Monday, December 29, 2014

Top Party Themes of The Year!

A countdown of our most popular party themes of 2014!

#10 - Sugar and Spice...and everything nice!

This sweet party is perfect for a baby shower, 1st birthday or candy themed soiree!

#9 - Pretti Ballerina Party
Pretti in pink, lavender, and mint! (Also available in pink/mint/white, pink/purple, or pink/mint/tiffany blue). This party gets a lot of pretti mini's twirling the day away!

#8 Glama Pajama Party
This theme is great for slumber party, pajama party, girls night in, or slumber spa night! We do this theme with lots of hot pink, teal (or aqua) and zebra print. Fun and glamorous!
#7 The Spa Party
Nothing like a day nice of pampering! 
Cute spa mask invites are coming back to shop! Look for them in a few weeks!


#6 Shabby Chic Soiree
Whether you are having a shabby chic baby shower, birthday soiree, or tea party - this sweet party package will do the trick! Great for the lover of all things vintage, lace, shabby chic, and roses.

#5 The Fairy Party

The fairy theme is always a hit with little girls. We've done this theme in all pink or a mix of pastels. I have to say the Sugar Plum Fairy collection is my personal favorite.  Those pretty fairy wings are from Halo Heaven.

#4 Dr. Seuss/Cat in The Hat Party
Dr. Seuss books are so wonderful and makes such a great party theme for little ones! This is a very popular theme with all the bright colors and whimsical touches. Colors work equally well for a circus or carnival theme!

#3 The Mermaid/Under The Sea Party
The Mermaid party is surprisingly popular all year round, though more-so in the warm months! Pretty in shades of blues and sometimes a little pink or lavender. 

#2  Frozen
Are you surprised this wasn't #1? I was! It was pretty close, but all things Frozen, Winter Wonderland and Winter ONE-derland came in 2nd for the year. Still a VERY pretty and popular party theme.

and #1...

The most popular theme of the year:

The Princess Party
For your little princess...delicate touches of pink, lace, ribbons, and gold. We love this theme at Pretti Mini! And so do you!

Enjoy planning your next celebration and Have a wonderful New Year!


are you social?
connect with us!





Free Printables for a Royal New Year!

Now that the dust has settled on another Christmas, I am getting all ready for an incredible new year! Decided to add a little pink to my New Year's table and made these fun little place cards to share with you!

The Royal New Year Collection!



You can click, drag, and save any of these images. Then print and frame! Cute for the table.
Below is my mantra for 2015:


Have a royal new year!


Friday, December 26, 2014

Christmas 2014

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, and Happy New Year!

A few shots from our holiday:








Sunday, December 21, 2014

Fire Fighter Party Ideas

A little inspiration for you if you're planning a fire fighter party! This was a real cute party we did for a  little boy's first birthday. You can see full details of the party HERE.

Sunday, November 30, 2014

I'm A Pretti Mini!


From time to time people ask me about the name, "Pretti Mini". It started with this little girl above. She is my daughter, my pretty little mini and the heart of my heart. I love making pretty things for her and creating beautiful parties for her birthday and making fun crafts, sleepovers and play dates. So Pretti Mini was born of all those things. 

Each month I will feature a new "Pretti Mini". 
What exactly is a Pretti Mini?  A girl that isn't afraid to be herself. A girl that is as pretty on the inside as she is on the outside. Sweet. Strong. Spirited. Kind. Our new "I'm A Pretti Mini" campaign will showcase some of the many, many wonderful kids that inspire us over at Pretti Mini Party Goods.

If you'd like to submit your Pretti Mini, send me a photo of your child with a Pretti Mini product along with some basic info (age, likes, favorite food, etc.) You can send to: jenkitzmiller@verizon.net
If I choose your child's photo, she will be featured on the blog and all social media and will receive a special tutu, made just for her in her favorite colors. :-)


Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Win a Whimsical Christmas Party Package!

Our First Ever Party Package Giveaway... just in time for the holidays! 

Win the Whimsical Christmas Collection. A $200 value!  It's super easy to enter. Just click HERE and give us your name and email. THAT'S IT! You'll be entered into the drawing AND added to the Pretti Good News mailing list. That's our newsletter that has coupons, freebies, give-aways and more! It's win-win! 

Are you already on the mailing list or want to be entered twice? Go ahead and like our Face Book page (or another social media page that you haven't liked or favorited yet). Feeling really ambitious? Share a pic from our Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram pages and you'll be entered again! Be sure to comment here if you've done the extra legwork. We want to know where you posted so we can credit you the point! You will be entered into the contest (1) time for each mention/share or like on social media. 


The fine print:
Contest runs for one week: from November 25th to Dec. 2nd. A random winner will be drawn from all the entries received through the mailing list, FB, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. You can only enter (1) time on each social media platform but you CAN enter a total of 5 times if you:

1. Sign up for mailing list
2. Like us on FaceBook
3. Tweet or share 1 of our posts onTwitter
4. Pin one of our Pins on Pinterest
5. Heart or share something off our Instagram page

Contest is open to residents of the US only, due to shipping costs. 
(1) winner will receive a Whimsical Christmas package that includes a fabric backdrop, fabric garland, chevron bunting banner, and a set of matching Pretti Pom Wands. Winner will be notified by email and asked for mailing address. Package will be shipped out right away.


