{Inspired Party} School is Cool Party Ideas & Printables

 

In the way things have been going with me lately, I created a fun set of FREE Notebook themed printables.....LAST YEAR! I just didn't get around to sharing them and figured, there's always next year. So, here we are. I was inspired by the whole neon trend last year, and was brainstorming a few ideas for back to school and thought, composition books, highlighters and ruled paper were perfect.  In school, I got pretty decent grades, admittedly I was a huge daydreamer and always doodled.....A LOT!  So, why not keep with tradition right?  I added a couple of little doodles fonts into my overall design! 

I think this set is perfect to use anytime during the school year in different ways, for example at, PTA meetings, Back to School Night, to celebrate a special award, a graduation party, or even for teacher appreciation. You can download the FREE printables here. 

Included in the printables set are:

Back to School Grade Signs from Pre-K-12th Grade

Welcome Back to School Sign

Welcome Back Banner

Decorative Notebook Pages and Composition Book Banner

Cupcake Toppers/Party Dots

Cupcake Wrappers

Treat Bag Favors

Water Bottle Wraps

Favor Tags

Tented Food Cards

Popcorn Box

Blank Decals/Labels

School is Cool Decals/Labels

Book Plates

Lunch Notes

Here is an  inspiration table I styled in the event you'd like to celebrate shipping your lil' ones off to school (FINALLY! Haha!). You can get some tips and ideas for recreating your own back to school celebration at the end of this post.

 

 

 

 

Here are my little ones getting ready to go back.  Since they have to wear uniforms at their school, I thought it would be fun to let them wear some regular clothes to take their first day back photos! These signs come with the arrows pointing in two different directions, the ones show below and one with an arrow pointing upward.

 

 

 

DOWNLOAD MY 'SCHOOL IS COOL' FREE PRINTABLES HERE

Get this look!

• A chalkboard is a GREAT backdrop and focal point for a Back to School party! Since I was gearing my design towards a more tween/middle school age group, I used a chalkboard with some 'pretty serious equations' written on it.

• Folders, pencils and erasers in fun bright colors really add to the look and theme.  Place them in boldly patterned pencil cups for an even more festive look.  You can also add composition books, folders and other various school supplies around your table for a little bit of fun and whimsy! 

• Incorporate snacks into your them. I filled snack bags with cheese crackers and topped them with a printable treat bag topper.  They looked really cute displayed in a desk drawer organizer along with other fun notebook themed cookies by Fresh Bakes and pencil pretzels and cake pops by Autumn Lynn's Chocolate Sins!

• Give your table some height by using boxes and books.  Books make great risers and allow for more visual impact.  I wrapped (very) old dictionaries in removable adhesive sheets of neon book covers and placed them on opposite ends of my snack table.  The books give height to the design of  table and create a space to show off whimsical pieces like a mini locker and served as a support for a framed neon chalkboard.  The white file boxes act as a base for the cupcakes and also broke up some of the dark color between the chalkboard and table covering.

• Make your party favors serve a dual purpose.  Water bottles are a great way to make sure kids get hydrated in between classes and they make great party favors too.  You can fill them with candy or pencils, crayons or markers.  I tied a printable tag onto the top of the favor so guests know they can take them home!

Vendors & Where to Buy:

Styling & Design  - Cupcake Wishes & Birthday Dreams
Printables - Cupcake Wishes & Birthday Dreams
Pencil Pretzels, Notebook Cake Pops - Autumn Lynn's Chocolate Sins
Doodle  Art Cookies - Fresh Bakes
Lime Green Mini Locker - Amazon
Kasset White File Boxes - Ikea
Neon Framed Chalkboards - Five and Below

 

 

 

{Styled Party} English Garden Inspired Spring Party

SPRING HAS FINALLY ARRIVED!!!!  You may remember back in January, I posted that my English Garden inspired Spring party was featured in Everyday Party Magazine.  As promised, I am sharing more photos from the shoot in celebration of one of my favorite seasons of the year - SPRING!!!!

PARTY ELEMENTS THAT INSPIRE:

• Yarn Pom-Pom Topiary Cupcakes and mini yarn pom pom garland cake topper.
• Paper Crafted rosettes, gift tags, flowers, banners and vase wraps with stamped details.
• Fresh florals, forced bulbs, potted flowers and garden bulbs.
• Birdcage elements used throughout the overall design. 

