Rose Gold Llama Birthday

Post written by shop girl Rachel...

When I set out to plan our daughter's first birthday party, I knew I wanted to incorporate two things: the gorgeous unicorn cake I've seen all over the internet and lovely botanicals from Rifle Paper Co. My sheer indecisiveness led to this gorgeous result.

We have always thought of Kaia as our little wildflower so decorating with fresh blooms seemed natural.  I came across the idea of using pegboard to create a floral backdrop and ran with it. I used peach carnations, pink peonies and magenta carnations mixed with greenery to create a petite bloom back drop. In total, the project took about 2.5 hours, including sourcing the pegboard from Lowe's. We secured the backdrop with zip ties to keep little ones safe. Next to Kaia's high chair, I tied flat eucalyptus onto a Studio Pep confetti balloon and had a rose gold "1" balloon. I placed vases filled with ranunculus, carnations, kale stems, flat eucalyptus, green bell and cocculus around the party space. The rose gold vases were the perfect accents on top of the mint birch wrapping sheets.  On the back tables, I attached monthly photos to rose gold and blush balloons.

I decorated the kids' table with Rifle Paper Co. Wildflower wrapping sheets, rose gold plates, scalloped cups and added favors as the centerpiece. We used Studio Pep's Dream confetti to stuff 5" clear balloons, then attached them to pretty straws to create a wand. I wrapped the ends with rose gold braided ribbon and placed a little extra ribbon and confetti on the table for decor. The kids played with those balloons throughout the party and took them home at the end!

I find providing entertainment at a first birthday to be a bit challenging.  I wanted to find a way to engage both the kids and adults. For the kids (and certainly a game for adults too!) we played Pin the Tail on the Llama and offered bubbles as a prize for the winner. The dress up closets at Love of Character were perfect to occupy the older kids while the baby leisurely, yes leisurely, smashed into her cake.

We served cold-brew coffee and mimosas for the adults and since the party took place at 10am, we kept the food light with a simple fruit salad, veggie tray and treats. On the birthday cake, we left off the horn and added texture to make her look like a llama. Kaia smashed into a homemade, dairy & gluten-free banana cake that I topped with an adorable wooden "one". We served macaroons, cupcakes and offered dairy & gluten-free mini cakes to accommodate the allergy needs of our party guests.

The girls wore matching flower crowns by Avery & Grey and I found Kaia's sweet, pink dress from Wren & James. Both worked well together and matched the look of the morning.

We host gift-less parties for our girls and instead requested that guests bring diapering supplies to donate to a local charity. The shop's small scalloped kids table made a cute staging area for boxes of diapers and baby products.

I had so much fun putting together this party and we are excited to provide a new option for party backdrops using pegboard for your parties too!

Shop this post: 

Printable llama game | Kaia's Dress | Llama Cake | Rose Gold Striped Hexagon Plates | Copper Striped Round Plates | Rose Gold Scallop Cups | Rose Gold Napkins | Artisan Confetti | Dream Jumbo Confetti Balloon

Shop in store:

Rose Gold 1 Balloon | Avery & Grey Flower Crowns | Braided Rose Gold Metallic Ribbon | Rifle Paper Co. Wrapping Sheets

Backdrop inspiration http://lovelyindeed.com/diy-floral-photo-backdrop/

Lots of Love,
Rachel

Bachelorette Weekend Getaway

This past weekend, a group of friends and I headed to Denver to celebrate our friend's last fling before the ring! The maid of honor, Paige, reached out wanting some fun items to decorate with and of course I wanted to help. I sent lots of fun options her way and she picked some favorites that we shipped off to Colorado. The bride, Amy, is a good friend and we wanted to make it a special weekend away!

We stayed in a modern Airbnb in a fun neighborhood in Denver. The main floor was open and great for setting up our bachelorette scene. When you are setting up in a hotel or Airbnb, it is good to find a shelf or desk to use for your decorations. If you only have items to hang, you can always do that above a sitting area if you have one in the room (see past blog post for hotel setup). Paige picked out some of our new tissue tassel garland to match with a fun gold letter banner. The new tassel banners are great are great because they become pre-made and are easy to use right away. I added some pink confetti for a party look and wanted to try out one of our new "party" script holographic balloons. It all came together and set a fun party mood!

