Everyday Party Magazine Winter 2016

Thanksgiving Parties Holiday Entertaining Kids’ Birthdays

On the cover: New Year’s Eve Printables

by Pineapple Paper Co.

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Everyday Party Magazine Winter 2016

October 2016 Volume 4, Issue 4

Features: On the cover: New Year’e Eve Printable Invitation

by Pineapple Paper Co. pg. 70 Thanksgiving Parties begin on pg. 12 Holiday Entertaining begins on pg. 26

Kids’ Birthday Parties Lumberjack Birthday

by Just a Little Sparkle pg. 36 Operation 8- A Classified Mission

by Fern and Maple Events pg. 72 Panda Party

by Printable Parties to Go pg. 80 Jolly Green Dragon Party

by Printable Parties to Go pg. 90

Contents:

Free Printables: New Year’s Eve Invitations

by Pineapple Paper Co. pg. 70 DIY: Advent Calendar

by Everyday Party Magazine pg. 32 Recipe: Holiday Cocktail

by Everyday Party Magazine pg. 46

Everyday Party Magazine Winter 2016

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Contents:

* pg. 42 ~ Rustic Christmas Party Mint Event Design

* pg. 6 ~ Election Watch Party Everyday Party Magazine

* pg. 64 ~ Hanukkah Celebration Everyday Party Magazine *pg. 70 ~ New Year’s Eve Celebration LAURA’S little PARTY * pg. 76 ~ New Year’s Eve Printable Invitation Pineapple Paper Co.

* pg. 46 ~ Christmas Cocktail Everyday Party Magazine

* pg. 78 ~ Operation 8 - A Classified Mission Fern and Maple Events

* pg. 48 ~ Hot Cocoa Stand Mint Event Design

* pg. 12 ~ Thanksgiving LAURA’S little PARTY

* pg. 52 ~ Frozen Wonderland Par* pg. 16 ~ Thankful and Blessed ty Thanksgiving Celebration BellaGrey Designs Cupcake Wishes and Birthday Dreams * pg. 22 ~ Rustic Glam Thanksgiving Fern and Maple Events

* pg. 86 ~ Panda Party Printable Parties to Go

* pg. 26 ~ Joyful Holiday Crafting Party Happy Family Blog * pg. 58 ~ Nutcracker {Sweet} Soiree by Ria

* pg. 90 ~ Safari Baby Shower Carmen Navarro Designs * pg. 32 ~ Advent Calendar DIY Everyday Party Magazine

* pg. 96 ~ Jolly Green Dragon Party Printable Parties to Go

* pg. 36 ~ Lumberjack Party Just A Little Sparkle

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Everyday Party Magazine Winter 2016

Letter from the Editor H

ow is this year already coming to an end? I feel like I was just working on the Spring issue last month!

This year I have traveled to several conferences and met so many wonderful bloggers. I have been blessed to work with some of my favorite brands over and over again on the EPM blog too. But, one of the most exciting things that I have done this year is learn how to offer EPM as a digital annual subscription! YES!! I can finally offer subscriptions for EPM!! Look for a blog post on that next week. Many thanks to my friends for pushing me to find a way to offer this.

Thank you all so much for your constant support!

We are currently accepting submissions for the Spring and Summer 2017 issues, as well as seasonally appropriate content for the blog, www.everydaypartymag.com.

~xo Jess

Everyday Party Magazine Winter 2016

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Election Watch Party

by Everyday Party Magazine

T

his election feels like history in the making. I have tried to expose my children to as much of the process as I can, while still maintaining their innocence. No matter who you vote, or voted for, this November 8th, history will be made. Either a millionaire business mogul with no prior political experience will be elected, or America will elect her very first lady president.

In an effort to keep my family involved in the political process, I told them we would host an election watch party. We invited our family to join us on voting day to vote at our informal voting facility, watch the preliminary results (bedtime is early when you are in elementary school), and enjoy snacks and drinks after dinner. I created simple ballot boxes for the boys to place their votes, both National and local votes. I wrapped a small shipping box with red paper, and used my Cricut to write and cut Ballot Box stickers and ballots. I also used my Criuct to create food tents with the iconic Elephant and Donkey political party logos on them.