    UPDATE! WE HAVE A WINNER! 

Big congrats to:

JESSICA SMITHERS!

Thanks to all of you who signed up, tweeted, and liked us on FaceBook! More give-aways coming!

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Throw Back Thursday: Ruby's Fairy Princess Party


The date was April 11, 2011. My daughter's 4th Birthday. It was a study in pink.  Pink tulle, pink roses, and pink satin, combined with fairy wings, glitter, and pom poms. (It was the start of my party planning and pom pom making...only I didn't know it yet!) 

There were pink butterfly cookies, pink marshmallows, and pink popcorn. Strawberry cupcakes with pink icing and a pink toad stool cake. Even the veggie dip was pink! The girls filtered in one by one taking in the magical scene, totally in awe their surroundings.

1st order of business was to fairify them. (Yes, that is a word... in MY world, anyway!) Each girl received a pink tutu, wings, and fairy halo. It was so cute to see the transformation from street clothes to fairy. You could tell they all felt special. And they were.
My sweet Ruby, in her fairy costume
It was precious watching all the girls get dressed up. I had a pretend make-up station, faux jewelry and a large mirror in the play room.

Adorable little Brie has a tough time decided which necklace to wear!
Next up, was the making of fairy wands.  I picked up wooden star wands at ACMoore and painted them in pastel colors. I put them out for the party with glitter glue, paint brushes and lots of gems. They were a big hit! My daughter still plays with hers, a year later!
A make-up artist was on hand for face painting. Each girl chose the same thing- a pink butterfly. Sweet.
This face melts my heart.
Had to have pink roses for the table!
Fairy Princess place cards by Chickabug. Tulle pom pom by Pretti Mini. Tea cups: compliments of my late great grandmother. :-)
After face painting, they headed to the table for a royal fairy princess tea. The little princesses drank pink tea or pink lemonade served in real porcelain tea cups. They nibbled on flower & butterfly shaped fruit kabobs and two kinds of tea sandwiches, along with yummy pink confections from the sweet table.
Home made marshmallows are so much more yummy than the store bought kind! I got the recipe here.
Pretty place cards from Chickabug.
Fairy cupcakes!
 Ok, it's not perfect, but I was very proud of this toad stool cake! My little girl loved it, too, and that's all that mattered.
The cutest water bottle labels every from Chickabug.
Sweet party guest, Ava. I just love this shot.
Another close friend, Brie, enjoys a cupcake.
A sweet shot of another "guest" perfectly captured by awesome photographer, Sarah Zimmerman.

Carefully placing candles in toadstool cake (and praying it wouldn't collapse). It didn't!

 What every birthday party is all about: seeing your child's face light with a big, happy smile.
Make a wish! 
After lunch and sweets were served,  there was a winged horse pinata', song and dance, and games to play. And magic. Lots of it. Pretty, pink, sparkly magic. A beautiful day for a beautiful Fairy Princess.
A very happy day for our family, celebrating our very sweet little 4 year old!

*THIS PARTY WAS FEATURED ON THE CHICKABUG PARTY BLOG in Sept, 2011.


Party Credits:

Party Design/Styling - Jen Kitzmiller, Pretti Mini
Photography - Sarah Zimmerman www.sarahzimmermanphotography.com
Printable paper goods - Chickabug www.etsy.com/chickabug
Tulle Pom Poms & party decorations: Pretti Mini on Etsy

We Got Featured on Catch My Party!

Super excited to share some sweet news! 
               
Catch My Party

Yep, my Sugar Plum Fairy Party was today's Party of The Day! Catch My Party is a great place to get inspired, view beautiful parties, get ideas, and find party vendors!  www.catchmyparty.com

{Thanks so much to Jillian at Catch My Party! We love your awesome party site with so many wonderful ideas! Honored to be a part of it!}

The whole Sugar Plum Fairy Collection can be found in our Etsy shop here: Pretti Mini




Wednesday, November 19, 2014

20 Ways To Create An Amazing Pop Star Party!


1. GLAM IT UP. Pull out any silver and gold household items to add extra glam to your party. Fancy candleabras, mirrors, picture frames and holiday decorations work well.



2. Red Carpet. It's such a fun way to start out a party and can be used again for other themes like a Movie Star Party, Oscar Soiree, and Celebrity Slumber Party! Also makes a great runway!
3. VIP. Make each girl feel special by taking her picture on the red carpet and handing her a VIP "backstage" pass. These are easy to make and laminate yourself or try these from Cupcake Cutiees Party.

