{Invitation Showcase} Good Luck, Charlie Birthday

Some chidlren's birthday party themes are easy to bring to life!  The birthday girl loves Charms Blow Pops so you host a Candyland party or the birthday boy loves Tonka trucks so you host a construction party.  Simple and fun parties to plan.  But what happens when the birthday girl loves a favorite TV show because one of the actresses wears fashionable clothes, sings, dances, gets into lots of silly mayhem ... and documents it all in a video diary for her little sister?  Yeah, exactly  ... good luck, Charlie!  

This party is one of my latest party challenges.  We ultimately decided on a hip-hop dance party for a dozen fashionable little girls and the older sister will be responsible for the video diary!  Should be fun ... and simple!

To create the invitation for the birthday party, I worked with Paula of Frog Prince Paperie.  Fortunately, she's seen the TV show and with a little guidance, she designed this super cuter invitation that mails this week.

What's great about this invitation is that I have a color palette and defined look and feel for the party, which will make decor purchases a lot easier!

Have you been challenged to create a child's birthday party based on a TV show?  If so, please leave a comment to let me know what you did to bring the show to life!

{event showcase} Harry Potter 9th Birthday Party

When my daughter expressed an interest in Wizards (101 and Waverly Place, that is), I suggested the fantastic world of Harry, Ron and Hermione.  Reading together was time well spent and she enjoyed their adventures as much as I.  When it came time to celebrate her birthday, she quickly decided on a Harry Potter theme party ... and I pulled together a few ideas to create a fun wizardry experience!

The birthday party was inspired by Hedwig, Harry Potter's Snowy Owl.  My daughter loves animals and thinks it would be really neat to have an owl for a pet! 

The Snowy Owl, pictured above, was a $.99 sale item in the post-Halloween bin!

Guests received their party invitation via Owl Post.  Invitation designed by Jill Means Design, who I discovered on the One Charming Party blog.

Welcome! A Magical Celebration is in Progress!

Decor was minimal.  I relied on owls, newspaper print and the Griffendor House colors' burgundy and gold.

The prominent party space was The Great Hall (aka my dining room)! 

My goal was to recreate the Hogwarts' Dining Room without tremendous cost.  Therefore, I relied on color (burgundy and gold), texture (shiny gold and newpaper fans) and a few props (my collection of HP books and floating gold candles - by far, my favorite decor element!).

When the guests arrived, we did experiments to see if they were a wizard or muggle.  Children with fizzy concoctions were wizards.  Game inspiration and instructions may be found here.

Our Potions class was complete with Dragon Warrior Eyes, Blood Oozing Skulls and Snake Fangs (all post-Halloween candy), as well as Phoenix Feathers, Truth Serum (vinegar) and Elixir of Life (water).

Once the children were all confirmed Wizards, we sorted them into two houses.  Sorting was done by the color of their drink - blue or red.  A splash of food coloring was put in their cup beforehand and covered with ice.  When water was poured in the cup, the color was revealed.  This great idea was discovered here.

Once the children were sorted, we played a fun game of Quidditch!  There were neither brooms nor flying; instead, we took a Harry Potter quiz.  The team with the most correct answers selected a Seeker to find the Golden Snitch - gold foil wrapped Ferrero Rocher chocolates with wings!

After an exciting Quidditch game, the children made their own tissue pom owls, which was more challenging than I anticipated but they enjoyed the activity.  Then, we brought out the camera and had tremendous fun with the photo booth!  I purchased a big poster of Ron and Harry in the flying car (Chamber of Secrets), cut a hole in the center and invited everyone to take their photo.  Some kids were better actors than others?!!

Completely entertained and immersed in the wizardry world of Harry Potter, we then had cake - a Snowy Owl Cupcake Cake made by Chrissy at We Take the Cupcake.  No doubt, it tasted as awesome as it looked!  Our family loves Chrissy's frosting and I truly enjoy working with her!

As children left, they received a goodie bag of Honeyduke's Candy - Harry Potter Chocolate Frog and Bertie Botts Every Flavour Jelly Beans.



Have these photos and invitation, decor and entertainment ideas inspired you to host a Harry Potter birthday party?  If so, please leave me a comment to let me know.  Also, let me know if you have other HP birthday party ideas to share!

{event showcase} Bucket List 60th Birthday

I produce a lot of milestone birthday celebrations and love the challenge of coming up with just the right theme to fit the guest of honor ... but on this occasion, I produced a 60th birthday party based on my client's idea; she wanted a Bucket List themed party for her husband.  At first I was hesitant because there seemed to be a disconnect between celebrating life and preparing for death but I think, together, we pulled the Bucket List theme off in a humorous, light-hearted manner!  Below are the details.  I'd love to read your opinions on this theme - is it a yah or nay?

