created for me. The colors, textures--truly charmed my socks off. Again Renee is a dear to work with, I hope we have the privilege of working together again down the road.

Crazy About Macarons was such a treasure to work with--she took what I envisioned and created it into a light sweet reality--macaron rattles!!! These were highly popular at the shower, and I know why--they make your mouth water just looking at them! So creative and darling, I loved the sweetness they added to the shower.

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Julie of Cakes and Kids crafted the sweetest petite baby buttons and bottles that had everyone taking a second look. She used the most beautiful soft colors, and sized them just right for the petite fours and mini cupcakes we placed them on. These two charming edible dessert toppers were PERFECT for our classic baby shower, and Julie hit it out of the park with her spectacular attention to detail and eye for design. WOW!

Now I have run out of photos but NOT out of designers and artists to gush about....so please read on!!!

Brittany of Edible Details is an artist that I ADORE working with, and she always blows me away with her work. She created the fondant swirled lollipops for the Nutcracker Suite Ballet {Signature Party} in 2010, and the precious duckling cake topper for our Baby Gender Reveal Party. Now, she wowed me again, this time with STUNNING initial (hand iced letters to match the font of the printed details of the party--talk about a steady hand!) cupcake toppers as well as the cake banner spelling out "BABY" (edible, yes!) we strung along the front of the cake. The level of detail, the desire to create perfection is something standard with Brittany. She is as sweet as her treats and she MADE the dessert table stunning with her edible details.

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Pam Smerker is one of the kindest, most genuine creative women I have ever met. She creates the sweetest, most well-crafted (as in YES THEY ARE HIGH-QUALITY CARDSTOCK SO THEY ACTUALLY HOLD SWEETS!) favor boxes, and the gingham and pinstripe ones she made for my shower were utter perfection. They looked just DARLING with the rosette favor tags from Loralee Lewis. I could go on and on about Pam and her sweetness as a blogger AND artist. Thank you Pam for sharing your creativity and talent with us all!

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Some of you have written me about that wreath--ah, yes, that GORGEOUS fabric wreath!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The lovely talent behind {She's Kinda Crafty} took this crazy idea I had of doing a fabric wreath instead of a ribbon one, and she used her brilliant vision and talent to whip up a beauty to behold. The finest textured fabrics, incredible fullness and her eye for detail made the wreath perfect on the front door. And now, it hangs proudly on the door to our sweet baby Noah's nursery, and I have swapped out the ribbon color for the holidays (like a luscious red for Christmas). I think it is very rare for someone to describe a lofty idea to you and be able to digest, process and turn it into an elegant reality. Her work is truly beautiful, I am honored to own a little piece of her talent.

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And now I simply must take a moment to gush about the infamous Loralee Lewis, designer of all the printed details of the event (from invitations to rosette favor box tags; dessert signs to water bottle labels and straw flags). Loralee is a standout in design, with a sophisticated style and appreciation of all things classic and vintage. I adore her collections for showers, birthday parties and holiday events, and must say that the birth announcement and holiday photo card she created for us is the most beautiful design I ever set eyes on. Loralee and her team use the finest inks, papers, ribbons, and take tremendous pride in the presentation of their work. It is a tremendous honor and privilege to have worked with Loralee three times now, and cannot wait for our collaborative projects lined up. {PS--Loralee has been discovered by many celebrities, including Hollywood A-Listers, so I am enjoying every moment I can work with her until she is too busy with celebrity soirees...} Loralee is one in a million, and if you haven't seen her invitation and graphic designs, just wait until you see her event styling--Oh My (gasp)!!!

A special thank you to Carolyn of Sweet Tea & Linen for the gorgeous gathered floor-length white tabledress, and for the drool-worthy custom drapes and shams for Noah's Nursery (cannot wait to share images one of these days....).

Also a very special hug of gratitude to Nancy of A to Z Celebrations who created the pom-pom trimmed white table topper for the gift table, also used for our Gender Reveal Party. Your work is FABULOUS and it added such charm to both events!

I must thank my dear husband Ryan and mom for their tremendous help in making the backdrop for the dessert table (a white diamond quilted Restoration Hardware shower curtain wrapped around a board, lined with batting, and trimmed with double-faced satin ribbon and upholstery pins. This as a fun project we created, and makes a darling piece of wall art in Noah's nursery to display photos, cards and other mementos... (oh, and thank you Julia & Brian for creating a last-minute baby game that was so much fun!)

Thank you designers, artists, friends and family for all working together on this very special, personal event. It was nothing short of spectacular. I never imagined something more precious, intimate and perfect.

I realize I need to insert all the important links into this post to each designer's site, but I am too gosh darn excited to post it I am going to come back and update this post with the proper links soon. And don't forget you can get the link list from the Layla Grayce post here in the meantime.

Our Miracle: Noah

2012-01-19T23:05:00.000-05:00

A miracle occured in our lives in 2011: Noah.

{images by amazing Open Shade Studios!}

He changed my world entirely, from the moment we learned I was pregnant.

I surrendered, let go and realized this was beyond my control. I had to lift it up to God, and TRUST Him, my body, and sweet baby growing inside. Whoa.

Harder said than done, but eventually I got there. And EVERYTHING CHANGED.

I reached out to dear friends for their positive pregnancy stories, which was an enormous help to me. Thank you Shelby, Susie, Kori, Allison, Lynn and dear Jennie. Your advice, kindness, support, encouragement and prayers were more powerful than you may know.

And to you dear readers sharing your positive advice, comfort, product suggestions...your had a tremendous effect on me. THANK YOU. I invite you to inspire and encourage others as well, you are powerful!

It was the most amazing, powerful experience; Beautiful, spectacular, and the moment Noah was put on my chest was the most unbelievable miraculous joy, pure elation.

It was calm, peaceful, nothing like I had imagined-especially coming from someone as dramatic as myself.

A mircale happened. Fears were overcome. I learned to experience life with a whole new perspective--a MUCH, much greater one.

Cannot wait to celebrate the life of this new love in my life!

Wishing you a joyous 2012 with much to celebrate in your lives!

Much love,
Kate

Baby Gender Reveal Party...Revealed on Layla Grayce!

2011-06-30T13:40:00.000-04:00

I am THRILLED to share that our baby gender reveal party {and the gender of Baby Landers!} debuted today on the fabulous blog for Layla Grayce {PS--Did you know that you can do a bridal or baby registry with them? Oh. My. Goodness}

The "Make Way For Ducklings" themed event can be viewed here.

I cannot wait to share many more photos and details, as well as spotlights on the incredible bakers, designers, artists and all the delightful people who created all the darling details--soon!

And if you get a moment, check out my notes at the end of the post, sharing our "oops" moments {yes, we ALL make mistakes!}...

... including our dog Henry being so anxious to be the FIRST to know what we were having...and how he revealed it! {He is 22 months old now, but this is a favorite photo of when he was a "baby"!}

Are you thinking of hosting a baby gender reveal party? Would love to hear about your fabulous plans!

Feel free to leave a comment here and tell us all about it--or link to your gender reveal party you hosted in the past!

Bake Sale & Lemonade Stand Tips & Free Printables by The TomKat Studio on Layla Grayce

2011-05-26T16:53:00.000-04:00

So excited for today's post on Layla Grayce, featuring some of my favorite tips for a stylish and fun bake sale or lemonade stand.

{image by Maggie Marsek Photography}

Hop over to Layla Grayce here to check it out--and while you are there, I have a feeling you might want to see what's new in their shop!

{image by Jenna Marfori for Eat Drink Pretty}

On top of that, fabulous party printable designer & party stylist Kim of The TomKat Studio generously created some absolutely darling *FREE* printable banners, cupcake toppers and dessert tags for you to use for your own bake sale or lemonade stand!

Find the links for the free printables in the post here. {ps--a whole matching collection will soon be available in her shop, so stay tuned!}

{Baker’s twine from Such Sweet Tierney }

Many, many thanks to The TomKat Studio and Layla Grayce!

{image by Anna Graham, noodlehead}

As a contributor for Layla Grayce's blog, you can see new blog posts from me every other Thursday. So honored and overjoyed to be a part of their gorgeous blog!

Pink or Blue? We Haven't A Clue!

2011-05-04T14:19:00.001-04:00

Oh, the most precious and sweet blessing! My husband Ryan and I are expecting our first little one this fall!

{image by Teresa K Photography}

It's been a *very* hard secret to keep. Each day we continue to be amazed. We are full of joy, excitement, fear at the newness of it all.

{image via Zia and Tia}

I am ecstatic to share with you this joyful news, we thank God every single day for this tremendous gift.

{image by Melking of Fotolia.com}

There will be a gender reveal party, a baby shower, a baptism, a nursery design reveal....many exciting things to come.

Your prayers would be deeply appreciated as we continue on this exciting journey. Thank you for your incredible support.

{image via here}

AND....I need your help! Do you have any favorite baby products? Must-haves for clothing, accessories, decorations, toys and play things, books, swaddle blankets, crib bedding, bath products, diapers, websites, resources....ANY and ALL?

{image via here}

Please share, I would love to learn of your favorites!

Celebrate Magazine Feature {Press}

2011-03-04T12:20:00.000-05:00

Phyllis Hoffman Media's publication Celebrate magazine has always been a personal favorite. They offer all sorts of wonderfully creative ideas for almost any type of celebration!

I am THRILLED to been given the blessing of being a part of their spring 2011 issue. I created an exclusive NEW PARTY design: a pink, green & white ladybug birthday party, just for Celebrate! It was photographed by the lovely and wonderful photographer, Andrea Winchenbaugh of Open Shade Studios.

The pink ladybug party feature, on pages 18-25, offers charming inspiration for a darling girl's birthday party, as well as many party tips.

In addition, check out pages 110-111 for the most ADORABLE *FREE* PRINTABLES designed just for readers of Celebrate, designed and created by my lovely friend, the most incredibly talented Kori Clark of Paper & Pigtails!!!!!!! Her work is truly darling, and I could not have been more thrilled to work with her!

Then be sure to visit page 112 for the RESOURCE GUIDE, which features all of the wonderful vendors and artists, so you can order the goodies featured in the party, to re-create the look yourself!

From my favorite Layla Grayce to The Sugar Diva, be sure to see all the amazing talented women and businesses who offer products as seen in the party feature!

And above all, there are many amazing entertaining ideas throughout the issue you won't want to miss.