4. SET THE STAGE. Use curtains, rugs, and decorations to make a stage area. Also great for photo ops!

5. VINYL RECORDS. Use real records as chargers for under the plates. You can usually find these at flea markets or yard sales if you don't have any. They clean up easy and add a cool look to the table.
6. STARS and SPARKLE. You can't have enough of them! Sprinkle glitter or star confetti, add stars to your packages, gift bags, etc. Punch holes in the top and string for a shiny banner. Put the birthday girls name on a big star and hang on the wall or a door. You can find stars pre-made at places like Party City.

7. POMS. Big fancy poufs of purple and gold look regal and add a grown-up touch of elegance and whimsy to the party. I love hanging them from chandeliers or framing a dessert table or banner with them. You can find them in a variety or colors and sizes at Pretti Mini.

8. STAR NAME CARD HOLDERS. If you can't find place card holders with stars, make your own! These shown are styrofoam with glitter ribbon glued on it. (Not too hard to make your own if you are so inclined, but I bought my mini disco balls at Michaels).  Next you hot glue the balls onto a decent sized washer to make the bottom flat. Glue stars onto a tooth pic and push into the ball. That's it!

9. GOLD. All that glitters really is gold. Gold ribbon, gold tiebacks, fancy gold drinking glasses (plastic) all lend an elegant touch so your guest really feel like the superstars they are.

10. PURPLE PUNCH. And popcorn. And anything else you can dye to match the event. I used food coloring for this but have also used all natural food dyes from India, too. You can find those at specialy grocers like Whole Foods.


11. MICROPHONE CUPCAKES. Way cute and always a hit! I had my favorite local baker do these, but a great tutorial and recipe can be found HERE.

12. BACKDROPS. I love using fabric backdrops for all sorts of things. For this one, we needed something special to separate the main "karaoke" room from the craft area. Girls love posing in front of it, walking through it, making a stage curtain out of it. It also was a great place to put the prop bin. They loaded up on boas, hats, gloves, tutus, etc. and then took turns coming out through the "curtain" to model their outfit. We moved the red carpet indoors later and made a runway out of it for the occasion!
Backdrop available at Pretti Mini Party Goods

13. PROPS. I always bring a trunk full of fun stuff. You never know who is going to want to wear them? Ok, so we set the cat up for this shot, but really, it's funny to see all the kids light up when they see the prop trunk. The tomboy will be the first one to don a boa and the shy ones get all fancy with a wig, dark shades and fancy wrap! Even the older ones get into it!

14. DISCO BALLS. Hang one from the ceiling in the main area for dancing and singing, but don't forget to have an extra one for the window! If you place it by a nicely lit window in the middle of the day you will have a gorgeous glow of "glitter" shining through the room.

15. PERSONALIZE. Take some pictures of the birthday girl before the party. Have them really ham it up and act like rock stars. The make a celebrity wall or area to hang 8 x 10 photos of celebrities. Slip a couple photos of the bday girl in with the other "stars". You can pull and print a lot of singer shot online.

16. MAKE-UP. Whether you have a hair and make-up person there or you just have a table set up, a make up station is really fun. A simple set up can just have a make-up mirror, some glittery eye shadows, and shiny lip glosses.

17. AUTOGRAPHS. Easy craft that is a lot of fun. Set out black card stock paper, gold and silver metallic markers, star stickers, and glittery stick on letters. Girls decoration their special page however they'd like and then they all "autograph" each others page.


18. BLING YOUR MICROPHONE. This super fun craft was a big hit! You can buy these in my shop here: www.etsy.com/shop/prettimini. At the party, set out glitter glue with the included gems and let the girls go to town decorating them!

19. KARAOKE. No pop star party is complete without a karaoke machine! Start with a dance party featuring the top pop songs to get them warmed up and singing. You can either MC like it's a concert, or let the birthday girl take over and introduce her friends. After awhile, even the shy guests are up there having a ball! *Best Buy sells a lot of the CD's needed for karaoke and also Kids Bop CD's. Kids Bop records all the latest hits with clean language versions and is great to have on hand for dancing and just sing-alongs.

20. SWAG BAGS. Don't forget the parting gift! I love giving a disco ball out for this party. Girls can't wait to go home and hang in their room. I get mine and the Five Below store. They usually sell them in silver, gold, and even hot pink! Another thing that works great is giving out headsets/earphones. You can find them at Five Below, too.


Hope this helps you create the Pop or Rock Star Party of your dreams! Questions, comments and ideas welcome! I'd love to hear from you!

Jen

*This Gold and Glam Pop Star Party was recently featured on CATCH MY PARTY!
  Big thanks to Jillian for featuring it on your awesome party site! Love Catch My Party!

CREDITS:

Party Styling: Jen Kitzmiller
Red Carpet: Wrap With Us
Gold and Silver Stars:  Party City
Microphone Cupcakes: Recipe and tutorial HERE
Microphone Craft kits: Pretti Mini on Etsy
Hanging Pom Poms: Pretti Mini Pom Poms
Fabric Backdrop: Pretti Mini Backdrops
Silver Disco Balls: 4Fun Parties
Karaoke CDG's & Kids Bop CD's:  Best Buy
VIP Passes and Invites: Cupcake Cutiees Party