Super Mario Party

I love everything about old school gaming. Those pixels basically sums up my childhood in the 90s. And who reigns icon of retro gaming other than the ol' Mario himself! *insert Super Mario Bros. opening theme* 

Kids know Mario and friends from Wii's version of Mario's Kart, Super Smash Bros., and even the newest version of Super Mario, but for an old timer like me, nothing beats the original, not that I don't enjoy the new one. But the 80s and 90s Mario is so nostalgic!  And more hard to beat. 

So today's party is tailored for a 10 year old birthday boy. Here is the goodie bag! I made the printable coins for treasure hunting game, chocolate bar wrapped in printable Mario and Luigi's face, printable trademark question mark box filled with gold coins (duh, of course!), a cookie cup disguised as piranha plant's pipe, and a scratch off tickets to win some prizes! 

I also did some stickers by hand using store bought circle stickers sheet, it was so much fun (and affordable too). Big Sis G got to color the stickers and she's doing a great job as you can see here.   

I also did some background for photo booth. And of course it's almost mandatory for today's party to have some photo props.  

Here they are in action! 

Not pictured here is a home made piranha plant pinata, he's got down really bad in no time :) 

Do you need any Mario themed photo props? Should I share the printables here? 

Tell me what you think! 

Sasi's Vintage Toys Birthday Party!

Remember when I told you that coincidentally I always landed on an attractive looking customers? Either toddlers or adults? Here's another fine example. It's a long due post, but I am glad to design the party and so much pleased with the results. Look at that. Sasi is a one good looking little girl, don't you think? Pira, her mom, asked for a theme of a vintage doll, the illustration must resemble Sasi. That wouldn't be a hard work since Sasi already look so dolly-like and so much adorable! 

Since we don't want to go full throttle on a girly doll theme (Sasi enjoys lots of outdoor-sy fun instead of having a tea party with her dolls), we decided to do a vintage toys theme, everything from bikes, rocking horses, and of course, a doll!  

Being the crafty mom, Pira did a really great job, just look at her go! I am mostly fond of the goodie bag she screen-printed herself using my printable! Ain't that cute? The guests will have something cute to tote about. 

And here's the goodie bag's fillings. Lots of happy things. Sasi is particularly gets excited blowing bubbles in her free time, so why not a free bubble for everyone? 

Enjoy more party pictures!!

Thank you Sasi and Pira for having me! Hope you had a blast to remember! 

Sho's Vintage Aviation Birthday Party

I was taken aback, when a client asked me to do a special party for her lovely and lively 1 year old, because his name is, Sho. It's such a wonderful name, I was tremendously inspired with the 3 letter name. I also find out it's not a nick name, it's a given name. Sho's mom was initially requested something to match the venue's peranakan  nature; both menu and in-house decor. We later on discussed how peranakan theme can be both too mature and girly for a one year old boy. I suggested a theme, how about a vintage airplane and all things air transportation theme? The vintage theme suits nicely to the venue's decor and the airplane suits Sho's personality. I was again surprised when Sho's mom told me, the meaning of Sho's name (which, 100% I didn't know or had googled at that time) ..... Sho means "to soar or to fly".  

You know how great a coincidence occurs, you just feel it coming but then again still shocked to the bone when it actually happened. I had the feeling that Sho's birthday would fit nicely to a vintage aviation theme, but I nearly pooped myself (in happiness and bewilderment) when I learned about the meaning of his name. Maybe Sho's destined to soar the sky someday! It's been destined by my lousy 6th sense! :D It must be a boring story for some of you but, yes, it's really amazing for me. It's my first time suggesting a theme that fit the birthday boy's name like a glove! It's easy to arrange an "under the sea" theme for a girl named Ariel, but c'mon, how often you heard the name "Sho" and luckily guessed its meaning. I'm still dancing with joy right now. 

Seeeewww, my constant blabbering aside, about the party. It was wonderfully strategically arranged by Sho's mom. You can see all her talent right here right now. The theme is all things air transportation, or aviation, and it's vintage-y to blend with the venue. I love how all the things seem to fall perfectly into place. The boy with the wonderful name is literally active and a bit cheeky (in his mom's own words) in real life. So a portrait of him smiling, riding an airplane, hanging on an air balloon, or just simply being him is everywhere. A nice customization of the party, of course, but for me, it's all about Sho's character. The boy was full of it, we don't need any other cartoon character to stand in his place for his own first big day.

Do you like Sho's birthday party? Tell me what you think!

If you'd like your birthday party to be featured here and on my FB page do drop me some pictures :). I will try my best to keep your privacy safe, as shown in this post! *wink to some clients, you know who you are, dearies!*

Cootie Catcher Birthday Invitation

Well. I assume you're expecting this one's coming, ...another birthday for Big Sis G! Yay! 