The table will be covered with a navy blue table cloth and one of our patriotic buntings. The backdrop will be a white tablecloth with another one of our patriotic buntings hung in front of it. I want to keep it simple, but still meaningful and memorable.

After we place our family votes and eat our patriotic dinner, we will enjoy American classic snacks. When I styled the table earlier, I had mini cherry pies, a larger apple pie with a fun cake topper bunting across the top, individual bags of sweet and salty popcorn, and left over Olympic Hershey Kisses. I also included 8 oz bottles of Coca Cola, bottles of Sam Adams and a canning jar of moonshine for the adults.

The kids have really been so excited to learn about the election process this year, and I am really looking forward to the election watch party, because, it’s a party!

Vendor Credits: Styling and photography by Everyday Party Magazine Cricut designs available in Cricut Design Space If you decide to make a purchase through my links, I will be paid a small commission for it. This doesn’t cost you anything additional. These commissions help to keep the rest of my content free, so thank you!

www.UrbanOasisDecor.com ‌make your furniture resemble an old barn door using my ChalkFinish Paint + Create your very own chalkboard, in any color, using my ChalkBoard Paint.

HandMade & HomeBrewed in Chandler, Arizona

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Everyday Party Magazine Winter 2016

Everyday Party Magazine Winter 2016

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Thanksgiving

by LAURA’S little PARTY

W

hether it’s a huge gathering, or a small intimate meal, the holidays are the perfect time to add beautiful elements, and your own unique style to your table setting!

My initial inspiration for using a black and white color palette this year came from a beautifully designed banner from our friend Angie over at The Grey Dot Co. Isn’t it gorgeous?! I knew it would look perfect with our decor, along with some added pops of greenery.

I wanted to incorporate buffalo check into my table design this year. I found some fabric that would work perfectly as a table cover! From there I added chalkboard placemats, and kept my eyes open for the perfect set of dishes. I added some black cloth napkins and finished off the look with a wooden napkin ring that I painted grey.

My table decor consisted of black pumpkins, white pumpkins, green plants, a wooden leaf garland, a ceramic turkey, and Indian corn. I painted the Indian corn black, and added black and white checkered ribbon to bundle the corn together, and set it out on a bed of greenery.

I set out some gorgeous white pumpkins from Michael’s, inside of a wheelbarrow that belonged to my great-grandfather! My Grandma had it sitting in her backyard for years, and she was gracious enough to allow me to paint it.

Adding personal style and unique design can be as simple as switching up those traditional Thanksgiving colors. Wishing you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Vendor Credits: Styling and Photography by LAURA’S little PARTY

Thankful and Blessed Thanksgiving Celebration

by Cupcake Wishes and Birthday Dreams

M

ake Thanksgiving a fun time to be had by all with a festive kids activity table. We all know from our own experience, that the kid’s table at holiday functions can be the worst seat in the house. Here are a few ideas for keeping little ones busy and enjoying Thanksgiving activities.

I created fun and eye catching printables to make different activities and treats containers. Print these out at home on your computer and cut them out. Printables are a fun alternative to a custom or personalized look for any celebration.

Create a craft station using a printable sign that lets little creatives know what is available for them to make. Options like creating a feather headdress, building a turkey, easy coloring pages or making a pilgrims hats will keep kids busy while the grown ups mix and mingle.

No need to go crazy with a centerpiece for the kids table. You can make the most of what nature has to offer! Utilize the natural colors of autumn by bringing the outdoors inside. Head outdoors and cut a colorful leafy branch from a tree in your yard. The mix of fall colors on the leaves make a bright and bold statement. Fill a jar with filled with dried beans to anchor the branch. The tree centerpiece not only acts as a centerpiece but kids and guests can write down what they are thankful for on printable ‘What I’m thankful for’ cards.

We all know how hungry kids can get waiting for the big turkey to come out of the oven. Well, why not offer them some treats while they wait?

