cakes likes a party

Baby Shower/Sprinkle :: World Theme

Annika — Mon, 21 May 2012 13:00:15 +0000

Get ready world! My nephew Hutch is on his way! To celebrate, Crafty Jan & I threw my sister Ellie a wordly sprinkle.I’ve been wanting to do something with globes for the longest time, and since Ellie is doing a mapped up nursery, this theme fit the occasion perfectly.My mom found an enormous atlas at a used book store for $12 and we cut it up (which actually kind of pained me a bit!) to use as envelopes and as a backing to the invitation (and much more as you’ll see throughout the party.) I love how those envelopes looked. As for the invites, I printed the “Hutch” banner separately, then sewed it onto each with my sewing machine so that there would be a little bit of a 3D pop. So let’s welcome this little one into the world.We had the shower at 7pm on a Thursday night with Ellie’s local friends to try to keep it on the low key side. We also decided that we wouldn’t focus on anything actually good for you to eat and went straight to desserts. The invite said it was a “cupcakes & cocktails” party but we had a few more sugary items to choose from!Cupcakes, marshmallow pops, chocolate covered strawberries, macaroons, whoopie pies, mini ice creams, popcorn, and “Oreo worlds” filled our tummies.In case you’re wondering where those beautiful cookies came from (ha, ha!) I proudly admit that they are another failed attempt at confection perfection by yours truly. In my head they were so much cuter but you get the idea! I dipped Oreos in candy coating, waited until they were dry, then took a stencil I made with cardstock and an x-acto knife and spray painted them to look like worlds with edible spray paint. Honestly, why I keep trying to make it work in the kitchen is beyond me. I’m telling myself that they were made with extra love. Moving on!We used burlap through the party… which is a nice, inexpensive way to add some texture.I bought 12″ paper mache letters from Jo-Ann’s, covered them with pages from the atlas and strung them from the ceiling using fishing line and jute twine. It was probably my favorite thing about the party… and I was even happier that Ellie liked it so much that she’s planning on hanging these in Hutch’s room.
Ripping more pages out of that fabulous atlas, we made bunting by sewing them together with seambinding. I think I am addicted to this atlas!On the mantle and in other parts of the house, I cut smaller strips of the atlas in varied sizes and strung them together over the jute twine. They are super small and cute. I think I am going to keep them up forever. Okay, at least until the next party.The atlas even worked heart-shaped.Aren’t they cute?My mom has a pretty big vintage globe collection which made decorating a breeze. I added in the couple I had as well and we were all set.I’ve collected blue bottles for years so we pulled those out and put fresh white tulips in them. Simple, simple.In case you’re wondering, that white thing above is the ice cream holder… which is really an old art marker holder that we spray painted white. I took these photos before the party began which is why it’s ice creamless. My mom gussy upped the signs with rope and rosettes made from the atlas pages.Water was cute, but wine was much more fun!nu=323->;3->397>WSNRCG=356-357-48339nu0mrj" src="http://cakeslikesaparty.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/232323232fp74nu323-3-397wsnrcg356-357-48339nu0mrj.jpeg?w=584&h=389" alt="" width="584" height="389" />Instead of having guests bring gifts, we noted on the invitation that no gifts were necessary, but if they were so inclined, we’d have a “Double Stroller Donation Jar” they could contribute to. Though Ellie is having a different gender this time, she’s got all the clothes she could possibly need since this little nephew of mine has 3 older boy cousins’ hand-me-downs. What she really could use was a double stroller.It worked out great. No presents were opened at the party, and she will definitely be able to get her double stroller now… which is probably the most necessary item a mom of two needs.Most people brought their donation in cards, but if they just brought some bills, I had business card sized papers they could write on and slip their moola through.Ellie had my brother-in-law Elliott (yes… Ellie married Elliott!) come by to sneak a peak before the party. Aren’t they the cutest? We had a full house of fabulous friends to celebrate this little munchkin… and it seemed like half of them were pregnant too! Lots more baby parties in our future, methinks!For favors, we repackaged lip glosses. We were well aware that lip gloss and worlds go together like… well lip gloss and worlds… but we try to give favors that people may actually take and use. We were actually looking for those cute chocolate globe candies but couldn’t find them in time.The last of the guests didn’t leave until nearly midnight… which in pregnancy terms is like partying until sunrise. We pregos felt super hungover the next day even though all we drank was Pellegrino! We had the best time on EARTH, the biggest blast on the PLANET, and we love little Hutch more than anything in the WORLD.
**PS… I’m thisclose to getting 1,000 likes on Facebook! Wanna help? Okay, thanks! Like away!**

Baby Shower/Sprinkle :: Orange, Pink, & White Squirrels!