Whether it is a darling yellow springtime tablescape, Easter recipes, creative ways to decorate Easter eggs, a Kentucky Derby luncheon, an Apil Fool's Day children's party, Cinco De Mayo delights and many adorable free printables for many celebration themes...pick up your copy of Celebrate today and enjoy! And stay tuned, they will be updating their site with the free printable files and more goodies from the newest issue soon!

I have found copies of the magazine at Michaels, Target, Walmart, Barnes & Noble, JoAnn Fabrics and AC Moore!

{Please note: The pink hobnail glasses seen in the feature are personally mine, I love them, purchased a long while back and unfortunately do not have any information on where to get them. I have seen similar at Home Goods and Anthropolgie}.

Children's Party Ideas

2011-02-20T20:04:00.000-05:00

I am *THRILLED* to share with you some children's party ideas. If you are new to this blog I sincerely hope you enjoy them and find great inspiration from them. If you have been reading my blog for a long while, I hope they will remind you of some treasured moments here, and maybe you will find or notice something new from these parties you didn't before.

These are parties I joyfully designed, created, co-designed, or staged.

{A Mystical Mermaid Party}

{images by Open Shade Studios}

{Wizard of Oz Inspired Party Collaboration with The TomKat Studio}

{Nutcracker Suite Ballet Party}

{Tom Sawyer & Huck Finn Party Collaboration with Brandi Brown Events}

{Photography by Inga Finch}

{A Beatrix Potter Party}

{Woodland Fairy Party}

{Marie Antoinette-Inspired Party}

{Madeline In Paris-Inspired Party}

{A Gingham Party}

{Pink & Yellow Party}

{Photography by Chris Wiegand}

{Polka Dot Party}

{photography by McAllister Photography}

{Ice Cream Party for Boys}

And you might just spot some NEW parties from Kate Landers, in online and in print publications!

Vintage Inspired Paper Doll Tea Party {Party Contest Winners Photo Shoot}

2011-02-19T10:43:00.000-05:00

Oh what JOY! I am thrilled to share with you, at long last, the Vintage-Inspired Children's Party Design Contest Winners Photo Shoot!!!!

Several months ago, I held a "vintage-inspired children's party design contest". The winning entry would be one that I would bring to life, photograph, and feature right here on Kate Landers Events, LLC! It was absolutely wonderful to see so many people participate, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading EACH and EVERY entry.

So much talent, creativity, thoughtfullness....truly, outstanding. I felt blessed that anyone would take the time to enter, and was blown away by the ideas that readers came up with.

With so many amazing entries, I selected the stand-out winner, as well as 4 extraordinary runners-up. This party design is based on the OUTSTANDING winning entry by the most incredibly talented Cari Moretz of Socially Circled. Oh my, her ideas were perfection. Her theme: a 1930s tea party with baby dolls for young girls.

In addition to Cari's beautiful party design which served as the base for the entire party, are several creative contributions from brilliant ideas of the runners up--each stunning and fabulous in their own right.

These wonderful women are: Julie Gallagher of In Good Company with a "1930s Sewing Class" Girl's Party Theme; Leoni Jena of Just Call Me Martha with a "1950's Tea Party" Girl's Party Theme; Elizabeth of Kentucky Mama with a "Silhouette" Girl's Party Theme; Lisa of Joy and Me with a "Girls and Dolls" Girl's Party Theme.

It was wonderful to bring a party to life, that was a combination of so many beautiful ideas!!! There were many brilliant things from each party I wanted to include, however I did my very best to pull together ideas from each party design to create a very dainty, sweet, simple, beautiful and cohesive party for the shoot.

Everything I created to bring these lovely ladies' party design to life is very handmade, approachable, and many elements easy to replicate yourself for your party!

I want to point out that Cari had this most spectacular idea of having old fashioned high chairs at the table next to each guest, for them to put their baby dolls. She envisioned stunning peonies, and vintage hat boxes each with a tea set for the guest, tied with a stunning bow. Each guest would also receive a pair of gloves, and crocheted booties and outfits for their dolls {*love*}. I was drooling over these ideas--lovely! Because finding enough coordinating vintage baby doll high chairs & dolls turned out to be an incredibly daunting task {after MUCH research and deliberation!!!}, I opted to go with one of the runner's up ideas of doing mostly paper dolls instead of baby dolls....which turned out *beyond charming*. I just wanted to be sure I mentioned what a spectacular idea Cari had, and say that I would have adored bringing that vision of hers to life!

Party Design By: *Cari Moretz, Julie, Leoni, Elizabeth and Lisa

Styling & Photography: Kate

Theme: 1950's-inspired Paper Doll Tea Party for Girls {Cari, Lisa, Elizabeth and Leoni}

Color-Scheme: Cream, light pink, dark pink & sage green {Cari}

Invitation: Printed on ecru 4X6 cardstock with rounded edges. Image would look like a watercolor of a little girl with blonde ringlet hair with a pink bow headband, dressed in a white cap-sleeve, knee-length dress with ankle socks edged in lace and black maryjane shoes. She would be sitting at a small, square 4 seat brown wood table, set with child sized tea service and her porcelain babydoll would be in the seat next to her. The table is on grass with a small garden of flowers on either side. The envelope is ecru with a rounded flap and lined in a soft pale pink. The return address is printed onto the back flap in the same pale pink. {Cari}

Cake Design: The cake is triple layer (all one size) {Leoni}

It's a white cake, with raspberry filling, iced in thick whipped buttercream frosting in white. The appearance of the frosting is not smooth, it looks thick and creamy, but light…like a back and forth motion was used to apply the frosting. {Cari}

The candles are white and tall, about 6 inches. It’s an overall very simple, but very elegant look. {Cari}

Note: Cari also mentioned light pink rose candle holders...instead I used fresh spray roses in pink in a ring around the top of the cake to give a similar effect. I absolutely loved how the entire look came out...

...just as Cari said: "Simple, but very elegant."

[This is a personal cakestand. For something perfect for your vintage tea party, I highly recommend the pink one from Rosanna Inc's collection, available at Layla Grayce]

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Decorations:

-Balloons {note: I chose to tie pink and white twine from The Twinery to the balloons, for a fun and different look}

"Decorations include large white and pale pink balloons..." [Cari meant for them to be on long white sticks with streaming vintage ribbons on display in a white vase] {Cari}

"There will be lots of pink helium balloons in the main party area where the festivities will happen. When I say lots I don’t mean 15, 20, 25 or 30. I mean, enough to cover the entire ceiling." {Elizabeth}

"Pink balloons..." {Lisa}

-Doily Bunting

"...Use paper doilies; they can be bought in various sizes and colours and can be [attached] onto twine..." {Leoni} [check out The Twinery for gorgeous twine...I used blossom for this shoot]

Table & Chairs: "The table is a dark wood rectangle table...Dark wooden chairs have beautiful cream colored cushions with a ruffle that falls a few inches down and ties that tie to the back of the chair." {Cari}

Table Design & Floral Arrangements: "The table that will hold the cake...will be covered in a pale pink hemstitch tablecloth. The cake will be the focal point of the table. On each side of the cake will be a bouquet of pink peonies. These will be in clear vases." {Elizabeth}

[Note: I did a floor-length vintage-inspired white with pale pink flocked dot fabric I purchased for the table covering, with a pink pom-pom trim at the hem, custom created for me by Sweet Tea & Linen. I also did make the cake the focal point of the table, and on each side of the cake were pink roses, as peonies were not yet available here in Boston. I put each arrangement in a clear crystal sugar bowl and creamer to mimic the look Elizabeth described.]

Place Settings: "Each place setting is set with scaled to size children’s china tea set with cups and saucers, tea pot and dessert plate." {Cari}

"The eating utensils are silver..." {Cari}

"On top of the table will be...tea trios (consisting of a fine bone china tea cup, saucer and cake plate)..." {Leoni} [for similar tea sets, I highly recommend the tea sets, perfectly packaged in a hat-box-fashion, by Rosanna, Inc, available at Layla Grayce]

"For the napkins, linen ones are compulsory...tie each one with pretty ribbon vintage bows" {Julie}

[Napkins by Pom Pom Linen At Home available at Layla Grayce]

Activities, Crafts & Games: {Of course you need only select 2 or 3 of your favorites! I always know there is a desire for FABULOUS ACTIVITIES to do at a party, and these lovely talented ladies have given you many spectacular options!}

1. Guess how many buttons are in the jar {Julie}

2. Play Ring Around The Roses {Elizabeth & Cari}

3. A silhouette artist that will be on hand, creating a custom silhouette portrait of each child who wishes to have one done {Elizabeth}

4. "Clothes Pin Drop. The girls gather around in a circle and are given 5 wooden clothes pins and they try and see how many they can drop into a glass milk bottle that is sitting on the ground." {Cari}

5. "Doll Dress Up"

"...Doll dress up. The party will have an area with a trunk of vintage {baby} doll clothes they can use. {Cari}

"The girls have been asked to bring their favourite doll to the party so the main activity will be dressing and styling their dolls." {Lisa}

6. Play Pin-The-Tail-On-The-Donkey, or Hopscotch {Elizabeth}

7. Ring Toss: "Place some wooden dowels with shabby chic fabric flags in the ground, place some rope a small distance away, and ask each child behind the rope with a hoola hoop and ask them to "toss" the hoop around the flag. See who can toss the most rings around the flags." {Leoni}

8. "Decorate a hat":

"Each child will be given a straw hat with various ribbons in different widths and colours . Have a small selection of flowers to choose from. The children then get to decorate and wear their own hats during the tea party. Perhaps provide a board with some photo examples of what they can make. {Leoni}

"The craft will be decorating their rattan ‘party hat’ with flowers. The flowers can be tissue, paper, silk or real flowers. They can also use ribbon. Mom’s would help glue the flowers on the hats. This activity would take place early at the party, so that the hats would be ready to wear for the cake cutting." {Cari}

9. "Cupcake Tea Cups": "Buy some cheap tea cups from the dollar shop, pop an undecorated cupcake in each cup for each child, give them various icing/frosting + toppings and ask them to decorate their cup-cake. Pop in a cupcake box and take home." {Leoni}

Party Favors {Also Activity}: PAPER DOLLS!

"Guests will be able to cut, design, and decorate their own paper dolls to their liking. Adult supervision as needed." {Elizabeth}

{supplies to decorate paper dolls dresses with}

The girls can take home their tea sets & paper dolls. If you opt to have them decorate hats {Darling white ruffle-edged bonnets available at Target right now!}, or have a silhouette artist come and create their portrait, those would make perfect take-home favors as well.

A *TREMENDOUS* thank you to everyone who entered the contest, to each of the winners for allowing me the opportunity to personally create and photograph YOUR fabulous party designs, and the privilege of sharing with you all!