Bucket List invitation was custom designed by the talented ladies at Frog Prince Paperie.  The design incorporates the brown and blue furnishings at the party venue with a pop of orange for a touch of whimsy.

To keep guests busy until the guest of honor arrived (to be surprised), they were encouraged to fill Mike's bucket ... a shiny silver champagne bucket from Pottery Barn that was engraved locally.  This display was set up near the entrance.  Guests submitted humorous suggestions like 'sail around the world' and 'buy your baby brother a boat'.  Poster and suggestion sheets of paper were also designed by Frog Prince Paperie.

A milestone party isn't complete without a baby photo! 

Every party has delicious food, correct?!  This party was no exception ... the food was exceptional (I had to do quality control so I know)! Fusions Cuisine prepared this ourstanding menu:

Passed Hors d'oeuvres

Vietnamese Vegetable Rolls with Hoisin Lime Sauce

Miniature Crabcakes with Smoked Onion Remoulade and Celery Apple Relish

Lemoncello Shrimp Cocktail (YUM!)

Dinner Buffet

Tarragon Chicken served on a bed of Rattatouille

Lobster Mac and Cheese

Early Fall Vegetable Salad

Baby Arugula Salad

Assorted Breads and Butter

To round out this culinary experience, I ordered homemade pies - apple, chocolate and the birthday boy's favorite, coconut cream - in lieu of a traditional birthday cake.  It was the perfect fall treat!

It turned out to be a gorgeous fall evening, just the right temperature to extend the party (and the bar) outside, which gave guests more room to dance!  For music, I secured custom playlists for their iPod and a sound system.  As the evening progressed, the music evolved from Southern Rock to Popular Top 40 Dance music.  According to my client, the party wrapped up an hour later so everyone could keep dancing.  I think that's a good sign of party success!

So, what do you think?  Is a Bucket List party on your List?!  Please leave me a comment to let me know.

{sneak peek} Let the Ghoul Times Roll!

I'm so excited!!  Tomorrow is the first day of Autumn, which means I can comfortably talk about holiday parties ... including the cutest little Boo Bash I'm hosting next month!!!

Every year since my oldest daughter could barely walk, I've hosted a Boo Bash!  Held outdoors with fun activities, delicious treats and fantastic entertainment, it's our family's annual celebration.  This year's theme is Let the Ghoul Times Roll, a Halloween party with a twist of Mardi Gras.  Children will enjoy beading Halloween necklaces and decorating frightful masks, as well as eating mini beignets with apple cider.  The highlight of the party will be an Jazz Trio, who will interact with the children, play our favorite Halloween songs and make spooky sounds on the instruments.  Interesting idea?  I think so, too!

To make this theme really work, I needed a strong graphic image for my invitation and eventually, party decorations.  With a little bit of guidance, the talented ladies of Frog Prince Paperie, Paula and her colleague Renee, designed the invitation pictured above.  Isn't it fabulous?!!! 

Have I inspired you to host a Let the Ghoul Times Roll Halloween party?  If yes, you'll want to order these invitations, now available on the Frog Prince Paperie etsy store ... and leave a comment to share your party ideas!

{sneak peek} Pixies and Pirates Invitation

I can't contain my happiness!  I received these invitations for my daughter's "Pixies & Pirates" 5th birthday party! They are super adorable, especially the touches of glitter, which the scanned image does not do justice.  These invitations were designed and embellished by Jane at Little Pig Press. 

A sprinkle of fairy dust,

Lots of swashbuckling fun;

Kyra can't wait for her

 5th birthday to come!

The party is next month, just after the girls go back to school!  Until then, I'm busy ordering wings and wands, as well eye patches and swords ... and talking my husband into making a cardboard pirate ship ... so the kids can walk the plank!  More inspiring details to come!

{event showcase} Flutter By Garden Party

Does your family suffer from allergies? Mine, too, but that didn't stop us from celebrating Mother's Day in the garden!

We invited family to "flutter by" ... for dinner in our faux garden!

Our tablescape was inspired by the butterflies and gerbera daisies found at Michaels, as well as the fuchsia, yellow and purple stationary at Paper Source.

For the foundation of my tablescape, I used a light pink satin table linen.

