Wednesday, September 29, 2010

{Giveaway} Round Up Lollipop Giveaway!

It's about time I do a giveaway right? I have been asked about the lollipops I used on the candy buffet table for the cowboy party I did earlier this month that I now sell on my site, so it's only fitting that I give some to a lucky someone. The winner of this giveaway will receive a 1 dozen of each size (9”, 12”, 18”) Round Up Lollipops! (U.S. residents only please.)







9" Rainbow Round Up

To enter, visit my shop, then come back and leave a comment on what you would like to see added to all the goodies. Don't forget to include your name and email address so I can contact you!



For extra entries you can:


• Tweet this giveaway and/or follow me on Twitter.

• Follow my blog “It’s A Party!” http://enbdecor.blogspot.com/

• Blog about this contest.

• Purchase something sweet from my shop Lollipop, Lollipops! at http://www.enbdecor.com/
• Refer-A-Friend to my blog.*


12" Rainbow Round Up

For each additional entry, please post a separate comment. If you are blogging or tweeting about this contest, please provide the link. *BONUS: If you get a friend to follow my blog, you will get 5 extra entries! Just remind them to put your name into their comment field.


Just an example: If you want to enter by leaving a suggestion, tweeting about the giveaway and following my blog, leave your original comment + another that you tweeted + another that you are a follower = a total of 3 comments. Let me know if you have any questions.







 


Oh, before I forget, you can also tweet this giveaway once per day for an additional entry!


Contest ends Thursday, October 14 at 11:59 p.m. PST. One winner will be chosen at random and announced the following day.

 
Good luck!

Thursday, September 16, 2010

{New Products} My Little Cupcake POP Mold

OMG! I’m sure most of us in the children’s party business love using cake pops not just for decoration for candy buffet tables, but also as a fun treat. Well, today on Facebook I saw a post on My Little Cupcake Cake POP Mold.






This product has answered the prayers of most of us who try to create the perfect shape and could never achieve it. This product looks too easy to use. (Watch the YouTube video below, the creator’s daughter is doing the demo).  You can order the mold for $5.95 on the My Little Cake Pop site.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Party Planning Q & A

How far ahead can you fill helium balloons to ensure they are full the day of the party?


Helium balloons can be tricky. If you are just using latex balloons, you can have them filled the day before with no problems. Foil balloons, tend to loose their floatation more quickly. The general rule for all balloons is 8 hours before the party. Here are a couple of tips. Place your order for balloons before the party at your party store and ask them to have them ready the day of your party. This is a great way to ask another adult to take the kids with them to pick up the balloons and do other errands, giving you time to get other party tasks done without distractions. If you have bought your balloons from a different source, you can drop them off to the party store before the party and ask them to have them ready by the birthday party morning.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Teddy Bear Birthday Party Theme

What little girl doesn’t have a special spot in her heart for her favorite teddy bear? I know my niece calls her teddy bear her best friend and loves this bear more than life itself. It has been her constant companion since she was the ripe old age of six weeks old and has calmed her through hurt feelings, nightmares, and new houses, as well as fights with her brother and scolds from mom and dad. Her teddy bear is her friend, protector, defender, and confident. For this reason it should come as no surprise that a favorite birthday party idea for her was a birthday in which bears reigned supreme.



The first thought that many have when it comes to Teddy Bears and a birthday party with Teddy, as its main theme is probably the Build a Bear Workshop or other similar businesses. While these are great for parties and give each girl attending a little something to take home with her, they are also quite expensive. If you want to spend a little less there are plenty of options. If you want to make all of her friends want you as parents, the Build a Bear party plan really is grand. Keep in mind though that if you think she’s going to abandon her lifelong companion (unfluffed and coming unstuffed teddy bear numero uno) for the Build a Bear bear think again. She will just now have two bears sharing her nighttime cuddles trust me on this.


Another great thought for teddy bear parties is of a slumber or pajama party with teddy bears having a place of honor with each and every one of the very important guests. Teddy bears and other stuffed animals are often security blankets of sorts for young girls in stressful situations or that are away from home. They help smooth the transition and make the night go better despite the fact that some girls are ashamed of their need for their fluffy friends. By inviting your guests and their favorite teddy bear or sleepy time companion you are inviting them to bring their security and a touch of home along with them. This will help calm scared children and make a night away from home less frightening.


