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AJohnson7

Annaliese Johnson is an organize-aholic, land-locked beach lover, glue gun wielding craft junky with a sweet tooth. She loves color, hosting parties, is a home design show addict, lives by the motto “I could spray paint that”, and is always looking for her next project.

She started out in the corporate world, however never felt content being confined to her little cubicle in the corner. She yearned for an atmosphere that catered to her neat-nick abilities and fostered her creative nature. After several years of planning baby showers, birthday parties and get-togethers for friends and family, she is ecstatic to have a party boutique to call her own. Her love of color, pretty girly things, glitter, and creativity help transform every day occasions into the best day ever.

When she’s not crafting or planning parties, you can find her spending time with her firefighter husband, son (yes, she’s a boy mom if you can believe it!), and three dogs.

Boo-tiful Halloween Ball

We celebrated Halloween with a Boo-tiful Ball ghouls night out that was both fun and fab-boo-lous! Our space was decorated in a lavender, gray, black and white color palette, and the girly ghost printables designed by Jen T by Design were the perfect ghoulish touch. Our backdrop was adorned with a boo-tiful balloon arch, and mylar “boo” balloons received a make-over with a little bit of lavender spray paint; splatter paint helped transform them even further. Our chairs received a facelift with DIY ghost chair covers, which were created from white felt, and adorned with purple bows – they had to be girly after all!
The little ghouls arrived in their costumes, then after a quick pizza dinner, set about crafting the night away. They painted a wooden pumpkin from Oriental Trading, then decorated a glittery mask. Once they were finished with their crafts, they had their nails polished and received a glittery up-do. We danced to the Monster Mash and Thriller until we couldn’t dance anymore, then all the ghouls strutted their stuff down the runway in our Sugar and Spice fashion show. We rounded out the night with a (not so) scary movie with popcorn balls. Before the ghouls left for the evening, they visited our trick or treat station and filled their bags with both candy and non-candy treats. They especially loved the spider rings and hair ties from Plum Polka Dot!
 
We had such a ball with all the boo-tiful ghouls and can’t wait to celebrate with them again this year!
 

She’s A Gem Party

This summer we hosted a gems and jewels party during our that was chock full of shiny baubles and girly fun! We made necklaces, bracelets and rings, not to mention had fabulous mini makeovers. It’s so nice to get to enjoy a girly day now and then, and this day celebrating with beautiful baubles and lots of giggles was just what this boy mom needed!
Our color palette of silver and pastels added a dreamy feel to our party space, and the balloon arch packed a big punch. Our little chairs, the large diamond shaped centerpiece from Home Goods and diamond shaped candle holders from Hobby Lobby received a little silver paint. There’s absolutely no shame in my spray paint game!
The table received a healthy sprinkling of custom made Festive Fetti confetti, which also filled diamond shaped boxes which the girls received as a party favor. Gem themed tattoos were added to each one for a little extra flair. The adorable diamond ring shaped plates (found at Home Goods) were a perfect fit for our theme, and the place cards and straw flags designed by Jen T. by Design rounded out each place setting nicely.
Guests used pastel pony bead bracelets from Oriental Trading, to create the cutest arm candy, complete with heart shaped beads and a sweet silver charm.
Store bought cupcakes were transformed into works of art thanks to the pastel diamond mix of sprinklefetti from The Baker’s Party Shop. The light as a feather pink cookies also received a little sprinklefetti love. The rock candy was painted with metallic light silver edible paint, and looked oh so chic in a jar of sprinklefetti!
The cake and candies from Confection Deception will make you do a double take. Not only are they gorgeous, but they are FAUX real! Alyson’s creations are the perfect addition to any party where you want the look of a big fancy cake, but don’t want the calories that come along with it!

Girly Oktoberfest Fall Fete

Dachshunds and Oktoberfest go hand in hand in my book, so to celebrate the German fall festival we decided to have a weenie-fete! Their adorably long awkward bodies with their long floppy ears, and chunky paws just make me smile! So, dust off your lederhosen, shimmy into your dirndl, because this party is looooooong on fun!
In addition to the traditional Oktoberfest colors of light blue and white, we added in a pops pink and yellow. If you’ve ever watched the Sound of Music, you’re sure to know the song Edelweiss, which is a flower found in the Bavarian Alps (where you’ll find Munich, the home of the original Oktoberfest). We added little hints of edelweiss throughout the party décor with additions to our straws, utensils, bottle wrappers, and the backs of our adorable little chairs.
The cute wooden dachshund cutouts were found on Etsy, and were stained a rich brown, then flower “crowns” were added to each. The littles even made their own “Edelweiss” flower head crowns to match. The guests loved piling on the flowers!
Each guest also painted her own dachshund to take home. The dachshund shapes were traced onto a canvas, and the girls added their own unique and cute personal touches to them!
Our sweets table was laden with ladyfingers dipped in melted chocolate, which are long and kinda remind me of the doxie’s bodies! We also served chocolate dipped pretzels and yummy doxie topped cupcakes. There were also plenty of yummy marshmallow treats to go around as well.
After several rounds of the “Chicken Dance”, getting dolled up and having a fashion show, we rounded out the evening with a movie and candied popcorn, which was served in the cutest cones crafted from paper that Jen T designed. I absolutely love when a theme can be tied together from start to finish!
Danke schön for taking a peek into our fun night! Hope you enjoyed our fall fete, and perhaps found a little inspiration to create your own girly Oktoberfest-themed party!

