Sunday, January 22, 2012

Fabulous Vendors

What's that saying, "It takes a village to raise a child", well I think the same thing is true about a party. It was the combined effort of some amazing vendors that made our party so awesome!   Some people are SUPER crafty and can make and do everything.  Me, not so much.  Love the designing and styling aspect, but I don't sew, not even replace a button sew.  I do not love to bake and my family would prefer I don't either.  Cooking good, baking, not so much!  With that being said, I wanted to do a more detailed post and a thank you to all the amazing vendors who helped to make the girls Wild West Hoe-Down successful.  I don't think the list at the end of my party post is enough.  So here goes..........

Allyson Jane
 I can't say enough good things about Allyson.  She made the adorable cookies last year for the girls Vintage Circus Party and when we started planning this year, I knew that she had to make them for this party.  Her cookies are gorgeous, seriously, like works of art.  And they are so tasty too!  She is a dream to work with.  I just sent her the theme and colors and she came up with the most beautiful cookies.  There were only two left after the party.  Everyone loved them!

 Kristina designed the most adorable t-shirts for my girls to wear to the party.  Again, I gave her the colors and the theme and she ran with it.  They matched perfectly to the skirts my mom made!  The detail and quality is amazing!  If you need a cute birthday shirt or just a fun tee for your kiddos, make sure you check out her Etsy site!  I wish I had gotten a pic of the backs of the shirt.  The cutest little heart, such a fun extra detail!

 I am another repeat customer of Kim's.  She did cookies for me for the girls party last year too and they were such a hit, I knew we had to have those delicious chocolate covered Oreos again!  She has the cutest patterns in her shop and this year, I went with a paisley and a houndstooth (which I love) print.  They were so pretty and sad to say, I only got one.  There wasn't a single cookie left at the end of the party! BOO!  Next year, I may have to order some for the party and some for Mommy.

Mandies Candies
The cute horse head lollipops were made by Amanda of Mandies Candies.  She has the most adorable pops in her shop.  Pretty much anything you could think of.  They were the perfect accent to the dessert table and a fun little treat for the kids to take home.

Cakes and Kids
 I have never been a fan of fondant, until I tasted the toppers that Julie made for the cupcakes for the party.  The yummy smell that came from the package when I opened it was amazing!  They were so cute!  Little boots and cowboy hats were the perfect topper for the cupcakes.  You have to check out her site.  SUPER CUTE!
                                               


Funny Faces with Shari
 Love when you meet someone you just click with.  They are super talented, fun to be around and have this unique way of making every single child feel super special.  That is Shari.  I have had Shari come and do face painting now at three different parties and every time, even if it's the same kids, it's a unique experience.  They love her!  Her painting is gorgeous.  My kids cry when we have to wash it off. Wouldn't be a party without her!
                                 

Claddagh Manor
 When the girls told me that they wanted a cowgirl birthday party, I was a little nervous.  Then when they asked for pony rides too, I got really scared.  Their birthdays are all in January and it's freezing here and sometimes lots of snow.  After an entire summer of research, I found Claddagh Manor.  The minute I walked into the barn, I knew this was the perfect place for the party.  It was impeccable, cleanest place I have ever been in.  And heated too, big points for that!  Denise, Pat and their entire staff went above and beyond making the party really special.  All the extra touches were so appreciated.  The kids had a blast riding and loved all the ponies.
                                 

B Chase Photography
All of the fab pictures you have seen here and on my party blog post were taken by Kory, from B Chase Photography.  Kory is another one of those people, that I LOVE working with. We clicked from the minute we met.  She gets me!  Comes right in and starts taking pics.  At the end of the day, she has every shot that I could ever want and more.   She is so great with kids.  Somehow, she gets my girls to do exactly what she wants them to do.  OK, (minus that one fit that Finley pitched during our family photos).  She has photographed several parties for me and did our family pics back in the fall.  If you are local to Baltimore and want some amazing pictures, check out her site.   There were so many from this party, I am seriously having a hard time deciding which ones to print!


