A Party for Two Princesses

Way back in November of last year I had a special request from a fellow Pacific Northwest twin mom for a party pack worthy of her two princesses.

I was more than happy to oblige. All things girly and glittery? Twist my arm, why don't ya?

These stylized toothpicks were perfect for this modern princess party. To cut down on the mess I made sure to double coat them with a sealant that kept all their sparkles in tact.

Speaking of glitter, we looked a lot like a fairy factory around here. This gigantic glittery number one was a particular favorite of mine.

This was my first time doing a tassel banner and I fell in love! Do you KNOW how many options there are for tassels in this world? I think I may have spent an hour staring at all the options in the local party store. I also fell in love with the glitter polka dot banner that accompanied it. A little jute added a touch of natural in this modern day fairy tale.

My absolute favorite part of this entire party pack was the food signs. I went very out of the box and gilttered every surface I could think of. I definitely wanted to be invited to this party just from the menu alone. How much would it be to ship me along with the decorations again?

Did I mention the amount of GLITTER in this party pack!? I was in LOVE.

 

But I don't think it gets any cuter than those two little princesses....

Thank you for letting me be a part of your big day, ladies! I hope you enjoyed the cake! Many more birthdays full of sparkle and wonder are in store for your future.

Absolutely stunning professional photography by: Mica Sansaver (www.micasansaverlifephotography.com), if you're in her area I would highly suggest seeking her services!

A Little Peanut's Gender Reveal Party...

Have you ever attended a Gender Reveal Party?

Let me tell you, they're a lot of fun. I had one for my twins. Here's the game: When Mom and Dad go to the ultrasound appointment to find out the gender, they tell the ultrasound tech that they don't want to know the gender(s). However, the tech is to write the gender(s) on cards and seal them in envelope(s). They take the envelopes to the baker. The baker then opens them (after mom and dad have left) and create cakes(s) with centers that coordinate with the gender. That way, when everyone surrounds the Mom and Dad to be, they cut into their cake, and the entire group find out together if they'll be welcoming a little boy or a little girl into the family. It's a great replacement for the classic "It's a Boy!" moment that Dad use to get back before ultrasounds were a thing.

I'm really glad that ultrasounds are a thing now, and the fact that now we get to throw an additional party is even better.

This one just happened to be elephant themed...

What other Gender Reveal party themes have you heard of?

A little Monkeying around...

A while ago a couple kiddos had a pretty awesome birthday party, if I do say so myself. Themed to match a certain curious monkey (who may be a cousin of that original curious monkey, but definitely not that same one due to copywrite laws and whatnot), the decorations turned out pretty darling! I'm beginning to think that Party Packs are my favorite things to do. I love making themes for parties, but I really hate cleaning my house.. haha! This is definitely the best of both worlds.

Lots of Monkeys and Hats to string from the rafters...

 A ton of ruffled streamers to bring in some color...

 This was the first time I'd attempted a fabric garland. I was in LOVE! My daughter was also in love, and "helped" by dancing through it while it was hanging in my kitchen. We will definitely be doing more of these in the future...

These cupcake toppers had me squealing over the cuteness when I made them...

And of course, you can't forget the main attraction. He made sure to hang around and let people know what the options at the buffet were... I'm sure his monkey assistants made sure the curiosity was maintained on his behalf.

This is one Engagement Party I'd like to attend...

For one very special bride-to-be I decided that she needed a burlap banner with a Lucky Pair twist! Instead of your normal hum drum fabric only banner, this one was sewn to carstock pennants. It made the banner much more stable, and the stitching is a funky and unique detail that brings you in closer to admire...

 I have to say I was pleased as punch with how it turned out...

Congratulations Courtney! I hope you have a blast eating, drinking, and being (almost) married!

"Cute as a Button" Baby Shower!

Recently my good friend, Lain, announced she was pregnant. Immediately my Bestie and I decided that she would have to have the baby shower of the year. We started planning before she even knew the gender.

Lain had co-hosted my baby shower with our Bestie the year before, and it was fantastic. She is super crafty and thrifty, her house looks like something you'd see in a magazine, and she is overall fabulous. Add that to the fact that she and her husband had been waiting for this baby for quite a while-- well, we just had to throw a shower worthy of her amazingness!