Stay Golden St. Patrick’s Day Party

Stay Golden!
I’m so excited to share our “Stay Golden” St. Patrick’s Day party with you! Have you ever heard the song “Make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver, the other’s gold”? It’s an old song I learned in Girl Scouts years ago, and was the jumping off point for our theme this year. I think the premise suits our GNO’s perfectly since the littles that join us are always making new friends. And as you know, good friends are definitely pure gold!
 
After choosing our theme, I knew I had to have these gold letter balloons from Northstar Balloons to spell out “Stay Golden” for our backdrop. I fringe-cut tissue paper in small sections, and taped it directly to the wall, trimming the top in hot pink festooning for a little pop of color. Pretty smitten with the outcome.
 
I found the vintage bar cart at a local flea market, and after a little elbow grease, she was returned to all her glory.
 
We kept the desserts simple and will serve cupcakes topped with St. Pat’s inspired candy bark, and gorgeous shamrock cookies. Can you even with the gold glitter on the back side of the cookies?! Yep – they are double-sided cookies! Say Anything Bakery really outdid herself!
 
To add a little extra shimmer to our “Pots ‘o Gold” caramel popcorn, I added a bit of gold disco dust. Love how they look in the little pots from Oriental Trading and the “Lucky” tags designed by Jen T. by Design.
 
The Rolos, Sixlets, and Hershey’s Kisses were the perfect additions to our mini candy bar.
 
The pink and green “tree” table centerpieces were created by Bethany of Sweet Georgia Sweet and coordinated perfectly with the other décor items.
 
In between the trees was a whimsical “pot of gold” using mini golden balloon as the gold coins, and more shamrock cookies.
 
Aren’t these shamrock wands the cutest?! They’re actually wooden shamrock ornaments painted gold, and then attached to ribbon wands, which we painted hot pink! The littles will add mini pom poms to them in any color they’d like (although I just used pink for the samples to match our theme).
 
My friend’s sweet daughter was the perfect model for the day with her Irish bloodline and red hair! If the littles who attend our GNO next weekend have half as much fun as she did, then the night will be a big hit!
 
Here’s a little more eye candy for ya! Hope you have a Happy St. Patrick’s Day, and don’t forget, Stay Golden Friends!
 
xo…
 
Credits:
Party Styling: Made of Sugar and Spice
Photography: Moments by Maredith
https://www.momentsbymaredith.com/
Graphic Design: Jen T. By Design
https://www.jentbydesign.com
 
Cookies: @SayAnythingBakery
https://www.instagram.com/sayanythingbakery/
Table Centerpieces: Sweet Georgia Sweet
https://www.etsy.com/shop/SweetGeorgiaSweet?section_id=13751048
Wooden Shamrock Ornaments, Green Ribbon Wands, Black Candy Buckets, Apothecary Glass Jar Set: Oriental Trading
http://www.orientaltrading.com/holidays/st–patricks-day-a1-550659.fltr?cm_re=Version_A-_-Zone1_panel2-_-link
Stay Golden Balloons: Northstar Balloons
http://www.northstarballoons.com/
 
Tissue Paper: Paper Mart
http://www.papermart.com/premium-colored-tissue-paper/id=7827#7827