Stay tuned for a special post tomorrow.

Children's Party Design Advice Mini Series: Part Four {&Silhouette Art Giveaway Winner}

2011-02-18T10:57:00.000-05:00

The fourth and final part of my Children's Party Design Advice Mini Series has already arrived!
{Also, the winner of Le Papier Studio's book Silhouette Art is announced at the end of the post!}

Today's post will include some tips more focused on children's party planning as opposed to children's party design. {Also, photos from the many products I used to offer in my shoppe..some I designed, some I co-designed, others many talented women designed....fun eye candy in this post!}

AND...I enlisted some help from professional party planners, aspiring party planners, bloggers, bakers, designers, decorators and MOMS, to share with you all! I couldn't be more excited!!! {Thus the title of today's post doesn't have my name!}

First, I would like to share a list of FOUR tips that I often recommend for children's parties.

Please note that these may not be appropriate in every situation, but in my experience, as a general rule, they have been great words to go by.

I feel I have learned some of these on my own through trial and error, picked up some from observing others, acquired some through party design experts...and am thrilled to share them with you now with hopes you might find one or two insightful!

Tip One: Keeping your party smaller and more intimate can allow for a much more joyful celebration and less-stressful experience for all.

-I couldn't stress this one enough. I know I have probably shared this with you many times before, but I highly recommend that you keep your guest list small...typically have the same number of guests of the age the child is turning, plus or minus 2 (so if your child is turning 5, have 3-7 guests total, including the birthday child).

-{Note: This does NOT apply for a first birthday party}

-The benefits of this are incredible. Often, it is of tremendous benefit to the birthday child, helping prevent from overstimulation, stress and meltdowns. It can be incredibly overwhelming for a child at a large party.

-Not to mention, the added benefit is for all the guests to not suffer from overstimulation, and a more enjoyable time for the hostess: YOU!

-This doesn't mean that a small intimate party is the right way, the only way...rather, it is a way that has provided enormous benefits for all involved, and I highly recommend it.

Tip Two: Serve birthday cake and a beverage, and have a darling party.

-A huge way to decrease your expenses is not only to shorten your guest list, but to also host your party during a time of day when a meal is not expected.

-It is more often than not that having a special birthday cake {ice cream optional} will be absolutely perfect for the birthday child and all the guests. I highly recommend this!

-Not having to serve a meal or many snacks can decrease your stress significantly {less mess, less tableware to manage, less clean up, more of your budget to put toward decorations or something else that you enjoy investing in more}!

- No, a dessert table is not necessary whatsoever! It can be a wonderful "to have" of course.

Tip Three: Be prepared for unexpected visitors!

- Have someone on hand (a designated family member or baby sitter) to help watch siblings of guests that may arrive unannounced.

-A quiet room separate from the party can have a children's dvd on the television, several age-appropriate books and toys or activities, and the caretaker can watch the younger children and siblings here.

-Providing this extra room and child care can ultimately lighten your load.

-In some cases, parents who choose to stay at the party like to enjoy the party and socialize with other parents.

-In addition, the birthday child and their guests may get distracted or frustrated with the other children around.

-Most party activities I set up are specifically designed for the age group of the birthday child and their guests--a 2 year old trying to participate in something designed for a 6 year old can be incredibly frustrating for the younger child, even dangerous.

-Some young guests at the party may enjoy this separate room as well, if they become overwhelmed and need a place to calm down.

{Note: this isn't always the case, but I have experienced this and found that following this advice can be very helpful for my clients. If a party is designed for families with family entertainment for all ages, this wouldn't necessarily apply}.

Tip Four: A single party favor can have a more lasting-effect than a bag of trinkets...

-Sometimes.

-I have found that a single party favor, often the same cost of adding up many smaller favors, can be greatly appreciated by the guests and their parents.

-I recommend a book {which you can personalize with a custom printed bookplate inside!}, a costume {like a felt cape} or something edible!

-The items listed above are much more likely to be consumed quickly (ie the edible favor) or make their way to the bedroom or toy box, as opposed to getting lost under the seat of the car or the "junk drawer."

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And now I am THRILLED to share with you some AMAZING tips and insight from OTHERS {in no particular order!}...I thoroughly enjoyed reading these again and again, and hope you will grab yourself a cup of tea and take some time to soak in these absolutely wonderful ideas!!!

1. “My best piece of advice for any hostess is to remember to enjoy the day. We can all get caught up in wanting the day to be ‘perfection’ and we forget to have fun ourselves. I personally don’t ever share all the details of an event I’m planning--that way if I run out of time and an element that I really wanted to include doesn’t get done, no one is the wiser. Plus, when I’m relaxed I feel my guests are much more relaxed too.”--Kim, The Celebration Shoppe

2. "When thinking about planning your party there doesn’t always have to be a big showstopper…the devil is in the details. Just by adding small touches in that go along with your theme, you can give your party the big bang. It’s all in the details….now that will be your WOW factor!"--Ebony, Sparkling Events & Design

3. "I have a theory when I want to throw a great party…. treat each guest the same. Throw a party the right way…whether it is a birthday party for 2 year olds, or a dinner party for 40 year olds. ”Right” is whatever you make it, whatever your personal standards are for entertaining. If you use place cards for an adult dinner party, try using them at your next kid’s party….I bet it helps to elevate your party to the next level!"--Kelly, The Party Dress

4. "Using what I already have at home when planning an event is always something I consider before making a purchase of any kind. I've been known to incorporate existing bookshelves, back porch table & chairs and even a sofa table into the parties I've styled. I'm also always pleasantly surprised to find the "perfect" design element I was looking for just by opening a few cupboards and drawers, digging out the stash of fabrics I've collected over the years or by simply doing a quick walk-thru around my home. The "Will I be able to use this in many other capacities" question I pose to myself before every purchase has allowed me to create a timeless collection of items I can reference time and again - and decorate my home beautifully as well."--Jessica, Pen N' Paperflowers

5. "Being a mother of 3, a self taught baker and having thrown many parties, my tip would simply be to stay organized. Bake a few different desserts in the evenings leading up to the party. Everything will last a few days when you put them in sealed containers. There is nothing like your Mom baking your birthday cake & sweets because of the great love that goes into sweets. Go with semi-homemade if you have too. Buy a cake mix to bake but make the icing from scratch, goes the same with the cupcakes! Grab pre-made pie crust and make a yummy fruit tart, even rice krispy treats you can make them more special by drizzling melted chocolate on top of the squares. One last tip, when you are baking a cake mix, use milk when instead of water....makes a world of difference in your cake!"--Stacy, Scrumptious Swirls

6. "Always keep in mind who the party is for, and when making decisions ask yourself if this would make your son or daughter happy."--Jillian, Catch My Party

7. "Looks Are Everything - My trick to party fabulous is making the inexpensive look like a million bucks by giving it a little flare and creativity. It's those little details that make the difference and your guests will definately take note and appreciate. For example, a dollar store boa looks fabulous in a clear bag tied with a pretty ribbon. Pretty scrapbook paper can tie a table together; many big-name party planners do everything from lining platters to wrapping vases in coordinating paper. Even something as simple as renaming your food to match your party theme shows how much thought you put into your event. Bug Juice, anyone?"--Dawn, Not Just A Mommy

8. "As one of the originators of inspiration boards for birthday parties, I always recommend having visual inspiration on hand for your planning process. It is an unspeakable help in narrowing down a theme and clear vision for your event. Even if you don't have the software to create a board yourself, do some research online and save your favorite 10-15 images to reference for colors and special details. It's also great to have a visual reference for your vendors that helps them understand the look you're trying to achieve- don't assume they 'get it' based on a written description alone."--Becca, The Birthday Girl

9. "When planning a party, whatever theme you decide to go with, choose one party favor, decor, or a stand out object {element} that will bring the theme of the party to life! Make people see what the true spirit of the theme was and of course they will see how much fun you had planning it! "--Suzanne, Fanciful Events

10. "My events don’t always go as perfectly as planned, but the pictures, they create the magic. They make me smile. I always create photo books of my children's parties, so when they are older, they can look back and feel the magic too. Hopefully the books will remind them how much I love them."--Shelley, How Does She?

11. "After I have decided on the theme for the party, I then start to think about the colour palette. I like to try different colour combinations, and dare to be a little different! Once you have your colour scheme organised, think about what treats & candy you will have on your dessert table, in the same or similar colours. I always love to add some ribbon, labels, cupcake toppers or mini flags to the sweets as a way to tie all the pieces together."--Suzanna, Mon Tresor

12. "My tip to a target audience of moms would be making the party decorations PART of the party. Whether it's using candy in the centerpices that the children can then take home or even fun toys - we once had a bubble machine shaped like an alligator that served as a centerpiece during lunch and cake and turned into the playtime fun after the food! Look for creative toys to prop up on stands so you can have darling centerpiece decorations and lots of party fun in one!"--Courtney, Pizzazzerie

13. "Pick a theme. The easiest way to decide is to pick something that your child loves (favorite stuffed animal, sport, video game, hobby, book etc.) This will make it so much easier when looking for décor because it will actually be fun for you (and your child) because it means something to them. Use this theme throughout your party (invitations, decorations, food & party favors). Pick two colors that coordinated with your theme and use it towards your inspiration. Look in your child’s toy box first; if you pick a theme they love you are going to have toys already. Recycling them for party decorations is ideal."--Stephanie, Couture Parties

14. "Love is in the details. DIY Printables are the easiest and most cost effective way to pull your dessert table together. And unless you have beautiful handwriting, print the food labels out."--Sharnel, Sharnel Dollar Designs

15. "Come birthdays and holidays, we put a lot of love into making our kids happy, thereby putting a lot of pressure on them to "have the time of their lives". We do it out of love, but it can be overwhelming for the little ones. One way I have found to keep the kids enjoying the time is to try and keep the guest list small {most important when the party is in a small area}. This allows the child to play, wander, and go about their normal routine with a bit more ease. When you have adults and children packed into a room, it is bound to induce stress. I have always heard one child for the child's age {i.e. 7 kids at a 7 year olds party} or else the birthday boy/girl may feel overwhelmed, which isn't always practical, but still a good rule of thumb. If you can't whittle your guest list down, make sure you choose a location wisely."--Kori, Paper & Pigtails

