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...........

14 comments:

  1. How many days until next year's party!

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  2. It came out beautiful Laura! Love it.

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  3. Thanks ladies! Kory, the girls are already throwing ideas for the theme out! YIKES!

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  4. Thanks so much for your sweet words! LOVE your party! You did an amazing job!!!

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    1. Thank you so much! Your adorable t's helped make their party outfit perfect!

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  5. Laura you did an amazing job with the Cowgirl Party. But I wouldn't have expected anything less. Your parties are always awesome!! You are definitely talented and creative! So proud of you.

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  6. Wow! Everything looked great! What an amazing job you did for the party! I'm honored that MandiesCandies was a part of it amid all the fantastic talent!

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    1. The girls loved the pops! They were a perfect compliment to the dessert table! Thanks so much!

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  7. To have a Dad and Mom like yours is priceless...parties or no parties! This is an AMAZING party, too, though!

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    1. You are so right! They really came through and helped make this party amazing! My kids are still playing with those hobby horses!

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