Project: Twins Baby Shower Part 2

Seems fitting that I am featuring this Shin-Dig this week as New Mom and Dad are welcoming their beautiful Twin Baby Girls! Congratulations to Mom, Dad and Babies E&S!

Now back to the task at hand! Featuring some goodies from the Shower that was given! Yesterday I showed you what inspired me and the Hosts of the Storybook Alphabet Block Shower, today I will show you what we came up with! From Invitation to diaper cake here it goes!

These were premade Invitations, and were an adorable way to introduce the theme to guests. On the back guests were asked to "Bring a book instead of a card". A unique way to not only start the childrens library, but to remember the event each time one is read to the new little ones!

As guests arrived to the Shin-Dig they were greeted by this simple Door Wreath, which is inspired by a photo the Hosts LOVED from Pinterest (Find it HERE). I re-created it using a Grapevine wreath form, some faux Hydrangea blooms, wooden Alphabet blocks, Ribbon in party colours and the initals of the Expectant parents; we didn't know until after that these would also be the new babies initials!

 

I loved how this wreath turned out, and I love that the couple liked it too and took it home!

 

 

The Buffet Table was decorated simply with a large floral arrangement that came together wonderfully with flowers and greenery provided by Linda "Floral Wonderwoman" at Flowers and Pine World, she was extremely helpful, and this would have looked very different without her! The arrangement was placed into a box dressed up like an "Alphabet Block" and set in the center of the table.

 Wooden Alphabet blocks were  "scattered", and a few classic storybooks were laid down. Ribbon in the party colours was used as a punch of colour.

 To dress up the food platters I had created some Storybook Character Food Picks, they went into sandwiches, veggies, and squares on the Sweet Table.

With Mom-To-Be not crazy about the usual party decorations (read NO Streamers, Balloons or Garland of any kind!), we created Diaper Cakes to dress up the party area's; these were a perfect option as they are not only pretty, but also functional for Mom and Dad (and of course babies!) after the shower!

The large 4 tiered cake was used on the sweet table.

 There were three smaller "mini" cakes that were placed around the main party area. Each had their own little theme; Bath time, Fun Time and Meal Time! I was so excited to pick up two bibs: one that said "I Love My Mommy", and one "I Love My Daddy"!
 

The cake was created by a long time friend of the Mom-To-Be. Leah did an excellent job creating a lovely Alphabet Block, and it was so delicious!

As guests arrived they had a chance to create a Custom Alphabet Block for the Babes. Guests thought that it was a unique way to have custom details that would last well beyond the Shower, and apparently Dad-To-Be was looking forward to this activity too once he heard about it! It was a great activity for everyone  as they arrived, some were nervous that they were not "creative" enough, but I showed them that with the stamps and stencils that were available it was easy to create something special for the babies. I was impressed by ALL of the "Artists" and the overall activity went very well!

After everyone had arrived; it was time to kick things off with a "Price Is Right" Challenge! Several baby related items had been purchased and were shown to guests one by one, then they were asked to record what they thought each item was worth. Host Heather then revealed the actual cost of each item and the guest who was closest won a nice little "Garden" Prize. Congratulations Lisa!

Many were surprised at the cost of baby items in 2013! The print out that I created had classic Storybook images such as "Peter Rabbit", "Ferdinan the Bull" and of course "Pooh Bear".

After this activity Mamma Sarah started opening her gifts, she had much to get through and soon the container that I had provided was overflowing with books! Along with lovely gifts for the babies!

 We had planned to take a break for food, and as we expected Mamma Sarah needed to stretch about half way through the enormous gift pile! As guests filled their plates I put out a "Wishes for Babies" Bookmark that was created by the Fantastic Paper Craft Genius; Stephanie S. of Stephs-Scraps.

After a short break guests came back and Mamma Sarah continued to open teeny-tiny baby items, the Wishes for Baby Bookmarks were filled out with lovely messages to the twins. I set two aside for the Mom- and Dad-To-Be, so they could fill them out later.

Near the end of the shower; Dad-To-Be, Bapa and Grandpa-To-Be and Uncle-To-Be arrived. They too sat down and added to the collection of Custom Alphabet blocks that were drying for Babies.

