Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Setting the Table

My daughter Emily turned 8 recently and I used the opportunity to create a party table to co-ordinate with her invites. I had an idea in my head of what I wanted to achieve and surprisingly enough, I pulled it off! To be honest, it was easier than I expected and I feel it's something that anyone can achieve. It did take some time though and it is something you'll need to plan. I started by drawing a plan of how I wanted the table to look and what food I planned to place on it. From there, I worked out what tags, labels and wrappers I needed and then set about designing them.

Of course if you are planning a party, all you need to do is let me know what your ideas are and I can design the invites and help you plan what else you'll need for the table.

Surprisingly enough too, it didn't break the
bank. I think because I did take time to plan and had worked out what food was going to be served, I had time to purchase a good amount in advance and not all in a mad rush at once a couple of days before the big event - which is what I normally do!

I had the cupcakes professionally made becaus
e I wanted to achieve a certain look and because I just didn't want the hassle of having to do those too. They were fab as well, better than I could have imagined! Sondra at Sweet Bites Cakes made those for the big event. I sent her a copy of Emily's invite and she took care of the rest. I highly recommend Sondra and you can find her at www.sweetbitescakes.co.nz.

I will admit I did go a bit OTT and purchased pink and white polka dot balloons, the paper straws and the pink and white polka dot party bags from the US. They really did look the part though and I'm so pleased I did that. Those type of products are something I can easily source on your behalf so if you're looking for products such as these, please let me know and I can get pricing for you.

The tissue pom poms sitting on the table are something my girls and I made shortly before the party and I have to say it didn't take much more than half an hour to complete those. I found the instructions on the internet. I'll dig them out for you and post them later.

The VERY best thing though was the reactions of the kids and parents. Emily was so happy she screamed! When her guests arrrive
d at the door, she excitedly brought them through to view the party table. For a few moments, the gifts were forgotten as they stood in front of the table in awe. There were lots of gasps and wows and looks of wonderment. I was really chuffed and it made the effort so worthwhile.

So next time you've got a party to plan, whether it be a big or small affair, a birthday, baby shower, engagement, christening or
whatever, take some time to think about the table and what look you would like to achieve. Your next email after that should be to me so I can help turn that idea into a reality!

Below are some photos from Emily's party. Hopefully you'll get some inspiration from them for your next event!


Nicky x








Sunday, March 20, 2011

My poor neglected blog!

Gosh it really has been a long while since I posted anything on here! It seems an update is well and truly overdue.

Design work has taken most of my time of late. It's great in some ways because I do end up creating lots of fabulous new designs however it does also mean there is far less time for blogging, Facebooking and newsletters. I feel like my new creations are the best kept secret around at the moment *smiles*.

Here are a couple of new designs!

This design is called Woodland. Simple and cute all at the same time.












And this is the first set of designs from my new Party Sets range. Each set features an invite, thank you card, cupcake toppers, drink bottle wrappers, party bag toppers and tent style cards.

It's a great option if you are planning a party and don't quite know where to begin or what you might need.








Cheers, Nicky :)