My Dad
 He doesn't have a business FB page or Etsy shop to link to, but I couldn't write this post without thanking him.  It was his idea to have a hobby horse for each child to decorate and take home from the party.  I was planning on making a trip to the Dollar Tree for the stuffed ones, but no way, my Dad would have never let that happen.  He cut out and assembled 30 wooden hobby horses for the party.  After the kids decorated them, he assembled the sticks.   Don't forget about the leather ears too.  It was so awesome watching how excited those kids were decorating their own horse.  Lots of fun races with those horses!  He loves his family so much and especially the grandkids.  What a special thing for my girls to have to share with their friends.  Thanks Daddy, I love you!                    
                         


My Mom
I wish that I had inherited the sewing gene from my mom.  I don't sew, don't like to sew, don't know how to sew.  But my mom does.  She made a lot of my clothes for my sister and I when we were younger and now makes clothes and doll clothes for my girls.  When I sent my mom a picture of the tablecloth that I had to have for the party, she said, "Don't buy that, are you crazy?  I can make it."  Yards and yards of ruffles later, she showed up at my house with the most gorgeous tablecloth.  It was perfect for our party.  Girly, a little shabby chic, absolutely perfect!  Not only did she make the tablecloth, she made bandana table runners for the rest of the tables and the girls twirl skirts.  Everything was amazing Mom.  Thank you for all you do for us.  The girls love telling their friends, "My Mamaw made this."  Love you!




Thanks again to everyone who helped make this day so special for my girls.  
My Cowgirl Collection will be in the shop soon.  Stay tuned...........

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Wild West Hoe-Down

I LOVE hosting parties!  I look forward to our two big parties every year, our kids Christmas party and the girls birthday party.  Last year, they were obsessed with anything and everything circus, so we did the Vintage Circus Party.  This year, it was cowgirls and horses.  Mommy loves all things vintage,  so, what other possible theme could we do but a Shabby Chic Cowgirl Party.





I searched all summer long for the perfect place to host this party.  Their birthdays are in January so it had to be indoor and heated.  With the unpredictable Maryland winters, I couldn't imagine 30 kids riding horses in the snow!  The minute I walked into Claddagh Manor, I knew that this was the place.  It is absolutely beautiful and Denise, Pat and their entire staff couldn't have been more fun to work with!

When the kids entered the barn, they each got a cowboy/cowgirl hat, a sheriff's badge and a bandana to wear.  They had so much fun in the photo booth all "gussied up."


Everyone in my family helped with this party.  My Dad made the most amazing wooden hobby horses for each child.  We had a table set up for them to decorate them with paints, yarn and fleece for the mane, google eyes and lots of pom poms and sequins.  It was so cool watching how creative they could be!




Next it was time to get your face painted with Shari. 


 Once they had their hats and badges on and their faces painted, it was time to ride.  All the ponies were dressed up with ribbons and glitter, SO CUTE


At this point, most of the kids had really worked up an appetite.  There were so many fun sweets to choose from.  We had a make your own caramel apple bar with all the toppings.  








And then there was the dessert table.  My mom made the most gorgeous tablecloth for the table.  It was burlap with layers and layers of soft ruffles.  So girly and perfect for this party!!









and if you still were a little hungry, you could always make a trip to the "Three Little Cowgirls General Store."



Thank you to all the fabulous vendors that helped to make this party!  Listing you at the bottom isn't enough.  Blog post to come, all about you!

Sorry for all the pics!  It was an amazing party and we had the most amazing photographer there to capture all the special moments.  Kory, of B Chase Photography has photographed my family and a ton of parties for me.  I can't say enough about her!  Thank you again Kory for a great day!  Can't wait until our next event together!

I have to say this is the first party that I have ever hosted that I haven't looked back and said, "wish I would have done this or changed that a bit."  The whole day was perfect!   From the venue, the vendors, the kids, the entire day.  And you want to know the best part?  Celebrating another amazing year with my babies.  It's hard to believe that they are 5, 5 and 3 already.  


Preslee, Mason and Finley, Mommy and Daddy love you so much!  Happy, Happy Birthday!
Preslee, "Mommy, you are the best party maker ever."  Now, that my friends, made my whole day!

Vendors 

My mom for your fab sewing skills.  The girls twirls skirts, the bandana table runners and the GORGEOUS ruffled tablecloth set the tone for the whole party.  And Dad for making 30 hobby horses. It was a lot of work!  The kids loved it and watching them have races with their horses was so cute! Thank you so much!!!