 

I just had to share this  photo of our Youngest guest, too ADORABLE and can you believe that she slept for almost the ENTIRE Shin-Dig?

 

Congratulations once again to the Entire family! I was truely honoured to be part of such a special moment in their lives and hope to be part of many more!

 

Another SWEETHEART Guest!

 

 



Project: Twins Baby Shower

With months of planning now behind me, and the file folder sitting on my desk waiting to be filed under “Completed Projects”, I am now excited to share some of the details!

Today is all about inspiration! I comb through photo after photo on Pinterest (www.pinterest.com) and am inspired by many! Here are a few things that were worked with, adding the Mom-2-Be’s style and personality to make them perfect.

The sister in Law, Mother in Law and Mother of the couple expecting were all working together to create a memorable celebration. They called me in very early on, and for the first meeting we just talked about the style and direction we would go. Mom 2 Be, Sarah is not into the typical shower experience, she has a sophisticated and simple style, with not much love of the cutesy-cute! We definitely wanted an understated elegance to the entire event.

Starting with the theme, I knew that an “About to Pop”, or any other reference to Mamma’s size would likely be off limits. And so after brainstorming I suggested a simple Baby Sprinkle with very soft spring-like décor; umbrella’s and rain boots kind of thing. A “Mr. / Miss / Both?”; with mustaches and bow and a modern colour scheme. Last a Storybook theme; incorporating classic storybooks and characters. I was thrilled when they decided to go with the Storybook theme and they also wanted to include Alphabet blocks.

They had already purchased invitations, and after helping them chose the wording we were all excited that all the guests who came would be helping to build the Twins Library by bringing a storybook instead of a card.

Inspired by this;



Found on Pinterest, via Gatsby Events

This centerpiece caught their eye and we were able to create our own spin on it that went beautifully on the food table.

Via Catch My Party

 

The trio also knew they wanted a Diaper cake, and to play the “Price is Right” game. So I worked on these elements as well.

Photo from Uncommon Designs

From Plan the Perfect Baby Shower

 

 

For colour, knowing that the Mom-2-Be wanted to stay away from “Boy/Girl” colours we went with a colour scheme from the quilts that were being created for the babies by Nana, a gorgeous Burgundy, Blue and a Sunflower Yellow. I have fallen in LOVE with Design Seeds, for all colour inspiration; from party to interior design they are great go to for inspiration!

I was asked to provide a couple of other simple activities, as well as a few other décor elements, such as a wreath for the door, and some countertop decorations.

Tomorrow I will show my interpretation of the inspiring photos.

New Year, New Goals! Oh and Definitely New Shin-Digs!

I know I may be a little late in saying this, but….. HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I really hope that you enjoyed the Holidays this year, and would LOVE to hear about all the Shin-Digs you had and/or went to! Send me a note at allkindsofshindigs@bell.net and don’t forget to add pictures!
So with a New Year, inevitably it makes you think of Resolutions, whether or not you rebel, and refuse to make any, I think we all still think about things that we want to work on for the next 365 days. From Health and Finance to relationships with  Family and Friends. Lists can get long! I love to ask my boys what they hope for our family for the year to come, this year they all said the want to have more FUN in 2013! Don’t get me wrong, we had quite a bit of fun in 2012! And I am most definitely up for having MORE fun in 2013. Last year went by in such a flash, from growing my business and trying to be the best Mom and Wife that I could be, I feel like that while I was so focused on making memorable moments happen for family and friends – I didn’t necessarily take the time to fully enjoy them… And so one of my goals is to take each moment for what it is and really appreciate what it brings.

Of course I plan to Celebrate in 2013, and there are lots of Shin-Digs in the works that I look forward to sharing with all of you! I will be working on adding services to my little Party biz and growing the ones that I am offering now. I am also looking forward to some collaboration with other business’ and keeping up with the whole Blog/Social media world that seems to be catching on!

