The Super Safari Party

This was a party I did for a really sweet 3 year old. The little guy's only request: a Lion cake. Mom's request: jungle leaves that could fill the room and also be used in his safari themed bedroom after the party. I got to work on the leaves 1st.

I used 3 colors of felt to make the leaves and hung it on strips of the darkest green felt.

This is how it looked when finished. I made a TON of leaves, brought Bombay goods from home, & utilized the leopard bean bag chairs the client already had to turn this into a jungle room.

Stuffed animals, pillows and natural materials completed the look and made for a fun space for the kids to play. I brought jungle/animal books and monkeys to hang everywhere!

Another view of the jungle room/play area.

 Craft station. I printed up these fun masks online the kids could color in and glued them to sticks. They have full color masks (below) that I printed up for our photo booth. Made the binoculars out of toilet paper rolls that they could decorate. Tutorial coming soon!

Awesome mom and son having fun in the photo "booth".

Music area. I brought bongos and African percussion instruments for the little ones to play with and had jungle music playing in the background.

 Pith hats made for a great decoration and a fun take home for the kids.

Goodie bags lined the stairs filled with monkeys, safari stickers, binoculars, and zebra pencils.

A few of the older guests take off to explore. They looked so cute in their hats!

After games and fun we headed into the dining/kitchen areas...

 Simple trick: animal print duct tape to dress up plain solo cups!

 The Lion cake. A feast for the eyes AND the stomach! Made by my fav baker, Kelly Ott.

 Safari popcorn in 3 flavors and custom buffet cards inspired by that fab ribbon I found at Michael's.

 Another view of the popcorn station, including water bottles that also got a make-over with duct tape.

Fun napkin holders with cute bday boy in the middle. My custom paper products are available on Etsy!

Custom food picks and cupcake toppers.

 Fun food, fun names, jungle leaves, pineapples, & bananas all set the stage for good safari eating!

 The spread!

 Isn't it funny how much more fun food is if you put it on sticks? Gorilla grapes & mini hot dogs on skewers were both a hit.

This 3 tiered server my Dad brought home from Vietnam worked perfectly with our theme.

Adorable birthday boy jammin' to the music. So glad you enjoyed your birthday, sweet boy!!!

Party Credits:

Party Design: Plan Me A Party

Paper Goods: Pretti Mini

Baked goods: Cannon Classic Cakes & Cupcakes

Sweet Valentine Tutorial

A sweet and easy DIY card for all the Valentine's on your kid's list!

While hunting for inspiration online, I found this cute idea by none other than Martha Stewart.

I dressed my daughter in red, cut out some hearts (in a few sizes) and pasted them to a white wall. After I bribed my silly girl to stand still,  I finally got all the cute shots I needed to choose from. Here are a few of the outtakes:

After choosing the right shot, I lightened it up on iPhoto, cropped and saved. Then I went into my iPages program and made a plain red background. I added the pic 4 times, leaving enough room for folding. (See example below). Since I knew we'd be using Hershey kisses, I added some text and her name at the bottom. You could leave it blank or make up your own catch phrase or message.

Cut, fold, and staple onto a clear cellophane bag filled with goodies! 

Sweet treat bags are ready to be shared! Thanks, Martha, for the great idea!

Have fun getting ready for Valentine's!

Jack's Blazin' Fire Fighter Party!

When 20 kids and 40 adults get together for ONE sweet 1 year's old's birthday in a real fire station with a brand new truck for them to climb in (and on)....well, it is a sure "fire" recipe for fun! This was a party I designed and hosted last month for a great family and a seriously CUTE little boy. Take a look...

Now how's THAT for a backdrop? Big thanks to Newtown Fire Hall for the space!

Adorable smash cake for the birthday boy!

Was super excited to do this sweet table! We had red hots, hot tamales, custom lolli's, dalmatian cookies, licorice "hoses", firehouse popcorn, red sixlets, "match stick" pretzels, boston baked beans and fire fighter cupcakes.

Rockin' fire truck cake and baked goods by Kelly Ott at Cannon Classic Cakes & Cupcakes

Birthday boy and with our local fireman.

The table was set for 20 hungry fire fighters!

...and one tiny one!

My personalized bunting. Available at Pretti Mini Party Goods!

Hand made chalk board placemats were a hit! Ditto for the hydrant cups!

Another view of the sweets and that awesome cake.

These last 2 shots are my favorite!

The birthday boy's big sister.

Jack. The sweet birthday boy!



Party Credits:

Design: Plan Me A Party
All Baked Goods: www.cannonclassiccupcakesandcakes.com

Pony Party At The Farm! (Featured Story)

This past weekend I got to be a party GUEST instead of the planner. My cousin, Kelly Hudak of Peace, Love, & Food, is quite the planner in her own right. It was such a fun day and GREAT party,  I had to feature it on my blog today. The party was held at Plainbrooke Farms in Birchrunville, PA. Such a gorgeous property and wonderful people running the show there. (If you are out that way, check them out!) The birthday girl takes regular lessons there and is a BIG TIME horse lover. She's GOOD, too!

There were only 8 guests which made it really sweet and laid back. Each girl got a free riding lesson and lots of time riding. The staff there really made the kids feel comfortable.

Beautiful birthday girl is a natural!

Four little cuties excitedly wait for their turn!

 The birthday girl poses with one of the horses! Gorgeous!

All the girls loved feeding and brushing the horses.

Inside one of the large barns on the property is a party room. A great open space with a table on one side and a trampoline on the other side. The kids were loving it! Of course, I brought a few pom poms to hang here and there. 

My hand made bunting and pom poms are available at my Etsy shop:  www.etsy.com/shop/prettimini

 Loved the sweet horse cake the mom made! Only her 2nd cake ever!  

 There were horse themed plates, napkins, and crafts for the kids.

Check out this cute party favor! I love how she used these bandannas & twine to wrap the gift. The hand made tags were the perfect touch!

Inside...a cute little pony!

 The horses ribbons hang on the wall.

Such a fun day - and hey! - I learned a new craft...face painting! My daughter, Ruby was happy to be my model. She says she'd willing help again if I want to "practice" so maybe I will be adding this to my parties soon!

I'd love, love, love to do a party like this in our area (Bucks County). There is a great farm where my daughter rides that does pony visits. It's called Barclay Farms. So if you're daughter is dreaming of a pony party - sign me up!  And look up www.ponypartypeople.com  They are fantastic. You will love Janet, her girls, and her friendly horses! I have visions of pink and brown running around my head already!