family-friendly halloween party - BOO to YOU Bash
With missed birthday parties, anniversaries and more, we were looking for a safe way to celebrate something this year. With cooler weather and Halloween approaching, an outdoor Costume Parade seemed just the thing to do. Families were invited to drop by anytime between 6-9 to allow for social distancing in small groups. Some just drove by in costume to say hello while others stopped for a quick visit under the festive jack-o-lanterns. Either way, the BOO Bash turned out to be a sweet treat for everyone!
There were individually packaged refreshments provided like PB & J, chips, oranges, individual slices of pizza and mini charcuterie boxes. The snow cones seemed to be the real hit of the night though! There was a photo booth where families could snap a quick pic in their costumes. The kids could play an assortment of games like bean bag toss, ring the witch hat or paint their very own mini pumpkin to take home.
Each child left with one of the favors below and all had a smile on their face:) To make your own witch broom favor bags like the ones below, follow directions here. (They were a Pinterest craft that turned out really cute.)
Boo Bash Vendors:
Event Planner - Tiffany @ tippytaylor.com
Mobile Bar - The Wandering Whale
Invitations - Punchbowl
Party Resources - Amazon, Michael’s, Target (all linked below; simply tap the picture)
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A Fall Birthday - A Pumpkin & Tractor Party
One fall afternoon in Alabama, a little boy turned two. His favorite boots, a love for tractors and the season inspired the theme. Set on the family farm, guests were greeted with a grand hay bale welcome as they gathered outside in Oscar’s pumpkin patch.
The square hay bales placed in a circular layout served as both seating for the guests and as the fence around the pumpkin patch. Mr. Horsey peeping from a hay bale was available for pretend rides:)
The birthday boy was dressed for the occasion in his embroidered orange and white gingham romper and his favorite orange boots.
Since the party was in the afternoon, the guests were offered an assortment of snacks including fruit, hay bales (rice krispies) and a popcorn bar. Inside, centered on the food table was the birthday cake. Taking inspiration from the invitations, the cake featured a pumpkin patch farm scene with an edible pumpkin topper. The top and bottom layers were yellow cake with vanilla buttercream and the middle layer was iced with chocolate buttercream. For party favors, there were individually wrapped tractor and pumpkin cookies on a stick wrapped in cellophane and tied with orange raffia.
The food table was draped in a burlap-like tablecloth while varying height wooden apple barrels were used for display and interest. The table was decorated with miniature hay bales, pumpkins and an assortment of tractor toys to add to the theme. The popcorn bar ingredients were served in kraft paper lined apple and berry baskets complete with the cutest tiny wooden scoops.
The activities for the afternoon included wagon rides, digging for treasures in the corn trough and a craft table complete with tractor coloring sheets and supplies for pumpkin decorating. There was also a corn hole game for the older kids to play.
The finale of the party was this tractor pulled hay ride around the farm. Before leaving, each guest received a custom tractor or pumpkin cookie-on-a-stick and were able to pick a pumpkin of their own to take home home from Oscar’s Pumpkin Patch. It was a pretty sweet ending.
credits/sources:
Party Design: Tiffany Taylor Echols
Photography: Jill Bonilla Photography
Invitations and Signs: Polka Prints on Etsy (here’s a link to similar ones available)
Cake: The Canebakery
Cookies: Jenny Houlditch
Party Decor: Painted Tractor Backdrop(local art teacher), haybales from Michael’s , bushel baskets(large, medium), banner, decorative toy tractors, wooden berry baskets from Amazon, wooden scoops from Amazon, striped candy bags from Amazon
Activities: Radio Flyer wagon, feeding trough, digging tools, tractor toys, stick horse, coloring sheet (Leah Lane Design on Etsy)
Outfit: Hunter orange boots (Hunter-military red), embroidered gingham romper (no longer available- will link similar here)
Gift Ideas: John Deere Electric Ride-on Tractor by Peg Perego (the BIG gift from parents and grands), John Deere sand-box toys, Otis and the Scarecrow book, Little BlueTruck’s Halloween book
For inquiries on styling your next kid’s birthday party, contact me here.
An Out of this World Birthday
With both of my kiddos having upcoming birthdays, I have been brainstorming party ideas lately. They were so excited watching the recent launch of Crew Dragon through Space X that I revisited the whole space party theme. Oscar had a space themed birthday party when he turned 4. I went all out on the cake but the rest of the party was not that hard. To be honest, I had a hard time finding decorations at the time. We let the kids wear their astronaut costumes(a purchase from the Kennedy Space Center visit) and I just added space themed balloons. We did make homemade Galactic Play Dough for the party favors; it was a big hit!
Besides cake, we ate “rocket dogs”, chips, Moon Pies and earth cookies(see in photo below). Don’t worry; I did have the standard veggie/fruit tray as well:) I got in a little annual photo session with the birthday boy in his birthday crown before the party. Then, we pretty much let the kids run around wild outside and ended with a pinata and a little rocket launch of our own(via the Stomp Rocket). It was pretty out of this world!
Looking online lately, I found that there are currently so many more options available for a space themed birthday today. Jealous! If you just want a bundle, check out the Space Kit in a Box by Meri Meri(see first photo below). If you prefer to hand select items and mix and match your own look, I’ve linked some more ideas below(just click the photo). With all that is available, there should be no “scrub” needed for your next space party:) Happy planning!
