Love is in the Details.

Birthday: Bunny Fun!

2011-04-25T20:50:00.000-07:00

Birthday: Fashion Dress-Up

2011-04-25T20:39:00.000-07:00

Dolce Drive Barbie Glam!

2010-09-23T17:12:00.000-07:00

Hi there! I just KNOW I've missed sharing some awesome parties that I've seen floating around the party websites. But finally have a little break so I must share this detailed dream! Andrea at Dolce Drive styled this fabulous, gorgeous, delicious, every-little-girly-girl's dream birthday party! You've already seen her dreamy work on the vintage baby shower. Now you gotta see this!!

The glam room!

Pink jelly beans inside dazzling bejeweled boxes!

Jeweled hair pins and pink rose hair barettes!

Hair barettes as favors!

Glamorous candy!

Dainty delicious cake!

Fab favor bags!

Join Andrea's facebook page here: Dolce Drive on Facebook!

Kiddie Soiree

2010-08-22T13:35:00.000-07:00

Hot pink. Zebra print. Need I say more?! If you need a party planned in the Washington DC Metropolitan area, then call Kiddie Soiree! You'll get an awesome party design full of hot details like this Pink Divalishous birthday bash. Or if you're just a wanna-be like me, then be inspired by the bling for your own sassy soiree!Check it out!

Become a facebook fan of Kiddie Soiree here!

Paper and Pigtails

2010-08-20T08:55:00.000-07:00

Designer Kori Clark at Paper and Pigtails styled a scrumptious TURTLE themed party for her daughter's birthday. I love it so much not just because of its utterly complete cuteness, but of course because, the turtle them is so close to my own heart. My son's birthday party was turtle themed and I spent almost a year just hopping up and down whenever I found anything worthy of being part of his Totally Turtle party. But enough about me...you must see Kori's deliciously darling Preppy Turtle Party! AHH...did I mention I love it?!!

You must see the rest of the delightful Preppy Turtle party photos over at Paper and Pigtails!

Weddings: Pakistani

2010-08-18T13:08:00.000-07:00

Weddings offer a chance to celebrate details fit for royalty. And there's nothing more regal than a big Pakistani wedding with its drama, sparkle, and bold colors!

The bride is wearing an off-white gown with gold and white details. Notice the contrast with the lush red roses and jewels. Stunning!

The Muslim holy book, the Quran sits in front of the bride. Verses from the Quran are read during the ceremony and the book is always present in Islamic wedding ceremonies. Also, notice the rose petals, lovely wooden box, floating candle, and various detailed fabrics which add to the entire sumptuous look.

Gorgeous wedding cake! Notice the grand cake stand and letter cake toppers, the intials of the bride and groom.

Luscious flowers, luminous stones, and velvety fabric detail the cake table.

The use of draping fabrics are a major part of the Pakistani wedding decor.

Talk about over-the-top! The use of the pineapple punch bowl was a choice for this particular wedding designer.

Drama!

Elegance!

Light!

Lovely pen for the guest book.

Sparkle!

At a different ceremony, guests wear colors from black to red, creating a feast for the eyes on this happy day!

Weddings: Pakistani preview

2010-08-11T16:58:00.000-07:00

Here's a delightful snippet from my upcoming post on Pakistani weddings. This scrumptious spread originates in Iran and is used in the foreground as the bride and groom sign the marriage contract (a.k.a. wedding vows).

The ceremony takes place in a specially decorated room with flowers and a beautiful and elaborately decorated spread on the floor called "Sofreh-ye Aghd". Traditionally Sofreh-ye Aghd is set on the floor facing east, the direction of sunrise (light). Consequently when bride and bridegroom are seated at the head of Sofreh-ye Aghd they will be facing "The Light."

Check back soon for more!

Baby Shower: Sophisticated Stripes!

2010-08-09T14:55:00.000-07:00

I'm starting to like baby showers as much as birthday parties! Nancy at A to Zebra Celebrations designed this zebra themed baby shower. It's so sophisticated with its classic colors of baby blue and chocolate brown and details such as the intricate baby carriage as much as it is so playful with the zebra stripes and polka dots on everything from the ribbons to the cupcakes! Check out more of the photos on her blog and/or on her Facebook fan page! Or to get your own fabulous piece of the party pie, visit her Etsy shop!