Timpano Bridal Show-Midland

I was asked not very long ago by my friend Jen, from Simply Cakes and Sweets to join her at her booth for the Midland Timpano Bridal Show. I was SUPER excited, not only because I was getting to work with Cake Ace-Jen, but also because this would be my FIRST bridal show!  Jen and I had been talking for awhile about collaborating on Sweet Treat Buffets, and this seemed like the PERFECT opportunity to get the word out! I am not sure if you have been to an event that has had one of these or if you have been seeing them all over the Internet like I have. I LOVE them! They are FANTASTIC to look at, FUN for guest to enjoy, and make a GREAT favour!  I am excited to see where it takes us!
When Jen and I started talking about her vision for the booth, she told me a few ideas for cakes that she thought she would like to showcase, she emphasised how important it was to do something unique and different for the area AND my favourite; she wanted SPARKLE! So a brainstorming I went! Design after design came and went until I was happy. We had a fantastic colour scheme of Pink and Black picked.

 Jen had found some GORGEOUS pink fabric that she wanted to use. As time passed things were coming together! Her husband Terry was creating FANTASTIC cake stands; involving light tubes, and motors, Jen was having a great time creating beautiful cakes to show off, and I was have fun doing what I do, finding the SPARKLE that Jen had requested. Plus we were still developing on how the Sweet Treat Buffet was going to work.
I was nervous about how things were going to come together, Jen's cakes and sweets, and my decor design. I am always worried about having enough time to set everything up, often when people say "what can I do to help" I don't have an answer because I have it all planned in my brain step by step for me to do and to pick it apart to find tasks that don't require a direct link to my brain takes a bit for me! When all was said and done, I was  VERY happy with the results! Jens cakes looked spectacular! Terry's stands were going to be the talk of the show, and the Treat Buffet was definitely an eye catcher, although one of our showpiece's for the table was "Man-handled" by a neighbour and suffered a little as a result.

Our ADORABLE Fairy Godmother!

 I loved the whimsical and sophisticated feel the entire set up had.

Our SWEET square!

We brought in three, yes that's right THREE extra tables to use besides our given 8ft table. Behind we used a 7ft table and cake stands covered by pink, Pink and more PINK; to display some gorgeous work by Jen.

The back display was highlighted with Jen's outstanding Fall cascade Cake

 

 The main display table, an 8ft had white skirting and a black tablecloth; we draped with the shimmering pink fabric and Showcased the two stunning stands that Terry had worked so hard on.

This is the Stand that has light tubes! It was fun to watch Jen as she demo'd how it can be customised to wedding colours and the ultimate of the Disco effect!

 

This Fantastic design had a rotating top (where the larger cake is sitting)!

 

 The 8 foot table was flanked on either side with 4ft tables that were covered in black fabric and the shimmering pink fabric drape. On one side along with digital frames that showed some other work, we had some samples of Jen's Chocolate mousse, and her FANTASTIC Candy & Caramel apples.

Jen's mousse and Candy/Caramel Apples! Plus her gorgeous Pink & Black Cake

On the other side, it was totally dedicated to our Sweet Buffet display. From candy and chocolate, to donuts and whoopie pies, all looked and tasted AMAZING!

Our Sweet Treat Buffet

And then we were ready for the doors to open...

The first few minutes were quiet but as brides and their posse got around to us and word spread like wild fire that we had samples; we had more and more people at our little square. I think that it was true that one reason why we were so busy was because we were giving samples but I truly believe that it had A LOT to do with the fact that we had achieved what Jen had originally set out to do. Show them all something NEW, UNIQUE, and EXCITING! I loved talking with all the Brides I met, as well as some Grooms who's eyes lit up when they saw our gorgeous display of donuts! I am really looking forward to being able to work with Brides, Grooms and their families to create memories that will last lifetimes!
Thanks so much to the other vendors who were at the show, the other "veterans" who tried to help us when Jen was putting up her banner, and  to Paul Timpano and his team who put such an amazing show together!
And of course a BIG Thank You goes out to Jen and Terry; I can't say enough about you two! Looking forward to all that is to come!

Welcome October!

The air is getting Crisper, the leaves are turning, and I am getting ready to host our Families Turkey dinner! I am Canadian, so we have our Thanksgiving Holiday in October. I am hosting Turkey day at my house this year. I am both excited and afraid!

