Princess Party Feature

Boy have I been a slacker! Truth is, expecting my first baby girl has kept me rather (sick) and busy.

With pink and all things girly on the brain, I present this adorable Princess Party submitted by Shanalyn of Just Breathe Events. This party was designed to celebrate her grand opening. I love all the bright colors and fun details!

Here are some details from the party planner herself, "Our inspiration was to create a unique chic glam for fabulous fashion conscience little princess’s. The event took place at an estate located in Los Angeles. We went a brilliant color palettes hot pink, lime green and purple accent. We also did a fashion show. Our papered princess were treated to an over flowing array of sweet treats such as cheese cakes bites brownie bites and cupcakes. We created handmade cupcake wrappers that each princess was able to take home. We also created custom chargers adorned with lime green, purple and clear jewels for an extra personal touch. For our centerpiece we went a feminine touch of pearls, jewelry, flowers and boas."


Thanks for your submission, Shanalyn! You did a great job! For more information and photos, you can check out her site and Facebook page here and here.

Life's a Beach Giveaway!

Ok, first of all, can I tell you how much I LOVE this party by Karen Ayers? Being a sucker for the beach or anything to do with the ocean, I was immediately drawn to this amazing creation. I was all over the gorgeous details and colors when I discovered that she's GIVING IT AWAY! I contemplated not announcing this so I could have a better shot at winning! (All in jest, folks, I'd be happy for anyone to receive such a great party package. And anyway, I sense some nautical inspiration brewing...)

See all this loot? You could win it all! Just hop on over to Kara's Party Ideas for instructions on entering. Good luck! (To me too!)

April Showers Bring May Weddings

I'm working with my mom across the country to help plan a bridal shower for a family friend next month and I've been excitedly gathering ideas for the theme: April Showers Bring May...Weddings! I immediately thought of the to-die-for wedding theme created by Amorology and the gorgeous raindrop centerpieces created for it, and used that as the base for this inspiration board. Spring has so many elements, it would be easy to complicate a theme by trying to incorporate all of them (believe me, I wanted to!), but I chose to keep it simple using umbrellas, tulips, and a bright palette of green, pink, and a dash of yellow.

{click on the image to view sources}

Fun decor ideas: Umbrellas! One over a small bouquet of flowers at each table strung with glass beads for "raindrops", umbrellas hanging upside down over the gift or food table, a closed umbrella filled with flowers and birds nests to greet guests at the front door. Using wheat grass at each place setting or as a runner down the food table is also a great way to bring spring into the theme. Plus, you could tuck in photos of the bride and groom as an alternative to frames or photo stands.

Fun finger foods for a spring shower: egg salad in egg cups, mini pot pies, lemonade and petit fours.

I chose tulips as the main flower simply for the variety of color and because they transition nicely for an April shower/May wedding, but any spring blossom (daffodils, daisies) will do. Not to mention you can find these adorable tulip napkin and plate sets here. Finally, send your guests home with pretty paper tulips set atop a real bulbs in a votive for their own piece of spring.

That's Amore

This inspiration board also comes in celebration of a non-traditional Valentine's Day. This one sort of came to me this week, actually. As I sat around with the classic song by Dean Martin in my head, I thought about how fun it would be as a theme! Naples, moon and stars, pizza, and lots of love!

This could really be adapted for just about any affair - a wedding, a romantic evening, or even a Valentine's gathering of friends, so long as it has plenty of vintage, Italian flair!

Platinum & Pink Valentine's

A good twist on a traditional holiday palette is always fun. Contemporary and sleek, platinum also pairs beautifully with bright colors, so why not adapt it for a romantic Valentine's affair? Plus, platinum brings to mind lots of bling! Chandeliers, metallic details, candles adorned with strands of crystals, and even sumptuous gray lace. Whether for a wedding, couple's bridal shower, or even a romantic evening, this color palette has both masculine and feminine elements that would make anyone fall in love.



{Top Row}: chandelier via Eat Drink Pretty, cocktails via Brides.com, kiss via Boutwell Studio {Middle Row}: centerpiece via The Knot, heart ring, heart cookies via Amy Atlas {Bottom Row}: dress via Jenny Yoo, dessert table via Amy Atlas, stationary via Wish Special Events

Reader Request: Classic Peach & Champagne

Bridget requested some inspiration for a classic garden wedding in peach and champagne. What a gorgeous palette for a spring wedding! Here is the board I created to capture that idea.

I think that ivory pairs well with this color combination, and I just loved the four tier ivory cake embellished with peach roses. The wedding is to take place in a garden, so I imagined a delicate arch with flower bunches for the ceremony with rose petals and hurricane vases filled with floating candles lining the aisle.

For the reception, I imagined this lovely dinner setup of soft fabric, gold places settings, and... more peach roses! For their classic wedding, you really can't go wrong with roses. This would truly make for a warm, feminine, and timeless celebration.


And speaking of celebration, a Happy Groundhog's Day to all! I know I will celebrate this evening with one of my favorite movies. ;) Maybe you could celebrate by making some of these adorably creative cupcakes spotted on The Finer Things.

Vintage Valentine's Party

This Vintage Valentine's Party designed by Kara of Kara's Party Ideas has so many adorable, handmade details that I had to feature it. I might have to start decorating for Valentine's Day early, I'm totally inspired!

I love this vintage fabric!

And how about these candy soda shoppe favors?

Go to the original post here to see the rest of the adorable party photos and even tutorials!

Snow White

Part 3! If you're a lover of the classic fairy tale Snow White, you'll love the earthy elements in this woodland wedding!

Moss and mushroom-embellished wedding cake, red candy apples, woodland stationary, natural bouquet, and don't you LOVE that vintage Snow White dessert table from Belle Amour?



Follow the link in the board to see credits for these photos.

Tale as Old as Time Inspiration

I'm back! Can't believe what I reprieve I've taken. Feeling that it needed a bit more focus, I've been contemplating the direction of this blog for some time and what kinds of inspiration I want to focus on - I love all kinds of party and design! That being said, I've decided to hone in on inspiration boards for the most part, while still featuring the occasional party or wedding just for kicks. I hope you like the new direction.

For your enjoyment, I bring you part 2 (a month later, sorry!) of the new series. This one is called "Tale as Old as Time". You get one guess on this one. ;) While staying true to the many elements in the film, I also wanted to make it real by creating a unified palette of deep red and gold, while incorporating classic French elements like the fleur-de-lis and French architecture. This would really be a magical wedding!