Fill this pie shaped box with candy, party snack mix or pretzels. The box also works as a place settings just add name tags to each box with a bit of twine and place on top of each plate with a box of crayons and fun paper feather headdress. Place disposal utensils in fun pockets for kids to keep up with their own forks and spoons.

Kids love all the sweets for Thanksgiving - it’s the best part! Set out your

favorite sweet treats onto platters and cake stands for easy pickin’s. You can get creative with store bought candy apples by adding a bit of sea salt to them and topping with a tiny flag of patterned paper. Use a sheet of patterned paper to line a serving plate. Take bakery or packaged sugar cookies and bundle them together with a colorful ribbon and twine. You could also place frosting, crushed candy and sprinkles on the table for kids to decorate their own cookie ñ a perfect sugar rush!

There is always a reason to be thankful and show your guests how grateful you are to have them in your life.

While grownups get to take home leftovers, send little ones home with a bag of treats. You can fill your bags with leftover Halloween candy and other little treats!

With all these fun and festive ideas, I’m sure that you all will have a blessed and wonderful Thanksgiving!

Vendor Credits: Keisha Sibert - Cupcake Wishes & Birthday Dreams Party Printables - www.cupcakewishesstore.etsy.com

Personalize your table this holiday season with Create UR Plate.

Save 10%, now through the new year.

Use coupon code: EveryDayParty10.

www.createurplate.com Cannot be combined with other offers. Coupon expires Dec 31, 2015.

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Everyday Party Magazine Winter 2016

Everyday Party Magazine Winter 2016

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Rustic Glam Thanksgiving

by Fern and Maple Events

T

his Thanksgiving party was designed to capture the rich copper colors of the fall, while using some of the gorgeous copper goodies now available! Elena & I worked very closely to have the printables capture the feeling of the fabrics and accents I was using. I used orange toned plaids to give the party the warmth this holiday represents to us both. A holiday where we give thanks to (and with) those nearest and dearest to us.

Plaid and burlap table runners & covers were a perfect mix of rustic and trendy, the rich copper tones brought in the glam feel. Feathers with a copper tone were used as accents in the table settings and printables.

Real birch logs, pinecones, and acorns were the perfect finishing touches to the tables.

Vintage copper jello and cake molds used as table settings & vases, while vintage copper cookie cutters used at the children’s table settings.

The bar was stocked with a variety of drinks and thick cut crystal glassware and copper mugs.

Guests were treated to individual pumpkin breads and spice butter favors.

Vendor Credits: Party Styling & Decor: Fern & Maple Events Graphics & Printables: World Wide Party by Elena Photos: Ike Shin Tarts, Meringue’s & Cookies: Il Tocco Kitchen Gourmet Lollipops: Leccare Lollipops

Joyful Holiday Crafting Party

by Happy Family Blog

C

rafting, Cocktails and Close friends just a few of my favorite things!

To celebrate the most wonderful time of the year I wanted to combine all three. The holidays bring me such joy and inspired the theme for this party. Our Joyful Holiday Crafting Party is the perfect way to spread the cheer of the season.

Party Highlights: – Festive place settings with gold chargers and metallic rimmed joy plates accented by gold and white napkins.

– Monogrammed champagne glasses filled with festive cocktails topped with gold tinsel drink stirrers.

– Crisp white table runner with elegant hydrangea centerpieces surrounded by gold metallic votive candles creating beautiful glow to the room.

– Boxwood wreath with gold JOY sign.

– Chalkboard runner with supplies for our ornament craft all the way to wrapping them.

I am always looking for an excuse to throw a party. Enjoying the holidays and spreading the joy of the season is the perfect reason. Ornaments are on of my go to elements for holiday decorating. I use them everywhere from trimming our tree, hanging from chandeliers, filling vases to place card holder. I setup a ornament DIY project for everyone to create their own. I love this project because ornaments are the ideal gift to keep for your home or give to a friend. It was an amazing night of crafting, enjoying cocktails, dancing around to holiday music and lots of laughter with my closest friends For our menu, we kept it simple with appetizers and desserts. Head over to Happy Family Blog for the full menu, DIY details and to see the final products of our joy filled ornaments.