You might think this odd from someone who Plans parties/events as her career, but let me clarify something; it's not the planning or hosting that I am afraid of! It is the state of my house! Since the spring, my house has seemed to be in a whirl wind! We have all just blasted through and no one has really paid any attention to our home. It seems really angry with us now! Since becoming busier, I have really found it difficult to find that balance that all of us women seem to desperately strive for. And so my mission this week is to apologise to our family home! I know this sounds crazy! But if you saw my house, you would understand how and why I would say it is angry with us!

 

Bits and Bites (or things that will keep me busy this fall);
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I am planning my own little Shin-Dig to honour some special women in my life; more details to follow.
Birthday's are always FUN! We will be celebrating a family birthday on the 19th, and there are some Birthday Boxes on order for the month of October that I am working on too! Watch for some Angry Bird and Beyblade inspiration.
My husband and I are excited to attend the wedding of a good friend. And to celebrate the engagement of a Good friend's daughter (YIKES am I that old!).
I am very excited to be part of a special giveaway with Connie's Magical Cupboard, a local baker, check it out over on Facebook here.
I am always excited to work with Jen over at Simply Cakes and Sweets, she and I worked so well together in the past and we have much more up our sleeves for the fall!

Back to School means Back to Routine!

September is HERE! With that means sliding back in to FALL ROUTINE! I am hoping that means that I can increase my Blogging! I am setting up a schedule that I will be sharing in the next few weeks. For now I am sharing a few photo's of  past projects I have worked on over the last few months! Kind of my own version of "What I did on Summer Vacation"!

First up is a recap of the MIB:Shopping Showcase that I was a part of way back in the Spring! It was FANTASTIC! I made so many business connections and met so many great people! We managed to raise  money for a very good cause to boot!
 

My sister stopped by to show support and was SNAPped!

 


A view of my donut display!

This is part of a product for Office Celebrations, a FUN way for Co-Workers to share a Birthday!

I am loving all the Sweet Tables I have been able to design!

I was able to also "Spot Light" some of the GREAT vendors I have enjoyed working with, like cupCAKE
 

Delish Citrus Macrons!

And FUN Hot Air Balloon Cookies by Jen at Simply Cakes and Sweets

The corner of my spot held some products; like custom party hats, Birthday Wishes Candle kits, As well as some photos of my work and some info about me!

 Next up was a Fundraiser at cupCAKES as part of  their Donation Days; I was so honoured to be a part of this particular fundraiser. I have had loved ones who have had to fight Breast Cancer and I hold this cause very close to my heart!

This was a quick shot of the Quilt of Hope that was being created for the day, those buying cupcakes were encouraged to fill a memory card to honour some one special

I tried to decorate every corner and window!

 Over the summer I was pleased to get involved with a group; Cake for Kids who is trying to bring smiles to every birthday boy & girl. By providing them with a Birthday Cake when their family is in need. I have been able to help out by creating small Custom Party Boxes so that they can have mini celebrations. I try to include invites, thank yous, activities and Loot. First one I was privileged to take part in was for a special little girl, who loves music. the theme was Rock Star Divas and I absolutely loved putting it together!

Simple plastic drinking cups were "Diva-fied" with paper cupcake wrappers and ribbon

Loot bags were made from store bought take out containers, with a little streamer detail added

And for all the Divas; loot included Nail polish, lip gloss and candy in the perfect Diva colours of Pink and Purple!

For the centrepiece I used a Rock Star trophy and add some pizazz with a hand made tissue flower

My latest project was a collaboration with Jen from Simply Cakes and Sweets, we had a BLAST setting up the Sweets Table at the Rogers TV Midland Fall Programming Kick-off. Being able to submersed with the wonderful colours of fall, the past two weeks, has really got me thinking its time to find some Apple Cider or make a batch of my famous Roasted Squash soup (I've shared that recipe before!)

Reds, Oranges, and Burlap were a perfect match for the warmth of Fall.

Jen's FANTASTIC Rogers TV logo Cupcakes looked GORGEOUS with my rustic elements!

I guess that is all for my photo essay! Looking forward to a bit of a breather over this weekend, and some time with family!