Cinco de Mayo & Taco Tuesday - Oh my!
Sounds like a good excuse for a fiesta to me.
It’s not every day that Taco Tuesday and Cinco de Mayo fall on the same day so why not break out of your quarantine slump and throw a little at-home fiesta! Now I know that the US has commercialized this holiday as an excuse to celebrate but I am okay with that. I LOVE Mexican culture any day so it doesn’t take much arm twisting to influence me. I embrace the colorful decor, the mariachi bands, the tacos and of course the margaritas- I mean, what’s not to celebrate? I’ve gathered a few inspirational photos and recipes for you, so keep reading.
For decor inspiration; the photo above shows a little fiesta I threw together back in the fall for a friend of mine’s birthday (it just happened to fall on Taco Tuesday). I bought the streamers, flag banner and sombrero headband from Amazon (here’s a complete party kit here) and the photo props and birthday balloon are from Party City. The table runner is a purchase from my travels.
These custom fiesta cookies are the cutest! These were made by a local baker back in Alabama. Unfortunately she doesn’t ship but here’s a link for some similar fiesta cookies I found on Etsy.
Truth: I rarely find a margarita that I do not like.
However, if you are looking for something a little different than the traditional marg, try this dark cherry paloma recipe below. It is one of my favorites!
Dark Cherry Paloma Recipe
1 cup (divided) crushed ice
1.5 ounces silver tequila
3 Luxardo cherries smashed
Juice of 1/2 -1 whole lime
Fresca
Citrus liqueur
Fill an old fashioned size cocktail glass with 1/2 cup crushed ice. In a cocktail shaker, add 1/2 cup crushed ice, tequila, cherries and lime juice. Shake well and strain over the crushed ice in the cup. Fill remainder of glass with Fresca. Give it a stir and and add a splash of citrus liqueur to the top.
De nada. Salud!
Ignore the character marks on my well-loved pan, but I had to share this super easy Mexican style recipe that I threw together. I love that it is a complete meal and you only have to dirty one dish!
Sheet Pan Nachos
First, spread a bag of your favorite tortilla chips on the pan.
Then layer the following: 1 can of black beans(drained and rinsed), 1/2 bag of frozen roasted corn (I get mine at Trader Joe’s), and a can of sliced pickled jalapenos.
Next, sprinkle 1/2 pack of taco seasoning all over.
Top with your favorite Mexican variety shredded cheese.
Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 8-10 minutes.
Layer on the toppings: shredded lettuce, diced tomato, salsa, diced red onion and sour cream.
You will want to get this fiesta of flavors in your mouth right away!
I hope this has inspired you. Now, go do your part my friends. Let’s support Cinco de Mayo and celebrate in true fiesta style!
A Circus-themed 1st Birthday Party, Pre-Quarantine
Celebrating a birthday soon? Receiving a recent E-vite to one of our favorite four year old’s birthday party has me reminiscing of the times when we could celebrate parties in a grand way.
Celebrating a birthday soon? Receiving a recent E-vite to one of our favorite four year old’s birthday party has me reminiscing of the times when we could celebrate parties in a grand way. I remember the way we celebrated our first child’s very first birthday. Because I love doing parties in a BIG way, I thoughtfully selected a circus theme way in advance and started planning all the custom details to make this first birthday special. The custom invites from Paper Built Shop were carefully designed, printed and mailed to all our friends and family. I had a birthday poster made to commemorate our birthday boy’s first year of achievements. The name and birthday banners along with the precious smash cake outfit, keepsakes we have treasured, were carefully crafted through Etsy. An artistic friend painted the lion photo booth for me and a local baker made the fabulous fondant and buttercream cake you see below. When the big day arrived, the celebration came together complete with a Big Top for guests to dine in the shade and a mini Big Top for the kids to play, a bouncy house, a ball pit, clown noses, games, presents and lots of cake! As the circus music played, our friends and family arrived to celebrate our son with plentiful smiles and hugs. It was a grand and joyous day!
Browse the photos for all the party details and to see my adorable Oscar when he was just one year old.
Birthday parties are going to look different these days.
Making the best of the situation and adhering to physical distancing, our dear friends decided to celebrate in a new way this year and host a drive-by bubble parade for their son who was turning four. Requesting no gifts, they simply invited each attendee to drive by their home during on a Saturday morning to blow BUBBLES and give a SHOUT out to the birthday boy. Some guests decorated their cars, some played music and sang, and everyone blew bubbles. Each guest had their special moment with the birthday boy as they paused in their vehicle in front of the house. It was so easy on everyone yet it made this little boys day! It was simple and perfect.
I typically love a big celebration with all the works but considering the times, I think this party couldn’t have been more meaningful. Simple in its creation, it made a BIG impact on this little boy and brightened the day of every participant. Now, that’s GRAND.
Follow ALONG.
These opulent colors and mix of textures create an intimate, cozy fall tablescape perfect for Friendsgiving or Thanksgiving. The moss mushrooms and velvet pumpkins add a fanciful, forest touch. - Tippy Taylor, Interior Decorator, Sarasota Florida