A Teddy Bear tea party is another great way to go. Teddy bears share everything with their human companions; it makes perfect sense that they will also share teatime. You should decorate this tea as any other tea with flowers, the tea set, and have a seat for teddy bear next to every little girl in attendence. If you want to be extremely fancy you can have place cards to assign seating for bears and girls along with gloves and hats for the girls to wear during the festivities. Food should be finger food such as teacakes and cookies, finger sandwiches, and punch in teacups of course. You will want to take photos of these girls in their Sunday best having tea with their best friends and send them home in keepsake frames. This will be a party to remember and a lot of fun for the kids and parents. Just remember to wipe the crumbs from Teddy’s face so that he is ready for his close-up and have a world of fun.




Life is a party…Enjoy!


C.D.

How Kid’s Birthday Parties Are Celebrated Worldwide

We celebrate kid’s birthday parties with fun, but have you ever known how kid’s birthday parties are celebrated worldwide?


We can take a quick trip around the world to find out how people from major parts of the world celebrate birthdays and how they practice it in general. In the United States and many other parts of the world, we commonly celebrate kid’s birthday parties with themes of choice by the one celebrating his or her birthday.

It is a common practice to have the party at home, with decorations set up in place and common party fare includes cakes, candies, soda, hotdogs, marshmallows and other treats children enjoy. Games are played during the course of the party where guests participate and win prizes at the same time.

This is also a similar practice throughout the Western world and is one of the most awaited party activity for kids all over. In Africa, there is a tribe in Ghana that celebrate the birth of their children on the day of the week they were born.

They call it Krada which means ‘soul day’ as their way of giving tribute to the creator for giving them the gift of a child – another soul added to their family. Most tribes or communities do not celebrate the birth of their children and common celebrations only involve tribes -people celebrating the manhood of children, as they are ushered in to adulthood through certain rituals and traditional practices.

In the Middle East, specifically in Egypt, children’s birthdays are commonly celebrated with singing and dancing with the party venue decorated with fruits and flowers, which symbolizes life and growth as the years go on for those celebrating their birthdays.

However, people do not traditionally celebrate birthdays as part of their religious practice. In Israel, food is also prepared with guests invited to attend from family, friends and neighbors. The highlight if the party is to have the one celebrating the birthday sit on a chair adorned with fresh flowers as guests gather around the chair offering prayers and well wishes to the celebrator.

In Great Britain, birthday parties are also held in homes with food and drinks prepared for guests. The British practice their tradition of celebrating the birthday by sending out birthday cards to the birthday celebrator, a tradition that was begun more than a hundred years ago.

As part of their cultural tradition, an Irish child celebrates his or her birthday by gently getting hit on the floor of the home by family and friends on the day of his or her birthday. The Danish people, on the other hand, celebrate birthdays by expressing their love for their country as well.

The Danish proudly raise their county’s flag outside their home whenever somebody in the house celebrates a birthday. Russians, on the other hand, also celebrate birthdays with food and drinks, but the only difference is, they do not prepare cakes but would rather have pies.

In China, a child celebrating his or her birthday receives money as a gift from his parents, who in turn, pay his respects to them as tradition dictates. Family and friends are invited over for lunch, where noodles are served, which symbolizes productivity and long life.

In India, a birthday child is showered with colorful dresses and chocolates and the home decorated with colorful balloons and shredded colored paper. If it is a school day when the child celebrates a birthday, the birthday child gets to wear a colorful garment and passes out chocolates to friends and classmates.

Now you know how kid’s birthday parties are celebrated all over the world and who knows, you may be able to get an idea from these and innovate your upcoming birthday party for your child.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

[Contest] Project Nursery - Silhouette Machine Giveaway

Project Nursery is giving away a Silhouette Cutting Machine.  With the huge response to The TomKat Studio's drawing last week of this fantastic product (2,500 entries) PN is giving all of us another chance to win a Silhouette.

