Ugly Sweater + Mustache Themed Christmas Party

This spectacular UGLY SWEATER + MUSTACHE THEMED CHRISTMAS PARTY was submitted by Kate Petronis of And Everything Sweet! Oh my goodness, what an awesome party full of darling ideas and holiday party inspiration!

Vendors and Credits:
Party Styling, Cookies, Cake Pops, Fondant Cupcake Toppers- And Everything Sweet
Push Pop Sweaters- Susan’s Sweaters
Printables- Lauren Haddox Designs

Items used in this party available in Kara’s Party Ideas Shop:
Gable Boxes
Paper Straws
Push Pop Containers
Cupcake Liners
White 2-Sided Frame

   

Kate said this about planning the party- ”This past weekend I threw my third annual trophy husband party: theme-UGLY CHRISTMAS SWEATERS!! It was such a blast! My favorite type of party is one where people are forced to dress silly to fit in. Its an instant ice breaker as the moment guests walk through your door everyone is laughing at each other. ;)

I had SOOO much fun putting together the dessert table for this party. It was a bit of a challenge because obviously I wanted the table to be UGLY, but then again I didn’t. ;) I used a lot of different colors and patterns to create a mismatched/yet somewhat coordinating theme. Who knew ugly could be so challenging!?!?

Lauren, from Lauren Haddox Designs, shared her Tacky and Mustachey collection with me. It fit perfectly with my theme. I loved the addition of mustaches!! Since it was also a trophy husband party it totally fit!

I don’t normally “do” cookies. I looked into purchasing some, but at $5/cookie (at the lowest) I figured I’d try my hand at them. Let me just tell you, $5/cookie AIN’T enough! These little suckers are time consuming!!!

My FAVORITE addition to the table were the little sweater push pop desserts. SO awesome! I purchased the sweaters from Susan’s Sweaters on etsy. They’re Barbie sweaters, hand knitted and then I got my hands on them and tackied them up. (THAT was FUN!) Under each sweater is red velvet cake and cream cheese icing in a push pop.

And since adults don’t typically attack desserts quite like kids, I left some boxes out on the table so they could “stache” away some treats for later (i.e. their kids). That worked! The dessert table was 100% cleared by the end of the night as guests left with their boxes of goodies.

I set up a cheesy photo booth with a winter background purchased at Oriental Trading, some silly photo props, and of course, a blow up Santa to pose with.

And since it was a trophy husband party I had to create games for the guys to compete against each other for title of #1 TROPHY HUSBAND. Let me first start off by saying we have the BEST, most COOPERATIVE group of guy friends EVER! They truly are trophy husbands!! Such good sports!! (I can never have a normal party, with normal socialization). We did a version of dizzy bat (a trophy husband party tradition). We split the guys into two groups and created a relay race. Using wrapping paper as “the bat”, they had to spin around 4 times with an ornament in their hand. A few feet away from the start was a little Christmas tree. After they were done spinning they had to RUN and place their ornament on the tree and then run back. Once they reached the end the next guy could start. HILARITY!!! They were all over the place, some even fell from too much dizziness. (so funny, like pee in your pants kind of laughing, just saying).

Next, was blindfolded gift wrapping. The guys were given a box (I used cracker boxes, mac n cheese boxes, etc) to wrap. (I pre-cut the paper so no one got hurt!) We blind folded them, put them in pairs (they had to share tape), and gave them each a box, paper and a bow. This was also a race. Whichever team finished first (both guys had to have a fully wrapped present, topped off with their bow) were then judged on which present of the two was most presentable. This game, again gave us girls some awesome laughs. It was belly busting watching these guys (in their ugly sweaters) try to share tape, find their bows, etc. Just awesome!

The final game we played was “Holiday Sausage”. In this game the guys were asked questions like “What was your favorite toy to play with as a child?” or “In your opinion, what was the biggest issue facing this 2012 election?” and the only answer you could say is “holiday sausage”. You’re not allowed to laugh or smile when you give your response. Funny game, but if you ask me the guys had WAAAAY too easy of a time keeping a straight face. These men are hard to break!!