The table runner was created with [existing] faux grass mats and accented with a vase of [existing] gerbera daisies embellished with butterfly wrapping paper, fuchsia ribbon and butterfly ...

a hot pink with yellow polka dots watering can,

... sweet ceramic birds,

... and a bumble bee.

For each place setting, I used my own purple china, flatware and stemware and embellished the white cotton napkin with a strip of wrapping paper.

As well, I tucked gerbera daisy "pens" (gifts to compliment handmade stationary) into bud vases filled with hot pink sand.

The tablescape looked very colorful and inviting without a lot of fuss!

If my garden party inspired you, please leave me a comment and let me know which faux detail you liked best!

Posh Club Attire

Artwork by Aaron Camper of Sublime Creations, LLC

I'm lending my event management skills to help produce the Awards Ceremony at the ISES DC Capital Awards Gala on Sunday, April 10 (which is why I was MIA last week).  In the midst of planning, I received an email from my friend:

I noticed that the gala dress is posh club attire.  Not sure that I know what that means!  Yikes, I can’t go do the club scene to find out.  Do you know what it means?

Interpreting dress attire can be tricky!  Event planners, myself included, like showing off their creativity and mixing up the fun with quirky dress requests that complement the party theme ... but sometimes that confuses our guests.  Please accept our apologies!

I came across this great article that summarizes and interprets the different types of dress codes.  Not surprisingly, the title of the article is "Decoding the Dress Code".  The best tip is #4 ... Informal is Smart Casual.  I really wish more people knew this etiquette.

As for Posh Club Attire, it's urban formal ... or is that still too confusing?!

How would you define Posh Club Attire?  Leave me a comment and share your thoughts.

Happy 99th Birthday, Girl Scouts!

My newly established Daisy troop decorated this banner to celebrate the Girl Scouts 99th birthday!  My co-leader, also, brought in mini cakes for the girls to decorate with frosting and sprinkles.  Needless to say, our Daisies are enjoying their initial GS experience =)

Remember this March Madness post?  I modified the Daisy bouquet to make Daisy invitations for my troop's Investiture Ceremony ... and I used the new Clover paper color, too!

How will you celebrate today?!

{sneak peek} Star Wars Glam Invitation

Move over, Disney!  There's another Princess in town ...

My daughter loves Princess Leia (and the whole family saga of Padme, Anakin/Darth Vador and Luke Skywalker) so it wasn't too much of a surprise when she announced that she wanted a Star Wars bithday party.  The kicker was that she wanted a make up party, too!

What's a party planner to do with an odd theme?  Hire a talented graphic designer to create an awesome invitation ... which becomes the anchor for all other party elements!

The Star Wars Glam invitation above was designed by Paula of Frog Prince Paperie.  Isn't it stunning? I think so, and so does my daughter!  Thank you, Paula.

I'm off to the Post Office but will share more details about this oddly themed birthday party soon ... like entertainment, decor and food.  Yoda Soda, anyone?!

{sneak peek} Mythbusters Valentine's Day Party

Look at what I got in the mail yesterday ...

Mustaches, lips and glasses ... oh my!  These are photo booth props for my Mythbusters Valentine's Day party.  Offered by MaroDesigns, the beret and goatee were added to the collection; thanks, Suzi!

I was stuck at home last week with lots of snow and no power so I had little time to design an invitation.  Here's what I came up with using existing printed cardstock, note cards and envelopes ...

So, we're busting myths this Valentine's Day; what are your plans?

{event showcase} Whodunit? Holiday Party

A murder mystery may seem like an unusual choice for holiday entertainment but it was ideal for a recent corporate party, providing audience participation and a lot of laughter as guests discovered who killed the maid during a "Fiends of Fentress" book reading hosted by Lady Penelope, Semper Fi.  Read on to see how the party played out.

The holiday party was hosted by the Washington, DC Studio of Fentress Architects at the National Museum of the Marine Corps.  Fentress designed the award-winning museum so it was a very fitting venue for their employee party.

INVITATION

My custom invitation was sent via email.  It incorporated a photo of the museum (provided by Fentress) and complemented their brand identity including logo, slogan, font and colors.

{front}

{back}

TUN TAVERN

Cocktails were hosted on the Overlook (bottom right photo) and then, dinner and entertainment were held in the Tun Tavern (remaining photos), a replica of the Philadelphia tavern considered the 1775 birthplace of the Marines.

ENTERTAINMENT

After dinner, guests participated in solving a murder mystery, as well as participating in dance auditions (bottom left) and reading select book passages (top right) during a custom comedy performance by the talented improv actors from Now This!

