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! 

The Pop Star Party!

I had the great pleasure of doing this fun pop star themed party this weekend. This party was MADE for birthday girl Mia and her sister, Sarah!  Such sweet and talented girls! 

The day started with a walk down the red carpet:

With a mic in hand, I greeted and interviewed each "pop star" on the red carpet as they arrived. The sister of the bday girl video taped each one as I asked them how they felt about being part of the concert and what they had planned on singing for us, etc. It was great. They were so so cute.  The mom stood at the door photographing them. They were handed a custom made concert ticket outside (to get in the VIP Entrance) and when they got inside, they also received their VIP backstage pass.

Of course, we got plenty of shots of the birthday girl and her sister before the guests arrived.

 Inside, the table was glamorously set for 15 awesome pop stars.

I used old records as chargers and for decoration. To my surprise, this group of 9 year olds not only knew what they were, but were also really impressed by them! "Are these real records?" "Wow, these are really cool!"

Place card holders were made with mini disco ball ornaments, flat washers (on the bottom) and stars (personalized, cut out, and glued onto tooth pics). I used a lot of disco balls for decoration, too.

I made "microphones" on the cake plates to match the cupcakes (below) using tall glass vases and filled with glass beads, topped with a glittery Christmas ball. The purple one was a wrapping paper insert I spray painted. Glued a flat washer on the bottom to keep it standing and added a glitter ball on top.

 Check out these microphone cupcakes! I found the idea on Pinterest and gave to my awesome baker, Kelly Ott of Cannon Classic Cakes/Delaware Desserts. The girls went crazy for them!

Is this chair cute or what? Amazing what a can of spray paint can do! Was so excited to use my fun chair as a special seat for the birthday girl.

In the main party room, we did a microphone craft. I pre-made the mics out of toilet paper rolls & glitter balls. Got a lot of use out of that can of spray paint! They were super easy to make.

There was a table set up for make-up and props set out for fun. I brought boas and hats and the girls had quite a bit in their own collection to add.  Plus all the girls got gold or silver super star shades.

A fun thing to do for a party like this is to take some shots the day before the party.  I got some great shots of  Sarah and Mia signing into the purple mics and printed up for the party. I hung them on the wall along with the prints I made of Katy Perry, Kesha, Ga Ga, etc. They turned out so cute.

Next up was an autograph session. The girls designed their own scrapbook page, then had all their friends sign it.

 Of course, the main event was the karaoke. Before, during, and after the crafts. We started out with a dance party then I MC'd it as if it was a concert. I made a mock stage with a round rug and black back drop. This was a great spot for taking photos, too!

Gorgeous!

 They danced. They sang. They hammed it up. I enjoyed every minute of it. And I'm pretty sure they did, too!  Great, great time with a wonderful group of girls.

 Happy Birthday, Mia, you superstar!!!

Party Credits:

Party Design & Styling: Plan Me A Party

Cupcakes: Canon Classic Cakes & Cupcakes/Delaware Desserts

Paper Goods - (Buffet cards & water bottle labels) - Pretti Mini Party Goods

Visit Pretti Mini's profile on Pinterest.