It was a GREAT night! SO MUCH FUN!!!”

Vendors and Credits:
Party Styling, Cookies, Cake Pops, Fondant Cupcake Toppers- And Everything Sweet
Push Pop Sweaters- Susan’s Sweaters
Printables- Lauren Haddox Designs

Items used in this party available in Kara’s Party Ideas Shop:
Gable Boxes
Paper Straws
Push Pop Containers
Cupcake Liners
White 2-Sided Frame

Favorite Things Girls Night Christmas Party

What a fabulous FAVORITE THINGS CHRISTMAS PARTY submitted by Wendy Updegraff of Daydreaming and Sightseeing! Such a great holiday party idea! Make sure and read what Wendy said about the party below, so you will know what a “favorite things” party is all about! SO FUN!

Wendy said this about planning the party- “Over the weekend I hosted a Favorite Things party for a few of my girlfriends…and I definitely think it will become an annual tradition! Since glitter is way up there on the list of my favorite things, I decided to add glitter to anything and everything for this party, starting with the invites! We kept the food and drinks light, and of course my favorites…macarons, champagne and caprese! Maria of Love & Sugar Kisses made lemon, vanilla and peppermint macarons…and they were the hit of the party!

My TV presented a bit of a decorating challenge…I have gone to some extremes in the past for decorating but removing the TV from the wall seemed a tad extreme, even for me. So we wrapped it up and smacked a gift tag on it and made it part of the decor :) Of course my hubby’s first reaction was thinking I was giving his TV away as a prize.

Since not everyone knew each other at the party I had a little game for everyone while we were chatting and snacking. Everyone filled out a Favorite Things survey without putting their name on it. We mixed them up then took turns reading them and everyone tried to guess whose was whose.

Since our whole party was about shopping for new favorite items, each girl had their own shopping bag for their new goodies. Everyone was instructed to select a favorite item for around $20 and bring 3 of that item. My favorite item was actually a 2-parter. One was a glitter clutch and the other was a pack of decorative washi tapes. Everyone had great taste and it made it really hard to choose which one you wanted!!!  We had three rounds of shopping. At the beginning of each round everyone picked a piece of paper with a number on it out of a bowl. Whatever number you got was the order you got to go up to the table and choose one item. Each round the numbers were mixed up again so you went in a different order each time. We had so much fun and it was so great to relax with all of my friends in this crazy busy season. Drinking champagne and chatting until 12:30am is definitely one of my favorite things!”

Vendors and Credits:
Tassel Garland- Carmen of The Flair Exchange
Macarons- Maria of Love & Sugar Kisses
Photography- Wendy Updegraff

Items used in this party available in Kara’s Party Ideas Shop:
  
  

Up on the Housetop Holiday Christmas Party!

I’m excited to share another one of my personal parties with you today! I loved styling this UP ON THE HOUSTEOP HOLIDAY CHRISTMAS PARTY and hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

I actually thought of this theme last year while brainstorming holiday Christmas party ideas…it was a little too late in the season, though, so I didn’t have time to plan it. But, this year was the year and I’m so glad it was because I’ve been envisioning this party for a long time!

The party consisted of a main dessert table, full of treats and holiday goodness. The display was set up on top of a cream hutch covered in glittery paper and faux snow. Snow flocked frames hung on the wall behind the hutch, creating a dreamy & wintery feel.

Want to re-create this party? Party supplies/decor/candy from the Kara’s Party Ideas Shop:
Mini Clear Gable Boxes
Milk Bottles
White Rock Candy Sticks
Clear Candy Sprinkles
Sparkling Candy Flakes/Crystals
Silver Pearlized Gumballs
Aqua Rock Candy
Sugar Pearl Sprinkles
Candy Sticks

When I think of desserts & cookies I think of milk! I dipped the top of my glass milk bottles {from the shop, here} in Karo syrup, then gently rolled the tops in clear candy sprinkles, also from the KPI shop. The white candy sticks from the shop looked perfect inside each glass!