Annika — Tue, 15 May 2012 22:06:46 +0000

For reasons I won’t go into, we’ve always called my brother “The Squirrel.” My sister-in-law Kelly has embraced this odd fact and without her knowing about it, my mom, sister, and I planned a Squirrely Sprinkle for her second baby! This time she gets a girl! Because this is her second pregnancy, we wanted to keep the sprinkle very small and very mellow. Therefore, we went with a ‘cozy breakfast!’ And it was just that! Super cute and cozy!Keeping things bright with an orange, fuchsia, and pink color scheme. The fabric on the tablecloth and the fur used for place mats was ordered from fabric.com. The curtains were actually taken down from the nursery in my house since we’re changing it to pink but they worked perfect so we just put them up.We bought about 5 funky squirrels from eBay and HomeGoods and spray painted them white to keep things fresh. We wanted it squirrel-modern (ha! Did I just write that?) but not woodland. For a quick pop of color we chose bright orange gerber daisies and placed them into spray-painted votive candle glasses, then put moss on top.Cutting that fur into place mats was SUPER messy but it was a funky touch to the table so worth the fuzz all over the floor. I found paper napkins as well as the lanterns at Target and it was like they knew we were throwing this party! Perfect colors! As party favors, Crafty Jan whipped up ribbon-wrapped wooden bracelets which we used as napkin rings – then sent home on the arm of each guest. I love when party props work double duty.Water bottles were at each place setting and the squirrels served up pastries.Since we had such an early start time (and since Kelly is usually the go-to-girl for the food portion of these parties) we kept things simple by ordering out what we could. My sister dialed up Panera and they delivered us the perfect breakfast… ….various pastries and amazing personal quiches……added to melon balls scooped into french fry bags that my mom made using her cricut machine.Throw in some mimosas and we’re all set!Simple! Especially for a 9:30am party.The mantle mimicked the table. Yay for Kelly!It was such a great morning! And don’t parties look so much better with people at them? I think so!Yay for the newest squirrel on the block! And in case you’re wondering, YES – my sister, sister-in-law, and I are all having babies this summer. No, we did not plan it. Yes, it’s a little creepy now, but will be super fun when these wee ones are on the flip side! And YES, my sister Ellie’s sprinkle is this week so there are more parties coming! Stay tuned!

