This weekend, I had the best time staging a mock party for my niece, Sophy, who's turning ten this month. Sophy loves to draw, paint and craft and I designed the Art Party Collection specifically for her last year. The original color scheme was based on her favorite colors, pink and purple, but I recently updated the design and used rainbow colors. It turned out so bright, cheerful and it honestly is one of my favorite designs.
For this party, I wanted to go bright but not over-the-top. I wanted the rainbow colors to pop, so I used a white table cover, white dishes and white cake stands.
The invitation is fun, bright, and clean. I initially thought to use the rainbow stripes for the background, but decided against it because I didn't want the background to clash with the already colorful text and clipart.
On top of the dessert table, I used a 10"x8" Welcome Sign and two 8" rainbow paper fans I got for under a dollar. I needed the sign to pop so I glued it on an 8"x10" canvas. I initially wanted the sign to be 14"x11", then I decided to print the 10"x8" instead and use a 20"x16" white picture frame with white mat. However, the frame was too heavy and I didn't want to put holes on our wall so I just used the canvas and attached it to the wall using removable 3M mounting squares.
To create the banner, I punched holes on either side of the triangle and tied two triangles with a bow.
I cheated with the cake and cupcakes and bought them from the grocery store. Don't judge. It's not an actual party, after all. The cake topper is 5" and I glued it on top of a red round paper fan and attached a long cookie stick. Tip for making the round paper fans: don't use heavy card stock. It makes folding a little difficult since it's too thick. The cupcake wrappers hide whatever cupcake liner you used and make them a little fancier. I used a 2" scallop puncher for the cupcake toppers and attached them to a lollipop stick.
I love most everything about this party, but I have a special place in my heart for these fancy labels. I found these mini easels at the craft store and thought they will be perfect for holding the labels. I really love how they turned out!
To add height to the dessert table setting, I used my son's hardcover books, wrapped them in white paper, and stacked two. For the letter "S", I bought a paper mache letter from the craft store and just used acrylic paint, let it dry and finished it off with glossy mod podge. I used plastic "paint" cans to hold the M&M's. It took quite a while to sort the candies by color, but I think the effect is stunning. I also found these cute pails at the craft store with "paint" drippings and used them to hold the rock candies and pretzel rods.
Speaking of pretzel rods, I dipped them in brown melted candy wafers, let dry and dipped them again in melted chocolate candy in different colors to create the brush effect. I also used mini rice krispie treats, attached a craft stick and dipped them in melted candy wafers to make them look like paintbrushes. They turned out cute, but too sweet even for me.
To add height to the dessert table setting, I used my son's hardcover books, wrapped them in white paper, and stacked two. For the letter "S", I bought a paper mache letter from the craft store and just used acrylic paint, let it dry and finished it off with glossy mod podge. I used plastic "paint" cans to hold the M&M's. It took quite a while to sort the candies by color, but I think the effect is stunning. I also found these cute pails at the craft store with "paint" drippings and used them to hold the rock candies and pretzel rods.
Speaking of pretzel rods, I dipped them in brown melted candy wafers, let dry and dipped them again in melted chocolate candy in different colors to create the brush effect. I also used mini rice krispie treats, attached a craft stick and dipped them in melted candy wafers to make them look like paintbrushes. They turned out cute, but too sweet even for me.
I also love how the bottle wraps turned out! I used milk bottles to hold the drinks and put colorful paper straws to match the theme. Who says you can only use the bottle wraps for plastic water bottles? You can purchase milk bottles from the craft store, or you can recycle Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino Coffee Drink. Remove the label (after drinking the delicious drink first, of course!) and put the bottle in the dishwasher and there you have it, your recycled milk bottle! Tip for removing the sticky residue from the bottles: apply peanut butter on top of the residue, let stand for a minute, scrub and rinse and voila, residue gone!
And of course, you have to write a thank you card after the party. This cute little folded card is perfect for sending thank you's to all the guests.
And what's a party without favors for the guests to take home? I gathered a white canvas, an apron, a watercolor set, a paintbrush, an acrylic paint, and a sweet lollipop and tied them all with a blue ribbon and attached a cute hang tag. Or you can just purchase a small plastic "paint" can from the craft store and fill them with mini M&M's, attach a cute tag and call it a day.
I have to say, I really love how this "party" turned out, and I'm pretty sure my niece would have loved it too if she were here. Happy birthday Sophy! I love and miss you to bits!
I wanna thank my daughter for helping with with the "paintbrushes" and to my son for lending me his books and sharing his opinions. They were super patient and resisted the urge to eat all the goodies until the shoot was over. Many, many thanks to my husband for the beautiful pictures. He really captured everything in great detail. And of course, Sophy, the whole inspiration for the party! I hope you love this!
If you love this party as much as I do, here's how to get the look:
Art Party Printable Collection - Daysigns by Day
Paper Fans - Walmart for $0.97 for two
Large Plastic Paint Cans - Target for $3
Small Plastic Paint Cans - AC Moore for $1 each
Paint Pails - Hobby Lobby for $1.59 each
"S" Paper Mache - Hobby Lobby for $2.99
Mini Easels - Hobby Lobby for $4.99 for a pack of four
Milk Bottles - Michael's for $9.99 for a pack of six (or recycle Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino Coffee Drink)
Paper Straws - Target for $3.99 for a pack of 12
I have to say, I really love how this "party" turned out, and I'm pretty sure my niece would have loved it too if she were here. Happy birthday Sophy! I love and miss you to bits!
I wanna thank my daughter for helping with with the "paintbrushes" and to my son for lending me his books and sharing his opinions. They were super patient and resisted the urge to eat all the goodies until the shoot was over. Many, many thanks to my husband for the beautiful pictures. He really captured everything in great detail. And of course, Sophy, the whole inspiration for the party! I hope you love this!
If you love this party as much as I do, here's how to get the look:
Art Party Printable Collection - Daysigns by Day
Paper Fans - Walmart for $0.97 for two
Large Plastic Paint Cans - Target for $3
Small Plastic Paint Cans - AC Moore for $1 each
Paint Pails - Hobby Lobby for $1.59 each
"S" Paper Mache - Hobby Lobby for $2.99
Mini Easels - Hobby Lobby for $4.99 for a pack of four
Milk Bottles - Michael's for $9.99 for a pack of six (or recycle Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino Coffee Drink)
Paper Straws - Target for $3.99 for a pack of 12