16. "One of my favorite ways to bring a focal point into a party is by incorporating a lovely backdrop to the dessert table, buffet table, or other high traffic area. My go-to source is my 4’ x 3’ painters canvas which is light weight and easy to transport or store flat. I simply wrap the front of the board with a fabric that coordinates with the party, and use duct tape to secure it on the back. From there it’s easy to embellish further using hanging banners, ribbon streamers, frames, or anything else you can create. The great thing is you can change out the fabric easily for each party you host!"--Chris, Celebrations At Home

17. "Time Management is key to ensuring your event runs smoothly and allows you to enjoy it as much as your guests. Whether you have 2 months or 2 weeks to plan a party, keeping track of the time everything takes is vital. When planning your party take into account how much time you will have to set up on the day of the party and how much time you will have in the days leading up to the party to get ready for it and be realistic. Then re-vamp your goals and plans so that the things that are most important to you will fit into your time frame. If you only have 2 hours to get everything set up on the day of the party, DON’T try to assemble 30 goody bags in that 2 hour time frame or try to cover a ceiling with 100 balloons, you may get them done but not everything else on your to-do list. Being conscious of your time from beginning to end and realistically creating a party that you can handle will ensure that your party turns out just like you wanted and you will even have time to be in a picture or two."--Carolyn, CHS Creative Productions

18. "The first impression of your party doesn't happen when your guests arrive -- rather, it's delivered in the mail! The perfect invitation will set the tone for your entire event, and it's your chance to let guests know what to look forward to. Will the party be formal or casual? Will there be a theme? Will the activities be focused around the children, or will adults be included? A great invitation will tell you all of this at a glance -- though of course, the details are extremely important as well. I recommend including a start time and an end time so that guests can plan accordingly, and if there's anything they need to know, don't leave it up to chance. It only takes a few words to help guests feel prepared -- and most important, excited for the big day!"--Heather, Chickabug

19. "Focus on a few thoughtful details of your party. Focusing on a few key areas (think entry way, table decor and themed favors) will ensure that your party is impressive but still manageable. Being an overstressed and overworked hostess is no fun (for anyone!). Be sure to enjoy your party by keeping things simple!"--Tori, Thoughtfully Simple

20. "When planning a party, I always type out an itinerary no matter how big or small the event will be. I usually include a timeline for the week of the party and most importantly, for the day of. I include the time a task needs to be accomplished along with any vendor contact information that is necessary. An example would be to list the time to place the linens on tables and even a reminder to light votive candles 10 minutes before guests arrive."--Christi, P is for Party

21. "Printables are a simple and economical way to add style and detail to a party. We like to think "outside the box" when styling with printables. We take parts and pieces of the printables to create unique decor and embellishments. An example would be using patterned papers from our printable collections to dress up your simple desserts. Cutting out unique shapes, flags and display liners help add interest and tie together your desserts with your theme and color scheme."--Adria and Maureen, Anders Ruff Custom Designs

22. "Think the devil is in the details? It’s true! Details are the best way to pull your theme together. You really can’t have too many. What kind of details matter too: centerpieces, paper products, invitations, food, and favors are all important and will take your party from average to WOW! Work with your local invitation store/graphic designer to help create your fabulous soiree. Make sure not to use commercial products, handmade and custom products make all the difference. Even though my son is still a baby, he had so much fun at his party, every minute spent planning was SO worth it!"--Marti Mashburn

23. "When theming a party I think it is important to allow the theme to extend subtly though your whole party space and into every aspect of your party. This helps to create a real atmosphere and experience. Think of your space as exactly that - a 3D space rather than just a table to dress. If hanging decorations do so over the table to move the eye gaze up but maybe hang decorations else where in the room too to create a real "party space". Also get get creative with how you present things on your dessert table. There may be another alternative to a glass apothecary jar that suits your theme better?"--Jennifer, Jennifer Birkhead Design

24. "Pastel hues of vintage bottles in the shades of pink, blue, aqua and lemon are perfect to use in clusters as centerpieces. All you need to do is adorn them with lace paper doilies, wrapped them with divine twine and add couple of pretty blossoms! Use these to dress up a dessert table and give the bottles a second life as vintage-inspired vases. This would add a touch of vinty to any dessert table."--Vesna, My Little Jedi

25. "When we create Sweet Stations that need to be kid friendly, we usually incorporate some non-edible or healthier items as well. Mini desserts are always fun because the kids can pick them up with their fingers and they can choose several different mini's instead of one big cupcake. 2-3 mini's per guest is usually plenty. If you are doing more of a candy station, stay away from gumballs, jawbreakers or anything that could be a choking hazard. Always use a kid height table so it is easily accessible and try to stay away from glass vessels. Cover styrofoam blocks with fabric for an easy display vessel as well. Try to think outside the box when it comes to the edible items. We've put veggie sticks in custom french fry containers and the kids went nuts. It's amazing the kinds of fruits and nuts (healthy treats) they'll eat if it's placed in a cool container."--Marie, Sweets Indeed

26. "I always recommend that the birthday girl or boy have something special to wear on the big day. Plan the outfit in advance and your child will be eager and excited to wear it when the day arrives! If you have ideas on what you would like your child to wear, always give them choices and let the decision be his/hers. Depending on theme, a pettiskirt, tutu or a special dress are great choices for girly girls. Pair a pettiskirt or tutu with a custom shirt from Etsy that matches the theme. We just did an ice cream party for Kate McRae, a very special little girl battling cancer, and we gave her a pink & brown pettiskirt from Layla Grayce and coordinating ice cream cone shirt from Chic Baby Rose to wear. She LOVED the outfit and woke up that morning eager to put it on! For boys, a coordinating t-shirt or outfit is appropriate. I was thrilled to find crab swim trunks from Gymboree for my son's crab themed pool party. It's always fun to have the child's clothing tie in with the theme, but if he/she isn't up for it, don't force it! You want it to be a happy day for everyone! {Some Favorite Resources: Finley & Oliver, Modern Frills, Paperlili, Chic Baby Rose, Layla Grayce for pettis, Tiny Belles for tutus, Charming Necessities for dresses}"--Kim, The TomKat Studio

A TREMENDOUS THANK YOU to each and every one of you who contributed your fabulous advice for today's post!!!!! Honored and thrilled to have you here today!!!

Also, a wonderful warm thank you to everyone who has so kindly and graciously read this series, commented, shared it with others--truly blessed, thank you.

NOW....the winner of the Le Papier Studio's book Silhouette Art....Sarah Roche!!!!!!!!!! Sarah, please e-mail landers.kate@gmail.com immediately to accept your autographed copy of this fabulous book!!!!!

TOMORROW: The Vintage-inspired children's party design contest winners photo shoot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kate Landers' Children's Party Design Advice: Part Two {& Twinery Giveaway Winner!}

2011-02-16T10:07:00.000-05:00

For Part Two of my children's party design advice mini series, I want to share with you a very important subject: The Printed Details. {winner of The Twinery Giveaway announced at end of post!}

{image by Open Shade Studios}

I absolutely love the details, as you will notice from many of my party designs you will see featured throughout this post. Contrary to popular belief, I choose to implement details to create an experience for the birthday child and their guests--not *just* the parents!!!

{image by Open Shade Studios}

A perfect example of what printed details I implement, how I implement them and WHY, would be from my "Madeline" inspired party featured yetserday.

Please note that this is just my personal opinion, not to be taken as facts--it is what has worked extremely well for me and my clients. Obviously children must be of a certain age to grasp the concept and be able to enjoy printed details.

1) Clothing Tags:

In my experience, children (who are old enough) are aware that there are tags in clothing at a store--they probably don't look at the tag for a price like you might--but rather, they know it is there {often because it is itching them, or you remind them that the tag must stay on when the item belongs to the store}.

Therefore, in trying to create a "realistic"-seeming experience for the guests of the "Madeline" party, I wanted to have a clothing shoppe where they would get their costumes (which they wore throughout the party, and then took home as a party favor).

To make it feel more "real", as well as to make sure that every guest received an item {and that there was no arguing over who got what}, I had personalized tags created for each capelet and hair bow.

The girls LOVED seeing their names printed up--it seemed to help them feel that much more special knowing that something was there just for them. On top of that, having tags in them while in the "shoppe" reminded them of being a real store, where clothes had tags!

2) Luggage Tags:

In addition to the tags mentioned above, the "Madeline" party also featured personalized "luggage" tags for the little suitcases girls were given to travel around the "Paris Marketplace".

I remember always having a little luggage tag on my suitcase as a child. In this case, the primary purpose of the tags was to give everyone their very own special container to put their party favors (costume, coloring pages, little canvas, candy).

This made it MUCH easier when the parents came to pick up their children at the end of the party, not having to hunt and gather their child's goodies.

3) Canvas Labels:

One of the activities at the party was decorating a little white canvas with paper flowers (with pre-applied stickers on the back--such as those you find in the scrapbooking section of your craft supply shop).

In order to make sure every child made it home with their mini masterpiece, labels were created and adhered to the back of the canvases, personalized with the child's name.

4) Place Cards:

In my experience, place cards can serve not just one purpose but two, and are especially helpful at a child's party.

There have been cases where children fight over who gets to sit next to the birthday child. A great way to help deter this from happening, is with a personalized place card.

The place card not only helps you pre-determine where each child will sit, but also allows the child to feel that much more special.

In my experience many children are incredibly responsive to seeing something with their name on it (of course they must be at the age where they can recognize their name in order for this to be helpful in this regard), and knowing that a special spot at the table was created just for them, can bring the guest great joy!

The second purpose I find that place cards serve, is as a table decoration. You can reinforce your color scheme with the color ink you choose.

A third, less common benefit to place cards, is if you print clearly on the front and back sides, children who may not know the other children at the party (and are of reading age), can better learn the names of the children around them.

5) Food Labels & Candy Jar Signs:

This is probably one of the more popular forms of signage you have seen in many of today's parties published online.

I find that having food labels and signs first and foremost provides a very important duty: It helps parents (and children of that reading level) to be able to identify what specific foods are, in particular flavors.

In addition to being functional, food signs and tags can serve a decorative purpose. I love using pretty fonts and borders, attaching signs with ribbons to clear glass apothecary-style jars.

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In addition to the printed details mentioned above from my "Madeline"-inspired party, I have also used them throughout my other events.

Examples would be the printed mini milk carton favor boxes from my Gingham Party design, with the gingham pattern on the printed paper goods matching the gingham on the fabric gingham linens and party hats....

As well as the printed tags by The TomKat Studio on aprons for guests at the Wizard Of Oz Party shoot {which also served as place cards telling each child which spot was theirs, and because the children wore different sizes, this made sure each child got the proper size apron just for them!}...

