Secret Garden 7th Birthday Party

This precious SECRET GARDEN 7TH BIRTHDAY PARTY was submitted by Kara Abrahamsen of Lillian Hope Designs. Isn't it just lovely?

Kara said-- “This party was styled for my daughter Lilly’s 7th birthday! She was madly in love with the book ‘SECRET GARDEN’ and had this great idea to have a Secret Garden Party! I of course jumped on this idea…I love shabby chic and vintage style parties and was so excited to start styling one for her 7th birthday.

It took me a while to figure out what direction I wanted to go...then I found a fantastic paper pack on Etsy from HelloLoveToo and I fell in love with the print!

In the invitations we sent out plastic glitter keys so that the girls could unlock the magical garden gate as they entered into the secret garden. As the guest arrived they had many {backyard garden games} they could walk around and play as they wished (hula hoops, skipping rope, hopscotch, potato sack races, spoon races with fake eggs, and bubble blowing).

After the girls were finished playing backyard garden games. They got dressed up with some shabby chic accessories and took pictures at the {photo booth}. This was Lilly’s favorite part of the entire party!

Cake and desserts came next! They were able to go up and get as many sweets as their little hearts desired from the dessert table! My friend Alyssa made the beautiful cake and bird cookies. She is incredibly talented and is thinking about starting her own bakery…something I am constantly encouraging her to do! She had some other great cupcakes that we were going to use, but a mild soccer ball accident with her son changed that;-)! Instead she got cupcakes from a local bakery the day of the party (what a lifesaver).

We played find the garden gate key. A friend of mine hid the keys all around the garden. The girls had to run and find them. Once they found one they went to the prize table and picked out their butterfly nets and flower headbands. Then they filled a treat box with magnets, hairclips, and other girly accessories.

It was then time to paint their flower pots and plant their flowers to take home! I am sure the parents loved me sending home so many items with the children ;-).

My daughter has chosen for the last two years to donate her gifts. So this year she donated them to a program called Teen Mops. Everyone was asked to bring a gift of $15 or less to donate.”

Vendor Credit:

Party Printables/Design/Styling - Lillian Hope Designs
Photography - Faith Photography
Cookies/Cake – {Alyssa Trepagnier} AlyssaTrep@gmail.com
Oreo Pops – Lauren Scheck
Cupcakes – GiGi’s Cupcakes
Birthday Girl Shirt – Oh Fiddlesticks
Birthday Girl Headband – Headbands by LilCuteTs

Vintage Ballerina 3rd Birthday Party

This next party feature is absolutely stunning- A VINTAGE BALLERINA 3RD BIRTHDAY PARTY submitted by Jennifer Schattle of Jennifer Schattle Photography. The best part- only around $150 was spent to create it all!

Jennifer Wrote:

“Recently I worked with Jenifer Hill, owner of hello love designs, on a styled shoot for her son Ethan’s 9th birthday. And if that wasn’t fabulous enough … I was invited back to capture all of the amazing details for her daughter Ellah’s vintage ballerina themed 3rd birthday party.

I was completely smitten when Ellah greeted me at the door dressed in the cutest pink frilly tutu, accessorized with a vintage blingy brooch, sparkly top, ballerina shoes and a darling rosette headband. And not certain how Jen could possibly outdo the movie party … she blew me away with the attention to detail to make her little ballerina’s third birthday amazing!

Guests dined on oven baked ham and cheese sliders, chicken salad croissant sandwiches and homemade pig in the blankets. For dessert … Ellah’s dad Buster made her the most perfect ribbon birthday cake. It was GORGEOUS. There were also yummy powdered donuts, homemade raspberry muffins and vintage glass bowls filled with candy treats. I’m definitely having Jen and Buster plan my next birthday!”

Ellah's mom, Jenifer Hill (from hello love designs), wrote:

“My daughter, Ellah, has a love for ballerinas. When I was shopping at the Round Top/Warrenton Antiques Show in Round Top, Texas, I found a stash of vintage little ballerina prints. I purchased them for her room, and when she saw them, the gasp she took helped me to decide the theme of her 3rd birthday - a vintage ballerina.

The party:
I kept the party simple and the budget small. Not including the birthday girl's outfit, I spent a total of $150 on the entire party! I used alot of what I already owned and borrowed from my mom for styling. When the pint-sized party guests arrived, they were given a tutu to wear if they did not wear their own. Sorry boys, it was an all-girls party! The birthday party started out with a brunch where we served oven roasted ham and cheese sliders (as seen on Pinterest!), tiny dancer croissant sandwiches with chicken salad, pigs in the blanket, french toast, homemade raspberry muffins, powdered donuts and an assortment of fruit including watermelon, the birthday girl's favorite. We served orange juice, strawberry lemonade, and tea to drink. The 2-5 year old girls were given spill-proof cups I found on sale at Target. Those were a clean-up saver.