Give a Little Love

2010-08-08T22:20:00.000-07:00

These gifts were for a little girl named Violet (and a lil' somthin for her sister, Mad), who is as sweet as a cupcake. Everything was purchased at Le Tarjeh (AKA: Super Target!)

Baby Shower: Delish Dolce Drive

2010-08-05T16:47:00.000-07:00

Here's a DELICIOUS feast for the eyes! A co-ed baby shower by professional party planner Andrea Fraga at Dolce Drive (join her fanpage on Facebook). The lovely details sing for themselves. Here's a tip: view these pictures at bedtime, and as you close your eyes you'll drift off into spectacularly sweet sparkling dreams...

Oh, so many royal details. I'm just in love with it all...

And here's the fun part! I love this idea for photo props:

Thank you to Andrea, at Dolce Drive !

And congratulations to the stylish parents-to-be on the upcoming

arrival of your sweetie-pie bundle of love!

And the winner is...

2010-08-02T22:52:00.000-07:00

Me! I'm so excited that I won the GiveAway on Susan's Entertain Exchange blog. Check it out! I'm looking forward to shopping Nancy's A to Zebra Celebrations' ETSY shop to select a few of her totally cute products! Yay!

Baby Shower: Pretty Penguins!

2010-07-27T22:11:00.000-07:00

My cousin gave her sister-in-law the cutest baby shower! I love the penguin theme and the savory colors, don't you?!

So sweet!

A to Zebra Celebrations!

2010-07-26T18:30:00.000-07:00

I really want to thank Nancy at A to Zebra Celebrations for taking the time and being kind enough to feature pictures from my son's 1st birthday Turtle Party on her blog today! I'm honored that a professional like her would do that. It really inspires me to want to party on!!! Can't wait until winter for my daughters' next parties. Until then, click here to go to Entertain Exchange and find out how to win a $40 gift certificate for use at Nancy's adorable Etsy shop--I just did!

Darling Details!

2010-07-15T21:15:00.000-07:00

Can't have a turtle party without a totally turtle cake!

(I didn't really like the idea of a turtle-shaped cake, so went with this).

Chewy cherry sours (and candy coated peanuts to the left).

Kids enjoying the candy table!

Kids testing out the spinning pinwheel cupcake toppers! (Eat at your own risk! Ha!)

CLICK ON Read More below to see more pictures!!

Top of one of the candy jars

Handmade (by me) Labels.

The zebra cake! (Having 2 cakes never hurt anyone! Ha!).

Part of the centerpiece displays.

Adorable turtle keychain tied with a red ribbon around a small jar of lemon heads.

Handpainted wooden turtles displayed across the oh-so-cute tablecloth.

Did someone say turtles? We had a few turtle friends there too, like this darling lil' girrafe.

We had a blast!

All of these gorgeous photos (except for the collage) were taken by my awesome friend, Amber.

If you just can't get enough of these addicting turtle pics, click HERE and make your way back up.

Happy 1st Birthday to my blessed baby boy!

More Details from the Turtle Party...

2010-07-15T20:23:00.000-07:00

CLICK ON Read More below to see more pictures!!

All of these gorgeous shots were taken by my awesome friend, Amber.

For the original post on the turtle party, click HERE.

Whimsy Party!

2010-07-15T14:48:00.000-07:00

My awesome friend, Amber, gave her 4 year old daughter a "Whimsy Party," something very unique and memorable for the guests as well as her daughter, I'm sure. The invitation asked the guests to bring something to hang on a whimsy tree instead of traditional birthday gifts; the invite also included a definition of whimsical (to give the guests a nudge in the right direction): 1. spontaneously fanciful or playful 2. given to whims; capricious 3. quaint, unusual, or fantastic.

So we brought a couple of shiny beaded necklaces and a couple of silver bookmarks shaped into the words "Dream" and "Awesome." The bookmarks came with small little chains that made them perfect for hanging on a tree limb. Other guests brought items such as ribbons, ornaments, and even feathers, and all the children got a chance to hang items onto the tree along with the birthday girl. What a fantastic way to celebrate!

