My 30th Birthday Seaside Party

{Real Parties}

Yes, I admit it, I am no longer a twenty-something. Well, actually, if you go by my dd's logic, "twenty ten" is what comes after "twenty nine," so maybe I will stick with that.  Regrettably, yes, I am aging, but at least I was able to celebrate this special milestone with my favorite family and friends in my favorite type of setting.

I live in land-locked Colorado, but grew up at the beach, so we pretended that my mom's clubhouse by her pool was actually a "beach house." And I think everyone had a ton of fun!

I found these white, wooden letters on sale at my local craft store and made my own "milk paint" mixture to paint them my current favorite color!

Yes, that's me.  I am standing behind my dessert table, more on that to follow below.

I scrapbooked some of my favorite seaside/beach themed quotes including this one by Ralph Waldo Emerson.

We had two tables set up, one as the food buffet and one as the dessert table.  

Food included SANDwich trays, Feta-strawberry and mint skewers, Caprese bites, Taboulleh salad, Bacon-wrapped jalapeños and Potato chips in stamped paper bags.

I knew that my guests would want to grab a plate and cup and then take it down with them to the pool, so we needed disposable wares but I chose to try to keep things as eco-friendly as possible.  The plates are made of bamboo, the utensils are wooden and the cups are fully compostable.  All are available for purchase through me, from Susty Party.  I purchased the handmade, burlap with ruffle table runner from an online seller, striped paper bowls from Shop Sweet Lulu, water-patterned napkins are from Target and I hand painted the wooden spoons (with nail polish!)

Table decor included starfish, seashells, a lighthouse, tealight lanterns and my favorite trend right now, blue mason jars!  Some of the jars I filled with sand and tealights, others I was lucky enough to re-use small, white floral arrangements in, borrowed from the wedding that I worked the night before!

I just wanted to throw a shot of this gorgeous piece of art on here.  My mom drew this for me.  She is pretty amazing!  

"Katie, you had delicious sounding food on your menu, but I am curious to know what you served for drinks."  Oh, that is a great question!  For the kiddos, we had blueberry lemonade and bottle waters but for the adults......

The European Fizz

2 parts Moscato

1 ½ parts St Germain

2 parts Club soda

Garnish with a lemon twist

Mojito Parisien

2 parts rum

1 part St. Germain

1 part Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice

10 Fresh Mint Leaves

Optional add club soda and sugar to taste

Blueberry Mojito

1 cup fresh blueberries

4 oz rum

10 fresh mint leaves

2 teaspoons sugar

juice of 2 limes

6 oz club soda

ice

Sparkling White Peach Sangria

2-3 white peaches sliced

¾ cup peach brandy

1 bottle moscato, chilled

1 liter white peach seltzer water, chilled

My kids' and probably some of the other kids' favorite part of the party was the candy bar.  I ordered all of the candy from Nuts.com, and highly recommend them.  There was 2 types of salt-water taffy, white rock candy sticks, sour gummies, white and blue gummy bears, and of course gummy sharks.  I found beach-themed, blue Oreos at Target.

And now, for the piece de resistance, my cake.  I had showed my husband photos of the popular ombre ruffle cake and then left him in charge.  He partnered with Romana's Cake House in Longmont and they produced a beautiful, buttercream creation!

I added a dozen mini cupcakes for some variety.  PS, check out the EDIBLE seashells made for me by Sweet Bouquet on Etsy!

Thank you to everyone who shared in celebrating my birthday with me!

Free Father's Day Printables

{Freebie}

from The Spotted Canary

from Denna's Ideas

from the mombot

from Sweet Memories

from Sweet Scarlett

from Papercraft Inspiration

from Dress My Cupcake

Happy Father's Day!

Popsicle Party!

{Real Parties}

I stumbled upon Party Box Design's School's Out for Summer FREE Printables and knew I wanted to have an end of the year party for my kids with this theme.

The kit included a door sign, labels for Ice Pops and Ice Cream and water bottle labels, to name a few.

