A party based on the book Walden, by Henry David Thoreau is the perfect match for an evening revelry. Plus bunting that may kill!
Photo and concept by Hearblack for Nathan’s birthday I assume.
blessings.
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reason to celebrate | Walden
fond.of.u
A night of reveling in love is the perfect reason to celebrate, even after yesterday’s holiday. Hosting a night of appetizer fondue with girlfriends is festive and easy party for any Friday night. Add in a few hearts and be ready for a spring bridal shower or engagement party. En masse sharing your fondness through fondue would make a sweet and affordable addition to a wedding reception.
For our afternoon party, fondue was taken out of it’s usual earthy bowls and placed in miniature portions on shallow glass plates. Pretty cocktail glasses became home to lighted candles and guests enjoyed warming their cheese as they dipped one of the many treats provided at leisure.
Tables were topped with pretty homemade felt and metallic garland, inspired by this fabulous photo. The garland was easy to make and perfect for fancying up a backyard. Presents wrapped in pink were pretty prizes for winning the game of being lovely.
Cheers in front of a sprayed heart backdrop + filling our stomachs with chocolate and treats made for a get together where fondness, friends and love ran strong.
Photos of the event taken by Jackie Wonders
See the rest of the party- favors, threaded napkins & games.
blessings.
challenge | key to my heart
*Welcome to the winter celebration challenge, so fresh and so clean. Where four designers have styled handcrafted party scenes to compete for a readers choice award + one incredible grand prize. This is stylist number four, do you think she should win? Vote and tell me why (you can vote for as many parties as you’d like this week!).
A winter white picnic designed by Courtney, editor of the very successful site Pizzazzerie. She styled this sweet spot for snuggling up with a loved one and sharing hot cocoa, sweet treats, and luxurious blankets under the trees. What a perfect plan for the weekend ahead!
Courtney’s picnic featured a few amazing treats, she served mini dark chocolate cups filled with marshmallows and hot cocoa alongside coconut truffles and petit fours from A Perfect Bite in Nashville, TN. They went perfectly with the color scheme and the extra glittered crystals added an extra sparkle. Local Nashville chocolate was served along with heart shaped mini marshmallows. Small “mints” were added to give the hot cocoa a fresh mint flavor!
Keys were a subtle theme throughout the picnic, hung alongside the fence and scattered throughout the design. Keys have such an old, vintage romantic feel which Courtney found intriguing to contrast with the fresh and clean theme. The scrumptious sweets rested on a handcrafted wooden tray, perfect for holding your treats and mugs at a picnic.
Check back later today for this wooden tray DIY project. Plus you have 48 hours to add a comment if you’d like this celebration design to win!
blessings.
challenge | a night of glitzy gold
A night of glitzy gold, styled by Cyd, editor of one of my favorite party sites The Sweetest Occasion. I had a chance to spend time with Cyd in Utah last month and just adored her passion for blogging and her drive as a stylist, you can check out her fabulous portfolio here.
A night of glitzy gold, a sleek party scene that would be perfect for Valentine’s day, an anniversary dinner, or as fresh look for a sweetheart table. There is so much beautiful interest in Cyd’s design. She mixed the reflectivity of the gold paper with simple textural white linens, sculptural white vases and simple white tableware creating a gorgeous party look. Isn’t that cake fun!?! I just adore how the simple, handmade details stand out against this design contrast to make a table fresh and modern.
White and gold take center stage, with bright pops of color from vibrant red anemones and a few raspberries tossed in with the champagne. The overall look is sleek, modern and a touch glitzy without a lot of fuss.
A pretty gold paper wall instillation served as the backdrop for this glamorous affair. An easy project to create by cutting and hanging wrapping paper in vertical rows from above. When a few extra pieces are left lying about, it instantly makes a sweet way for your guests to write a few congratulatory notes of love.
Check back later today for Cyd’s DIY project to create cupcake liner flowers. Plus you have 48 hours to add a comment if you’d like this celebration design to win!
Photos taken for Cyd by Megan Dailor
blessings.
challenge | winter craft party
* Welcome to the winter celebration challenge, so fresh and so clean, where four designers have styled handcrafted party scenes to compete for a readers choice award + one incredible grand prize. This is stylist number two, do you think she should win? Vote and tell me why (you can vote for as many parties as you’d like this week!).
A winter craft party, designed and style by Brittni the owner and curator of papernstitch, a fabulous online handcrafted marketplace. Also the author of this blog, where she writes daily including a slew of amazingly cute DIY projects. I absolutely adore her eye for choosing lovely handcrafted stores to feature and her wonderful DIY project styling.
