scarlet's circus birthday party

This very clever circus party came to me via Jaime, thrown to honor her adorable daughter's first birthday. So many fun details to gobble up, including the invitation... which shouldn't be missed! Her sweet daughter was born on April Fool's Day, and so of course- the invitation was in the guise of an IRS audit letter (see it here). Even better were the responses she received! But now back to the party... check out the popcorn machine, the oh-so-lovely cake and cookies, and all the scrumptious colors. Lots more here.

because, who doesn't need a cape?!

My friend, Jessica, passed along the website of a super-creative friend of hers...Eleni. Eleni makes handmade custom pieces- including adorable mobiles, ornaments and yes, capes! What child wouldn't adore their very own personalized cape? For those of us who are not-so-crafty, it's reassuring to know we can buy something like this, even if we don't have the skills to execute it on our own. Above is the cape creation Eleni made for Jessica's daughter, Reese, nicknamed 'Reesecake', and her son, Robert- deemed 'Giggleman.' For $50, I'm betting this would not only make an amazing gift for your tiniest superhero, but it would be around (and used) for a long time to come.

painted cakes & cookies

Neviepiecakes specializes in beautifully painted cakes and cookies. Quite a talented lady!

tea party

Cute tea party spotted on flickr.

robyn glaser

Robyn Glaser's styling is spot on- luscious, moody, evocative.

We've got lots of tornadoes in Nashville today, so I'm signing off early!

partyspot

I happily stumbled upon the Knot's new party-planning site, called PartySpot. It features tastefully done real-world parties...including bar/bat mitzvahs, adult and kid birthdays, showers- everything! Unfortunately, the site is very poorly organized and is extremely hard to navigate, but if you're willing to sort through the hiccups, there are some real gems. Above is a snippet from a 55th anniversary party. 

out and about with Allison: Sam's 1st birthday

In Allison's words: 

"I wanted something playful and fun and well, thought the old Cowboy and Indian theme had been done. So I decided to focus more on the Native American part. We bought Sam a TeePee for his birthday which he loves and plays in all the time (his cave of sorts). Sent out cute Sideshow Press invitations, inviting Sam's friends over for an afternoon pow wow. I made all the girls flower felt necklaces with grosgrain ribbon and gave them each Native American names to fit their personalities such as, Leotie meaning flower of the prairie, and Lomasi meaning pretty flower. For the boys, I made headdresses that they surprisingly kept on their heads and I stamped their names on the back of their felt feather...Sam was named Istu meaning sugar, the other boys, Helaku meaning full of sun, and Kitchi meaning brave. Carrot cake cupcakes from a Barefoot Contessa recipe were divine. Paper bags with each child's picture held another cupcake for their take-home treat."