Bachelorette Party :: Planning, Favors, Props

Annika — Thu, 10 May 2012 18:32:04 +0000

This past weekend, 14 of us girls flocked to Sin City to celebrate our friend Kasey who will be getting hitched this August. As Maid of Honor (I know… I’m a “Matron” but I really dislike that word) it was my job to set the trip up. The invites were sent out and money was collected to keep the whole shebang running smoothly.Each girl who made the trek was greeted to their room with a goodie bag. I got these gable boxes from Uline and they were perfect travelers because they fold flat then pop up. I printed a label to wrap around the box and voila! Instant goodie bag!Inside each was a bottle of water, sun chips, a pack of gum and a ring pop along with a feather hair clip I made and earrings I bought at Forever 21, then “repackaged”… you know, because yellow just didn’t go with the theme!We booked our plane tickets on Southwest which was key because we were each allowed to check 2 bags each for free. I packed one big bag full of all the favor items and one personal bag for myself. I had thought about purchasing all the water and snacks once we got to Vegas but I am so glad I just packed it all and could hit the pool as soon as we got there.We had a surprise lingerie shower for the bride-to-be after the pool on Saturday which made things fun… but the best gift she got was a book we all contributed our favorite memories to.I emailed the crew (even the girls who couldn’t make it and her mom) and asked them to send in one photo of themselves and Kasey, and either answer 5 out of 10 questions I sent (like “what’s the funniest thing you’ve ever heard Kasey say?” or “What do you like most about Kasey’s husband-to-be?” etc…) or gave them the option to just write their own special note to her. What we ended up with was about 30 pages of amazing memories. I think keeping things simple by asking for photos digitally and also for limiting the photos to one (or two) each got better results – as everyone is super busy and no one really likes homework, do they? Every girl sent something in and it was darling. I ordered the book through Blurb.I also brought thought bubble signs (see the top photo as well) to have people hold up throughout the nights on the town. And though the typical blow up man etc. isn’t my thing, it is very much the bride’s. Therefore, one of these very quiet men did accompany us on the trip. And what would a bachelorette be without a fabulous headpiece? For this amazing bride-to-be, I got her two. The smaller flower-veil combo was $6 bucks at Forever 21 and was perfect for the pool. At night, however, the typical veil would just not do… especially in Vegas where everywhere you look you see another bride-to-be. She needed to stand out! Kasey deserved nothing less than a full-fledged Vegas Showgirl Headpiece. It was a total hit! And it made this 5’0″ friend of mine about 7′ tall! I got it online at Miami Feathers and it was such great quality, I will totally be ordering more of these one day. (For what occasion is beyond me, but I need to find a reason! They are just that rad!) It was an amazing trip for an amazing girl!
Bachelorette party: check! Now onto the shower and finally the wedding! Keep the celebrations coming!

1st Birthday Party :: Bouncing, Balls, Balloons, & Fun

Annika — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 22:15:18 +0000

My friend Lindsey approached me a couple months ago with a great idea for her son Ryan’s first birthday. She had been searching for invites that included the themes of balls, balloons, and bouncing – since they were getting a bounce house – but couldn’t find just what she liked. She was a joy to work with because she was set on her vision – which makes my job so much easier! I created some printables for her (available to purchase right here), but she was the true party genius here. Everything looked SO bright and FUN! I didn’t know that they made frosting so bright! They matched the color of the balls so perfectly.She set up a blow up pool with balls for the little ones, had a bouncy house for the big kids, had the most amazing face-painter to keep the kids (and Ryan’s cute dad Marc!) happy, and had a crafting station where the kids made necklaces out of Froot Loops. It was a smashing success. Above every doorway was a garland of bright paper balls she strung together. From the front door, it looked so darling. Here’s shot of the Froot Loop table, but what I love most is her genius use of balloons. Are those helium, you ask? Oh no! How smart is this? She blew them up and taped them to the ceiling. This is brilliant on a lot of levels… no need to rush to a balloon store the day of, but also you can leave your doors open, let the breeze in and the balloons stayed put throughout the party. I am SO stealing this idea! So so so smart!She framed photos of her sweet boy in bright frames and placed them all over the house. I really love first birthdays with little touches like this. There is something so dear about that first year of life and I get choked up looking at baby photos! It’s like the end of an era… he’ll never be a baby again… so it’s sweet to honor that first year.Another thoughtful touch was that she painted a birthday plate just for him that he will use every year on his big day. His two big sisters each have their own as well. She displayed it by the food and it just made me happy. What a great idea and dear memento he’ll get to keep forever. She used bright gumballs as decor and even replaced the candles in their sconces with balls. What a cute touch!Chevron fabric anchored the food.And she even tracked down “RYAN” soda! How perfect… and in bright colors too! They must have known she was throwing a party!Each kiddo went home with bubbles and I have to tell you, this was one of the most fun parties my little guy has been to. He loved all the activities and bright colors. And it didn’t hurt that his buddy’s dad turned himself into a tiger for the day! Isn’t this the cutest party? Great job Linz! (And Marc! I am sure you were enlisted to help as well!)

Invitation :: “Thinka Zinka” Beach Bash Birthday Party

Annika — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:38:47 +0000

One of the more unique requests I’ve gotten lately was making an invite for a “Thinka Zinka” birthday party held at a local beach. Remember Zinka? That awesome neon sunscreen you’d put on your nose and cheeks in the 80s? How funky! I guess this cute 9 year old is really into 80s surf culture and loves neon and bright colors so that’s what he got! His mom is a blast to work with and I’m sure with all of her creativity, the party turned out fabulous!