Birthday Party Joy!

2010-07-12T23:35:00.000-07:00

My darling daughters having a blast at various birthday parties...

Ooh La La!

2010-07-09T21:13:00.000-07:00

I found this adorable french poodle motif dress size 2T at a small shop at my local mall (the name of the store escapes me at the moment), but the tag on the dress says Rare Editions. I thought to myself, who can I buy this for? I was happy to remember that my cousin's daughter's first birthday is coming soon and figured size 2T was a safe fit for later anyhow. I knew I wanted a birthday card to match--so I went straight to Etsy of course! I found the perfect poodle card at Amy's shop, Scrap Your Story. And she was kind enough to make me a custom, "Happy 1st Birthday" card. And the price was very reasonable! Can't wait to ship this lovely gift off in the mail, and double can't wait to find out if the birthday girl likes it!

Baby Buy!

2010-07-03T11:20:00.000-07:00

My cousin registered for her baby at buybuybaby.com. I bought her a bath gift set and since most of her items were already purchased, I browsed the site to find a keepsake for her. I found these adorable Garden Friends trinkets, one is a bank, one is for baby's first curl, and one is for baby's first tooth. And of course, the turtle is my favorite, which worked out perfect since she is having a boy!

HABA Rolling Wooden Turtles

2010-07-01T18:04:00.000-07:00

These adorable turtles were part of the inspiration for the turtle party's colors of red, blue, and yellow. I just love these wooden toys, and they will be a treasured keepsake for my son. You can purchase them here.

TurtlePalooza!

2010-06-30T19:17:00.000-07:00

My son in his cute turtle shirt from Macys.com.

Turtle cake from my local shop, Creative Memories.

The candy table. See the brown bags on the right, stamped with a turtle stamp and a red ribbon tied to add a punch of color, used as take home candy bags! (Get a better view of the bags under my previous TOTALLY TURTLE post).

Zebra cake from my local Albertson's bakery.

Notice the wooden turtles along the bottom of the table. Purchased from the Dollar Tree ($1.00 each!) and hand-painted by my daughters and I.

Favors for the babies who attended the party (again from my local Dollar Tree). I just added some shredded paper for color and tied in clear bags.

Handmade turtle card from the dollar bin at Target. An old giraffe frame I've had, added an "M" sticker and a red ribbon.

Notice the tiny turtle cupcake toppers from The Birthday House at Etsy.com!

The favors table, and photographs of my son in and on turtle gear!

The favor bags for the older children. I wanted to use clear bags to show the awesome turtle items that I purchased from TurtleMax.com! The kids couldn't wait to get their own bag!

Water bottle labels I made. I simply stamped a turtle onto some blue paper, slipped the paper into some page protectors, cut and taped into place.

Personalized birthday banner from BirthdayinaBox.com!

Totally Turtle!

2010-06-30T19:06:00.001-07:00

ETSY to the Rescue!

2010-06-30T17:22:00.000-07:00

If you love purchasing unique, handmade products with a personal touch and friendly one on one service, you will FALL IN LOVE with ETSY.com!! Here are a few of the products I purchased for my son's birthday party...ENJOY!

Set of 12 personalized cupcake wrappers by OnCupcakeMoon (click name)!

Handmade Turtle birthday card by Scrappin Ashley (click name)!

More ETSY to Love!

2010-06-30T17:14:00.000-07:00

Turtle Birthday cake topper by PassionArte (click name)!

Turtle cake topper by CRLCreations (click name)!

Mini Polymer Clay Turtle Birthday Figurine by Buttonwilloe (click name)!

it's ETSY, baby!!

2010-06-30T17:03:00.000-07:00

Baby Turtle Sticker Labels (I used these to stick on these perfectly sized magnets that I found around the house, see my PREVIEW post for the pics) by Ladybug Labels (click on the name)!

Personalized turtle stickers (I used these as labels for the candy jars)from My Duck Duck Goose (click on the name)!