Chimney Smoke Cotton Candy

I filled miniature clear gable boxes from the KPI shop with white cotton candy, and labeled the boxes as “Chimney Smoke Cotton Candy” :).

I sprinkled sparkling white candy flakes {LOVE these} from my shop atop all the cupcakes.

I made a vintage replica paper banner that said, “Up On The Housetops” and hung it on the wall below the main center frame. Inside the main frame was a glitter reindeer, cut out of light blue shimmery scrapbook paper…

Metal sleigh cupcake holders held beautiful vanilla cupcakes. A white ruffle cake stand was placed in the middle of the display, on it were lovely white and aqua cupcakes topped with edible sugar glitter. Glass pedestal cake stands held other pretty desserts like peppermint bark and mint peppermint cookies. At the front of the table were two long white ceramic platters holding divinity and white chocolate covered star pretzels.

I have a special place in my heart for cardboard Christmas houses, and have collected them for years. They were perfect for this party, and really helped create the “Up on the Housetop” feel! Among the houses were also bottlebrush trees in silver and cream…

Marshmallow Treats

Regular marshmallows were dipped in white chocolate candy melts and light blue sugar pearl sprinkles from the KPI shop. Sucker sticks {also available in the shop, here} were then inserted into the top of each marshmallow.

More white rock candy sticks were placed on the table for guests to enjoy…this time, atop a cute mini metal sleigh…

Shimmery pearl silver gumballs from the KPI shop were placed in a small glass star dish…

A vintage glass tree held aqua rock candy from the shop.

Want to re-create this party? Party supplies/decor/candy from the Kara’s Party Ideas Shop:
Mini Clear Gable Boxes
Milk Bottles
White Rock Candy Sticks
Clear Candy Sprinkles
Sparkling Candy Flakes/Crystals
Silver Pearlized Gumballs
Aqua Rock Candy
Sugar Pearl Sprinkles
Candy Sticks

Merry Christmas!!
xo,
Kara

Elf on a Shelf Christmas Party

I just couldn’t resist sharing another ELF ON THE SHELF HOLIDAY CHRISTMAS PARTY! This lovely party was submitted by Audrey Novak of Sweet Cheeks Tasty Treats. Oh my goodness, there are so many adorable ideas here! Scroll through the photos slowly so you don’t miss anything & be sure and read all the party details from Audrey at the bottom of the post!

Event Styling, Photography, Dessert Table Treats- Sweet Cheeks Tasty Treats
Magical Elf Christmas Collection, printables- Anders Ruff Custom Designs
Custom Elf Stockings, Table Runners, Pennant Banner- Puddin’ Pies
Custom Decorated Sugar Cookies- Emi’s Treats
Minatures (layer cake, cupcakes, pennant banner, stocking)- Little Things By Anna
Elf-sized baking set, apron, oven mitt, and chef’s hat- BJWildey
Custom children’s clothing, Christmas dress, applique shirt and cardigan- Lottie Da Baby

Items used in this party available in Kara’s Party Ideas Shop:
Striped Paper Straws
Lollipop Sticks
Cupcake Liners
Washi Tape
Ribbon

       

Audrey said this about planning the party- ”So…I have a little confession. I’m ELF OBSESSED. Seriously. It’s one of those things that started innocently enough, as a family tradition YEARS in the making, but has now taken on a life of its own. I can’t control it, or at least I choose NOT to. But I do find comfort in the thousands of Elf-tastic pins on Pinterest and the incessant Elf-related Facebook posts of my friends…it’s nice to know I’m not alone!