Vendor Credits: Party Styling and Design - Happy Family Blog Photography - Kurt Harfmann Party Details - Creative Touch Party Design

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Everyday Party Magazine Winter 2016

Everyday Party Magazine Winter 2016

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Advent Calendar DIY

by Everyday Party Magazine

O

ne of my boys’ favorite activities during the Christmas Season is changing the date on the Advent Calendar. Throughout the years we’ve had a few squabbles over who gets to move the marker, and who didn’t get the treat they wanted…sibling love? Last year our calendar marker disappeared, and I knew I would need to find a replacement.

What I didn’t know is how expensive they can be! So, I made one.

Supplies: Cricut Cricut Flocked Iron On Vinyl Iron 24 Small Muslin Bags Basket 24 Treats or Bag Stuffers Cut the numbers 1 through 24 out of flocked iron on fabric with your Cricut (don’t forget to mirror it), weed it, and iron each number (or number pair) on a small bag.

Fill each bag with a treat. We celebrate Santa’s birthday, so our Advent Calendar has Bible verses in it for the first 6 days. On Santa’s birthday, December 6th, the elves fill the calendar with treats and goodies.

This year, the elves will include notes and ideas for the boys to do Random Acts of Kindness as well as some treats. My boys are very blessed, and they want for very little and need even less, so I want them to know the joy of helping someone less fortunate.

The printable notes will be available on the blog on November 28th.

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Everyday Party Magazine Winter 2016

Everyday Party Magazine Winter 2016

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Lumberjack Party

by Just A Little Sparkle

M

y little guy is turning 3 and because we call him Bubba Bear, I thought what a fun theme to do would be Lumberjack. We found this great park that was perfect for the shoot. We set up the a wood stand with some things like cider, apples and wood. I designed a printable cider sticker that looked so great on those cartons. Also, included some old lanterns and these dark brown canisters I found at Target in the dollar section. Always find great deals there for props! I had a cake made that looked like a tree stump and then added a buffalo plaid “3� to the top.

Cake was by Brenda’s Sweet Treats. I made a printable banner that hung from the top to swing over.

When I style set ups or parties I try to think in layers so we added some moss under the cider cartons, antlers next to the cake and some great signs I found at Hobby Lobby. Some of the signs included were ones I designed and printed to add some personalization to the shoot.

My little guy had so much fun playing around in the trees, pulling the wagon with the log as if he chopped it down himself. Photographer was

by Sweet Jelly parties.

Vendor Credits: Printables: Just a little Sparkle Photography + specialty props: Sweet Jelly Parties Cake: Brenda’s Sweet Treats

Everyday Party Magazine Winter 2016

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Rustic Christmas Party

by Mint Event Design

T

his fabulous Rustic Christmas party that I styled for a dear friend and client is one of my favorite parties to date. She was hosting a holiday party for her friends and wanted to wow them with décor. I was totally excited with our joint vision for the celebration!

The first thing I thought of was a chalkboard backdrop for the table.

Chalkboards are so on trend right now, and for good reason, they are rustic and chic, and can be dressed up or down as your style dictates. I searched in town for the prefect handwriting and I found Jourdan from Lettered in Love. Can I say she is AMAZING?! She created this magical board with some of my favorite Christmas sayings. I asked her to draw a wreath as the main focus, and fill in the rest of the chalkboard with song lyrics and phrases. I was totally awestruck when I saw it, and it made such an amazing statement at the party!

Nothing says Christmas more than poinsettias, I wanted to add some mini poinsettias to the table for a pop of color and style. I found the perfect vase for them, a vintage chicken feeder from Red Barn (a magnificent place to find farmhouse décor), I also added some natural trees on each side of the chalkboard to help frame the backdrop and add height on the table.

A rustic party isn’t complete without hand made, so I created handmade food labels! I loved how they turned out! Of course, while writing the name of the food, I was drooling. Who doesn’t like authentic Spanish paella and tapas?