Tiny turtle cupcake toppers (I used these on the red, blue, and yellow cupcakes that lined the candy table), by THE BIRTHDAY HOUSE (click on the name to go to the link).

Chocolate Covered Cookies 'n Cream Cheese Recipe

2010-06-30T16:57:00.000-07:00

Here's the recipe I followed for the Chocolate Cookie Cream Cheese Balls, click HERE. I used Dollar Tree cookies so my measurements were a bit off since they came in 13 oz. packages instead of the 8 oz. Oreo packages. This must have been the reason I had to keep adding cream cheese to make the cookie crumbs stick together. Also, I couldn't get the cream cheese to mix well with the cookies in the first place, so I just used my hands (cleaned and GERM-Xed, of course!!) instead of the hand mixer. Not sure how other people do it. Still, they turned out YUMMY Yum Yum. I'm sure I'll make them again, this time with a bit more time on my hands! In this picture here, you can see that I dumped a small bag of Cherry Sour Candy to add some color (and also because it was the only place I could find to put the candy since I was running around like a madwoman that day ;-)

Oh, how it irks me that the tag on the tray is visible! Meant to remove it of course...

I also whipped up a pasta dish made with "turtle shells," mixed with a bit of white Alfredo sauce and seasoned tomatoes.

And although there is no picture available, I also made "cotton candy cones," which were simply cotton candy stuffed inside both waffle and cake cones. It was like sweet ice cream without the mess!

And we also had chocolate TURTLES, a wrapped piece of chocolate with nuts and caramel. Yummy.

Turtle Madness!

2010-06-28T14:23:00.000-07:00

My son's turtle party has come and gone! Wow, I got so many sweet and positive comments on the party's decor! They warmed my heart and made me feel like, hey, I accomplished something!

However, please allow me to vent some of my frustrations with the event, since my vision for the party was not fully realized. The combo of 3 kids age 5 and under who go to bed way too late, lack of time and energy, and the fact that the party was at a venue other than home which only allowed a prep time of 1 hour, made me just have to throw it all together. I had planned to pack all the stuff in an organized manner to have the tables set just right. But no, I just threw it all in the cars.

Plus this was the first time I actually prepared some food for a party. I made 24 cupcakes, some cookies, a (turtle) shell pasta with white sauce and seasoned tomatoes, and chocolate covered cookies and cream cheese balls! It took a lot more time than I knew it would especially considering I had 3 little kids underfoot!

And there was lots of stuff I left at home on purpose, realizing at the last minute it was all too much, too heavy for my family to have to carry in such as 4 heavy white platters, 2 cake stands, the turtle children's books, and a few other things. I also forgot to use the adorable turtle cupcake wrappers that I bought from Etsy! I could put one in his scrapbook, maybe another in a frame, but what about the other 10? Too bad I had "Happy 1st Birthday," instead of just "Happy Birthday," in which case they could be used again. Maybe I could use them as part of the Thank You cards? We'll see.

And then there were the 6 table clothes I bought which were too small (I had planned to open the packages beforehand, but didn't) so my husband went to 2 different stores to find the right ones. And then there was the table skirt that went unused, and the 3 flag banners I made, and the several food labels that I had no time to place! And then the lady who monitors the hall told us we could not put up any of our balloons if we wanted the ceiling fans on which we did since it is summer! That's a new rule since I've used that hall several times before and we were able to use our balloons!

Despite all my complaints, I know it was still a success thankfully! One of my favorite parts of the day was visiting with a couple of my long-time friends after many years! A wealth of friendship given to us and love in every curled ribbon given right back!

P.S. Instead of the sea-turtle printed shirt I bought from Gymboree, my son wore this oh so adorable shirt from Macy's, click here. I think I bought at least four different turtle outfits before I found this perfect one! And what a deal for just $7.00 plus tax and shipping. Love it!

More pictures coming soon...

Preview

2010-06-23T14:41:00.001-07:00

The invitations, Thank You favor cards with lollipops attached inside, and decor for the "pastel table" (the main colors are primary red, yellow, and blue).