{image by Open Shade Studios}

I loved the font used for the Mystical Mermaid {Signature Party} shoot, that reinforced the whimsical under-the-sea theme...

{image by Open Shade Studios}

And in the case of the Woodland Fairy Party, the tags on the wands, hair garlands and fairy frocks gave a "storybook" feel...

The colors and damask pattern used on the signs from the Marie Antoinette-inspired party gave everything a regal look, and the pink and aqua ink colors re-inforced the color-scheme of the party...

And custom printed tags {by Jennifer Birkhead!} turned a simple paper towel roll wrapped in tulle into something of beauty from the Nutcracker Suite Ballet {Signature Party} shoot...

As a re-cap of today's post, printed details at a party can serve many purposes:

a) Creates a more realistic experience for the birthday child and their guests

b) Makes identifying party favors and artwork that much less-stressful when it's time for the guests to go home

c) Helps prevent arguments over who gets to sit next to the birthday child

d) Allows you to make sure each child getting a costume gets the right size

e) Helps the children experience greater joy knowing that a special spot at the party table was created just for them

f) Helps parents and children identify types of food and flavors of candy

g) Reinforces the color-scheme or theme of the party, adding style!

{image by Open Shade Studios}

In addition to the reasons mentioned above, printed party details can also be one of the less-expensive ways of personalizing your party, tying your entire party space together, and giving you a more cohesive and professional look.

{image by Open Shade Studios}

I have had the great pleasure of designing and co-designing my own printables, as well as working with numerous highly talented and creative graphic designers who have created beautiful printed products for myself, my clients, my events and shoots.

{image by Open Shade Studios}

It seems there is no shortage of resources of printed party products to choose from, and it brings me great joy to share with you some people who chose to share with me their invitation and/or party printable business names and links, so you can take a look and find the resource with the perfect invitations and printed party details, or DIY printables for your next party {of course if you are crafty, you could create your own, or do some research for free printables online--for personal use only!}.

I browsed around many of these online shops and LOVE LOVE LOVE the designs--I bet you will too!!!!

While I cannot personally endorse each and every one of these designers and vendors, I am more than thrilled to share their fabulous work with you--incredible talent!!!

Preferred Vendors {as specified} are those who I have worked with and know first-hand the quality of their design and products, and highly recommend!!!

I also added on there a few favorite stationery and invitation businesses from when I worked in the high-end stationery industry, marked with an *.

I hope you have some time to browse these shops and fall in love with some darling printed products for your next party! {if image not featured for a company, it was because I was unable to grab one--but please be sure to still stop by and visit their shop!!!}

Fontaine Maury*

Julia D. Azar*

Dabney Lee*

Lovie and Dodge*

Stacy Claire Boyd*

Blonde Designs*

Jenny Sweeny Designs*

Boatman Geller*

Whitney English*

Preppy Cards*

Sweet Pea Designs*

Style Me Gorgeous

Love The Day

Blissful Nest Studio

Green Apple Paperie

WH Hostess {preferred vendor}

Spaceships and Laser Beams

Soiree Chic Shoppe

Fine Prints

Paiges Of Style

Anna and Blue

Cupcakes and Lemonade

Magnolia Creative

Frog Prince Paperie

Mon Tresor

Parties I Heart

The Paper Cupcake

Jennifer Birkhead Design {preferred vendor}

Party Designs In Bloom

Party Printables

Intrigue Design Group

Funky Munchkins

The Candy Tree

The TomKat Studio {preferred vendor}

{images by Open Shade Studios; styling by Kate Landers Events, LLC}

Bee Custom Design

Custom Party 4 U

Mya Bruce Designs

Whimsicle Design Studio

Paper & Pigtails {Preferred Vendor}

Fresh Chick Designs

Sweet Petal Bakery

Pen N' Paper Flowers

My Little Jedi

Linz Loves You

Event Envy

Party Starters

Blush Printables

Paper Glitter

Chicka Bug

Snow Write

Sweet Craft Cake

AJZ Delights

Anders Ruff Custom Designs

Paper Candy

Icing Designs

Fairy Dust Invitations

A big thank you to everyone who shared their businesses for this post, I greatly appreciate it!!!!

The winner of The Twinery giveaway is Cindy Royal!!! Congratulations Cindy! Cindy, please e-mail Nicole at thetwinery@yahoo.com, as well as landers.kate@gmail.com, to accept your prize RIGHT AWAY! A *big* thank you to the almost 1,000 of you who entered, truly honored to have you here.

Stay tuned for Part Three tomorrow!

Kate Landers' Children's Party Design Advice: Part One

2011-02-15T10:32:00.000-05:00

I am so incredibly excited to share Part One of my children's party design advice blog mini series, devoted to choosing and implementing a theme for a children's party!

As you all know, I can be rather "wordy" in my blog posts.

To make this a bit easier to read, I will try my best to make it a bit easier to follow. I also will try not change the font sizes and such on you as much as usual, because I understand for this solid piece of information, it may be easier to read with minimal distractions!

*Often I start with the concept for the party--the theme, and build from there.*

1. Choosing a Theme:

To start, I want to share a story:

In late 2009/early 2010, I had the opportunity of working with a wonderful client on designing her daughter's 4th birthday party.

The client had thought of doing an ice cream shoppe party or a sweet shoppe party. I loved both of these themes, and was thrilled to start brainstorming for her.

She asked her daughter which theme she preferred, and her daughter told her she wanted a "Madeline" party.

The client then contacted me to say that her daughter selected a "Madeline" theme, and so we focused in that direction (and created a party with that theme, as you can see here).

The reason I am sharing this with you, is that I think this client is a wonderful example to follow. She had creative ideas of her own, but she included her daughter in the creative process, listened to her, and allowed her daughter to select the theme for her own party--she didn't even blink when the birthday girl had ideas completely different than her own.

I believe it is very, very important to include the child in selecting the theme of a party, as well as allowing them to participate in the planning process when possible.

The party is to celebrate their life, and I believe that it brings even greater joy to the child, to share in the fun of selecting the theme for their party.

I do want to note that this typically applies when the child is old enough, and as they grow older, they can participate in the process more and more.

{Now, if you are planning a first birthday and looking for some inspiration, I suggest that you look consider taking a look around your child's nursery, toy box, bathtub or bookshelves, for ideas. You can use a color-scheme, a pattern of fabric, a storybook or toy, and build the theme from there. I have had clients build a theme based around the outfit they selected for their child to wear on their first birthday--another creative idea!}

2. Implementing the Theme:

Once a theme is selected, you can start the creative process of deciding on how to implement the theme into the details of your child's party!

There are so many ways of doing this. I am only going to share with you my personal method on designing a party based off of a fairytale, character, movie or storybook as this is what I do most often.

Please note that this is what works best for me...my hope is it might work well for you also, but you may have a much better method of your own. I am sharing this as my insight, but not as the authority!

I love to create experiences for children with the parties I design. I find creating a party based off of the birthday child's favorite storybook, character or movie is a wonderful way to do this!

My goal is to help the birthday child and their guests feel as if they are living right out of the pages of their favorite storybook. I want to help fuel their imaginations, and allow them to "become" that character if that is who they want to be for their party {which in my personal experience, has often been the case!}

a) Research: Going back to the example of the "Madeline" party, I drew ideas from the stories and characters themselves. I went to the attic and found my old "Madeline" books, re-read them, and then went to the bookstore to find the newer "Madeline" tales as well.

b) Select Your Child's Favorite Aspects Of The Story Or Character: In the case of the "Madeline" party, the birthday girl's favorite story was when Madeline went to Paris! Therefore, we used that particular book as the basis for the party. I find it much easier to do this, than try to re-create every detail of a story or series {select a chapter, a location, a scene--it can feel far less daunting than trying to create the entire story cover to cover, or movie beginning to end!}

c) Select A Color-Scheme To Reinforce Your Theme: Character "Madeline" is known for that infamous yellow hat, so we knew that color was a must for this party. We also chose to draw from the colors used for the illustrations in the book--red, blue, with accents of white and black. These colors were used throughout, from the invitations and table linens to the decorations and activity stations. The color scheme can help keep your theme consistent, pulling everything together.

d) Take The Scene From The Story You Selected, And Find Ways To Implement The Theme Through Every Detail: Easier said than done, I know! I find that it can be very impactful to not necessarily have a room covered with the image of a storybook character {of course if that is what your child wants and brings them great joy--that is wonderful and I say go for it as this party is about them!!!}, but rather to create an environment where the child feels like the character.

Here are some examples of how I did this with the "Madeline"-inspired party:

- We set up the kids' party table to look like Madeline's dining hall. We used the client's own formal dining room table and chairs, as well as her beautiful white table cloth. We then set out the client's candlesticks, added some fresh floral arrangements, placesettings (with cloth napkins as Madeline might have been taught to use), and the kids enjoyed their snacks and cake right here!

-We chose a child-friendly menu that was "French-inspired" as far as the children were concerned! Ham and cheese croissants (or an "American" version of ham and cheese inside of crescent rolls) were a perfect age-appropriate choice, and the kids could feel that they were eating something Madeline would eat.

-The activity stations were set up like a "Paris Marketplace", where the kids received their costumes (little felt capelets and big red hair bows). Costumes have an almost magical effect on children--I highly recommend them for storybook parties! They also went to the "Flower Shoppe" where they stuck flowers (*already with adhesives on the back so all they had to do was STICK!) onto canvases to create their own works of art. There was a candy shoppe where they got to select candies (with the help of adults), put them in a little cello back tied with red ribbon, and put them in their suitcase.

Again, we tried to create activities that were age-appropriate, theme-appropriate, and used the same colors throughout as the children recognized those colors from the "Madeline" storybooks and movies.

-We had a "pin the tail on Genevieve" game, which was a great way to tie in a highly recognizable character for the guests, all the while playing an old-fashioned party game.

These are just some of the many ways I thought to create the party based off the storybook. You can read more about this party and all the details here, if you wish! {the client was just a dream to work with, and created a perfect open flow in her home with two rooms designated for the party, which was terrific!}

I sincerely hope that you may have found some of today's post helpful for your child's next party!

Today's Re-cap:

1) Choose a theme along with your child when they are old enough, and allow them to participate in the planning process. The party is about celebrating the life of the child, and allowing them to share in the joy of planning their party is a wonderful gift to give them!

2) If you are looking for theme ideas for a first birthday, look no further than your child's room, bookshelf, toy box or bathtub! You can choose a theme around any of these items, even a color-scheme or fabric pattern!

