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Cupcakes

Puff the Magic Dragon

Desserts. Our party was small, and for once, I designed a table sized appropriately for our party. Lynlee’s Petite Cakes (LynleesPetiteCakes.com) make the cutest little dragon wings and tails that popped up out of mounds of dragon-fire toasted marshmallow frosted brownies. She also made some darling monograms cupcake toppers.  The cookies came from the talented Renee at Bees Knees Creative—the detail she put in the patterns on Puff were amazing! We had oreo truffles (approved by Jackie Paper, of course) and a homemade version of Kinder Eggs. The eggs themselves were made based on a Martha Stewart tutorial. After coating the insides in chocolate, I stuffed them full of candies and made darling little pom-pom baby dragons to put inside. The kids had to smash the eggs open to get to the treats; the adults seemed a tad more excited about this than the kids! The kids’ table.  For lunch in the magic land of Honalee I chose a low to the ground table for the kids and used cushions (from Brennan’s 1st birthday) for them to sit on. We served boxed lunches to the children. These are always a great option for kids, as they get excited about opening their lunches as they would opening a present. Décor and activities. Puff traveled with Jackie Paper on a boat with billowed sails, so we painted our floor blue like water (really, we are about to put in a new floor so this was a happy chance to do something so crazy) and put up a ship in the living room.  We even had railing up to rope off the water area! Three year olds don’t stand for organized activities in general, especially if there is a bounce house down the cherry lane in the backyard, so we put a treasure box of “Fancy Stuff” out for the kids to play with…pirate swords, bubbles and giants rings (hula hoops) were snatched up and run through the house. We had a crafty activity for the kids, making little sailboats, and set up a baby pool for them to go sail them in. There were a lot of shipwrecks in the bottom of the pool from overzealous tiny sailors, but the handful of 5 year olds there really enjoyed the little boats. Favors. Since I didn’t overdo the dessert table, I made up for it with favors! Puff laid out his “treasures” for the kids and they got to choose lots of magic little things and put them in their box of dragon magic to take home. 

Paris Princess Soiree

For this party we wanted the dessert table to be reminiscent of a bakery in Paris. We choose macaroons of course! as well as a cake in the shape of the Eiffel Tower, decadent cupcakes, and yummy macaroons. We even dressed the birthday girl in a darling tiered tutu dress topped with a ornate custom head piece. A ornate frame held a custom sign made for the birthday girl and was center stage for her beautiful dessert table.

Vintage Robot Party

All little boys love robots and I tried to create this one with a modern twist to a classic theme. We added vintage antique robots collected by Logan’s dad to the dessert table and had food to resemble “robot” parts. Red licorice wheels, gumballs, cosmic cookies and more for all to enjoy! Logan’s favorite food is french fries, so I created custom french frie cones to match the table fabric. We  created arts and crafts projects using robot cut outs. The kids had fun gluing and glittering them and then we hing them up to create a “home made” banner for all to enjoy. Fun “global” blow up balls were a fun toy for all the kids to play with and then take home as one of the favors.

1st Birthday Party

This party was designed and produced by Platinum Events & Productions. There objective was to create a flawless, modern and chic event that celebrated my daughter and all of the things she loves. Platinum Events & Productions set the stage for this celebration with a signature dessert bar that featured oreo pops, cake pops, cupcakes, cookies, a plethora of color coordinated candy (HOT PINK and YELLOW), as well as a custom two tiered monogrammed pink velvet cake. Since the party was in the summer the favors were customized yellow and hot pink sand pails that were filled with everything a 1yr old would need for a fun summer day (Sippy Cup, Personalized Water Bottle, and Gold Fish Crackers). The party had a music tent that was orchestrated by Patti James of Kindermusik and an Art Table featuring Ashley Thomas of “My Play with Ashley.” Adults indulged in champagne, crepes, fruit, and fromage, while children engaged in afternoon of fun filled activities.

Finding Neverland Party

For my daughter’s fourth birthday, we chose a Neverland premise, which would appeal to all the guests – male or female… young or old!

The Peter Pan story provided many ideas and I drew inspiration from one of my favorite movies: ‘Finding Neverland‘. The movie follows Peter Pan’s author, J.M. Barrie, as events in his life in the Victorian era motivate him to write the enchanting play.

From there, I concentrated on the overall Victorian feel with ornate, black décor in the Darling children’s nursery, contrasted with nature and trees at the party’s location to represent their journey to Neverland. I also utilized numerous silhouettes, corresponding to this time period, and also representing Peter Pan’s search for his shadow. I wanted the children to feel as if they were being transported to this magical land and encourage them to believe… From table “beds” to toys and frames, I tried to capture the Darling nursery in an outside setting.

To aid the children in imagining and navigating through Neverland, I hired Ms. Louisa from Fairytales & Tutus ballet studio my daughter attends to read Peter Pan and transport the kids from the nursery into Neverland. I had fairy wings and tutus available for the girls, as well as pirate gear (scarves, eye patches, hooks and inflatable swords) in treasure chests. Ms. Louisa also brought additional costumes, such as mermaids, Indians, and the lost boys, just to name a few! The children were free to choose their outfits, which was so fun and added to the imagination-play, as my daughter had three costume changes throughout the party!

I filled little jars with pixie dust and made little wooden compasses for all the children. After hearing the story, they learned to fly by sprinkling the magical dust and jumping on a trampoline! Ms. Louisa then led them through activities from sinking pirate ships with cannonballs at Skull Rock, jumping over the crocodile, swimming through the Mermaid Lagoon with bubbles and a pow wow at the Indian Camp. Ms. Louisa’s presence at the party was invaluable, as it allowed the kids to play all together and utilize their imagination, while the parents watched and enjoyed without worry.

Another hit with the kids was a table I set up at the Mermaid Lagoon with plastic bubble bottles they could fill up with colored sand.

The photo booth props were stored in a mini toy box and painted, along with another frame and a sign to be held up reading ‘believe’.

Lastly, the favors were stored in oversized wooden blocks and the guests were sent home with shadow puppets, cut and glued on wooden sticks, along with a flashlight and a Peter Pan book to read the story over and over again. And, since it was such an inspiration and a movie that makes me cry every single time I watch it, each family received a ‘Finding Neverland’ DVD with the final quote from the movie: ‘Just Believe‘.