You can create so many things with this machine, is's a dream for scrapbook junkies and party stylists who love to create that special something for clients.  Learn more about the Silhouette on their website.

All you have to do is go to Project Nursery and follow the instructions on how to enter.  GOOD LUCK!


Here are some photos from PN blog on a project done with the Silhouette.



























Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Train Birthday Party for the Little Ones

Boys and girls of all ages have a deep and abiding love of trains. From Thomas the Tank to The Little Engine that Could, trains make an excellent theme for a birthday party for your favorite youngster. The great news is that there are plenty of great party favors and decorations on the market to make your train theme carry through all aspects of the birthday party.



You can purchase invitations that are shaped like a train and appropriate for the specific train theme you have in mind. Even old-fashioned steam engines make a fascinating setting and theme for little ones who are filled with imagination. You do not need to go overboard on the decorations for a train themed party in order to get the theme apart but there are some great goody bags that can be made in keeping with the theme.


A train piñata is a great way to get the kids in on the action and having a great time. You may also choose to have all the little ones dress up as a train engineer for a little interactive fun with your train birthday party idea. You can also choose to play a DVD of your favorite train story for the entertainment of the little ones and in hopes of a little bit of quiet time before the sugar induced highs of after cake time.


Speaking of cake, there are plenty of cake forms and cake themes that are ideal for train cakes and children’s birthday parties. From the popular character cakes that are related to trains to other train themes such as The Polar Express there are plenty from which to choose when it comes to the perfect birthday cake for your train themed party. A little cake with a little ice cream and it will soon be time to take a whack at the train themed piñata mentioned earlier.


Most party supply stores should have an abundance of train themed party supplies. From hats to plates, cups, and napkins there should be plenty of wonderful party supplies to help you convey the train theme of the party with little additional efforts unless, of course, streamers and other party supplies are needed. Your little ones are very special after all and as parents we all want to do our very best to insure that each party is a special memory fit for a lifetime.


Goody bags are becoming a more and more important part of birthday parties in modern society. The train themed birthday party lends itself to plenty of train themed goody bag fillers. Among those wonderful items are coloring books, storybooks, puzzles, train whistles (their parents will love you and it is the perfect revenge for the air horn your child came home with), and stickers. This is a great way for your child to give back to those who have given him or her gifts while providing something appropriate to the theme for everyone to remember this particular party by.


If you are looking for a little something extra for your child’s train themed birthday party you might want to talk to local train companies and see if there is a train museum near by or if you can possibly book a train car or a room at the train depot in which to host the party. This will create a very special memory for your little one and everyone that attended the party. Some trains actually run day trips that last a couple of hours. This will be a thrilling party experience for your little one’s friends if you can manage this great escape of a train themed birthday party. You may also talk to those in charge at the train station for ideas and suggestions they may have to make your child’s special day a little more thrilling. Just remember that after a party like this, next year will be a hard act to follow.

Having A Good Children's Birthday Party

Kid's birthday parties should be fun and enjoyable. That is what makes them memorable. All those smiles on the children's faces, most especially on the birthday celebrant can be quite memorable and a priceless gift that parents can give to their kids. Preparing for such parties can take some work.



There are some things that people have to consider when planning kid's birthday party. Whether it be a grand birthday bash or just a simple affair, the preparations and the planning that go into it can affect how it will fare out. When organizing a kid's birthday party, here are some valuable tips that might help ensure things would come out all right.


Before planning a kid's birthday party, the main organizers (usually the parents) should come up with a planned budget. All the preparations needed for the party would depend on how much the parents will be willing to spend. There is no sense in planning for a grand birthday party when the parents would not likely to afford all the expenses.


After the budget has been agreed upon, the next thing on the agenda would usually be the theme for the birthday party. This might not be too much of a problem (maybe except on the expense side) since the celebrant would have the first say. Parents can only suggest the available choices. It is important that the birthday celebrant has the right to choose. It is his or her special day after all.


After the theme, choosing a venue would be the next thing to consider. There are various choices available for parents. The simplest one would be having the party right at home. The home would provide the most ideal venue where parents and organizers may be able to have a bit more control over what happens during the party. What's more, a birthday party at home usually is less expensive than having it anywhere else.


