Thursday, May 3, 2012
I love the month of May because my birthday and my sister’s birthday are both this month. A few quick things:
- We had a nice little mention in the May issue of Parenting Magazine. Hooray!
- I’m super busy at the Bake It Pretty warehouse these days. If you haven’t seen our new shop, you can take a peek at some of our cute party supplies.
- The SNAP! Conference is over and it was a huge success. Tauni Everett did a fantastic job. I’ll be posting some pics soon.
- I’ll be at a local bloggers retreat this weekend, Breathing Space. If you are going to be there, please find me and say hi.
- I have another fun week of giveaways planned for this month. Stay tuned!
- And all of our Party Plans are on sale this month, buy one get one free. Use the code: SPRING
xo Brittany
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Enjoy the beautiful spring weather by going on a picnic! Pack an adorable lunch with these fun downloadable lunch labels and spring picnic ideas.
For a special dessert, a sweet and easy strawberry shortcake in a jar is a perfect way to go!
For each dessert you will need:
8 oz. Mason Jar
1 vanilla pudding cup
angel food cake
strawberries
Layer your shortcake in the jar. Start with the angel food cake, next add half of the pudding and top with strawberries. Repeat the layers again to fill up your jar. Put the lid on your jar and top with a cupcake liner, twine and the 2″ circle label for some added cuteness.
Photography and styling by Sara Schmutz.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Pinwheels are such a fun site for spring! Add a little pinwheel fun in your life by making this adorable pinwheel matching game with your child.
You will need:
5 sets of 2 matching 4″x4″ square pieces of scrapbook patterned paper
10 4″x4″ square pieces of solid color paper
paper straws
glue
Glue the back sides of the patterned scrapbook paper and the solid color paper together. All of the pinwheels need to have the same color back. Then, cut 1 1/2 inches in at the corners in a diagonal. Fold in the corners to form a pinwheel. Repeat this step with all 10 4″x4″ squares. Glue the paper straws on to the back of the pinwheels.
To play, flip all of the pinwheels over and take turns picking up pinwheels to find the matching patterns. The person, in the end, with the most matching pinwheel sets wins. It’s a fun and easy twist on an old loved game! A perfect activity to bring along to any spring time outing or picnic.
Photography and styling by Sara Schmutz.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Enjoy a springtime lunch with this fancy packed lunchbox!
You will need:
lunchbox
twine
chipboard alphabet
mini clothes pins
scrap paper cut into 1″x3″ pieces
Directions: Wrap the twine around the front end of your lunchbox, twice. Fold the 1″x3″ pieces of scrap paper in half and glue on one of the pieces of string. Trim the paper into a pennant flag shape.
Spell out your child’s name using the chipboard alphabet. Attach the name onto the lunchbox with the cute mini clothes pins. You could even have your child spell their name and help decorate their own lunchbox as a fun picnic activity!
Photography and styling by Sara Schmutz.
Monday, April 23, 2012
It’s the last episode of The One Charming Party Show until the fall. My friend Kelly Rigby Winslow joins me again for more chocolate mold fun (you can see the inspiration tutorial on Sweet As The Punch). And you can buy the Vintage Button Molds and Candy Writers at Bake it Pretty.
I hope you’ve seen the Facebook Posts, Tweets, and Instagram pics from the SNAP! Conference. We all had such a great time. Thank you to everyone who attended and those who wanted to attend, but couldn’t make it. All of the party panel speakers and teachers were amazing. Thank You!!!
Friday, April 20, 2012
As your Spring Party winds down, let guests write birthday messages on the sidewalk with chalk. And don’t forget a take home favor. These sweet little lollipops are wrapped in small squares of fabric in different patterns and tied with bakers twine. Perfect for handing out to guests as they leave.
A great tip for your next party: keep parties small in number. Match the age of the birthday child with the number of guests–for a 6th birthday invite 6 friends. This allows your party to be rich in detail without breaking the bank.
This party was created by a fabulous duo that I’m sure you’ll recognize. Photography by Melanie Mauer. Party planning and styling by Elizabeth McIntosh.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Spring Party Ideas. It’s important to have multiple things for children to “do” at a party, and this Spring Party is no exception. With warmer weather in sight, consider having live animals (by way of a petting zoo) outside for kids to see and feed. Keep other party guests entertained while they wait their turn for time with the animals by providing a little artist’s station. They can paint the animals with art supplies, canvases, paint and brushes provided. When everyone gets hungry, serve the food and desserts.
This party was created by a fabulous duo that I’m sure you’ll recognize. Photography by Melanie Mauer. Party planning and styling by Elizabeth McIntosh. Stay tuned for even more tomorrow!
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Picking a theme is sometimes the hardest, but always the most fun part of planning a party. With so many pretty flowers coming into bloom, taking a cue from nature is definitely appropriate for a Spring Party. (Can you guess the flower that inspired this party? White and yellow daffodils.)
Gorgeous desserts add polish to a food table, especially when prepared by a pro. Check out the ice cream cone cake pops and the elegant monogrammed cookies.
Yummy, healthy food is always more appealing to kids when presented in a fun way. Terra cotta pots with plastic cup liners have veggie sticks and ranch dressing hiding inside. And cute baking cups with fruit are sure to tempt any party goer.
To keep costs low, use items from around the house. These baskets already have a rigid plastic liner inside them so you can just pop in some ice & juice boxes and you’re ready to go. A simple chalkboard is transformed when covered in wrapping paper and used as a backdrop. And let the birthday girl help out too (she made the paper chain!).
If you don’t have any sewing skills, you can always find someone else to make cute monogrammed napkins and an adorable table topper.
This party was created by a fabulous duo that I’m sure you’ll recognize. Photography by Melanie Mauer. Party planning and styling by Elizabeth McIntosh. Stay tuned for more tomorrow!
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
There are only a few more episodes left of The One Charming Party Show before we break for the summer. Today Melissa Esplin from ISLY is back and this time she shares her talent for calligraphy and some awesome calligraphy tips. She’ll tell you all about one of her favorite and cheapest hobbies and how you can get started. I love hand addressed invitations—you won’t want to miss this episode.
SNAP! (a creative conference) is this weekend at Thanksgiving Point. I can’t believe it’s finally here! If you will be there, please say hi.
Friday, April 13, 2012
Send your guests home with these Earth Day party favors — planted seeds to watch BLOOM & GROW. This project uses repurposed eggshells and recycled egg cartons, so it will serve as an Earth-friendly activity and favor.
To prepare, carefully crack fresh eggs open to create two bowl shapes or use an eggshell slicer to cut whole shells open. Empty egg for desired use, and rinse shell for planting.
At your party, have your little guests fill shells with potting soil and carefully plant a seed. Use organic bean seeds, known for their quick 3-5 day germination period. Refer to your seed packet for specific planting instructions and sprouting time estimates.
To send the planted seeds home safely, gently sandwich them between recycled egg cartons. Biodegradable cotton baker’s twine and natural twine are the perfect item to hold favors together. Use this free flag printable to mark the gardener’s name.
Once sprouted, plant the entire shell and seedling combo according to your seed packet information. As the eggshell breaks down, it will serve as fertilizer to your seedling.
Head over to PagingSupermom.com to watch a 15-second video of these seedlings grow right before your eyes. Gather your little ones, as this short video is amazing!
Photography, design and styling by Bettijo B. Hirschi and Aimée Lowry, the amazing ladies from PagingSupermom.com.