We’ve had some vintage Christmas Elves in our family for years. We call them our Disco Elves because they (there are 3 of them) are wearing shiny, metallic outfits and look like they’re ready to party ALL the time. My Grandma used to tell us they were watching us and would tell Santa if we were being naughty…not sure if word ever got back to him about any of the “nice” stuff. Last year we added an Elf on the Shelf to our collection, the kiddos named him Mack, and our little Elf family was complete. The kids love waking up in the morning and rushing out to see what shenanigans the elves have gotten into…it’s become one of their favorite things, and mine too.

I’ve been mulling over the idea of hosting an ELF PARTY since LAST Christmas. SO many of our friends have Elves now too, I knew the kids would really be into it.

So that’s the WHY…and here is ALL the rest! I hope you enjoy!

I worked with the talented ladies of Anders Ruff Custom Designs for the printables. They totally “GOT” my vision and their creations were absolutely perfect! You can see their own photo shoot featuring this printable line HERE.

Since our guest list was very short for this party, I planned on hand delivering all the invites. I printed the invitations large, 8×10, rolled them up and tied with a ribbon. We all know that the Number 1 Rule when it comes to Christmas Elves is you CANNOT touch them…or they lose their magic! To solve that problem, each guest also received an Elf-sized stocking. This way they could come along without being touched!

When our guests arrived they were directed to the “Elf Check-in” area. Each Elf had a name tag waiting for him or her…we didn’t want anyone going home with the wrong Elf! After the kiddos deposited their Elves and went downstairs, the Elves jumped out of their stockings, put on their name tags and had their own little Mixer.

At our ELF ADOPTION center, we had several Elves just waiting to find their own family! Some of our guests added another Elf to their family, and one family got their very FIRST Elf at our party. I also had some Elf attire available for our guests to take home. Included were pretty skirt-sets and bows for the lady elves. We also had some tiny Elf scarves that were a BIG hit with our guests!

I knew the desserts for this party were going to be a LOT of fun. With so many teeny-tiny guests, I planned on making some mini-versions of some of our favorite treats! I made Elf Cake Pops and Swirl Cake Pops. I love using the striped paper straws as “sticks” for my Cake Pops…it really adds something special! I also made some MINI Cake Pops. These are REAL Cake Pops ya’ll. I rolled them super small, used a cut-off toothpick as the stick, and then dipped them just like the full-size pops. Easy. Cute. Good. So then, I wanted a bit of a challenge – lol! I thought it would be fun to try to make mini versions of the Elf Cake Pops too. I used a toothpick to add-on the details, but they were pretty basic so it wasn’t too bad. Totally worth the extra effort…they were SO cute! Local Cookie artist Emily of Emi’s Treats made some AMAZING cookies for our party. She created a “Peeking Elf” design that I just loved…it was beyond perfect! She also made stockings, mittens and candy canes. Emily’s cookies are equal parts delicious and adorable, I just love her work! Even cuter…she made MINI cookies for our Elf guests too! They were SO sweet! When we were all downstairs, each of the Elves helped themselves to a cookie…they were a BIG hit with our littlest guests. We also had some ridiculously cute miniatures on the dessert table! Little Things by Anna created the TINY layered cake and TEENSY cupcakes. Seriously, these things are SO adorable and incredibly detailed…I can’t lie…I squealed OUT-LOUD when I opened the box they were shipped in.

My sister volunteered to read The Elf on the Shelf to the kiddos while I was upstairs making sure our Elf guests were “comfortable”. We had a few activity stations set-up for the kiddos. They were free to go from one to the other at their own pace. First was the Jingle Bell Bracelet table. A tray of pipe cleaners, a container full of jingle bells…easy…and they loved it. Even better, after they finished their bracelets they got to go jump in the trampoline to hear how they sounded. We also had a mini tree decorating station. You know the drill…a package of foam Christmas trees, with about a million little sticker pieces to peel and place. A little cheesy maybe, but I tell ya what…my kids NEVER get sick of these things! Like ever…so I go with it! There was also a table full of Elf-sizes treats. The kids got to pick out an assortment of goodies to “take-home” for their Elves. That was the idea. In reality, most of them chowed-down on their Elves goodies…I’m sure it was from a quality control standpoint. Each of the guests had the chance, one-by-one, to put on an apron and join me in my kitchen to make a few EXTRA special Elf treats. I had three melters going, one with chocolate, white chocolate and green candy melts. They got to dip a mini sugar cookie, mini Oreo and a Cheerio (to make an Elf donut). I also had an assortment of sprinkles out so they could decorate their creations however they chose!