Lain found out she was having a little boy and my Bestie stumbled upon the theme "Cute as a Button" on Pinterest. It was perfect! We went with teals, reds, and blues for our colors-- trying to accent with as much wood and metal as possible to keep things masculine. She also isn't going to tell any of us the name her and Dad have picked out, so her baby has developed the nick name "Roo" (as in Kangaroo).

I went a little craft crazy for the shower.

The invitations were fairly simple! Inside listed the standard information, and also mentioned that Mom and Dad had their lips "buttoned" about Baby W's name, so he was "Roo" until the big day. We also invited the guests to bring diapers and wipes for a diaper raffle.

As a mother of twins I can confidently tell anyone that throws or has a shower: DO A DIAPER RAFFLE! They are awesome!

We had about 25 RSVPs for the shower. I knew I wanted to deck my house to the nines for the shower... I think it turned out really well!

To add an extra fancy touch we used mixed plates from the Bestie's, Lain's, and my own collections. We also asked for help from our friend Julie who was doing all the food and Lain's sister brought a million "jelly jars" for drinks and also supplied the flat wear, which was one of my favorite things about the shower. They were all different sizes and designs. (I will be collecting jars from now on!) By combining all our serving wear we were able to have a funky blend of styles and enough plates to house all of Julie's AMAZING food and Lain's sister's to DIE for drinks and cupcakes. My mom happens to be an ex-florist, so we enlisted her help on centerpieces that also doubled as prizes for the games. The Bestie had the great idea to rent chairs, which turned out to be essential in my tiny house. Of course, I couldn't help but make some customized cookies for the occasion...

Of course, no baby shower is complete without some games! We played "My Water Broke!" where everyone got an ice cube with a frozen baby in it...

We also had every guest cut a piece of yarn to guess how big Lain's belly was. When they measured their string against her belly they also introduced themselves to the group. Two of the ladies guessed within a half of an inch of eachother! It was a close race!

Then we went out into the yard for a "baby shower game unlike any you've ever played before!" The bestie had actually played it at a previous coed shower, and it was so hysterical she had suggested it for Lain's shower. After running it by her we all agreed that it would be a hilarious ice breaker. The name of the game is called "Making a Baby!"

The group broke into 3 teams. Each team received a plunger and toilet paper rolls. One person put the plunger between their legs and another person put a roll of toilet paper between their legs. The object of the game is to "poke" the end of the plunger through the toilet paper and waddle it back to the score keeper (me) as many times as possible in a certain amount of time.

It was pretty hysterical. I am concealing most of the photos in order to protect the innocent.

Lain obviously had the advantage, and her team won!

If you're planning on playing this game I have a couple tips for you. 1.) Be prepared to receive the dirtiest looks possible from the group as you explain it. There were a lot of  "We are going to do WHAT?" comments. I have done a fair amount of public speaking to small groups, I have even ran company staff meetings with fairly contentious subjects... but never in my LIFE have I had that kind of laser-beam-stare from so many people! 2.) After the game is over everyone will tell you how fun it was and what a great time they had. So it's worth the laser-beam burns. 3.) Get a group of friends together first and do a dry run. I had to ad-lib most of the "rules" when we played at the shower. Although it worked out fine, it did make for a little more stress than I would have liked. 4.) Get dollar store plungers and paint them. Because it's hysterically fun when you're man walks in and asks why you are painting plungers...

After everyone re-filled their drinks and settled down Lain started opening gifts. We did a spin on the classic Baby Shower Bingo by adding the ABC's to it. It seemed to go over well, and the sheets were cardstock so they doubled as fans in the middle of a hot July baby shower.

Finally, as things wrapped up and the shower was done, guests added their thoughts to a chalkboard. the bestie and I plan on printing out this picture and framing it for Lain, so she can have some late night inspiration if she's ever feeling "mommy-drained."

 

The chalkboard also doubled as a funky gift for Baby Roo's room.

Overall the "Cute as a Button" shower was a blast! I am in full on post-baby-shower depression with its conclusion. It's time to start planning another party.... right after I think of what to have a party for!

I'll be adding some items from the shower to my Etsy shop as soon as I can recover from all the festivities!