Mint to Be Friends Galentine’s Party

Each month our little party boutique hosts a girl’s night out, which in all actuality, is designed to give parents an opportunity to enjoy a night out in our quaint downtown area. Not surprisingly, our annual Galentine’s gala the weekend of Valentine’s Day is one of our most popular events, second only to our Halloween GNO. What’s not to love about a night full of crafts, dress-up and having mini makeovers with your BFFs?!
Being one who absolutely loves puns, this year’s theme is “Mint” to be Best Friends Forever. I was going for a glam shabby chic feeling, and finding the mint green sequin tablecloth provided the perfect bit of wow to get the decorations started. I also have a collection of vintage doors and windows, all of which have a slight minty-aqua color to them, so adding them was a no brainer. Our old school chairs received a little makeover with a bit of a gold spray paint, and paired beautifully with the table setting. A little bit of bunting added to the backs of the chairs gave them a hint of whimsy.
Since this is an event for little girls, I opted for paper plates, and was smitten with the elegant shape of the chevron plates from Oriental Trading. The ombre pink napkins perfectly matched the scrapbook paper, which was used as placemats, as well as for the paper rosettes used throughout the décor.
Guests will sip sparkling raspberry lemonade from cute French milk bottles, which are dressed up with hearts and glittery arrows. Place cards used to designate the seating will also double as tags for the bags we’ll place each girl’s crafts in at the end of the night. We couldn’t resist adding a bit of glitter to the wooden cutlery, which also received glittery golden arrows – because even disposable cutlery deserves a little sparkly moment!
DIY paper mache heart boxes, also from Oriental Trading, were painted to match the theme, and filled with Hershey’s Hugs candies, then tied with bakers twine and adorned with a mini golden arrow.
The centerpieces were mini heart balloons clustered in vases with arrows, along with boxes filled with peonies, hearts and arrows. Although I love real flowers as much as the next gal, I am sadly horribly allergic, so these faux flowers are my trusty go-tos. The added bonus is that I’ll be able to reuse the same centerpieces the night of the actual GNO, and not have to purchase more! #winwin
Desserts for the big night will consist of white chocolate cupcakes with strawberry icing, strawberry cookies, strawberry shortcake custard, and bags of strawberry and vanilla popcorn – can you sense a theme here?! To mix things up a bit we’ll also have powdered sugar donut holes, and you can’t have a Galentine’s night without conversation heart candies! The gorgeous cookies are all hand-painted by my talented friend Mel of Say Anything Bakery.
Each girl will also receive a plastic heart ornament with a cute game of tic-tac-toe inside, complete with M&M candy playing pieces.
Our Galentine’s night would not be complete without taking a ton of selfies with besties, so having a photo booth, complete with fun props, is a must! We layered simple crepe paper streamers in our theme’s colors of pinks, gold, mint and white, added a few rosettes to the top, and a fun Hooray pennant.
The absolute showstopper of the entire décor has got to be the ginormous BFF balloons hanging on the wall! Each was spray painted after inflating, and then received heart-shaped stickers and either streamers or tassels. I am positively obsessed with how they turned out, and wish they would last forever…kinda like the friendships which are forged in our childhood! I cannot wait for the littles to arrive and celebrate with us!
Credits:
Party Styling: Annaliese Johnson, Made of Sugar and Spice Parties
Graphic Design: Jen T. by Design
http://jentbydesign.com/
Cookies: Say Anything Bakery
https://www.instagram.com/sayanythingbakery/
 
Heart Boxes, Wooden Heart Ornaments, Plastic Heart Ornaments, Hershey’s Hugs, Plates: Oriental Trading
http://www.orientaltrading.com/holidays/valentines-day-a1-550626.fltr?categoryFromSearch=true&rd=valentines
Balloons: Northstar Balloons via Oriental Trading

Magical Unicorn Party

Always Be Yourself……unless you can be a unicorn, then always be a unicorn! I don’t know about you, but I can’t think of anything more magical than unicorns! They very thought of them evokes rainbows and glitter and awe. My bedroom as a tween was riddled with all things unicorn, and of course Lisa Frank! I couldn’t get enough – and now that I’m a party stylist for little girls’ events, I’m kicking myself for not saving all the unicorn trinkets I collected over the years! This past summer we hosted a Princess Camp and I knew immediately that one of the weeks most definitely HAD to have unicorn themed décor!
Having tackled my first balloon arch during our first session of Under the Sea Camp, I was eager to take on another. I definitely wouldn’t say that I have mastered them quite yet – I can’t seem to decide which method I like best – but I’ll keep trying because they pack such a big punch! I typically string them all together using fishing line, then tie them to a pole that hangs on the wall. Once I have it secure, I go back in and add smaller ones to fill in the holes, attaching with a low-temp glue gun.
I’m actually allergic to latex, so minimal handling of the balloons is key for me. My amazingly supportive husband inflates them for me using a pump from Walmart to preserve his lungs. I had WAY more than enough, so I figured why not make one for a centerpiece as well? Adding the polyfil “clouds” and silver stars added the perfect extra touch don’t you think?
We channeled our inner artists and created some magical crafts. Our first was painted and bejeweled jewelry boxes from Oriental Trading, and then we had fun adding jewels and flowers to unicorn headbands (an obvious choice for a unicorn themed day don’t ya think?!). I used a combination of tutorials from both Tikkido and Jen T. by Design.
The littles snacked on yummy “magical unicorn poop” made by Say Anything Bakery, and cotton candy cookies and mini cupcakes from Target. Having store-bought treats was a real time saver, and they perfectly matched our theme’s colors.
I’m positively smitten with the way the mini unicorn piñatas turned out! The Target Spritz line has the cutest mini donkey piñatas, so I gave them a few coats of spray paint, added a glittery horn, DIY tissue festooning (following this tutorial), and a cute star rainbow and voila – mini unicorns!
The star plates were a Dollar Tree find and couldn’t have been more perfect for the theme.
The napkin rings were actually mini unicorn clothespins from World Market. They were originally white with traditional rainbow tails, but I gave them a little makeover to better fit our overall look.
My sweet friend Alex of Absolutely Alexandria created the magical unicorn printables and they coordinated perfectly.
Our cardboard unicorn head received a little makeover with silver spray paint and glitter, of course, and I added some flowers to make her a little more fancy.
And because I love unicorns so much, I created a bonus alternate dessert table backdrop…As much as I was wanting to test out a crisp, white backdrop for this theme, once I started playing with the balloons I knew this backdrop was a goner!
And again…always be yourself…unless you can be the magical unicorn version of yourself!