2nd Birthday Party :: Minne Mouse Theme

Annika — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 20:54:14 +0000

“The Happiest Girl On Earth” turned 2 at the end of last month! My niece Kevy celebrated in style with a Minnie Mouse themed birthday party and my sister and Crafty Jan put on quite the shindig for this little miss!Isn’t she the most adorable little mouse in the world?! Since they had a pretty big party for her last year, they decided to keep things small this year and kept the invite list to our immediate family – which is acutally pretty big in itself! There were 11 adults and 4 kids so it’s not like this little one was hurting for an audience! The theme was chosen obviously because Kevy loves Minnie Mouse, but also because she got to go to Disneyland that very same morning. What a big day for a big girl!They kept things in Minnie’s signature red & black color scheme. They enlisted me to do the printables and I kept things simple by using a Disney-esque font and drawing some “Kevy ears” then doing what I do best… use and abuse the same design over and over and over again!The banner’s shape on the mantle is supposed to be reminiscent of the old Disneyland sign and the “2″ is even wearing Minnie ears.Inspired by the many Disney parties on the web, my sis & Crafty Jan made plates look like Minnie heads – complete with a napkin for a bow! – and even a pinata with ears! How cute is this? Made from a black paper lantern and tissue poms! Love!The cake was another fabulous creation from the gals at The Crimson Cake and Kevy only wanted to eat the ears on top! So cute.hkhTarget seemed to know that Kevy was turning 2 and had plastic plates ready for scooping up! The kid’s table had these as place settings, as well as Mickey shaped sandwiches for their tummies.That Crafty Jan made everyone ears! Glittery ones for the ladies, please! And they were so comfy, we all kind of forgot we were wearing them. I think my husband woke up with them on the next day! Ha!How cute is this birthday trio of mice (soon-to-be foursome?)The party was perfect in every little way. Kevy even matched the tablecloth thanks to my mom who MADE her adorable dress! She’s unreal. Everyone left with Kevy cookies (and black tongues to go with them! That icing was potent!)Thanks for hanging in there with this blog! I know it’s slow going but I swear I am up to my (Minnie) ears in parties over the next few months so there should be a lot of fun posts to come!Now go kick a pinata! (Oh, and a Minnie/Mickey party will be available in the shop soon! If you don’t see it, convo me and I can likely put something together for you.)

Holidays :: Easter Table

Annika — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 20:24:51 +0000

So I have been super lazy when it comes to decorating for the holidays this year. I was trying to ignore Easter – especially since it was so close to St. Pat’s this year – but my 3 year old had other plans. “When are you going to put up the Easter things?” “Where are all those eggs?” Okay. Okay. Here you go kid!Remember these fabulous glitter eggs Crafty Jan whipped up last year? We’ll she’s back at it and I am now expecting her to make me some every year until my house is overflowing in beautiful glitterly eggs! They are so shiny and happy and just the ticket for Easter cheer.The problem about these is that they don’t stay this cute for long. The boys have gotten to them and I fear that the crocodile and bird that were once part of the eggs are now part of our toybox. This table is nothing to write home about really, but if you’re looking for a cool table runner, Michael’s sells a moss one that I find divine and super useful for all types of parties. Go get yourself one!Place setting: Rattan chargers from Cost Plus, green plates from Ross of all places (got these when we lived in Hawaii and I think that the Rosses out there are more like Home Goods out here. Great for home items!), napkins from Tuesday Morning, Grosgrain ribbon napkin rings that my mom made, and bamboo weapons that you can’t see. So the kid got what he wanted. Easter. Even though it will only be up for 2 weeks total. Kids love seeing the house change and even though this pregnant, lazy girl did not want to play, I am happy I did seeing how excited the boys were to be playing with their (manned-up) Easter baskets and eggs. Oh and remember these FREE Easter & Spring banners from last year? Well, they’re still available! Make sure to print yours today! Hope you all have a great Easter!

Bachelorette Party Invitation :: Viva Las Vegas!