Turtle Tops

2010-06-12T13:57:00.000-07:00

Thanks to a tip from a friend, I shopped gymboree.com today and found great deals on these shirts for the turtle-theme party! I got 2 of the girl design, and 1 of the boy design for only $25.00! Best part is, the boy's shirts matches the turtle shoes I already have for my son. Ahh. Love a good deal, don't you?

I can't wait to see how all my random turtle madness shopping comes together!

Turtle Time continued!

2010-06-11T21:51:00.001-07:00

Here's a preview of the oh so cute turtle-themed birthday party I plan to have for my son's 1st.

Most of the favor bag items are from turtlemax.com. The patterned plates are from Target. The turtle/croc cups and turtle/giraffe plates are from birthdayinabox.com. Several items are from amazon.com and others are from various "Dollar stores," and Ross Department store. Oh, and how could I almost forget my most favorite e-shop, Etsy.com ! (more preview items coming soon...)

Turtle Time!

2010-06-11T21:46:00.000-07:00

Here's a preview of the oh so cute turtle-themed birthday party I plan to have for my son's 1st.

It's a Wrap!

2010-05-31T16:05:00.000-07:00

When I get the chance, I prefer wrapping gifts in boxes instead of putting them in gift bags. And I've started taping the birthday card face up on the box, why hide it in the envelope when it's so darn cute ?! If I know the theme of the party, I usually try to find cards and wrap in the theme--but I'm short on time with 3 kids under foot, so I go with what I can find and what I got so it's not always matchy match, but hopefully I'll collect enough paper to find a match eventually...

And I prefer tying a bow using ribbon, but I've got to get rid of all these pre-made bows from the time I bought one bag, filled with a bazillion...And some are not so bad, with muted colors and patterns.

When I found out one of the party birthday girls was having a Hannah Montana theme, I was glad to find this Hannah Montana hat box, which we filled with girly gifts!

Butterfly Garden

2010-05-27T19:07:00.000-07:00

For their 4th and 5th birthdays, we held a butterfly garden party. The pictures speak for themselves in terms of the details (some well-thought-out, others just last minute). I did not get to take pictures of everything though. We had pink favor bags with printed butterflies, inside were a butterfly shaped frame, framed butterfly picture, candy necklaces, wooden shaped butterflies that the girls painted upon which I wrote the guests names. There were also some decorations I forgot to take pictures of such as purple felt butterflies that my daughters decorated with paint and adhesive felt insect shapes and cute cut outs of butterflies on the back windows and wall. There were also a few wind socks with phrases such as "Welcome to my Garden," and "Welcome Friends." And of course, a sun-shaped pinata to shine a light on it all. I also bought petal headbands for all the girls to wear, but none of them wanted one! So as you see in the picture, I wore one for myself...

Charlie and Lola is my Favorite and my Best!

2010-05-27T11:30:00.001-07:00

For their 3.5 and 2.5 birthdays, my daughters dressed up like Lola does in the book, "This is Actually my Party," by Lauren Child. I bought a party package from birthdayexpress.com, and added details from the Charlie and Lola series such as serving pink milk with curly straws. I also bought and added "little tiny dancers," for the cupcakes like Lola does in the TV episode. I also made a cake to look like the one in the book, using colored copied print outs from the book to illustrate the party details.

aDORAble

2010-05-26T21:42:00.000-07:00

My second child's 1st birthday bash. Dora the Explorer as the main theme with some other (mis-matched) sweet baby details. There was a table with framed pictures of my daughter and her 1st year scrapbook. There was a kid zone with toys for the children.

Purple Beginnings

2010-05-26T20:12:00.000-07:00

My FIRST child's FIRST birthday party. It was a generic-buy-the-party-package theme, but I tried to have us all dressed in some sort of purple to match my daughter's darling lavender outfit. The centerpieces were original (and cheap!): baby bottles filled with candy and decorated with ribbon and a small balloon. The favors were also decorated baby bottles filled with candy. I was pregnant with our second child at the time, so we included a "God Bless Our Baby" cake. I decorated a plastic tube with purple tissue, silver ribbon, and a Welcome Baby sign. The party was in a huge hall so we had a small kid zone with toys and play mat.