3) Creating an experience for the birthday child and their guests at the party can be magical and bring them great joy. Focus on creating an environment that nurtures their imagination, if you can. I personally find basing a party on a child's favorite storybook character as an excellent way to do this!

4) When implementing your theme, I personally find it important to do research, select your child's favorite character or aspect of the story you are designing the party off of (rather than overwhelming yourself with trying to re-create an entire book or movie), selecting a color-scheme to reinforce the theme, and take the scene from the story you selected, and find ways to implement the theme through every detail (from invitations and menu to decorations and activities).

A sincere thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts on choosing and implementing a theme for your child's party.

Stay tuned for Part Two!

You Are Invited...To My Little "Children's Party Design Advice" Blog Mini Series

2011-02-14T22:37:00.000-05:00

Last summer I realized that one of the best ways of achieving my goals of celebrating the lives of children, would be by teaching others how to do it. The idea of a School of Children's Party Design popped into my head, and I was glowing with joy and excitement over it. I later issued a survey to learn more about those who were interested--what they most wanted to learn, and how they wanted to learn it.

The survey results were incredibly helpful (a special thank you to each and every one of you who completed it!), and taught me so much! There was interest from people all over the globe, from Greece to Portugal, Australia to Brazil...and all across the United States.

I came to learn that there was a wide variance in what people wanted to learn, and how they wanted to learn it. I spent months analyzing these results, brainstorming ways to create the best program possible. As a perfectionist, I wanted to offer only the best of the best.

{lovely image by McAllister Photography}

After much thought and consideration even discussing with a professional business consultant (without going into great detail of the bizillion of factors involved!), I realized the best way to help the most people possible, within my means, was to offer a free online "school of children's party design" mini blog series. So here we are!

The next question was what areas to cover, as well as who would teach each topic. I wanted true experts on the subjects (not myself here!)--those who have been in the business for years, people who have taught classes before or written books--and above all, people with a passion and love for what they do.

However, these brilliant minds in party design would need incredible financial compensation--no, not that they would ask for it--but because I believe strongly that they deserve it! The cost of the programs I dreamt to offer with courses from these experts was not something I thought would be financially feesible {without several thousand attendees}.

{lovely image by McAllister Photography}

A deciding factor in how to run this mini series, was based on a majority of your e-mails: It was with great surprise to hear that the majority of people interested in learning, wanted to learn my methods for designing children's parties--and learn more for personal use, not business {though I do love the business side of things too I must say!}. I see that I have been given the enormous opportunity to share what I know and have learned from my experience--the methods I use and resources I love.

It is *very* important to me to share that I am truly honored that even one person wanted to learn from me. That is a tremendous gift--a privilege I hold dear! {Of course I know many people wanted to learn from several experts in many fields--I would love that too!}

{lovely image by Courtney Vickers Photography for Paper & Pigtails}

In addition to saying that, I also want to express that my mini "school of children's party design" blog series is not to be taken as expert advice! Rather, it is coming from my mind, my heart and my experience. I do not believe I am the end-all-be-all, and these are just my opinions and what has worked best for me--not to be mistaken for facts or as "the only way"-- as I believe there are MANY ways to achieve things.

Thus I have re-named it as "Kate Landers' Advice On Children's Party Design"! This seems a bit more appropriate and comfortable.

{lovely image by Courtney Vickers Photography for Paper & Pigtails}

I greatly appreciate you taking that into consideration, realizing that all my posts on how I choose to design children's parties, are the best I have to offer you at this time, and are meant to be enjoyed as one of many possible ways to look at things...just one outlook, and certainly not the authority or the world's best!

{printable by The TomKat Studio; image by the lovely Open Shade Studios}

I look forward to running the series, and I hope you will enjoy it! I have some wonderful women who shared their expert tips that you will also see in the series, as well as great printable designers--because I know many people wanted to hear tips from others & great resources as well-- not just my two cents worth!

And having "children's party design" as the most requested subject (more than business aspects, dessert table designs, floral arrangements or cake decorating), that is the topic I will cover.

I hope that if you feel so inspired, you may choose to launch your own personal children's party design advice mini series on your blog, too!

Le Papier Studio: Meet Vana Chupp {Giveaway, Interview & Book Review}

2011-02-14T11:42:00.001-05:00

Vana Chupp, designer and creator of Le Papier Studio, is a brilliantly talented artist and entrepenuer. I simply adore silhouette art, so it is no surprise I have a special place in my heart for her work!

Today I have the great honor and privilege of featuring a wonderful interview I recently conducted with Vana, as well as a mini book review. Vana has generously offered one lucky reader an autographed copy of her book, Silhouette Art! {Details at the end of the post.}

Have you heard of the book Silhouette Art? Maybe you have seen it at your local Paper Source, or featured online? I am head over heels for this wonderful book that Vana created, and generously sent me a copy of to review.

My mini book review of Silhouette Art:

The presentation is beautiful. The textured cover literally makes the silhouette "pop", and as you open and unfold, you will find that Silouhette Art is like a pop-up book for grown-ups.

The full-page vellum pouch features a cardstock frame for your silhouette artwork {perfectly sealed with a silhouette sticker, of course}.

A stunning black booklet inside the left flap features the most stunning cover (somehow the gorgeous font gives you both a vintage and modern look all at once).

Inside this booklet, Vana teaches you how to create your own hand crafted silhouette.

It teaches you step by step, is easy to follow, with a resource guide on the back page {thank you!} of where to get all the tools to create your own "heirloom art".

From paperweights to wrapping paper, Vana shows you not only how to create a hand crafted silhouette, but also creative ways to use and display it.

Just when you thought the adventures in silhouette design were over, you realize that behind this black booklet is a thick stack of archival paper (24 sheets, to be exact), as well as more than a dozen silhouette templates--from a daschund to an antique chair.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book--creative, stunning presentation, and loads of ideas and tools to get started designing my own silhouette art (I think I will start with our pup Henry). Many thanks Vana, for not only giving me this extraordinary gift, but allowing me to share my review of it as well.

Now for a lovely chat with Vana...

{Question} Tell us a little bit about what inspired you to launch your own business, Le Papier Studio, and how you turned that vision into a reality.

My son Nikolas was the inspiration and the reason I started my own business in 2008. I wanted to find an outlet that would allow me to create and be home with him at the same time. I started small and grew my business organically. I started selling things I loved making and soon I discovered there was a market for it. Selling on Etsy helped me be part of a crafty community as well as develop my niche, specialty. As things progressed, so did the business. In 2009 I opened my e-commerse website offering an easier shopping experience for my customers.

{Question} You have a background in architecture. How has that design background helped you with Le Papier Studio the most?

Being professionally trained as an architect, I have always had an eye for design and artistic things that go together. When it came to using the softwares I currently use for all my illustration work, Architecture school had done all the work for me. So I felt I was ahead in the game.

{Question} As you can tell, I am one who personally adores silhouettes. When did your passion for silhouette art first begin?

I discovered my love for silhouettes when my son was born. Documenting my son's milestones by capturing his personality, emotion, playfulness and essence, I began using silhouettes to tell my own life story. It's a love story - continuing to blossom, with Nikolas as my muse. Coming full circle, I was able to combine my passion and artistic experience and share it all with my lovely customers.

{Question} I was thrilled with the book you recently released {and reviewed in this feature}, in particular because it teaches others how to do a craft you love and have made a business out of. What prompted you to share your passion with others by creating this book? What do you hope will come from it?

When Chronicle Books approached me to write this book, I jumped to the opportunity. I wanted the book to be a simple yet elegant DIY format which can teach someone the basics of making a silhouette but also a tool so to speak for crafty people. My intention behind the book was simply to give silhouette lovers the opportunity to create modern heirlooms with very little skills required.

{Question} Any hints at new products to come in 2011 at Le Papier Studio?

We are always looking for ways to expand the brand whether it is new product or designs or even new collaborations with fellow artisans. I am so excited to say that we are currently working on some great products that will make their debut later in the year - possibly early spring. Stay tuned!

{Question} Many of our readers are starting their own businesses out of their creative passion, and often ask me where and how to begin. What advice would you have to offer them?

The best advise I was given it to JUST DO IT! We live in a country where the handmade community and the appreciation for handmade goods is growing rapidly. I still follow a handful of blogs that focus on ways to promote and run small businesses. Don't be afraid to ask questions! You will be surprised how genuine and ready to help people are. If you have any questions about starting your own business, don't hesitate to email me (vana@lepapierstudio.com). I'd be happy to help you!

{Question} Let's get to know you a little better with a few quick fun questions!

Favorite Color: I don't think I have one in particular. I do love white, grey and navy and yellow.

Favorite Illustrator: Sarah Jane Wright. I discovered Sarah when I first started selling on Etsy and besides being good friends, I am very fond of her illustration style.

Favorite places to shop online: I am officially addicted to JCrew (for clothing and accessories) and Etsy for anything handmade.

{Question} Last question: Do you have any suggestions for unique ways to use your new book? Things that may not have come to mind initially, but that your readers have shared with you or things you have discovered on your own?

Almost everyone of my customers has purchased the book to give as a gift to a crafty friend or family member. I think it will be fun to use it as part of a craft activity at holidays when all the family is in town. May be you all have some suggestions? Do share them. I'd love to know.

A TREMENDOUS thank you to Vana for taking the time out of your very busy schedule for this interview! It is such a delight to highlight such creative talent and entrepreneurship--I cannot wait to see what 2011 holds for Le Papier Studio! NOW... A GIVEAWAY!

Would you like to win an autographed copy of Vana's book Silhouette Art? Here's now to enter:

Leave a comment on this blog post, telling us how you would use the book if you won. That's it!

One entry per person. Open to US residents only, must be ages 18 years and older. All entries must be received by noon EST on Thursday, February 17th. ***Winner will be announced at the end of Friday's post, so check to see if you won! ***

You can find Vana {and her fabulous book and products!} on her website here, blog here, on facebook here and on twitter here.

Please note: Kate Landers Events, LLC, and any/all of its affiliates, are not responsible in any way for the delivery of any product or service in any of the giveaways we host. It is the sole responsibility of the giveaway sponsor to fulfill the prize to the winner. We have very carefully selected the lovely sponsors on our blog and to the best of our knowledge have had no issues to date with any of our giveaways.

My New Adventures!

2011-02-13T12:23:00.000-05:00

It brings me tremendous joy to share with you the wonderful new ventures I am embarking on!

As you may remember, earlier last month I mentioned a wonderful meeting I had with a brilliant business consultant. I learned so very, very much from that first meeting, and even more since.