Amy's other maid of honor, Leah, collected pictures from everyone and had them printed to be hung up. People sent in cute and funny pictures and we hung them on ribbons with clothes hangers. Worried about the weight of the pictures, we figured they wouldn't stay up if we strung them up horizontally, so Paige had the great idea of doing them vertically down the down. We were able to tape on the other side and close the door to help keep them up. For an entertaining activity, we brought a gold diamond pinata and filled it with candies and bath bombs for the girls. Love a good decoration that is also a game.

I wanted to do something fun for the weekend and the bride, so I told Paige I would put together hangover kits for the party girls. Always a good "thanks for coming" gift with needed supplies for the weekend. I decided to use cute gift bags I had this time instead of boxes, since I needed to ship them with other decor supplies. In the bags, I added a couple of our new "Bride Tribe" tattoos, sunscreen, Advil, hair ties, Sugarfina Champagne Bubble Bears and Wine Wipes. For the bride, I threw in a Bling Wipe.

Bar items are important for a Bachelorette party, especially if you are staying in a hotel where there aren't a lot of glasses. With Airbnbs, you usually are lucky enough to have glasses, but it's still fun to have party cups! Paige picked our color-changing cups, so the guests would have a fun party favor for the weekend. She also picked up some fun drink stirrers and I threw in some fun straws that coordinated with the banner. Also, try to remember a way to mark the cups, so people don't get them mixed up.

Overall, it was a great weekend! Amy was spoiled with fun gifts at her lingerie shower and we all loved getting together to celebrate the bride. Couple Denver recommendations if you are going to the area for a Bachelorette getaway: Ophelia's and Avanti F&B.

Shop this post:

Stripe Tassel Banner | Glitter Banners | Diamond Pinata | Holographic Party Script Balloon | Heart Party Bags | Pink Confetti | Bride Sash | Color Changing Cups | Bride Tribe Tattoos | 

Bachelorette Boxes - you can also reach out for custom options | Other items, such as "Bride" bag, can be found in store or e-mail to order

Lots of Love,

Summer Wine Tasting

This past week, we hosted another wine tasting with the fabulous Whitney from Jacob Liquor Exchange. In honor of National Rosé Day, I decided to share the fun details! Yes, it is apparently a holiday, and yes, I think you all should have a glass to celebrate! Attendees of the wine tasting, were served four different wines to try and I had a table of hors d'oeuvres for them to munch on. Whitney also brought handouts with tips for entertaining and a delicious recipe for frozen rosé popsicles - yum!

Food wise, I always get cheese recommendations from Whitney. They are always unique and go well with the wines being served. Dillons at Central and Rock has a great cheese counter with a lot to choose from, plus they are helpful when you have questions. I paired the cheese with some everything seasoned crackers and my favorite butterfly shaped butter crackers. Nuts like almonds and pistachios are good, easy snacks that most people enjoy. I also served some hummus with pita bread to make sure people had enough substance for the wine ahead! For dessert, I wanted something unique and local, so I reached out to our friends at Milkfloat. Their homemade poptarts for the month are raspberry and Twix flavored. They were a hit! I definitely recommend if you are in Wichita and looking for a fun, sweet outing.

For the tasting, we setup one large table and set each place setting with a place mat, Riedel wine glasses provided by Whitney and their tasting sheets. Plus, I added a Sugarfina box of Rosé All Day gummy bears as a fun party favor! Who doesn't love something pretty and tasty to take home? Great favor if you are having a wine get together yourself (we have lots of varieties at the shop). For the wines, Whitney started with a Rosé, then poured a Vinho Verde, Sauvignon Blanc and finished with a red. With each wine she discussed the suitable occasions and pairings. All were great for summer entertaining!

It was a fun evening full of chatting, drinking and eating. Perfect excuse to get out with your friends or family. Thank you Whitney for spending the evening with us and sharing your extensive wine knowledge! Also, thank you to everyone that came out for the event. You were a great group! Being pregnant this time, I wasn't able to enjoy the wines, but they all seemed to be well liked. Head over to Jacob Liquor Exchange to pick up some for your next party this summer!

Lots of Love,