But if a child has one too many birthday parties at home, then another venue may be considered. Having an outside venue for a birthday party may carry with it some excitement and several other means for kids to have fun. A good venue would be the local gym, a pizza parlor, or even at the miniature golf course. That would certainly add up some fun factor to any birthday party. The only disadvantage to such venues is that it can add up to a considerable expense for the organizers of the party.


Parents and organizers of the party should also consider the weather when planning an outdoor party. There can be times when it may not be as cooperative. A sudden rain shower can ruin even the most beautiful outdoor birthday party in just an instant. When planning an kid's birthday party out of doors, parent should try to check the weather conditions more frequently.


It would be better to ensure that this would not be a problem by having the kid's birthday party indoors. But if it is out of the question, it also pays to prepare for the unforeseen weather related events beforehand. Having an alternative venue nearby or just having umbrellas on hand may help. It is such measures that may help salvage an otherwise ruined kid's birthday party.


Weighing the risks involved may help prevent making the wrong decisions later on.


Tuesday, June 22, 2010

{Real Parties} Tommy's Crab Shack! by Kim of The TomKat Studio

What can I say about Kim at TheTomKat Studio? I love reading her daily posts on Facebook and her blog but her attention to detail on parties for her children is right up there with who I call, as does Kim the “Queen of Dessert Tables” Amy Atlas! She has created a party for her son Tommy that even a adult would love to have done for them.

The theme for Tommy’s party came about from a towel with a crab on it from Pottery Barn Kids he received as a gift and as you will see in the photos below that Kim put her creative juices in high gear and came up with one of the top parties we’ve seen this year.

Tommy’s Crab Shack Party was worked around as you would guest a “Cape Cod” feel using reds and blues as a color palette to perfection. The styling of the table is wonderful! To see all the photos and details from the party visit Kim’s website The TomKat Studio








{Real Parties} Kite Party by Tracey Lau of Art & Soul

I could not belive it when I saw the post of this truly charming kite themed party for a first birthday created by Tracey Lau of Art & Soul for her son Jeremiah.  The attention to detail is just amazing.  All the way down to the grass table covering.  I love Tracey's spin on the backdrop using clouds and a kite flying high.  The color platte is simple yet effective with the diffrent shades of blue. It's so orginal and fun I know many planners out there will try to put their own spin on it.

This was a wonderful set-up Tracey and the photos made you feel as if you were there.





 In Tracey's words:  Gorgeous little bottles of juice, Jars of Lollies (we had M&M’s, Bon Petite, Spearmint Leaves and Jelly Beans), Individual Milk Chocolates.


Homemade Vanilla Meringue, Little Jelly Pots, Fairy Floss


Vanilla Bean Kite Cookies, Vanilla Bean cupcakes, and the cutest cloud Marshmallows.


Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and Caramel Popcorn.



The cake!

Fun Treats for 4th of July

I'm very attached to July 4th since I share the holiday with my birthday and I love to serve fun food at our duo celebration and this year is no exception with these treats.



Cake Pops are a fun new trend in dessert tables.
by Bakerella




















You can get chocolate dipped pretzels at your local candy store ororder them from Candy Wherehouse







My personal favorite are chocolate covered strawberries. When done properly these are fantastic! The two best places to get them are Shari's Berries and Jackie's Basket




















Have a great 4th of July with some or all of these great treats! Your family and friends will love it.



Remember, life is a party!
C.D.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Fantastic Display by Cakewalk Baking

I just love this display by Michele of Cakewalk Baking located in Oakland, CA.  I love the clean lines of the table, not too little not too much.

 





























 

Nice touch with wraping tea sandwich




Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Party Time

With my venture into the world of event planning for children is special to me. I was very clear on the type of parties I wanted to offer to clients..unique one of a kind that a child will not see anywhere else.  Now please don't take this as an negative, but I could have done the whole set theme party with princess, spa and the rest but I just feel a child deserves to have a special party that they helped create and can tell that to their friends.

I look forward to sharing this journey with everyone here and my radio show.

Until next time,
C.D.