We took the party outside where the girls first decorated a ballerina coloring page and then made their own ballerina princess crowns with glittery foam stickers. Of course, the tutu-clad girls danced, twirled and plied across the backyard. I set up a mirror for them to watch as they danced around. Ellah had a very faded, vintage-y pink ribbon cake made by my husband. It was strawberry with a raspberry filling and oh, so delicious. Each ballerina received a favor bag and single stem rose as the party ended just like a prima ballerina receives at the end of her performance.

Ellah wore a tutu pettiskirt by Cheeky Chic Baby, top by Baby Gap, and shoes from Nordstrom. Her shoes were glittery, ballerina pink and the bow had a zipper edge - she loved them! Ellah also wore a vintage brooch on her tutu from my personal collection. Her gorgeous headband was ordered from Prim Couture Shop. The headband is as beautiful in person too!

The decor:
Pink was the obvious choice for a ballerina party, but I wanted to throw in other colors as well. I looked to the ballerina prints I'd purchased for the her room. I found turquoise in a couple of the prints. Turquoise has been a classic vintage color, looks adorable with pink, so I used it throughout the party. I spray painted unused frames I already had to frame the ballerina prints. I hung one at the cake table and the other two hung over the french doors leading into the party area. Since my daughter's name is Ellah Rose, I wanted to incorporate roses in to the decor. I fell in love with Cath Kidston's fabric which sparked the entire design for her birthday invitation and all the printable party accessories. I sell the vintage ballerina invitation and coordinating paper party accessories in my store! I asked my aunt of Kustom Kids of Kingwood to sew a pennant banner for the party, and I placed fabric flowers from Lemon Tree Studio at each end of the banner. The paper lanterns and all the paper goods were picked up at Party City. Perhaps my favorite purchase (besides the banner), was a vintage floral sheet from Eager Hands, that I used for the tablecloth. The print reminded me of my grandmother, so I snagged it for a great deal and the seller even threw in extra goodies like eyelet trim I used to trim the party hats. All of the vintage dishes I used were borrowed from my mother. The pieces displayed the candies, and I provided cupcake liners from Cupcake Social for guests to use for candy munching. All other decor were things I already owned keeping to my budget conscious party.

My favorite party moment was watching her blow out her birthday candles. I cry every birthday party thinking how much my children have grown and how fast my time with them goes. There are only so many years I will see them, as children, blowing out their candles before they're adults. I cherish it.”

Vendor Credits:

Styling, invitations & paper party accessories: Hello Love Designs
Photography: Jennifer Schattle Photography
Custom Banner: Mary Grant of Kustom Kids of Kingwood
Vintage sheet: Eager Hands
Fabric flowers: Lemon Tree Studio
Cupcake liners: Cupcake Social & Target

High Tea On The Beach Party

This party is going to make your heart melt. A gorgeous HIGH TEA ON THE BEACH BIRTHDAY PARTY submitted by Amanda Lamont of Tout Mon Amour was chosen as today's feature. Who would have thought combining these two themes- a beach party & a tea party- would be so divine. I am in love. The soft colors, the clothes, the mini ruffle cakes for each child, the headbands, the sand, the water....everything is so adorable!

Here is what Amanda said about the party- "We are so fortunate to live in such a gorgeous part of Australia – the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. Surrounded by stunning beaches – white sand and crystal blue water, it was the obvious choice when choosing a location for our special high tea party for the girls.

I wanted to create a really magical and memorable day for them, where they felt special and a tiny bit glamorous! They were so excited dressing in their gorgeous dresses and selecting their hair accessories.

We based the colour scheme around the Robert Gordon Liberty tea-set and created a fun yet yummy selection of treats for them to enjoy. The other pedestals used were from the Rosanna Decor Bon Bon range.

The High Tea Selections were:

Pink Marshmallow & Coconut Cake;
Vanilla & Rose Teapot Cookies;
Pink Velvet Cake Pops;
Butterfly & Lace Cupcakes;
Petite Pink Rainbow Cakes;
Rose Petal Fizz;
Strawberry Tea;

They had such a fantastic couple of hours – dining on the delicious food, giggling and sharing secrets under the canopy with their dolls, who were dressed in outfits to match their own, and lastly chasing bubbles on the beach."

Event Styling – Tout Mon Amour
Cake Pedestals, Cupcake Stands, Tea Set, Tablecloths & Cushions – Tout Mon Amour
Food Styling – Chocolate 2 Chilli 
Photography – Andrea Sproxton Photography
Girls dressed by – Chicoco
Invite and Menu Design – Sprowt Graphic Design
Canopy - Tara K Designs
Vintage Inspired Dolls - Miss Kiki of Cherry Blossom Lane