Inspiration Archives – Page 9 of 11

Spring Pamper Party

May 3, 2012 2 Comments A Well Crafted Party

Summer is coming right around the corner.

That means it is time to get ready for sandals, sundresses, tank tops, shorts, and bathing suits.

One of my favorite things to do in the spring is to gather together a bunch of my girl friends for a girls night in of pampering. Shape up the nails, soften the peds, do some facials or makeovers. Toss in some light snacks and fun cocktails and it is a party!

Some ideas for a Spring Pamper Party:

Drinks

Cucumber Water

Hot or iced Tea (green tea or maybe a flavored black tea)

Spring Cocktails

photo via Sam Rosen

Food

Cucumber Sandwiches (or other Tea Sandwiches)

Salad Bar

Fruit and Veggie Trays

Asparagus (the perfect spring veggie in my opinion)

Decor & Atmosphere

Fresh Flowers

Scented Candles

White Fluffy Towels

Soft, Calming Music

Activities

Manicures

Pedicures

Makeovers/Facials

Creating your own exfoliating scrubs & other beauty items

Favors

Soaps

Scrubs

Candles

Nail Polishes

Towels

Photo of Fragrant Sea Salt and Herb Bath Soaks via Blue Strawberry Scents

I think the that the secret to any good Spring party is to utilize the freshness of the season.

Use fresh herbs, tasty spring veggies, and seasonal flowers.

What is your favorite way to celebrate during the Spring months?

A Well Crafted Party

{Working on it Wednesday} Fall Themed Birthday Party

November 9, 2011 2 Comments A Well Crafted Party

Birthdays are my favorite excuse to throw a party.

My friend’s birthdays are my favorite birthdays to celebrate.

(Well, until my little guy’s first birthday… I’m sure.)

Alicia’s birthday cake from last year—Carrot Cake!

My friend Alicia has a birthday near the end of November which gives me the perfect excuse to have a Fall themed Dinner party in her honor. I’ve been brainstorming on the party for about a week now and I’m getting quite excited about it.

Table from Alicia’s birthday dinner 2 years ago.

I’ve decided to make the party a sort of challenge for me to help me keep it on budget and to inspire me to do some fun DIY projects for the blog.

The Details:

Guests: Approximately 16 Guests

Color Scheme: Browns and Blues inspired by this Inspiration Board from Creature Comforts

Inspiration Board Links: Burlap and Lace Poms from Jenny Cookies,Winter Tablescape from unknown via Pinterest (if you know please let me know so I can link), Color Inspiration Board from Creature Comforts, Clear Bottles as Candle Holders

I’d like to explore different textures and lighting for this party…

and of course have some delicious food!

Food Inspiration Board Links: Braised Beef Short Rib Pot Pies from Martha Stewart, Spinach with Garlic Chips from Pioneer Woman, Roasted Carrots from Pioneer Woman, Cake inspiration from Jenny Cookies

The Challenge Rules:

Decoration Budget: $25 (must use mostly items that I already own)

Food & Favor Budget: $100

As we are a foodie group each of the guests are bringing a bottle of wine and a dessert or appetizer.

So, my food and favor budget must cover the main course, 2 sides, 2 bottles of wine and favors for 16 people. Certainly a challenge, but totally doable!

Gift Budget: $0— Must be completely homemade from supplies I already own.

This would be slightly less possible if I didn’t already have something in mind and have an over abundance of supplies at the moment.

A Well Crafted Party

Real Party: Costumes &Cocktails Decorations

November 1, 2011 2 Comments A Well Crafted Party

I hope you all had a wonderful Halloween weekend!

We sure did. We had a party on Saturday, a lazy Sunday and then a walk with the little in costume and passing out candy on Monday. It was a fun first Halloween with our little guy.

I know most people are ready for all the Halloween posts to be over… but, I couldn’t wait til next year to post the review and pictures of our annual Halloween party. I’ll wait til next year to post tutorials for all the fun DIY projects in the party… but, for now I’ll post the party pictures!

Our theme this year was Costumes & Cocktails: a traditional creepy Halloween with black, white and orange color scheme; costume contest; and a full bar for fun cocktails.

The Decorations

One of the biggest focal points of the party was the giant spider wall and egg sacs.

It was certainly creepy!

I created the paper goods using free fonts from Dafont.Com* and Illustrator. I put the food labels inside sets of vampire fangs and painted the tips of the fangs red. I got the idea from the interwebs.* But, I reworked the tutorial to fit my needs and supplies.

(*See DIY information below for links)

We cleared out our TV cabinet and made it into a bar for the evening. The bar was topped with liquor, filled with mixers and garnishes and had a selection of glassware on the bottom level. Everything was covered in spider web! I also painted the doors of the cabinet with chalkboard paint and added some fun Halloween martini recipes in chalk.

Well, we didn’t grab pictures of the sheet covered furniture or some of the other small decorations that were throughout the party. The lighting was fun for a party, but terrible for blog photography! But, you get the idea. Check back later this week for a post on the creepy food and awesome costumes!

DIY information:

Martha Stewart Tutorial for Spider Egg Sacs

Martha Stewart Tutorial for Creepy Crepe Curtains

Katie Does Fang Placecard Holder Tutorial

Dafont.com fonts used: Moonlight Shadow by David Kerkhoff, KR Boo Lane by Kat’s Fun Fonts and Spider’s Club by Manfred Klein