Valentine's Round Up

Valentine's Party Round Up 

Valentine's Day is a great time to spend some time with your girlfriends and I'm bringing you a round up of fun ideas to help you treat your friends with a party. 

BellaGrey Designs has some adorable tags perfect to attach to party favors.  Pick up some baby aloe plants and attach the tag "You had me at aloe"  or get creative with the "Lets stick together" tags and attach them to some nail polish and a nail file. 

How stinkin cute would these lady bug marshmallow cookies be on your dessert table or put them in a cute little box and send them home as party favors.  Get the easy tutorial over at Party Pinching. 

I HAD to include these chocolate covered marshmallow caramel hearts from The Partiologist because hello, caramel and marshmallows!  As a guest I wouldn't be able to pass these up. 

I like Joy in the Commonplace easy Valentine's tea idea. This party shows you that a party doesn't have to be stressful for the host. You can make your own cookies, scones or cinnamon rolls or you can pick some up at the local bakery.  Tea and treats is cozy and makes for easy conversation flow. 

A crafturnoon with friends is my kind of Valentine's party and   Revel and Glitter  shows us just how much fun it is.  From creating cards to a temporary tattoo station you'll be laughing, having a fun afternoon and making deep connections with your friends. 

Show your girlfriends how much they mean to you by throwing them a brunch.  Jordan's Easy Entertaining  threw her friends a beautiful brunch and you can use some of these ideas to throw one of your own.  The story she tells of using her grandma's cake plate really touched me. Oh, and she has free printables for you too ;) 

Oh you know I have some ideas for you too.  A cookie decorating party brings out the creativity in your friends.   Don't forget the bubbles.  My friends had too much fun with them. 

A Galentine's Day brunch can be a really easy party to throw.  Pick up all the food from the store or have your friends bring some to contribute to the party.  

Will you be throwing a Valentine's party for your friends?

Woo Hoo!! Wednesday Party Submission

Cupcakes and Tea Bridal Shower bought to us by 

Cupcake Crusaders 

I came up with the idea for a cupcakes and tea party for Stacy's bridal shower in September 2010. We were both really into cupcakes at the time, even though the Cupcake Crusaders still hadn't been "born" yet, and she and I have always been tea drinkers (our grandmother used to have tea parties with us). Prior to Stacy's bridal shower, she and I had helped with some showers for our older sister. While they were fun, and we'd done some custom things, they weren't anything like what you see now. Stacy was really getting really into parties, since she was doing much of her wedding decor herself. Some of the party ideas I'd seen made me feel like a huge beginner!

I wanted to make everything look consistent and customized. I designed the invitation, with a custom illustration, and all the food, cake, and cupcake flags. The color scheme was borrowed from her wedding colors, but with a different pattern. 

My big sister helped, and we thought a cupcake decorating station would be a great shower activity, in lieu of traditional bridal games. We had some pre-decorated samples on cupcake pedestals (not photographed individually, unfortunately) and also around the cake, all up for grabs. We had traditional tea treats (scones, biscotti, biscuits, cookies, clotting cream and jams, etc.), a tea "bar," and incorporated tea pots into centerpiece decorations. For the centerpieces, we made chocolate covered marshmallows, which were meant to look like mini cupcakes. There was one table item that maybe didn't fit into the classy party theme, but added humor. That was the "cupcake poop!" I saw something online for it, thought it was funny, and it went with the cupcake theme. My big sis agreed, so we went for it! 

I used my Nana's china for the tea bar, which added a really nice personal touch. She couldn't be there, but it helped make it feel like she was. We also had our family's "punch." I think it's pretty well know, but it always surprises me how many people have never had it before. It's simply ginger ale, with rainbow sherbert scoops dropped in. So good! 

We also provided cupcake to-go boxes as favors, for guests to take their decorated cupcakes with them. It encouraged them to make more than one, which was great! Stacy was blown away, especially since our exposure to professional parties was limited at the time. She still talks about how wowed she was (so I felt pretty darn good about it!). This party was the start for more great ones to come. I feel like I have to up the ante each time!