Word must have got out at the North Pole because we had a LOT of Elves show-up for this party. They were hiding ALL over the house! The kiddos went on an ELF HUNT to find all of our Elfish visitors. I used the printable Advent Calendar Tags from Anders Ruff (1 through 5) to label our “scenes”. That way the kids knew they had 5 different Elves (or in some cases, groups of Elves) to find. They did a great job hunting!

When it was time for our guests to head for home, I used a pair of decorated kitchen tongs to carefully put each Elf in a basket for the ride home (the stockings are a tight squeeze and we didn’t want to risk any accidental touching!) The kids, Elves and grown-ups all had a GREAT time at our Elf Party! The Christmas season is so magical, and being able to create these memories, to me, really is priceless. If you’re into the whole ELF-thing, be sure to follow me on Facebook! I post a lot of our Elves daily shenanigans there…frequently…too much…I know I have a problem.”

Event Styling, Photography, Dessert Table Treats- Sweet Cheeks Tasty Treats
Magical Elf Christmas Collection, printables- Anders Ruff Custom Designs
Custom Elf Stockings, Table Runners, Pennant Banner- Puddin’ Pies
Custom Decorated Sugar Cookies- Emi’s Treats
Minatures (layer cake, cupcakes, pennant banner, stocking)- Little Things By Anna
Elf-sized baking set, apron, oven mitt, and chef’s hat- BJWildey
Custom children’s clothing, Christmas dress, applique shirt and cardigan- Lottie Da Baby

Items used in this party available in Kara’s Party Ideas Shop:
Striped Paper Straws
Lollipop Sticks
Cupcake Liners
Washi Tape
Ribbon

FREE PRINTABLES! Modern & Festive Holiday Christmas Party!

I created this MODERN + FESTIVE HOLIDAY CHRISTMAS PARTY a couple weeks ago. I’m excited to share it with YOU, my lovely readers! I wanted to showcase a lot of fun Christmas party ideas in one place…& together in one festive party.

THE BEST PART….I’ve included FREE PRINTABLES to go along with the party! Just scroll down to the bottom of this post and you will find them! The darling printables were designed by Crystal of C & C Paperie! If you’re in need of fabulous cards then be sure and check her shop out! Receive 20% off your order by using code KARA20 at checkout!!

Party supplies used from Kara’s Party Ideas Shop:
Red Polka Dot Gable Boxes
Chevron Paper Bags
Striped Paper Bags
Clear Favor Tins/Pails
Striped Fry Boxes
Striped Square Paper Plates
Polka Dot Cupcake/Candy Cups
Paper Straws
Wooden Spoons
Bakers Twine
Milk Bottles
Candy Sticks

Square striped paper plates available in the KPI Shop. Darling place cards available for FREE below {click on the image to enlarge, then right click to save to your computer}.

These North Pole cupcakes were inspired by Jenny Cookies! I made them by simply dipping one end of a striped candy stick {available in the KPI online shop} into melted white chocolate {adding crystal candy flakes for snow} and inserted the candy stick into the top of each cupcake. The cute North Pole signs are available for FREE below {click on the image to enlarge, then right click to save to your computer}. I attached the signs to the candy sticks with frosting.

Hot Cocoa Mugs

We dressed up regular white ceramic mugs with red candy sprinkles! Gently dip the top of the mug in melted white chocolate and immediately add red candy sprinkles. The chocolate will harden, securing the sprinkles.