A winter craft party, the perfect way to invite a few friends over and pass the time of a cold evening. Keeping with the casual atmosphere of a few close buddies, and the challenge theme, Brittni decided to keep the decorations minimal (clean) and just add some beautiful (fresh) flowers, along with a couple of finished examples of the DIY project for inspiration. She finished off the table with a gorgeous old scarf in lieu of a table runner, bringing in texture while keeping the evening simple.
Birch tree vases are a great way to bring a handcrafted look to a table. When paired with a modern celebration design and a few scientific beakers they bring a gorgeous and fresh aspect to the party. Local flowers including ranunculus and tulips brighten up the winter evening well, plus a few crafting stations with finished projects laid out make for an inviting table that would beckon even your most uncreative friend to join you at.
Check back later today for Brittni’s DIY custom soap carvings. Plus you have 48 hours to add a comment if you’d like this celebration design to win!
blessings.
challenge | cakes and cute shoes
Cakes and cute shoes, a party design styled by Jen Campbell of Green Wedding Shoes. I’ve always loved Jen’s design eye, the weddings she showcases are often my absolute favorites. Imagine how thrilled I was to learn that she herself is embarking on a styling career. If this scene is a preview I believe it will be a very successful endeavor for her.
Cakes and cute shoes, a party where your closest friends would all show up to eat scrumptious cake in their most stylish shoes. Fabulously perfect inspiration for the upcoming holiday and I would completely gush over this theme at a spring shower. The bright pink paired with a crisp silver brings a sophisticated feel to a festive party table.
The tablecloth designed by Jenn is a great way to lend a modern clean touch to budget friendly DIY style. The cloth was a clearance deal that would be normally quite plain but when lined with $3 a roll silver duct tape it becomes practically a work of art.
As place settings, the very common chalk bubble is given a clean and modern finish when filled in with hand-sewn silver threading. A lovely and surprising touch! I would imagine them as fabulous custom escort cards for an upcoming wedding. The hand sewing of letters continues onto the EAT sign, backing a perfectly set dessert display that includes a yummy Valentine’s version of the popular rainbow cake, so pretty in red and pink!
Check back later today for Jenn’s DIY project to create your own hand-sewn party signs. Plus you have 48 hours to add a comment if you’d like this celebration design to win!
blessings.
Camping indoors
My friend Chelsea, who is one of the most adorable girls I know, surprised her husband the other night with an indoor camping dinner that looked like so much fun! What a fabulous party-for-two idea, and a sweet excuse to stay in and cuddle up together. Especially perfect since Valentines is on a Monday this year!
I’m already thinking of the amazing take-out cravings this revelry could fulfill. Plus we have a fireplace, so roasting s’mores would not be optional!
blessings.
A storybook spread
The storybook snacks from our recent birthday party were laid out on an extra long and skinny table filled with cheeses, vegetables and the most scrumptious looking nibbles. I envisioned a spread sophisticated yet playful, like it could have stood right in the midst of a favorite classic.
Storybook flags popped out of the cheese selection in the most whimsical of ways. Vegetables looked appealing to all ages standing up in sparkly metallic glasses and fruit almost peeled rested in dishes of cinnamon and sugar. The lamp was one of my favorite pieces from the day. An ugly thrift store find, it was painted a deep plum and topped with a bulb I hand-antiqued using copper glass paint.
The cheese boards were backed with cut-out silhouettes of from storybook pages. Big print/felt flowers, along with stacks of floating vintage books stood behind the long food table, encouraging each guest to find beautiful value in our favorite old books. The sweetest little girl asking for more food was a good sign to me that a kids party spread need not be filled with gummies and fishes to make them happy!
All photos by Carly Taylor
PS. Party part one here. More to come!
blessings.
Fall-ebration
I have been so wrapped up in holiday decorations this week it is hard to remember it’s not December yet! I have a few lovely fall-esk things to share with you on top of the Christmas beauty that I obviously cannot get enough of.
Rubyellen threw this amazing celebration of fall for her family. I just adore the simplicity of it, they hung leaf garland from a mirror, gave each of their kids a pair of vintage fall shoes to celebrate the season and made the most wonderful sounding pumpkin smoothies!
My favorite piece from the party was the pretty length of fall leaf bunting she handmade and stuck into a pizza. Pizza bunting!!! What great inspiration for celebrating everyday with the people you love.
A menu with fresh fall ingredients was the focal point of their evening. A wonderful reminder of how crafting even a small celebration can really serve and bless our families as we enter this holiday season together.
blessings.