If you've been reading my blog or know me a little too well by now, you might realize that I took the vow of not using any licensed cartoon characters when it comes to my offspring's birthday. But sometimes in the life and times of being a mom, you'll learn to compromise (mothers, are you with me?). For example, when your daughter, all teary-doe-eyed, asked you for a Gru's (from the movie Despicable Me) minions party, and been singing and imitating those yellow creatures for weeks, you'd bound to break your own rule. *sigh* 

So, yes, I made not one but two, TWO, Despicable Me inspired pinatas. One is minion shaped and the other take the shape of Fluffly the unicorn doll (or papoy, according to the minions).We'll get to these pinatas in later posts. Now, I'd like to show you how your 5 year old toddler can to be tricked into your own aesthetic, without him/her throwing a tantrum. My secret is ..... incorporate my love of a British tea party theme into a cootie catcher! Kids love cootie catcher! And I love English roses! It's a win-win solution for us! How is it related to the minions, you ask? Who cares? Just kidding. We're not having a full blown theme party, so I guess I can go away with mismatched party printables this year. Do forgive me.

About the cootie catcher, just in case you're not really familiar with the name, it's a pretty simple origami kids make to predict future/fortune. Depending on what's written inside, of course. It's pretty popular on the playground of first or second grader. To play the game, one must hold the four corners with both pointer fingers and thumbs. Move it open and close, and pick two numbers (or symbols, or drawings, anything), and boom, your fortune's been told! 

Since the cootie catcher is modified to an invitation, mine is filled not with fortune but lots of party's details, all the when and where and in place of the "fortune", I put lots of happy activity to be done when the player choose a certain number combination. 

I was thinking of sharing the cootie catcher invitation with you, what do you ladies think? Would you need one? And instead of oh-so-personal invitation, do you have any other ideas to use the cootie catcher? Share your thoughts in the comment box, and I'll do the most creative idea of cootie catcher as a free printable later on :) 

Teddy's Bar Party

Purple and pink and white, what a delightful sight! I'm sorry for the occasional rhyming. :) I think I have read too many Cat in the Hat books by now (I even have the theme song playing in my head as I write this post, Big G seems to have taken control of the remote control lately). 

So, what's purple and pink and white and such a delightful sight you say? It's a party held by a really talented mom, Linda, for her daughter, Amelie's 5th birthday! Loving how the color palette blend in perfectly with the outdoor environment by the pool, gosh, don't you think Amelie's such a lucky girl? 

                            

Well, being cute doesn't hurt either, for that matter. I always like the idea for putting personal things like Amelie's own teddy and her pictures on dessert tables. It makes the whole thing and arrangement much more personal.

Mom Linda asked me to do all the printables needed for the dessert table. The idea/theme is to create a vintage, whimsical candy/dessert bar with a teddy bear twist. I kinda imagine the Teddy owns a vintage French pattisserie. I'd visit everyday if it were true. Seen here is the yummiest looking red velvet cupcake adorned with red hearts and sprinkles *sigh*, not really a brain food, but who can resist such temptation? Have I mentioned there were also macaroons? 

Well, it's such a fun themed party and Mom Linda is such a pleasure to work with! Happy belated birthday Amelie, cheers for good years to come! Thank you Mom Linda for sharing the pictures with me! 

ps. If you have submitted your party pictures and have not been featured here, please do be patient, as I have said numerous times, my internet is not being very friendly at this point, I'm really trying to feature yours one post at a time. Thanks! 

Paper Straw 101

all pictures are taken by me and please do ask for permission to share/(noncommercial) use.

Last month, one of my dearest friend, who lived in the States was finally home for after 5 years abroad. We emailed frantically before her flight to Indonesia, and she asked me, "Would you like to get something from here?" And I answered without a doubt, "Striped paper straws!" She was bewildered, thought I might ask for something more... pricier or fancier? We LOLed about that till now, how I see the exaggerated beauty of striped paper straws or being a "paper straw nerd". So here I am, the nerd, giving you the lesson, on why paper straws are really pretty, functional, and underrated. *cough* ahem. Let's begin Paper Straw 101 

The number one reason you've got to love them, is they are pretty cheap and add a dash to your purpose; party, baking, or craft, quite easily too, without any cratfing skill or whatsoever needed. You are also saving the earth if you choose to use paper straws instead of their plastic counterpart. I've been a user of plastic straws my whole life, and my sole fear of using paper straws would be the liquid bleeding through or it gets mushy after it soaked -or sipped- long enough. Read this for I tested it myself : it's not regular paper and as long as you're not chewing it like crazy, the paper is very well sturdy. I soaked mine for 24 hours non stop then it's finally to grow limp a little. Your party wouldn't last that long, isn't it? 

My friend bought these via Bake Sweet Etsy, and according to the seller, they are made in USA, made by 100% recycled paper, bio-degradable, free of bleach and chlorine, and an FDA approved ink for the stripes. I told my friend to purchase from ebay or amazon instead, but she said that the lower prize might not bear the same quality and spesification, and since this is a "paper" straw you'd stuck in your mouth and your drink/food, I'd better stick with the higher quality instead. But the choice depends on your purpose, though. These are the paper straw up close. Pretty neat,eh? You can't barely seen the overlapping paper here. No leakage! 