I had this Cinco de Mayo fringe garland that I had made, left over and it fit the color scheme perfectly.  

The party gave me an excuse to brighten my porch with some colorful blooms as well.

We live in a townhouse community but have a nice green grass area in front where I thought we could all hang out with a wading pool, sprinkler, water table and some other activities.

I asked that each family bring an outside activity to share such as bubbles, squirt toys, sidewalk chalk or hula hoops.

I provided Ice Pops, individual ice cream cups and homemade push up pops as well as bottled water.

Might I add, just getting back from Disney, that this party was done on an EXTREME budget.  Here are the spending totals:

Ice Pops $2, Ice Cream $10, Bottled Water $6, Plastic Tub $5, Hula Hoops, Water guns, beach balls and chalk $8, and ice $4, Already had: wading pool, water table, sprinkler, adirondack chairs, beach towels, tissue garland, re-useable push up pop containers, bucket and cooler = $35 Total

What a fun way to spend a hot day, with friends and our first day of summer break!

Stars and Stripes

Happy Memorial Day!

Prepare early for the next Red, White and Blue event by ordering your Stars and Stripes Mini Party Kit now.  Contact me to order!

Fine Print: Please let us know if you see your photo being used in any of our inspiration boards so that we can be sure to give you the credit that you deserve.  Little Bird Celebrations does not claim to hand make all of the pictured items, our service is here merely to research and pull party supplies, party decorations and party ideas that look pretty together and package them as a theme design. 

More fine print: The pricing above is for us to acquire the listed items on your behalf and deliver them neatly to your door.  Please click on our "services' tab at the top of our page to learn about what other party planning, set up, decorating and coordination and custom design work that we can offer you.

5 New Egg Easter Decorating Techniques

Does anyone else get tired of buying the little cardboard box with the colored tablets that you mix in a little cup of water and vinegar.  Sure, you can use crayons to draw designs on the eggs before you dye them, but how about trying some new Easter egg decorating techniques this year?

Crepe Paper Eggs

photo from MarthaStewart.com

Instructions courtesy of MarthaStewart.com

Combine various techniques -- bands, leaf garlands, and flowers -- to dress up plain and dyed eggs.

1. To make stripes: Cut strips from a folded sheet of crepe paper with pinking shears. Apply glue to each end of strip; adhere to egg.

2. To make a garland: Cut 18 leaves for each egg from crepe paper. Glue bottom tip of each leaf to egg, overlapping slightly.

3. To make a flower: Cut a 1 3/4-inch circle from crepe paper. Fold in half, and then fold in half again. Pinch pointy end; insert a finger among paper layers and spread them to look like a flower. Fold pointy end, and glue it to underside of flower; let dry. Cut out 2 leaves. Glue flower and leaves to egg.

Tools and Materials:

Various colored crepe paper

Pinking shears

Modge Podge or other glue

Hard-boiled or Blown-out Eggs

Paper Napkin Decoupage Eggs

photo from MarthaStewart.com

Instructions courtesy of MarthaStewart.com

1. Trim loosely around the designs on a white napkin using small scissors. Separate printed top layer; discard lower sheets.

2. Coat part of a blown-out white egg (or a white paper tag) with Mod Podge using a small brush. Apply 1 cutout design to egg (or tag); smooth with brush. Let dry. Repeat, adding designs as desired.

3. Apply Mod Podge with a medium brush to entire egg (or tag). Let dry.

Tools and Materials: Small, sharp scissors
Patterned white paper napkins
Mod Podge glue sealant
Small and medium craft brushes with noncolored handles
Blown-out eggs

Confetti Eggs

photo from ohHappyDay

Instructions courtesy of OhHappyDay

1. Using your sewing pin, poke a single, small hole at the top an egg.

2. Open up a larger hole at the bottom of the larger part of an egg.
3. If your yolk is too large, sometimes it helps to use a toothpick or something to stir the yolk up and make it more liquid
4. Let the egg drain out of the larger hole into a bowl, blowing the residue out through the small pin hole in the top of the egg if you need to encourage the yolk out a little more quickly.