Part of what made the advice so helpful, was the level of honesty. Some of my ideas were terrible--and he let me know! Some were very promising, and he told me that as well.

Most importantly, it was not an appointment to boost my ego or fill me with false hopes. Rather, it was one of the greatest gifts I ever could have asked for--a straight-forward, no-frills new perspective.

He advised me to share with you all as soon as I could, that I would be winding down my blog. It didn't feel right for me to know that I would be slowing it all down and give you no warning! I believe deep down this was for me too--to accept the fact that it really was happening, and allow me a chance to adapt to the new direction I am headed in.

So here is the news! A wonderful, well-established company that offers their own line of products for children's bedrooms, playrooms, as well as tableware and party decorations, has asked that I design for them exclusive party products which they will manufacture and offer their customers.

In addition, they asked if I could help in styling the photo shoots of party scenes featuring these products among others, and I couldn't be more thrilled. {I am not able to disclose futher information, so I greatly appreciate your support and understanding!}

I was asked to do this many months ago, but was so entangled in my projects at the time I set it aside. It took my business meeting to open my eyes to the wonderful opportunities following this new direction.

You may also see me guest blogging on one of my all-time favorite blogs every once in awhile{you know me, I love to blog!}.

In addition, I am also very excited to have had the opportunity to collaborate with some incredible designers and vendors, on creating and styling custom parties for national print and online publications, as well as sharing children's party planning advice. {I kept trying to think of how to share this information in a matter-of-fact way, and have failed miserably. I must have re-worded it a dozen times and couldn't get around it. STUCK. So please know that I am honored to have been given these privileges}.

I am fully aware that these opportunities are extraordinary gifts, not rights. I believe that with all my heart. These are gifts bestowed upon me, not something I am entitled to. I know what a tremendous blessing has been bestowed upon me, and am truly grateful.

With all the time and energy I have chosen to devote to these new endeavors, I simply will not have the time to continue my blog, my shoppe, or much social media interaction for Kate Landers Events, LLC. However as of now I will not be shutting my blog down by any means! My blog will likely still remain up with my hopes that someone may stumble upon it every now and again and find an interview or party to inspire them.

{To all the incredible designers and vendors I have had the privilege of working with: I wanted to share this information all at once for everyone to read at the same time--so I appreciate your understanding and patience!}

My gratitude for your wisdom, kindness, thoughtfulness, graciousness, support, generousity, brilliance and inspiration is deeper than I can adequately express. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

I hope to be able to share with you any future personal or professional parties, events and new inspiration I have to offer, should the time and opportunity present itself! If not here, you will likely see it published elsewhere.

The one thing I am not worried about is inspiration. I believe that there are so many brilliantly talented designers, bloggers, crafters, stylists, photographers, parents--posting and sharing their work, that my one little blog will quietly fade away and the person it will matter most to is likely me! I have been so personally invested in my work, as you probably already know.

Thank you again for your kindest comments and support. I pray that you will find incredible new opportunities to share your creativity, expand your business, and follow your dreams. I think it is so important to let you know that you have been one of the all-time greatest inspirations to me. I am truly grateful to be in the company of such talent.

This coming week is the last of scheduled blog posts. You will see a new special mini-series on children's party design, as well as the Vintage Children's Party Design Contest Shoot! Saving some of the best for last, and I couldn't be more thrilled.

Thank you for taking the time to read this--it is such a tremendous gift for even one person to listen to what I have to say!

Blessings,
Kate

Birthday Party Attire

2011-02-12T18:43:00.000-05:00

There are so many wonderful businesses offering fabulous children's party attire, I just had to take a moment and spotlight a few!!!!

Kristina of Modern Frills creates darling applique tees and tanks. Each design has a bit of a vintage feel, with a modern touch. From firetrucks to birthday cakes, she offers lots of designs and fabrics.

I love how she does the front, AND back, of the shirt!

{designed for Kim of The TomKat Studio}

Kristina is working on something special for me right now, I simply cannot wait! She is an absolute delight to work with, which speaks volumes about her. You can find Modern Frills shop here.

{image by Stacey Clark Photography}

Dreamspun Kids offers the most charming pettidresses, pettiskirts and other custom party attire.

Having used their pettiskirts firsthand, I know that the quality, materials and fullness is TRULY OUTSTANDING.

{image by Open Shade Studios}

For a girl that is all about ruffles and layers upon layers of chiffon, I highly recommend Dreamspun Kids! Yet another wonderful person to work with. You can find their shop here.

Strawberrie Rose creates extraordinary petti-tutus. When I received mine for the Wizard Of Oz Party Shoot, I was so impressed with her quality and workmanship--not to mention just how gosh darn full the skirt was.

This pink and chocolate one is just the sweetest!

You can find more precious petti tutus made by the absolutely LOVELY lady {truly sweet!} of Strawberrie Rose in her shop here.

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I love Lilly Pulitzer, and this seems like a perfect party dress!!! Love it! You can find more from them here. {check out the cakes on her dress!}

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It probably comes as no surprise that I simply ADORE Layla Grayce. Their incredible selection of children's party attire is drool-worthy. I am totally smitten with their pettidress shown above! 

This frilly cupcake tee from Layla Grayce is perfect for a birthday girl, worn with a tutu, pettiskirt, or ruffle pants! Shop Layla Grayce here.

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Chasing Fireflies is a company who's catalog I always anxiously await to arrive in my mailbox. FABULOUS and imaginative products. Incredible costumes. I adore the pink sparkle ballet flats!

I adore the darling dresses they offer!

Let's not forget the boys too! Chasing Fireflies has some great clothes for them as well.

Perfect personalized sweater...

Loving this personalized baseball jersey!

And a cape...well, isn't this FUN?

You can find many more goodies on Chasing Fireflies site here.

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Another favorite catalog I just love receiving in the mail is Papa D'Anjo.

They offer such classic children's clothing, and their spring line is absolutely worth a peek!

You can find Papa D'Anjo online here.

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Looking for darling hair accessories for your birthday girl?

I have had the most delightful opportunity of working with the lovely Lyndsey of Banner Boutique. She is a truly outstanding woman and her hair accessories have always impressed.

I adore the fact that they offer so many styles, fabrics, colors, sizes, for a little sweetness or a lot of glamour!

{photo by Katie Moss of Peekaboo Photography}

Shop for the cutest new designs at the Banner Boutique here!!!

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Let's not forget some fabulous stores, including a personal favorite, TARGET! Unfortunately my two favorite dresses, here and here, I couldn't get images of.

BUT, I have featured dresses from their previous collections, to give you an idea for what CUTENESS you can find for $20.00!!!

Another favorite store, Janie and Jack, has some darling special occasion attire! {visit their site to see styles}

There are so many more fabulous children's clothing companies {like Mini Boden and Crew Cuts for JCrew}, I hope that these few mentions maybe introduced you to someone new!

Of course if you sew, creating your child a special birthday bow tie or dress is another precious option! {I am always a fan of smocked dresses!}

Queen Of Tarts Cakes: Meet Angela {Exclusive Interview}

2011-02-12T09:12:00.001-05:00

Angela of Queen of Tarts Cakes designs and decorates beautiful cakes and cookies. While she is based in Southern California, she ships her cookies nationwide, and her edible wafers worldwide!

I had the pleasure of getting to know Angela through Kim of The TomKat Studio during our collaboration on the Wizard of Oz Party--Angela created those darling Dorothy silhouette and gingham cookies!

{design by The TomKat Studio; Silhouette by Pen N' Paper Flowers}

Later I worked with Angela on the cookies for The Nutcracker Suite Ballet {Signature Party} dessert table, and she knocked my socks off--just gorgeous!!! I gave her a daunting task of creating a "bundt cake" cookie based on detailed descriptions, as well as a cupcake cookie based on a photograph of a real cupcake--she took these ideas and custom created something far more lovely than I ever could have imagined--her work shows off her incredible attention to detail. These cookies are just stunning and I adore the perfect colors she used--LOVE!

Today I have the pleasure of featuring a wonderful interview I recently conducted with Angela. I hope you enjoy learning about this artist and entrepreneur.

{Question} Please tell us about Queen Of Tarts Cakes, from conception of the idea to where you are today!

I have always loved beautiful desserts and frequently poured over Martha Stewart Living for the lovely DIY images on cakes and cookies. Everything looked so put together and perfect. I have been a fashion designer my entire life from college in design school in New York, up to the moment I started my Queen of Tarts Cakes business. I had just left BCBG where I was Head Designer for 3 years, where I designed their dresses and sportswear and was I home watching my son. At the same time, he needed a birthday cake for his upcoming 1st birthday and I could not find an alligator cake for his zoo themed party that cost less than $500 from any of the local bakeries, so I made it myself. After that, I was hooked.

I signed up for Wilton decorating classes and then attended Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School in Pasadena for a few more cake classes. Since then, I have also studied sugar flowers with Jacqueline Butler of Petalsweet Cakes in San Diego, and have an upcoming sugar flower class with Ron Ben-Israel at Minette Rushing’s Savannah Custom Cakes bakery in GA in March. I’m not able to attend school fulltime since since it conflicts with my schedule as a mom, so I take classes that last a few days and choose amazing instructors such as Ron and Jacqueline.

{Question} We would love to learn more about you! Please tell us a bit about yourself.

I always make my son my first priority. He knows his mom bakes a lot, but it never affects my time with him since he’s in school during the day when I am working. I found a local commercial kitchen that I rent from part time for baking. I do the edible image graphics late at night from my home computer after he goes to sleep. Usually I have about 10-15 orders going at once since I ship edible images worldwide, and the cookies are a nationwide business.

I enjoy doing cakes and cupcakes although I reach an extremely small audience since those are for local delivery in Los Angeles, only. There is no store front. I get all of my business through social media sites such as Facebook or my blog, and 95% of my customers are outside of the Los Angeles area.

{Question} What are your goals for Queen of Tarts Cakes in 2011, and what steps do you plan to take to achieve them?

My edible image collections are going to expand and I plan on introducing new selling channels to reach a broader international audience. I will be selling on Amazon.com soon, and my website will hopefully be up in the next two months. I will always be baking and shipping, however. It’s so much fun!

{Question} What are your favorites sources of inspiration for your work?

Fashion, vintage fabrics and prints and vintage ephemera. I love whimsical nostalgic images that remind me of childhood, such as the Baby Rummy and Old Maid card edible images in my Etsy shop. Cookies need to look so pretty that you remember them long after they are gone. They help build cherished childhood memories.

{Question} Can you give us any hints or previews of new designs or products to come from you in the coming months? We would love to hear about them!

