derby perfection

I love, love, love this Derby party from Abby- so many thought-out details! She did a great job incorporating elements of the 'race for the roses.' Filing away for future Derby party inspiration!

housewarming party

A very charming housewarming party from drywall and diapers. Leslie made pies for her guests, had a hand-drawn map of her home for friends to explore, and asked guests to write 'what home is' for them.

spring shower

You'll want to check out this sweet spring baby shower Miranda threw for her friend, Sonya. I love the crafty flower pins guests created and the cheddar quiche in the shape of flowers is precious! Check out all of the details right here.

eye candy

Mexican Clau's eye candy blog is loaded with just that... it is a feast for the eyes! Clau let us know of her recent favorites- a vintage party and a candy buffet. The vintage party looks like it is right out of a periodical or cookbook from the '50's. For more, check it out right here!

cherry blossom first birthday

Lots of cute details in this asian-inspired 'cherry blossom' first birthday from life frosting. Check out the 'sushi'- all made of candy and sweet things (rice crispy treats, swedish fish, fruit rope, etc). Mom Chelsea went to extraordinary lengths to get all the details just right- including a cherry blossom adorned shirt. Check it out right here.

french eye candy

I'm feeling like a bit of a party pooper this evening. My 'big gift' for the holiday was a couple of evenings with a night nurse who would take our sweet but colicky baby for 8 hours while I blissfully slept through the night. I had everything prepared and my Ambien in hand when she knocked on the door to say she couldn't stay- she felt like she was coming down with the flu. Such a bummer!

Alas- back to work and the night shift. In the meantime, I am procrastinating by perusing yet another beautiful French blog. Check out all of the gorgeous images right here (and if your high school French is better then mine, you just might be able to try out the recipes at home).

all images from cakes in the city

mini french bakery first birthday

So much thought and detail went into this 'mini french bakery' first birthday party. Jess includes tons of tutorials, photos and details on her blog right here. C'est magnifique!

gram's party: food

Since the party only lasted an hour and a half, and was loaded with activity, it seemed silly to spend much time contemplating food choices beyond the cupcakes. We just made sure to have several drink choices- which of course included water with customized water labels- as well as juice and soft drinks. We also bought some snacks (ginger snaps, pretzels, etcetera) and made some pimento cheese sandwiches, putting them in pretty vintage bowls and white servingware.

I included a tutorial photo for the cupcake flags (second photo, above). Four different versions of flags were created in two colors. I wrapped the flat 'flag' around a toothpick with a paper top (this helped the rubber cement adhere to the toothpick), using a bone folder for a crisp edge, and voila!, flags were done. For those who aren't computer savvy, this could easily be done with pretty patterned scrapbook paper for the same effect.

j'adore...

Who can resist these super sweet ideas from Parisian Amelie? Reading her blog - or at least, attempting to - definitely puts my high school French to the test, but no translation is needed for many of these great DIY ideas (including the pattern adorned paper plates). Much more loveliness to check out here and here.

are you ready for some football?

If deviled eggs are at a party, I'm most likely to end up planting myself right in front of the platter. I love this take on the classic appetizer, just perfect for a football-themed get together!

via it's my party by ashlie (originally from let's entertain)

wild things cake

So many of you have gone ga-ga for the Wild Things-themed parties I've featured in the past (see here and here), that I simply can't resist sharing this AWESOME cake that I think you WT fans will adore. From Coco Cakes (via Poppytalk).

new fave

I'm loving the simple, bright, 'clean' posts from Australia's RosieCasie. Look at all of the fab details from Casie's 30th 'fiesta-themed' birthday! I'm definitely going to keep an eye on this chic lady.

football fiesta

I don't usually feature events from professional party planners- simply because they are usually too aspirational for the little guy- with much larger budgets and ideas that don't translate to smaller-scale parties. But this one from Camille is an exception, so I had to share. Lots of great ideas to inspire any football lover... check out the custom-made 'longhorn' pinatas and Texas-themed cupcakes, along with much more right here.

red balloon follow-up

It's rare that I get to see the parties that are queried about in our reader question of the week. That's why I was thrilled when Rachel sent me pictures from her 'red balloon' party (see her original question right here). Apparently one of you lovely readers gave her the idea for these 'red balloon' finger sandwiches (= tomatoes on a toothpick) - brilliant! For more of Rachel's party, check out her blog.

and more...

Vintage paper straws from still lifestyle on etsy.

LOVE!

I couldn't resist posting this gem from Creature Comforts. Pink + yellow are so my colors right now!

toothpick idea

I love these cute toothpicks from just the little things. For the how-to and more inspiration, click here.

popcorn cones

I love this idea from Martha Stewart. They suggest using a paper-wrapped aluminum foil box for display (so clever!)...for the full run-down, check it out here.

helpful websites for meal sign-ups

In the South (and probably elsewhere), when someone is sick, has lost someone, had a baby or any other number of 'occasions', a long line of friends show up with food at the front door. Often times the 'afflicted' person can be deluged with tons of food at the same time, or worse, go for long periods of time without having anyone bring anything. 

A friend recently passed along two websites that I thought were genius...both of them with the same basic idea. They were created to help facilitate meal sign-ups. It takes the burden off of one person having to organize meals, which is often what happens in these situations.

Casseroles and lasagnas tend to be a favorite- what do you like to make to take to friends? Or do you just pick something up from a store? Pictured above is a casserole from Real Simple's 'Easy Casserole Recipes'...lots of them look yummy.

meal sign-up websites (both are free services!):

https://www.mealbaby.com/

http://www.takethemameal.com/

jewels of NY

This inspirational site is a feast for the eyes! So happy to discover...Jewels of New York.