I really enjoy entertainment at parties; it's adds another dimension to the event! What is your favorite entertainment for a [corporate] holiday party?

{holiday party} 7 Invitation Wording Ideas

Hosting a holiday party and at a loss for clever invitation words?  Here are 10 ideas that are suitable for most festive holiday parties.  Invitations, shown below, designed by me.  Your custom order is always welcome!

 Silent Night? Not tonight!

Let's have a ball!

Mix, Mingle & Be Merry

Join Us for Holiday Cheer!

Let the warmth of our friendship take the chill from the air

and the spirit of the season make winter easier to bear!

We're planning a Holiday Party

Please say you'll be here

Let's celebrate the Christmas Season

with good friends and good cheer!

Please join us for a little bubbly and good cheer to toast the holidays and the coming New Year!

Let's shake up the season!

Join Us for Martinis and Mayhem
Images and Event Design for this holiday party coming tomorrow!


Any other invitation wording ideas - perhaps for a children's party or cookie exchange?  Please share and inspire us!

{event showcase} Client Appreciation Party

Today, I have a fantastic party to share with you!  It's a client appreciation party hosted by Sherry Spinelli and Lauryn Eadie of Circadian Realty Group.  Lauryn's name might sound familiar; she's the uber-lucky lady who won two of my summer promotions - a custom event design as well as invitations.  This fall, she cashed in her prizes!  Below is an overview of the custom event design and then further below is how the party panned out, including the invitation design.

Lauryn and Sherry told me that they wanted to host a client appreciation party to thank clients, friends and family for their business, referrals and support.  They wanted a new and interesting venue that conveyed warmth (like a cozy home) and suggested a wine tasting activity.  One venue in particular was The Wine House in Fairfax, VA.

With this information in mind, I came up with 3 scenarios - all based on the concept of showing recent homebuyers how to entertain in their new home.

A Taste of Home

Wine tasting in a restaurant conducted by a sommelier with discussion of wine basics, food pairings, etc.

The Art of Entertaining

Similar to the scenario above but hosted in an art gallery (for flexibility with catering expenses).

Home Sweet Home

Replace wine and cheese with coffee and desserts (again, for flexibility with catering expenses).

{Lauryn Eadie (L) and Sherry Spinelli (R)}

Lauryn and Sherry hosted their Client Appreciation Party on Sunday afternoon, November 14 at the Wine House.  In addition to thanking guests, the party was an opportunity to debut their new corporate identity including new business name, logo and tagline.   They asked me to design the invitation, name tags and good bags, which was an opportunity for me to return to my corporate marketing roots (yeah!).

To complement their new logo, tagline and colors, I designed the following items:

Invitation

5.5" circle invitation with PS Poppy square envelope and circle mailing labels

Name Tags

PS Poppy and Chartreuse circle mailing labels

Goodie Bags

Pear and Tangerine Jelly Bellys in a clear plastic treat bag and tied with orange or green ribbon and custom gift tag (again, PS circle labels)

{L-R: me, my husband and Sherry's daughter}

The party was lovely!  We were greeted with a welcome glass of wine, mingled with guests and enjoyed an assortment of yummy canapes.  Here are the important food and wine details:

Food Display

Assorted cheese with crackers and fruit

Charcuterie with Olives and crackers

Wine House Baguette with Truffle Butter (my favorite!), Olive Tapenade and Honey Butter

Passed Canapes

Petite Crabcakes

Marinated Beef Skewers

Scallop and Mango en Crute (perfectly done and oh, so yummy!)

Smoked Salmon wrapped Asparagus

Smoked Duck with Honey Dijon and Microgreens

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes

Dark Chocolate Terrine

Welcome Wine

Willm Sparkling Blanc de Noir, Cremant d' Alsace

Wine Tasting

Foxglove Chardonnay, Central Coast, CA

Lil Rippa Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, NZ

Lil Rippa Pinot Noir, Central Otago, NZ

Clifton Cabernet, Sonoma, CA

Lodali Moscato d' Asti, Piedmonte, Italy

Thank you, Sherry and Lauryn, for allowing me to share my creative talents and professional party planning skills with you to produce a very special event!  I wish you much continued success with Circadian Realty Group.

{halloween} Boo Bash invitation

I have something fun to share with you today - a simple invitation that I made for my family's upcoming Boo Bash.  It's a Mad Science theme and the children will get to make gooey green slime, among other things.  So, here's what I came up with:

On the front, the invitation reads:

The Dorfman Ghouls ... err, Girls invite you to Experiment with Fun!