The dessert table was a decadent display of Peruvian and Latin desserts.

The guests at this party were in for such a treat!

Vendor Credits: Styling: Mint Event Design Vintage Decor Pieces: Red Barn Hand Lettered Chalkboard: Lettered in Love Food: Fernanda from Paellas, Tapas and more Desserts: Johana, at Latin Bakery Austin.

Delicious Peruvian desserts

Christmas Cocktail

by Everyday Party Magazine

I

grew up LOVING Shirley Temple Drinks‌who am I kidding, I still love them. But, I also like an adult beverage from time to time.

Ingredients: Cherry Man Cherries Cherry Man Cherry Syrup Vodka Sprite Soak 1/2 a jar of Cherry Man Cherries in 6 ounces of vodka for 2 days.

This will give you an extra pop of cherry flavor in your drink!

Pour 1.5-2 ounces of cherry vodka in a glass, add 2 ounces of cherry syrup and 4 ounces of lemon lime soda. Garnish with cherries and enjoy!

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Everyday Party Magazine Winter 2016

Hot Cocoa Stand

by Mint Event Design

A

s a party stylist, I love the trend of photo booths. I especially love it when my clients let me be as creative as I want! My client hired me to style her holiday party and include a photo booth. I wanted to style the photo booth as a rustic hot cocoa stand, and my client loved the idea as much as I did.

I remembered that I had some old wood that I could use to build the stand and I would only need to get a few extra pieces at Home Depot.

Once assembled, I painted the whole stand a dark brown color. I made the HOT COCOA sign with a stencil I created on my die cutting machine. Since I absolutely love shopping, it didn’t take me very long to find some fun accessories that would make the photo booth even more adorable.

I am very visual person, and when I style a party, I always like to set it up first at my studio to see how everything is coming along and to see if there are any things that I need to add or remove. After I set everything up, I thought the photo booth could use a cute banner. I quickly decided to jump to my sewing machine and work on a red banner, it was perfect!

Then, I made some handmade labels and the hot cocoa stand was ready for hot cocoa, marshmallows, and all the toppings you could imagine.

On the day of the event, I added some decorative elements next to the stand, and hung rustic wood snowflakes on each side.

My client and her guests loved the hot cocoa stand, and most of the event was hosted outside so guests could enjoy all of the delicious hot cocoa!

Vendor Credits: Styling by Mint Event Design

Frozen Wonderland Party

by BellaGrey Designs

L

ike every little girl, Gabriella LOVED the popular movie Frozen. The first time she saw the movie she KNEW right then that she would be having a Frozen party for her fourth birthday.

Since she recently started ice skating lessons the ice rink was a perfect for this Frozen Princess’ birthday party! As I walked the facility just a short two weeks prior to the event,I knew I wanted to transform this room into a winter wonderland with details of crystals and glitter. (Unfortunately for me the once white walls were painted tan after my initial walk through, I don’t think anyone but me noticed) The dessert table was decorated with an icey blue tulle table skirt and a white table topper. Above the table I hung a variety of snowflakes. Icy white branches and tulle poms decorated the table. Amazing snowflake cookies and snow flake topped cupcakes were the girls’ favorite treats.

As the guests entered the room they were greeted with the “real” Anna and Elsa. The girl’s faces lit up with excitement! There was dancing, games and a photo booth. Little giggles filled the room. The girls were able to ice skate with Anna and Elsa too, what a treat that was!

Vendor Credits: Styling | Design: BellaGrey Designs Cupcakes | Cookies: Margie Lou’s Sweets Venue: Dallas Stars Center Tulle Poms: Fizzy Party Honeycomb Balls: Celebration Lane Photography: BellaGrey Designs

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Everyday Party Magazine Winter 2016

Nutcracker {Sweet} Party

by Soiree by Ria

W

atching the Nutcracker Ballet has been a tradition in our family for many years. When I was younger, this is the first ballet I ever went to, which inspired me to be a ballerina! I danced ballet for almost 16 years and was part of the Nutcracker production at a young age. My favorite memory is when we were in dress rehearsals at the theater and we had a chance to watch the Sugar Plum Fairy dance her part.

