Featured Party {French Cooking Party}

Today's featured party was sent to me by Julie of A Reason to Get Together.  I featured her daughter's 1st birthday a while back.  You can read that post here.  Julie is a fan of Julia Childs & after reading her book, she wanted to throw a Mastering the Art of French Cooking dinner party where she prepared foods from Julia's cookbook.  Each guest was also asked to bring a dish made from her cookbook as well as bring some wine to accompany their dish!  What a great idea!!!

One of the best things about this party, other than the fact that it was GORGEOUS, was that Julie had a party budget under $50.  Here are some of the things she did that were stylish AND frugal...

used existing decorations from previous parties

-used a vintage sheet from a yard sale (free) for table & chair coverings

-filled old spaghetti jars with split peas & rice to hold votive candles

-used wine corks & mini topiaries for name card holders

-used scrapbook paper for placemats, straw flags, paper centerpieces, & rosettes

-Used spray-painted branches from her yard to make centerpiece "trees"

-Used extra fabric to make fabric roses (tutorial HERE)

Take a look at the photos of Julie's beautiful party.

{the beverage station ~ i love how she used Julia's books, the crate & birdcage (so warm & inviting)}

{framed inspirational Julia quote} 

{fabric flower centerpiece tree}

{paper eiffel tower & rosette centerpiece {very shabby chic ~ SWOON}

{hanging decor looks so magical} 

 {votive holders & wine cork place card holder}

{2nd place card holder (too cute!)}

{the tablescape ~ one word BEAUTY}

{This photo reminds me of an outdoor cafe on an evening in Paris!}

Wonderful job, Julie!  Thank you so much for sharing your amazing party with me!

Featured Party {Halloween Play Date}

Today's featured party is actually an awesome Halloween Play Date from The Savvy Moms Guide.  OH MY GOODNESS...I am so loving their blog.  Ami & Bri, the masterminds behind The Savvy Moms Guide, are two moms who love party design on a budget & put their talents to use by hosting an AWESOME play date each month.  They incorporate a craft, recipe, and story into each play date.


Take a look at their Halloween Play Date for this month...all I can say is HOLY COW!!!!

The cute witch greets the kids at the door.

the amazing Treats Table (Amy Atlas would be proud)!

the craft: decorating mini pumpkins with eyes, felt, and other pretties

 more details 

the recipe:  Mummy Dogs

the cute & happy party-goers

the story: The Spooky Smells of Halloween

This play date looks like so much fun & I'm sure all the little spooks and goblins had a monster-iffic time!  Great job, Ladies!!!


Make sure you check out their blog for more details & pictures of their Spooktacular Day of Fun!

{Featured Party} Pumpkin Celebration

Today's featured party comes from the oh-so-creative Katie from Katie Grace Designs.  She was asked to participate in a Fall Celebration Challenge by The City Cradle & she knocked it out of the park!  I love the colors she used ~ orange, white, & brown & here use of natural elements to make this celebration look so inviting & warm!


Take a look at her awesome photos & then, go here to read about the details.  If you love her party design as much as I do, you can go here to vote for her so she can win the challenge.  

the Tea Bar {what a cute idea}

pumpkin placecard holders & cute placecards

Yum ~ Pumpkin Trifle favors & sweet, but rustic cupcakes

Katie spray-painted pine cones to make the toppers!  :)

pinecone & mum chandelier ~ love it!

So, please go vote for Katie ~ she did an amazing job with this celebration design!!!

{Party Inspiration} Swap Parties

Hello friends!  I've seen several Swap Parties lately & I think it's a fantastic idea!  After the madness of Halloween is over, maybe that can be my next party theme!  I have LOTS of stylish friends who I'm sure would have some awesome stuff to swap!

One idea comes from Christi at P is for Party.  She hosted a "Swap Till' You Drop" party with a bunch of girlfriends at her house.  Her two beautiful pink and purple damask ottomans served as the inspiration for the party decor.  It was glam, fabulous, & looked like a lot of fun!  

invite & shopping bag

Guests were asked to take a card off the tree that contained a number for their turn to shop.

yummy goodies

the shopping "boutique" area

going swapping

the meringue favors

Another amazing Swap Party idea comes from Save the Date for Cupcakes.  A stunning peach and gray color scheme was used to create the fab decor.  I love the addition of clear crystals to make everything look extra sparkly!

the fancy "Swap" sign

The girls drew oh-so-pretty straws to see who shopped first.

i heart these cookies!

the glam "swap boutique"

the cupcake favors

In both parties, the left over clothes and accessories were donated to a charity of their choice.  Now, go therefore & have your own Swap Party ~ I know there are things in your closet just waiting to be swapped!


Don't forget...one more day to get my Halloween printables at 50% off & tomorrow starts the first day of my Open Haunted House Linky Party, so get ready to link up all those amazing fall/Halloween crafts, decor, & party ideas!  See you tomorrow!  :)

{Double Feature} Back to School Party Goodness

As children everywhere are getting ready to go back to school, I thought I would give you a little inspiration in case you want to throw your kiddos a stylish Back to School Bash!

This first party has been in my archives for a while to feature, but I can not remember the site where I found it.  So, if you are the creative mind behind this awesome party or you know who is, please let me know and I'll give the proper credit!  :)

the chalkboard welcome sign

A bake sale ~ what a great idea!

the brown bag lunches 

the flavored water bottles with cute labels

I seriously HAVE to make these edible crayons sometime.

Want to make your own?  Here is the recipe, here is the wrapper template courtesy of Parties By Hardie, & here is the box template courtesy of Tami Matta.  I definitely want to try this craft with Noah so we can work on learning our colors! :)

such darling cupcakes with the kids' pictures on top as the toppers

The second feature is a School Themed Baby Shower that won my heart because it is full of classic Elementary goodness!  It was given by Whitney & featured on her family blog for her friend who is a Kindergarten Teacher.  Take a look at all the adorable details!

the invite (love the lined font)

the shower timeline on a chalkboard

the "after-school" snack

the lunch menu

adorable, yet easy-to-do decorations

I {heart} the apple water bottle labels & coordinating Diet Coke cans.

the favor bags

the composition book turned baby shower memorabilia book 

So, here's wishing all the children going into a brand new grade and all the teachers going back into the classroom an amazing school-year filled with happy memories, fun times, and lots of learning!

{Featured Party} Pioneer Girl

Today's feature is a beautiful Pioneer Girl party that comes from Rebecca at Faith Family Home Friends. It is absolutely beautiful and Rebecca did an amazing job with all the little details. I have always loved Little House on the Prairie and so this party caught my eye from the start! The party was held for Rebecca's precious daughter's 2nd birthday & was set in a park called Old Pioneer Settlement Park. Take a look at the pictures & then skip on over to Rebecca's blog for more details and links.

the homemade cake ~ love the cake stand!

the birthday girl's cake

the desserts: Notice all the old-fashioned treats like Necco candy, candy sticks, Molasses cookies, & much more! 

the handmade aprons for the girls and bandanas for the boys

the party activities: Lincoln Logs & rocking horses

the party favors: homemade jam and a CD of banjo music

wagon rides

Congrautlations, Rebecca, on such an awesome party! I'm sure your little girl enjoyed being "on the prairie" and having so much fun for her her 2nd birthday! :)