On the back, it says:

Purpose: To celebrate Halloween

Hypothesis: Curious Kids will have lots of fun!

With gooey green slime involved, I knew that I had to capture it and the [most-likely] mess on the invitation.  I searched high and low for a 'splat' until I found it on the Dreams Come True Cricut cartridge.  Who knew the Princesses, or rather Ariel's splash, could play a part in my Halloween design?!  Anyway, the 'splat' my focus for the invitation design.  I think it came out quite cute.  What do you think?

{Invitation Showcase} Party Animals 4th Birthday

My daughter loves her stuffed bunny! Like most children, she sleeps with "Tushie" and takes him everywhere.  When thinking about her birthday party, I knew that I needed to incorporate bunny into her celebration but I didn't think a bunny theme was the best solution.  So I came up with a Party Animals theme, which is more appropriate since we're inviting her whole class (26 kids ... plus her sisters and cousins) to The Little Gym to celebrate; it's going to be a zoo!

Above is the cute invitation I created for her party.  I was inspired by the new Paper Source colors - peacock and sunshine, and my latest Cricut cartridge - EveryDay Paper Dolls.  The other printed paper is Citrus Stack (a 12x12 cardstock collection from Joann's).

The invite reads "Calling all Party Animals to come and play; It's time to Celebrate Kyra's 4th Birthday"!

Though we're not celebrating at home, I have a few ideas to enhance her celebration - party hats, cupcake wrappers and favors to name a few - that I will share with you soon.

{Invitation Showcase} 40th Birthday in the Berkshires this Fall

Last weekend, it looked like fall ... at least, in my office!  I was surrounded by hues of gold, orange, burgundy and copper as I assembled custom invitations designed for my client's 40th birthday - a girls' weekend in the Berkshires (MA) at peak fall foliage. [What a great idea!]

You may remember her Save the Date announcement back in February.  To complement, the invitation was made of the same soft white and copper papers (from my favorite store, Paper Source) and embellished with a shimmery copper ribbon and autumn leaves.  Since this is a destination party, more information was required; I used an A7 folder enclosure to hold the Itinerary and Travel inserts.  The invitation was tucked into an A7 copper envelope.  Assembled ... it looked lovely!

{event showcase} We're Not Crabby Just Forty

Most of you now know that my husband and I turned 40 recently and we celebrated twice; once with close  friends at Pearmund Cellars and later with family at home.  Below are photos and party planning ideas from our celebration at home to inspire you in case you have a milestone party (or any fun dinner party) in your future!

This party was geared to my husband who loves seafood and was a little "crabby" about turning 40! I found the cutest Cricut die-cut crab (Life's a Beach cartridge); combined with PS pool notecards and envelopes and catchy text, I created invitations on my home printer and established the look and feel of the party.

Party decor was limited to the dining room and the food buffet in the kitchen, which created a bigger "wow" factor without a lot of expense.  The dinner table was decorated with a runner made from PS pool wrapping paper and another twill cotton runner on top from Select Event Rentals.  For the centerpiece, I showed off my new testtube magnetic vases - filled with altnerating blue and red sand and topped off with a red carnation.  In the center, I attempted to make a sand castle using Mudd Puddles sand glue and heavy cardstock; it really didn't work but it was better than the real deal which can be so messy!  At each place setting, I had melamine "paper" plates and clear plastic cups from Target (on sale!) with silverware wrapped in the red napkin.  Lastly, I found a "crabby" birthday balloon at Wegmans; had to have it!

Guests were given a custom crossword puzzle (repurposed from Dine in the Vines) to complete and talk about while I put food on the buffet.

Food was easy!  I bought everything from Wegmans and displayed it on my kitchen table, which was decorated with a red runner and vase filled with sand and carnations to mimic the dining room table. 

Here's the lunch menu:

Crabcakes

Jumbo Shrimp

Fruit Salad

Corn on the Cob

Homestyle Coleslaw

Mixed Greens with Red Peppers, Cherry Tomatoes, Carrots and Cucumbers

Sliced Artisan Bread with Cheese

Tortilla Chips with Guacamole

Then, we had cake - a yummy confection from Patisserie Lille!  It was vanilla cake layered with chocolate mousse and the European frosting is hands-down my favorite!

I shared how I celebrated my 40th with you; now, I'd like to know how you celebrated your milestone birthday!  Share a comment below or visit my Facebook Fan page and write on my wall; either way, other like-minded party people will be inspired by your creativity.  Thanks, in advance!