Of course, she was so beautiful and always dressed in the most magical looking tutu. We watched her grace the stage every night and in those moments, I was so happy that my mom let me become a ballerina.

Every year, our family goes to see the Nutcracker Ballet together. Before heading to the theater, we gather for dinner and have our own “Land of Sweets” celebration. This Nutcracker Party is the Soirée team’s version of all things we love from the ballet: mint + pink colors, gold confetti, candied cupcakes, and lots of sweets! For the dinner table set up, we used the Mint Confetti collection we offer. It includes a dinner plate, dessert plate, cup, napkin and paper straw. In the center of our table, we lead with a Vanilla creme cake covered with a peppermint candy crumble, which reminds us of all the candy canes from the story. The cake is anchored by our cute little Nutcracker figures in mint and pink, which ties in the colors for our whole party.

The “Land of Sweets” table is a delicious blend of candy, pastries and a beverage. We named all items after characters or significant features in the story. The items included: Clara’s Cupcakes, Land of Sweets Snowballs, Sugar Plum Fairy Wands, Lollipop Cookies, Mouse King Cherry Cordials and Melted Snowflakes. Clara’s cupcakes are featured in our Gold Chevron baking cups. The Melted Snowflakes beverage is complimented with our Mint Confetti cups, Pink Polka Dot Cups and Mint/ Gold straws. Finally, we added a heart balloon bouquet to be the backdrop of our table to tie everything together. The Soirée team is so proud of this party since it’s a personal experience that we share every year. We hope it’s an inspiration to your upcoming holiday gatherings!

Vendor Credits: Styling and Photography: Soirée by Ria Printed Signs - Land of Sweets, Menu & Menu Tents: NF Design Creations All Paper Products + Balloons: Soirée by Ria Nutcracker Figures: Hobby Lobby Cake + Cupcakes: Emmes Candy: Party City Tulle Bows on Chairs + Candy Stands: Elle

Hanukkah Celebration

by Everyday Party Magazine

T

his rustic Hanukkah celebration has to be one of my favorite celebrations, ever. I included lots of rustic, handmade details paired with more traditional blue and silver Hanukah colors.

The backdrop was a simple whitewashed barn wood wall, with a handmade Star of David. I actually purchased branches from TJ Maxx and used my nail gun and jute twine to hold it together. (Look for the DIY on the blog in December) I wanted to brighten up the Star a little, so I loosely wrapped battery operated fairy lights around the branches.

The table was draped with a white table cloth, and I hung a DIY dreidel banner across the front of the table.

I set up a DIY donut station on the table. We pre-made dozens of donuts with my Nostalgia Electrics donut maker, and placed them in a Star of David ceramic serving dish along with frosting and several sprinkle and topping options.

On the opposite side of the table, I had a ceramic dreidel dish with latke and make your own dipping sauces. A ceramic coffee mug held mixing spoons.

Cupcakes were placed on a white cake plate, and topped with a soft blue frosting. Traditional Gelt was placed on a small tray as well.

I drilled 8 holes into a leftover branch and added silver candles to create a Menorah for the table as well.

Vendor Credits: Styling and photography by Everyday Party Magazine

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Everyday Party Magazine Winter 2016

Everyday Party Magazine Winter 2016

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New Year’s Eve Celebration

by LAURA’S little PARTY

C

heers to the New Year! It’s time to gather with friends and family and ring in 2017! Whether its a family gathering, or a birthday party, my little guys love to celebrate! Whenever we have a party, I always like to make our littlest guests feel special by creating a party area just for them!

Here are some simple ways to include younger guests in your celebrations: Create a fun backdrop, and keep it simple. Use paper as your table backdrop and draw some confetti on it. Add a unique statement piece like this beautiful New Year banner from The Grey Dot Co. Add a garland and you’re ready to get the party started.