                            

Technical things : covered! Now let's move our lesson to a more exciting part. Decorating with paper straws!! They come in every prints and colors, my friend only bought me stripes one, so I'll mention them with the colors only from now. If you are, like me, captivated with all the colors available, do stick to classic  primary hues. Like this red, for instance. 

Red alone is great for parties with theme such as : 

carnival, circus, christmas, (why did the first 3 begin with a C?) folk-ish forest friend, snow white, baseball, ladybug, cat in the hat, classic train, cars, strawberries, and fire engine. 

With other colors red could be used in theme, such as : 

pirate (with black or gray), nautical (with navy blue), christmas (with green), any girly theme (with pink), any boyish theme (with baby blue), sock monkey (with blue or yellow), and watermelon (with black and green).

But don't count out un-popular colors too, like this one in gray. I think they are really understated, it's one of my favorite colors, and to achieve manly, grown up, or neutral theme party, this one is a must! 

Gray alone could be used in a baby elephant themed, baby whale, grown up halloween, rustic chic, baby hippo, any white related theme (to add dimension, there's no white striped straws is there?), rock and roll, vintage,  and so on. See? It's not lesser than red in theme count.  

And paper straws can also be used outside drinking matters. Don't believe me, check out this links provided from the craftiest people in the blogosphere  : 

1. cupcake topper 
2. cakepop holder, see here also. 
3. wreath, a great how-to here
4. garland, I know it's hard to believe, but it's true! 
5. napkin ring and table centrepiece.  

See? Don't you love paper straws by now? Do tell me your ideas or link, and share me your ideas on how to use lovely, practical paper straws! 

 

BTW, If you happen to live in Indonesia, my friend bought me too many, so if you'd like to get your hands on these paper straws yourself, please email me. I got the paper straws in these colors, although they are not in the same quantity :

1. light gray
2. bright red
3. lime green
4. navy blue
5. pastel yellow
6. pastel pink
7. pastel green
8. pastel blue

Be promptly quick! These are running out of my hands very fast! For those of you who live in US, Europe, or AUS do check out Etsy, Amazon, or Ebay, those are a great source of paper straws stock!

Rub a Dub Ducky

Like Ernie of Sesame Street, I do have a thing or two about rubber duckies. They utterly cute and happen to bear one of my favorite color, yellow!! And they squeak! I don't own a bath tub now and I certainly miss  taking a bath with those guys.

thank you Amesh for taking a picture of babalisme printables with your favor goodies!!

If you're a fan of the duck like me, check out a rubber ducky theme party hosted by Dreamesh for her son's 3rd birthday! It's a splash and get wet outdoor party, good thing to be Indonesians is you can host a summer-y party at any time of the year, and everyone seems to have a splashing good time!

Happy birthday, Yuara, and congratulations, *cough* an expecting mother, Amesh for throwing out such a great day! Yuara, enjoy your last moments of having your mom and dad solely for you. *evil laugh* just kidding. I know you'll be a good brother, Yuara. 

On the side note, the winner for kyandkin giveaway is allwiredup! Congrats, Dee! 

Sail Away!

Remember the nautical mood I share this summer? Well one mother was inspired and decided to recreate the whole theme for her daughter's first birthday and sharing them with us! WoooooT! All aboard for Sarah's first anniversary!!

The party was celebrated at Sarah's preschool, the party included lots of water activity for kids and toddler, and of course, those who is young at heart, to jump into the pool. Apart from getting wet, the children did some bucket-painting and take their art home as a favor! What a great idea to have them sit still for at least 30 minutes.

Love love love all the details, the nautical shaped cookies, the buntings, the welcome aboard sign, and did you notice how big the stage is!! I bet many wondrous things happened there! Happy Birthday, Sarah! You had a swell party!

All photos are courtesy Monica, Sarah's mom, taken by Iski, private photographer. Due to privacy reason we can't share whole party pictures nor exact location of the party and other details such as link to Monica's page. Sorry :) If you have any questions email me, and I'll forward it to Monica.

But I can tell you who provides all the printables... *wink wink*...LOL... Yep including that gigantic stage backdrop. It's enough to send my PC to hibernate mode automatically.

ps. I still had some more matryoshkas printable coming right up, sorry for the delay! And some surprises too!

Mmmmm.. Monsters!!

Another great ideas for summer party themes, this one is suitable for both gender you have at home. (Just in case your boys puke on the idea of matryoshka party)

MONSTERS!!!

Loving this orange-fuschia-neutral combo by spaceshipsandlaserbeams, it made the whole them bearable for pink addicted girls yet fun enough for the monstrous boys. And the dessert table do teach us that you don't have to craft an award winning cupcakes fondant nor cakepops, even slices of fruits make nice and eye catching dessert table food. Sorry, Amy Atlas, but this time I have to agree on the fact that not all moms have your budget and your team of bakers. Ditto for dessert table properties, what cupcake tiers?

Great ideas, great execution, great design. Simply love it. If I could vote, this maybe the best dessert table for summer. Not to mention the framed monster family pictures as the background! Too cute!

found via craftgossip.

ps. Another matryoshka printable coming right this week. This week's favorite alphabet definitely : M. What's yours?