This shoot has to be one of my favorites to date.  I came up with the concept when trying to figure out how to use spring items for a shoot that was going to take place in the dead of winter.  After surveying what was available in my party stash, lots of baskets, bins, floral moss, and a random faux terrarium that I found at a thrift shop, I decided an English garden inspired theme would be perfect.  I was trying to lean a bit on the Victorian side of design, as best as I could and incorporated lots of birds, birdcages and topiaries, 

I used a lot of my paper crafting skills to create various decorative items like small rosettes, paper flowers and gift tags.  I also wanted to use vintage seed packets, but couldn't find any, so I grabbed a few packets from Home Depot and aged them with ink.  I love the color green and I happened to have a lot of green scrapbook paper on hand and knew that it would come in handy one day.   I also wanted to incorporate white and earthy browns into the color scheme so, I used burlap, some woven grass baskets, wooden crates and some spring bulbs that I had stashed away in my basement.


For the main dining table, I used a very good quality gift wrapping paper to cover the table, the runner is a simple cut of oversized burlap ribbon.  One item that I initially didn't have on hand, but I really wanted for the table set up, were white birds. I ended up making a few using white spray paint and ceramic birds from the dollar store but they were really not what I wanted.  Well, there's nothing like manifesting what you want, the same week of my shoot, I was at Michaels and found the most adorable white ceramic birds and white bird cages....they cost under $12 total!  I love a good party stash deal! 

I added the birds and the birdcages along the center of the table with forced bulbs that I found in the floral section of my grocery store (another awesome score)!  I also wanted to use vintage seed packets, but couldn't find any to match my color scheme, so I grabbed a few herb seed packets from Home Depot and aged them with ink.   I placed a packet at each place setting to serve as 'place cards' and a lovely take home gift.

For parting gifts - I love making altered paper bags; it really creates a personalized custom item that you can send your guests home with.  So, for my 'guests' I added decorated bags to each place setting.  I created the gift tags on the bags using my Cricut machine and just stamped some images onto them and added the cutest bird charms (another Michael's find) to them.  I also made paper flowers to finish the look of the bags and attached them with clothespins that had a stamped sentiment.  I took pictures of how I made the flowers and will get a tutorial posted int he next week or so - you're not going to believe how easy they are to make. 

I styled a dessert table using store-bought items from the grocery bakery and presented them on pretty stands and platters.  I also baked chocolate cupcakes and placed them into mini terracotta pots, then topped each one with a small green yarn pom pom to look like a topiary.  A few sticks of rock candy were embellished with a stamped flag and placed in a glass apothecary jar.

My overall goal in setting up the dessert table was to create as many handmade items as I could using supplies I had on hand.  I created topiaries using floral moss, styrofoam balls and branches that I spray painted brown (fyi branches cut from trees in the winter look dead......very dead) and anchored them in aluminum tins.  Each one was decorated with a small hand crafted and stamped banner.  I also created a Spring mini garland on my Cricut machine, that I hung across a birdcage wall decoration that I found on clearance a few days before my shoot!  I added a few tissue paper tassels and rosettes to finish the look.  For my backdrop, I created a banner that I made, once again, using my Cricut machine.  One other fun project was created twine eggs.  I grabbed a handful of plastic Easter eggs and wrapped them with jute twine and placed them in a fancy jar with floral moss.  Since these were items I already had on hand, this project cost me absolutely nothing. 

As tables go, there was an empty space under the table.   I really wanted to utilize that area so, I created a vignette under it with wooden crates, bulbs, baskets and garden tools.  My sweet cousin let me use an antique bird cage she owns to add to the decor.  I placed a potted primrose plant inside of it with one of my upcycled birds.  This area just made me happy and I love how it came together.

Like I said earlier, this is one of my favorite shoots and the idea of a gathering like this is perfect for a small group of girlfriends, a book club or even a tea party for little ladies.  I hope you were inspired by something you saw here!  HAPPY SPRING!

{Party Styling} Party Planner's Essential A-Z

Shannon Wellington of Bottle Pop Party Co. recently shared a Party Planner's Essentials: A to Z list on her charming blog, Shannanigans.  It's packed with all the essential tools that we party planners and stylists use to create amazing parties, keep our lives in order, and make memorable moments.  While all the ideas and tips shared in the list are too-too fab....you might want to just check out what's listed under the letter 'E' - that's where you can find my essential item!