Your party table should have easy to grab snacks. Finger foods work best.

Buying store bought treats is a simple way to feed your party guests. Set out a cake stand full of Oreo cookies and arrange them in a small tower.

Add some sparklers on top of your Oreo tower for a festive touch! Donuts are also a fan favorite.

Make sure you have lots of party favors ready to go! You can’t go wrong with hats and horns. Jars of bubbles will help keep little guests occupied until the clock strikes midnight. Want the bubble jars to match your party decor? Spray paint the bottle & caps, then add little touches of sparkle.

Do you have a Heidi Swapp lightbox? They add such a fun touch to your party - I love how you can personalize them for every occasion!

I also like to set out fun cups! Who wouldn’t want to sip out of a disco ball, or slurp up milk from a mini champagne flute?! Set out a small area for your little guests to eat and play games, color, or play. Decorate their table with glittery decor. You can easily paint or embellish styrofoam numbers, and add a fun garland like this one, all available from A to Zebra Celebrations!

Your guests will feel special with a fun party area designed especially

for them. Here’s to making new memories and celebrating happy moments in 2017!

Vendor Credits: Styling and Photography by LAURA’S little PARTY

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Everyday Party Magazine Winter 2016

Everyday Party Magazine Winter 2016

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New Year’s Eve P rintables

by Pineapple Paper Co.

This festive New Year’s Eve printable set was made exclusively for Everyday Party Magazine by Pineapple Paper Co. With a simple black and gold color pallet, it is a perfect fit for any NYE gathering.

The editable invitation and party circles will be available on the blog 12/09/16.

**Operation Birthday #8** **A Classified Mission**

by Fern and Maple Events

I

think I might have just as much fun as my kids do when it is birthday time in our house. This year my son Harrison wanted, I quote: “something with nerf guns and some sort of puzzle mom”. Hmmmm, well what else could I do but create the National Spy Academy and put our young secret agents through intensive training. Something simple… hahaha! I just had to.

I started with a video invite that got sent (try out animoto, you can connect several messages into a clip which I had play to the tune of the mission impossible soundtrack). This inspired parents and kids alike when it came to my request for photos and a spy name. The kids were just brilliant, I had photos arrive with them totally kitted out in disguise.

The day of the party arrived with much excitement, and I can’t believe for the 2nd year running we were lucky to have a beautiful warm San Francisco day for the party.

To immerse the kids in the experience from the beginning we had them go through a special check in process when they arrived with their “handlers”. Their identity was verified, fingerprints taken, pocket contents “scanned” and then they were provided with a Top Secret dossier and identification badge. These were created by Small Moments and contained the spy’s background, previous missions, their cover story and mission.

It was a drop off party so I had to get those spy’s into training asap! First out to the back of the house for target practice at Hogan’s Alley shooting range (Hogan’s Alley is a training facility at Quantico). I provided nerf guns and had targets set-up for them to practice on.

We tracked their progress via a leaderboard, 8 years old is a competitive age!

Once our last spy had arrived we took them down to a local park where the amazing guys at PlanetXzone set up a nerf battle arena. 2 hours of nerf catch the flag! Perfect to tire out the boys, plenty of spy hydration

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Everyday Party Magazine Winter 2016

fluid was provided, and they were ready to eat when they were done.

Back headquarters we fed them at a table that doubled as espionage training. On the table I put 3 centerpieces with vintage spy & military equipment (all safe!), including mini spy cameras, passports, and fake cash.

They were fascinated with these, I love this age!

The dessert table was a target/rifle scope backdrop. I used a peg board and hung delicious donuts at the center of each target. This was a favorite amongst the boys as they couldn’t believe they were allowed to take the donuts off the wall. Deserts also included top secret cake pops and the most amazing cake I think I’ve ever seen. The Cake Shop created a life size briefcase complete with handcuff ’s, FBI credentials and detailed paper work.

It was then time for their mission, they were briefed on the location of the enemy agents, provided code keys and given their “poison” to take in event of capture (canisters of delicious Candyfetti). Off they went to solve their mission and recover the missing capsules of contagious diseases (Jelly Bellys!).

