Caroline's Pamper Party

"Thumbs up, Poppy!"

Let me begin by telling you-- we had so much planning this party!! Sweet little Caroline and her super-fun Mom (Julie) were the best clients to have as we kicked off our new business venture, Poppy Event Design.

The six-year-old sweetheart wanted a Pamper Party-- pink and yellow themed--complete with stations for hairstyling, manicures, makeup and (of course) candy-necklace-making. Couldn't you just SQUEAL with how fun and girly this was??? So ridiculously cute!

I have to tell you though- Julie was amazing. I dropped off a few of our creations on Saturday and by Sunday morning she had the lanterns hung, banner draped and all of the favors were plated or in jars.  If you ask me, she should be in this business, too! She has a great eye for design and one of the most fun people I know. Julie for Mayor!! ;-)

Mom and Birthday Girl (Julie & Caroline)

During the party, I actually overheard a little party guest say, "I don't ever want this party to end"-- I could have SQUEEZED her. The other part of me wanted her to repeat what she said, on camera, so I could use it as a testimonial! Either way-- I loved hearing it!

As the kids entered the party, they were given flip flops and eye masks-- which helped set the theme of the fun to come. Once inside, they went to the various "stations" to get pampered. In the meantime, the kids snacked on:

• Spa Smoothies
• Veggies and Ranch
• Fruit Parfait
• Gourmet Mac n' Cheese
• Pink Lemonade
• Chocolate covered Pretzel Rods

This was the first time I've been at a kids party where the parents drop them off vs a party where the parents oversee the kids-- and let me tell you-- Drop-off parties are SO much more work-- especially when you have 23 little party guests to entertain! With the help of some local teenage gals, a hands-on Mom and Poppy we pulled it off! In fact, just this morning, I received the sweetest voicemail from Julie, thanking us and saying, "I don't know what I was thinking-- believing I could have pulled this off without you."  What a HUGE compliment!

Jillian's darling creation! A cake JUST for the birthday girl!

To see our full album of the party: 

Click here to view these pictures larger

As the girls left the party, they did a brief pitstop at our Favor Bar, to fill their goody bags with girly goods: body splash, loofahs, lavender sugar scrub, rock candy, nail files, etc. A great time was had by all!

In other news, my house is a disaster area. Between all of the serveware, decor items and theme props-- I may as well invest in building a barn. No joke. I suppose the garage, storage room and kids play area will have to suffice for now. Keeps our operating expenses down, right?!

Must close for now-- just finished a meeting for an upcoming Holiday Party and I need to get crackin' on decor for our upcoming party! Next up, a very darling girl will be celebrating her 2nd birthday, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse style!  Here's a sneak peek at our cupcake toppers!

Available for purchase on Poppy's Etsy Shop!

Calling all Pixies and Pirates!

This past Saturday, we celebrated Ava's 3rd Birthday by throwing a Pirates and Pixies party. I came up with the gender-neutral theme because most of Ava's closest friends are boys-- which meant it couldn't be a girls-only party. Once I had the theme in mind, I got to work. I borrowed ideas from Pinterest, Catch my Party, and a handfull of other party planning websites. And if you know me, you know I like to go a little overboard when it comes to my kids' birthdays.

So rather than bore you with the details, I'll show you the pictures and offer up the links where I found the original inspiration. I'll also share the recipes we snacked on. Here goes nothing!

The Fairy Table

Pixie Dust Mix

Fairy Cake! Inspiration found online here.

Butterfly Sandwiches (PBJ's cut out with butterfly cookie cutter)

Cutesy Caterpillars! These were a hit with the kids! Recipe here.

Fairy Toadstools

Sandwich Snails

The Pirate Table (this shot was taken before all the food was brought out)

Pirate Cake-- inspired by a cupcake

Matey Mallows

Buccaneer Boats

Catch of the Day

Other food not pictured: 

Cannonballs (meatballs)

Pirate Fingers (pigs in a blanket)

Pirate Gold (cheese cubes)

Enough about the food though. Aren't you just dying to know what the kids were up to??? I gave each pirate or pixie the necessary items to transform themselves into their character of choice. Each girl was given wings, a tutu and a fairy wand (ordered from Halo Heaven) and the boys were given a hook (DIY: red solo cup with aluminum foil shaped hook), pirate eye patch, bandana and mini scope. These were also their party favors... but instead of handing them out at the end of the party, I gave them to the kids at the beginning so they could play in them while at the party.

Getting some of the boys decked out in their pirate garb.

Favor station: Fairy outfits and pirate gear

Now that we've got them dressed, onto the activities!

The kids loved it! Paint, stickers, glitter... it was a (washable) MESS!

And you can't forget about the Tattoo Parrrrrlor!

The (dirty and very sweaty) birthday girl, helping YaYa with her tattoo

And of course I just had to build a pirate ship! I (yes, I am actually going to admit it) did my first ever (and hopefully last) dumpster dive. I needed a refrigerator box and ya know what...? I got one! A few cuts and a few cans of spray paint and it came to life. It wasn't anything fancy, but if you're a mere 36" it was pretty cool. I even made a plank that the little ones could walk. 

And no party is complete without a giant bounce house!

When your kid asks you to bounce-- you bounce.

When the kiddos were good and worn out, we wished the birthday girl a very happy birthday!

And here are just a few more shots from the day that I wanted to share. It was a fantastic day and a super fun party. Thanks to all who could come!

Sweet Jill! The kids' babysitter and my super-party-helper!

Making the pirate hooks

Pierre (the pirate pinata). We forgot about him until the very end of the party. I'm keeping him around for a day that I need to relieve some frustration.

My fabulous Mom made this birthday crown. 

I think they thought there was buried treasure in the sand box. 

And to my two very special helpers, Jillian and Mom-- I couldn't have pulled it off without you! THANK YOU! 

Jillian- hard at work on making all of those cute cakes!