5. Rinse the egg shell (you can add a little bleach to get rid of the egg smell) and allow it to dry.
6. Use dye to color the eggshell (you’ll have to fill the hollow shell with dye to make it stay submerged); allow to dry thoroughly.

7. Fill the egg about halfway with confetti (or whatever you decide to put inside). Use a funnel if needed.
8. Cut a piece of tissue paper slightly larger in size than the egg’s hole. Glue the paper to the edges of the hole.

Tools and Materials: 
Raw eggs
Egg dye
Confetti
Gold Glitter
Tissue paper
Glue
Pin/Needle
Scissors

Glitter Polka Dot Eggs

photo from BetterHomesandGardens

Instructions courtesy of BetterHomesandGardens

1. Using a crafts punch, punch circles from double-sided adhesive. 

2. Attach the circles to the eggs. 

3. Pour different colors of glitter into separate bowls. 

4. Roll each egg in glitter; remove excess with a clean paintbrush. 

For a multicolor egg, place a few stickers on an egg at a time. Roll in glitter, remove excess, adhere more circles, and repeat with a different color glitter.

Tools and Materials: 
Hard-boiled or Blown-out Eggs
A circle craft punch 

Double-sided adhesive tape
Confetti

Pretty Taped Eggs

photo from BetterHomesandGardens

Instructions courtesy of BetterHomesandGardens

1. Tear small pieces of your favorite patterns and cover an egg. 

2. Smooth out air bubbles.

Tools and Materials: 
Hard-boiled or Blown-out Eggs
Washi Tape at least 1/2 inch wide 

I would love to see pictures of your unique egg decorating techniques!  Please send them to Katie@littlebirdcelebrations.com or post them to my Facebook page.

Seeing Green

Emerald green, Hunter green, Lime green, Mint green, who doesn't love green?  I searched Etsy for my favorite St. Patricks Day paraphernalia and created a treasury list of shamrocks, leprechauns and all that is green.  Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Headbands by Little Evie Designs     Banner by Little Pumpkin Papers    Leprechaun Cupcake Toppers by Sugar Fox Shop    Paper Flowers by MC Funk 90

Coffee Party Kit Donation to help the Longmont Humane Society

{Real Parties}

Did you know that Little Bird Celebrations donates to local charities, including the Longmont Humane Society?  We have been contacted, for the 2nd year, to donate a party kit for the auction at the Humane Society's benefit on April 4th, Homeward Bound.

Knowing that not everyone at the benefit would have children and be interested in planning a child's party, I brainstormed for adult-themed parties.  (See our party kit that we donated last year, Vintage Soiree.) Well I LOVE coffee, and I bet that many other people do too.  And everyone can use an excuse to have a little get-together while they gab over coffee, or tea or whatever.

This Coffee and Friends Party Kit that I put together to support their cause is valued at $185.00 and is available for purchase on Etsy.  A party for 8 will include the items listed below.

I am in love with the tissue tassel garland trend.  This garland includes 12 tassels in white, brown and gold and can be hung over a table, in front or vertical, tied to a big balloon, etc.  There are so many options and I can make them in whatever color that you want.  Just contact me to order your custom tassel garland.

Wooden disposable spoons are another staple in many of my party kits. These ripple coffee cups with lids also make it easy for guests to drop by and go, if needed.  

How appropriate is this printed burlap that I found and made into a table runners.  Brown and polka dot  nut cups could hold treats, perhaps chocolate-covered espresso beans? Yum!

You could make it a coffee-exchange party, with each guest bringing their favorite roast of beans and then package up the varieties in mix and match to-go boxes and bags, tied with brown and white twine.

Stir in your sugar and cream with these scalloped coffee stir sticks or the party favor- vanilla rock candy sticks embellished with a "Thanks a LATTE" sticker.

Coffee and Friends are the perfect blend, don't you agree?

Now go to the Homeward Bound Benefit, in Longmont Colorado, on April 4th and bid on this fun party kit to help out the Longmont Humane Society!