On their return, they needed some more training - A photo booth for the art of disguise. I used a peg board and fake mustaches as the backdrop. These all eventually ended up on faces!

This was followed by interrogation training. Kim at Small moments makes the cutest Truth or Dare cards for adults and she converted them for me to kids. All I had to do was provide a list of age appropriate truths and dares. This kept the boys entertained for the longest time and had the arriving parents in hysterics.

Their training was complete! All agents successfully completed the National Spy Academy training. As proof of their completed mission and readiness for real life missions, they were given a drop bag full of all necessary spy equipment cover essentials, and they were sent back to their handlers!

Vendor Credits: Event Styling & Photography: Fern & Maple Cake: The Cake Shop Donuts: Dynamo Donuts Cake Pops: Let them eat pops Candyfetti: Sweets Indeed Graphic Design & Party Printables: Small Moments Photobooth Props: Wowwow Meow and You Grew Printables Chalkboard Design: Hand and Heart Event Design Spy gear blueprints: Patents as Prints and Inked & Screened Favor Back packs & contents: Oriental Trading Mustache Table Runner: Wrapping paper by Monahan Papers Vintage Cameras: Magic of Lee, Vintage Crack & Basically Baca Spy Glasses: Mission Unboxable Many of the props I used for this spy party are now available to rent, please contact me via my website.

Now you can create your own secret agent training facility!

Everyday Party Magazine Winter 2016

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Everyday Party Magazine Winter 2016

Everyday Party Magazine Winter 2016

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Panda Party

by Printable Parties to Go

W

ho doesn’t love cute little Panda’s? I set out to design a printable party set to showcase just how cute they really are! I found a charming Panda Bear designed by SanqunettiDesigns and coordinated the design into a black and white polka dot printable party set. I used a local cookie vendor, Sister Teresa’s Custom Cookies, who made cookies that matched perfectly with the printable party set. All came together beautifully with the Polka Dot Panda Bear Theme. I captured the details by photographing this styled set up and enjoyed every moment of it!

Photography – Feather Snell Concept & Style - Printable Parties to Go Panda Bear Design – SanqunettiDesigns Printable Party Set - Printable Parties to Go Cookies – Sister Teresa’s Custom Cookies

Everyday Party Magazine Winter 2016

Page 89

Safari Baby Shower

by Carmen Navarro Designs

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reating this dessert table was a lot of fun. Being able to be creative is so important when designing a custom themed party. A safari theme has been said and done a million times, but we included heartfelt details that separate this party from all the rest.

Wooden crates are a staple in nearly every party, from rustic, to safari. I created custom “cargo” & “baby” letters for the sides of each crate.

I really wanted to include burlap for the texture and depth it adds to a table, so I used it as the table backdrop and on a diaper cake. A leopard print tablecloth was just the right amount of safari glam for the table, while a gold tiered cupcake stand filled with animal baby topped cupcakes stood as the focal point!

Greenery was added all around the table to create a jungle like atmosphere, and fun accent pieces like binoculars, baby blocks, and lanterns brought in infant elements and whimsy.

Vendor Credits: Styling & decor: Carmen Navarro Designs Cupcake toppers: Laura Leyva Photography: Bonnie Navarro Photography

Page 94

Everyday Party Magazine Winter 2016

Everyday Party Magazine Winter 2016

Page 95

Jolly Green Dragon Party

by Printable Parties to Go

I set out to design a Dragon printable party set that would be fun for any age. I found a jolly green dragon designed by Clipartland. I asked a local cookie artist, Sister Teresa’s Custom Cut Cookies, to bake and design cookies to match the printable party set. The cookies and printable party set came together perfectly. I captured the details by photographing this styled printable party set and couldn’t be happier with the outcome.

Vendor Credits: Photography – Feather Snell Concept & Style - Printable Parties to Go Jolly Dragon Design – Clipartland Printable Party Set - Printable Parties to Go Cookies – Sister Teresa’s Custom Cut Cookies

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