Annika — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 22:15:02 +0000

Vegas, here we come! Remember my darling friend Kasey from this party? Well, it’s bachelorette time for this saucy minx and we’re heading to sin city! If you know this girl, you’ll understand how fitting a Vegas Showgirl is as the image on the invite. She’s simply fabulous! I printed all the information on the back of the invite and, as this isn’t my first rodeo when it comes to planning bachelorette parties, I’ve learned that it’s a great idea to collect money from the gals up front. That way, everyone can just relax, have fun, and not worry about the tab. I purposely collected a little more than I think we will need so we can have a little more fun for “free” which generally keeps everyone pretty happy! I’m getting RSVPs & money in the mail everyday! How tempting it is to go shopping! Oh, but I guess I will settle on a trip with my girls to Vegas this May instead! More to come from the actual trip. We’ve got some fun up our sleeves that I’m excited to share with you!

Supper Club :: Superfood Theme

Annika — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 16:18:20 +0000

I’m sure you’ve all seen some really incredible superhero kid’s parties in the party-blogosphere. Like mind-blowingly amazing parties.
This is not one of those.This isn’t even a kid’s party. This is a “Superfood” themed dinner we hosted for our supper club (Also known as Gourmet Group.) After about 2 years of dinners, we had pretty much retired every country-specific theme between our group of 7 couples.My huz and I also hosted what was arguably the most gut-busting dinner known to man last year (our Mexican Fiesta!) and we didn’t want to roll groaning people out of our house on dollies after dinner this time. So we cleaned up the menu with the intention of cleaning up our innards and went with a Superfood theme.As soon as we chose this theme, I could not get the idea of caped super-veggies out of my mind. “Super Sweet Potato to the rescue!”A caped coconut, eye-masked eggplant, powerful pepper, brawny broccoli, and awesome almonds became the super centerpieces.I completely felt insane while dressing these veggies… having thoughts like “Oh, your cape needs a little more wind behind it!” and “Let’s just adjust that eye-mask a titch!” Then I thought to myself, that there are people who probably do this FOR REALS in a dark shed and talk to them like they are friends… It made me feel better to know that on the grand scheme of things, I am only tipping the crazy scale a touch in comparison.Stealing my mom’s trophy collection once again – since what’s more ‘super’ than a trophy? – the superheroes flew high above the tables ready to save our stomachs from processed food.Aren’t they cute? It was hard to disrobe them.Mimicking the pattern on the tablecloth (fabric from Ikea), I sewed triangular garlands to hang from the ceiling. The silver paper added such a big punch and kept it from looking too flat.
I’m no perfectionist, so the triangles were cut freehand and sewn up quickly. No real plan… I don’t think this stuff is worth fussing over too much! The impact is there and no one will notice your imperfect stitches!For place settings, we used black plates, black bamboo weapons, placed the napkin in a wine glass, printed out a menu, and popped a seating card in a brussels sprout. On the subject of place cards… do these give anyone else anxiety? I’ve never been a huge fan of them, though I LOVE how they look. I just could never decide if they are stuffy or cool. Mostly, I never want anyone to think “Oh GOD! Why did she put me next to that dishrag?” (not that I know any dishrags!) or “Oh she must like me best because she’s sitting next to me!” I’ve always been more free flow about seating… until this party.What we decided to do was wait until most of the people got there, then we played “Seating Roulette.” Note: This may only work with people who actually know/like each other – I wouldn’t try this with a mixed group right off the bat! In everyone’s presence, I turned all the place cards upside down, mixed them up, then walked around and put them into the brussels sprout. The only rule was that you couldn’t sit next to your other half. Everyone knew how random it was – which took the dishrag pressure off of me! – and I think it really mixed up the conversation in a fun way.It turned out to a be such a fun and delicious night! Look at all the food we devoured…And everyone left on foot! No wheelbarrows necessary!It really was “Super Yum!” But full disclosure here. The table really looked like this:We had to add an extra table since there are so many of us. Shhh! Let’s eat! Super Pepper signing off! Hope you all have a SUPER day! As always, thanks for reading!

Sneak Peek :: Bang!

Annika — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 16:59:20 +0000

We’ve got a “super” weekend lined up… though it’s not what you might expect! Full post on the party on Monday. For now, I am leaving you guessing with a black and white bang!