Santa’s Mustaches

Santa mustaches were made with a mustache candy mold, white candy melt, white sprinkles, sucker sticks, and striped paper straws {all from the Kara’s Party Ideas shop}! I placed the mustaches in a cute chevron patterned milk bottle, also available in the KPI shop. The tent card/label is available as a free printable at the bottom of the post!

These hot chocolate tins are a cinch to put together and make such a statement! Inside clear plastic pails {available in my shop here} layer hot cocoa powder, crushed peppermint candies, chocolate chips and marshmallows! I tied the pails off with some red polka dot ribbon from the shop and a coordinating Merry Christmas tag, available as part of the free Holiday party collection at the bottom of this post!

Chevron print paper bags from my shop were filled with white vanilla flavored cotton candy. A cute tag that read “Santa Beard Cotton Candy” was attached to the top of each bag. The tags are also available for free at the bottom of this post!

Milano Cookie Santa’s

We made adorable Santa cookies with Milano brand cookies and a few other simple supplies! Dip both ends of the Milano cookie in melted white chocolate and add red sprinkles and a white chocolate chip to the top portion of the cookie to create Santa’s hat. Then by using a tiny dab of melted white chocolate, attach a red candy to the middle of the cookie for the nose and chocolate chips just above the red candy for the eyes.

This North Pole sign is part of the FREE printable collection below {click on the image to enlarge, then right click to save to your computer}!

Chocolate Doughnut Reindeer

These reindeer doughnuts were a big hit! Chocolate mini doughnuts were used as the reindeer body, a red candy inserted into the middle of the doughnut was the reindeer nose, white chocolate chips were pushed into the top of the doughnut for eyes, and broken pretzel pieces were inserted into the top side of the doughnut for antlers! Easy and super cute!

Fry Box Candy Treats

I filled green striped fry boxes from my shop with more red cherry candies. I’m in love with fry boxes right now, and use them for so many things! When it comes to parties, the possibilities are endless with these!

Wooden Hot Chocolate Spoons

These wooden hot chocolate spoons were the perfect addition to the hot cocoa station. Guests stirred their hot cocoa with these adorable spoons, adding more flavor and fun to their hot chocolate! I dipped wooden spoons from my shop in white candy melt, then added green and red sprinkles to the top. After they cooled they were put inside clear mini cello bags and tied off with bakers twine {all from the KPI online shop}.

Merry Christmas Cupcakes

Vanilla cupcakes were placed in darling red polka dot nut cups/candy cups from the KPI shop. The darling cupcake toppers are available for free below {click on the image to enlarge, then right click to save to your computer}!

Marshmallows treat sticks

Regular marshmallows were dipped into melted red candy melt and green nonpareil sprinkles from my shop. A red striped paper straw {available in the KPI shop} was inserted into the top center of each marshmallow as a final holiday touch.

Reindeer Cupcakes

Create more fun reindeer treats with cupcakes and pretzels! These cupcakes were made with frosting, brown sprinkles, miniature vanilla wafers and pretzels!

Polka Dot Gable Boxes

Guests were able to take extra cookies and treats home in some polka dot gable boxes from my shop. Attached to the top of each box was a cute thank you tag {part of the free printable collection below…click on the image to enlarge, then right click to save to your computer}.

  Peppermint Cake Stand

I dressed up the side of a ceramic cake stand with lace and peppermint candies! I used a low temperature glue gun to attach the lace and peppermint candies {because of the low temperature, glue can be peeled right off after use} to the side of a red cake stand. Such a cute way to add the Christmas feel to your table!

In case you missed them, here are the darling holiday printables from C & C Paperie! Simply click on each image to enlarge, then right click to save to your computer and print!

Make sure to check out C & C Paperie’s DARLING cards and more HERE! And don’t forget, GET 20% off any order by using code KARA20 at checkout!!