I am working further at really addressing the DIY home baking industry with my products, whether they are sugar flower cake toppers for DIY wedding cakes, or edible images people can use at home on their cookies and cupcakes. Brides give my edible images to their caterers to use when baking wedding favor cookies if they don’t buy the cookies from me. Martha Stewart built her empire on the DIY crowd and home baking is part of that. It’s fun being an artist but I do also watch the bottom line and sales are a huge part of that.

Many thanks to Angela for sharing with us such insight, and lovely images of your edible art!

You can find Angela in her shop here, her blog here, or on facebook here.

Laura Winslow of Laura Winslow Photography {Exclusive Interview}

2011-02-11T10:06:00.001-05:00

Laura Winslow is an incredibly talented photographer--each photograph of hers you will see in this post will show you just that. I am a tremendous fan of her work, and based on her large portfolio, I am not alone!

Recently I had the wonderful opportunity to conduct an interview with Laura of Laura Winslow Photography, and I am THRILLED beyond words, to share it with you today! I believe she is incredibly down-to-earth, open, kind, gracious and inspiring!

{Event Styling & Alice printables by The TomKat Studio}

{Question} Please tell us a bit about how you decided to go into photography, and start Laura Winslow Photography?

Like most photographers, I have been drawn to photography for what seems like my whole life. I used to dress my little sister up and make her sit on little chairs in front of the window, with her stuffed animals and anywhere else I could practice!

{Styling by The TomKat Studio}

When my son was born and I received my first DSLR from my hubby, I spent all of those beautiful quiet moments photographing my sweet son. My family and friends are such a support system and were so encouraging in starting my business and I feel so fortunate for that.

{styling by The TomKat Studio}

{Question} We would love to get to know you! Please tell us a bit about yourself.

I grew up as an army brat and have moved 17 times and wouldn't change it for the world. In my previous life, I interned at the Department of State and on Capitol Hill when I lived in DC. I studied World Politics and Spanish in college and later found my way to teaching and taught high school Spanish for seven years. As a result of my educational and personal background, I love traveling. I lived in Germany and Spain and had a blast taking a group of 40 students to Europe. Such a wonderful experience to share the gift of travel with a group of young people.

{Printables & Styling by The TomKat Studio}

When we moved to Arizona from the New Orleans area three years ago, I stayed home full time with my son Jackson and began my photography business. My daughter Addison was born not too long after.

{Question} You have taken some absolutely stunning photographs of products and staged children's events, which we all find incredible inspiration from. What is it that you love most about doing this type of photography in particular?

Thanks so much! I just love working with Kim (of the TomKat Studio), and we have so much fun dreaming up shoots and complement one another really well. I am always trying to think of new ways to be creative and unique, and this is what I love about commercial photography. I love "layering" all of the elements in my head to create a beautiful image--the color scheme, the patterns, the cakes, the flowers, the wardrobe and sweet little models.

{Styling by The TomKat Studio}

While I absolutely adore child and family photography, staged shoots provide a unique opportunity to think outside of the box and be as over-the-top as you wish. This ability to style and dream with absolute abandon is what draws me so much to it. There are no boundaries, no limits really. When fun and exciting commercial projects are combined with adorable child models, my heart just smiles. It is just a blast to me, and I thrive on this happiness! I begin dreaming up new ideas as soon as each shoot ends!

{printables & styling by The TomKat Studio}

{Question} What are your goals for LWP in 2011, and can you give us any hints of what we might expect to see from you in the new year?

I feel so blessed to do what I love and to meet so many wonderful people. I think when you have a certain style of photography, you naturally attract those that are of similar personality and style. My clients become friends and I love that! I want to continue to photograph with passion and happiness. A constant goal is to stay fresh and to push my limits with my creativity. I love making each shoot unique in some way.

I want each and every family that I work with to feel special and to have beautiful memories of themselves, of their child, of their family...I don't take my job lightly and seek to provide each client with my absolute best. I also love the commercial projects I work on as they provide a unique outlet for creativity. This year, you will see different and various commercial work from LWP that will be on some wonderful websites and in magazines as I work on some freelance projects and both with wonderful new and familiar boutiques.

{Question} Please tell us how we can stay connected with you!
Website
Blog
Facebook
Twitter

{printables & styling by The TomKat Studio}

A HUGE thank you to Laura for taking the time to answer my questions--in such a genuine, kind and thoughtful way! I simply cannot wait to see what Laura has in store for us all!

The Sugar Diva: Meet Dianne Wood {Exclusive Interview}

2011-02-10T09:33:00.000-05:00

You may have noticed a surge of striped paper straws being used in many staged children's party photo shoots lately...as well as for weddings, baby showers and especially on dessert tables! Wondered where to find them? Look no further, Dianne of The Sugar Diva supplies the most fabulous paper straws (and other great goodies) around!

I have worked with Dianne first-hand, and can say that she is a truly remarkable woman, full of kindness and grace, professionalism and absolutely fabulous paper straws! I adore the polka dot ones she recently added to her already wonderful collection of stripes.

It brings me great joy to share with you an interview I recently conducted with her, and I believe you will really enjoy learning about Dianne and The Sugar Diva...including some HUGE businesses she supplies for.

{Question} Please tell us about The Sugar Diva, and everything from the conception of the idea to where your business is today!

After becoming burnt out from being in the sewing business for over 24 years designing and making a line of women’s and children’s clothing, I was looking for a new adventure to carry me for the next phase of my life.

We started our little gourmet business about 10 years ago after creating The Original Cocoa Cone…..Yes, it was all my idea. I’ll never forget taking that hot chocolate filled cone to wholesale market in Atlanta and watching the store buyers going nuts over it. Since then we’ve expanded our line into gumballs and candies and have just started to add paper party supplies.

The Sugar Diva products are sold and shipped to stores nationwide and with the addition of our new Paper Straws, we are now shipping worldwide…!!! We pride ourselves on quality and design paying close attention to every detail and make every effort to create and ship the best product possible. You may have seen our goodies in retail establishments such as Home Goods, TJXX, Marshalls, Disney World, Chasing Fireflies Catalog, Gooseberry Patch, The Biltmore House, Blockbusters, Ritz Carlton, Barnes & Noble College Bookstores and many, many more. Our fun line of gourmet candies, gumballs and hot chocolate fit well into many types of stores from your local Hallmark to casinos, resorts, drug stores, specialty shops and boutiques.

Since launching our new Paper Straws in November, we are now shipping worldwide and have MORE exciting news that we’ll be sharing with you SOON…!!! I’ve been asked to design custom straws for some really exciting stores and establishments with names I KNOW you will recognize. And I can’t wait to tell you about some new stores that will soon be stocking our designer paper straws…!!!

Who would have thought that designing that first little Cocoa Cone would take us on such an exciting new journey and offer me yet another outlet to expand my creative passion? I’m a firm believer of following your heart and doing what you LOVE.

{Question} What inspires you when selecting your products (including colors, designs, etc)?

I think what inspires me the most is the passion for my business and the desire of always wanting to create. I simply love thinking of new ideas and trying something that’s not so available. Paying attention to the newest trends and putting a fresh new twist on an existing product to make it more appealing or fun. I’m not one to go with the new hot color for the season. NO, I like to create a new look or color and make it HOT…!!!

Make it different, make it mine..!!! Be a trend setter, not a follower…!! With that said I must add, there have been plenty of times that I’ll be well on my way in designing something brand new that’s not “out there”, only to have it pop up somewhere before I get mine completed. This just shows us how creative minds think alike.

{Question} Please tell us a bit about yourself!

Wow…it seems that each time I start a new “hobby”, it ends up being turned into a business…!! I’m married to the best hubby ever who supports me in all my endeavors and works with me in our business. We have two amazing daughters, four adorable granddaughters, two wonderful son-in-laws, a spoiled rotten longhaired doxie named Pearl, in addition to my Mom and the rest of our large family. I’m a lucky girl..!!! Educational is basic high school and the road of hard knocks learning my way into business with help from no one, just lots of hard work and a few amazing opportunities.

I trained with Dorothea Johnson at the Protocol School of Washington to become a certified etiquette consultant. This opened up a new business adventure in teaching etiquette classes and holding Tea Parties. We were honored to be featured in two of Paula Deens Christmas magazines last month as well as Hoffman Media’s Celebrate Christmas and Southern Lady. Watch for us in the spring issue of Romantic Homes new magazine, YUM for Kids..!!

{Question} What are your goals for The Sugar Diva in 2011, and what steps do you plan to take to achieve them?

Our goals moving into 2011 is the addition of brand new party paper products that will compliment and match our existing line of fun colorful gourmet goodies and paper straws.

Our new paper product line will be launched and branded under the title PAPER SUGAR and we’ve created a whole new web site for this: http://www.papersugar.com/. It’s still in the works so you may not find products their just yet. So keep checking back to find lots of sweet party papers and more…!! Not to worry however, these same paper products will be added to The Sugar Diva site as well.

{Question} Can you give us any hints or previews of new products, colors or patterns we might see in your online store in coming months?

We have 20 new party favor bags designs that include classic hounds tooth, sweet ginghams in 5 yummy colors, black and yellow stripes and dots for bumble bee parties and red with black dots for Minnie Mouse or lady bug themes. And the list goes on!!!

We also have new Paper Straw designs and colors. One is a double stripe of Aqua Blue/Sea foam Green that I designed to look like water, waves, pool, ocean, tropical or spa. This has a matching two color dots straw with the look and feel of “Bubbles” and I can’t wait to get creative with these.

Two other brand new products in the works and you’ll only get a “hint” here, is something fun and fabulous for picnics and cookouts……and all I can say about the other one is…..Watch your mail….these are sure to be a hit and loads of FUN..!!!

We will soon be adding “Party Packs” to our product line that will include: Party Favor Bags…Paper Straws…Cupcake Toppers…and Polka Dot Balloons. These will be offered in various themes to make your shopping EASY…!!!!

You can also expect a new Red/Green Stripe straw for Christmas and an Orange/Black one for Halloween….Coming Soon..!!!

OK…..enough about ME..!!! I would like to extend my greatest appreciation to Kate Landers for giving me this opportunity to share my business and passion with you. She is such an amazing talented gal herself and I’m honored to be featured here on her blog among so many other talented women who like myself have stepped out and created their own success in the business world. Cheers to all…!!!

A tremendous thank you to Dianne for this incredible, insightful interview! I thoroughly enjoyed it, and cannot wait to see all these wonderful new projects from The Sugar Diva in the works!