4th Annual Nutcracker Tea Party

The magic of our annual Nutcracker Tea Party with Ballet Wichita always seems to come to life every holiday season. It is one of my favorite events and I always love seeing how the children interact with the ballet dancers. It was extra special for me personally because my daughter was able to attend and interact this year - once she found a little courage to jump in on the fun. Thank you to the wonderful Sally Cavanaugh for capturing the event!

Table settings were Nutcracker perfection thanks to a new line we decided to carry this holiday season - they introduced this holiday collection and it was perfect for the occasion. Ended up selling out quickly in the shop as well. I loved that the colors on the plates let you take it in a traditional or dreamy color scheme. We decided with the table to have fun with a traditional Christmas look. For head accessory, we decided to keep everyone happy this year and do all tiaras except for the extra place settings we put the extra nutcracker hats we had (they are just so cute!).

Decor was pretty easy to put together because we let the tableware be the main focus. For the holidays, I love mixing flowers with evergreen. I had some nutcracker picks from a craft store last year I added to keep the theme. The Rifle Paper Co. holiday greens paper was a fun touch and we did festive confetti in between. This year we opted for one long party table because it's best to give the dancers plenty of room. Our main statement pieces were the fun balloon wreaths. We had one hanging in the back and then a giant one for the backdrop - that pink bow is a fav! The ballet slippers we had, so decided to add for a ballet element.

At children's events, I like to keep the food fairly simple. Of course September Moon cupcakes are always a favorite (and the only way I could get a picture of my child with the dancers)! Since it was brunch time, we picked up Chick-fil-a mini chicken biscuits, I set out mini pastries and made a green grape wreath with raspberries - easy and usual way I serve fruit at this event.

Photo credit: Sally Cavanaugh

The Ballet Wichita dancers did an amazing job this year, as always. They performed for the children, showed them ballet techniques, moves and more! The way they try to make each child feel special is heart warming. The Sugar Plum Fairy did flutter spins with so many little girls - they thought it was magic. Clara, took the time to make the shy girls feel special and brave enough to join in. The Nutcracker helped teach them tricks to avoid dizziness while spinning and the Rat King taught them good fighting moves. They make the event so special for our party guests! Plus, they are able to share the wonderful story of the Nutcracker with them! This year we also added a simple craft, so kids could space out their time with the dancers and let others take turns.

Thank you so very much to Ballet Wichita for being apart of this event every year. It truly means the world to us and our customers. Shout out to the LOC team for helping pull this event together in the midst of holiday craziness - Emily and I had fun setting up one evening after finishing 2 events, while waiting for a 3rd to finish. It was a busy December to say the least ha!

Lots of Love & Happy New Year!

How to Tie a Gift Bow

Shop supplies:
Scissors | Holiday Wrapping Paper & Tags | Ornaments | Tiny Trees | Everyday Wrapping & Tags

Lots of Love,

Cookies with Santa

Christmas season means visits to the big guy in red, and we love inviting him to our shop! Last year we started working with Santa Claus to put together a fun, smaller sized cookie decorating party. Getting time with Santa can be hard for parents, and our goal is to make it easy and less stressful in a smaller environment. We sell around 16 tickets to each event, and try to make them a magical experience for all the littles.

Photo overload! Sorry, but we played with so many fun tabletop combos over the six different events. We used everything from traditional looks to colorful candy looks. I wanted to get pictures of the different supplies we got in this year because there were so many fun options. We also wanted to show how much fun you can have with your tables mixing and matching different patterns and styles. The best part? Wendi, owner of Sweet Sugarlicious, created coordinated cookies! She's incredibly talented. She made a beautifully decorated cookie for each attendee, and then plain cookies that they were able to decorate. 

When the children arrived at the event, they headed over to the letter writing station to put together their Santa letter. If they put it in the "magic North Pole mailbox" they received a letter back from Santa a couple weeks later. During this time, they were also able to get in some time with Mr. Claus. I love that we have a relaxed environment where kids are able to take their time going to see Santa. If they need some time to warm up, they have that. If they want to stay up there and chat his ear off, they can do that. Halfway through the event, Santa read The Night Before Christmas to an attentive crowd. He is so personable and asked kids to help turn the pages, which they loved of course.

We save the cookie decorating until the end (mainly because of the sugar intake haha), and the kids always have a fun time creating a masterpiece. Santa comes around while they are decorating, and it's fun to see their excitement showing off their cookies. Cookie decorating is a classic and always seems to be a hit with the littles. 

Another year, another set of successful Santa events! Thank you to Santa Claus for coming all the way down from the North Pole to make them extra special.

Shop what we have left of our Christmas goodies here!

Lots of Love,