This charming MILK & COOKIES SECOND BIRTHDAY PARTY was submitted by Elizabeth Sprague of Lemonberry Moon.
I love the creativity of this cookies and milk party! There are so many fabulous (and delicious looking) elements & ideas here. A few of my favorites are:
This is what Elizabeth said about the party- “The hardest part about this party was not eating it all before I photographed it! Forever Your Prints‘ label set was the perfect starting point for the table design. Chocolate chip cookies, whoopie pies and peanut butter blossoms (all featured in the labels) were baked and displayed throughout the table. My favorite treat had to be the three layer cookie bars though, check out how I took them even further here. I also made white chocolate “milk mustaches” to put next to the milk buffet offering up chocolate, strawberry and white milk.
Cupcakes were chocolate and topped with a cookie dough frosting and a homemade chocolate chip cookie. Dipped Oreos were topped with adorable fondant toppers from Rachel at Fondant Flinger right down to the “Yum”on the Oreo! The amazing decorated cookies were provided by Katie’s Creative Baking and tasted just as delicious as they look!
Up next on KPI is this absolutely adorable COOKIES & MILK FIRST BIRTHDAY PARTY for twins, submitted by Kimberly of Designs by Kimberly Francom. I just love the vintage colors and rustic feel to this darling celebration! What a fun party theme for twins! Such a great theme for a baby shower, too!
Kimberly said this about planning the party- “Having boy/girl twins, I wanted to create a party that had touches of masculine and feminine to represent them both. I did this by adding small touches of ruffles, lace, fresh florals and coral and balanced them with burlap, neutral tones, and distressed crates. I sent out postcard invitations to the guests with custom stamps featuring the birthday twins of course. The feel of the party was a vintage and rustic chic spin on a Cookies and Milk Party. Most of the details of the party were done DIY. For my back drop I used a queen size sheet which we then sewed muslin ruffles to. I used a stencil, paint, and burlap to create the Happy Birthday and “One” banner and rag banner adorned the front of the burlap table cloth. I used crates and old books to add height and texture to the dessert display and decor. I created printable coral chevron and chocolate stripe flags for my retro striped straws. My milk bottles were actually the Target brand frappuccino. I stamped the number “1″ on little wood tags that I attached to my milk bottles with bakers twine. The cookies I chose were: Home-made Oreo pies, Coconut Macaroons, Sugar Cookie Pops, Chocolate Dipped Shortbread, Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter Kiss. Milk Bottles filled with Jelly Bellies served as vases for the sugar cookie pops. Guests filled cookies and candy in milk carton favor boxes with printable labels saying “So Sweet of You to Join Us”. Guests also decorated their own sugar cookies with frosting and assorted sprinkles at the Cookie Decorating Station. On the tables, soft and casual florals were displayed in milk bottles and mason jars over burlap and lace runners. Pictures of the twins were displayed in mason jars filled with taffy as well as on a vintage washboard. Colorful bunting and ombre tissue poms with tassels set the tone for the party in our back yard. On the outdoor food table I included a vintage crate lined with burlap with a chalk board sign “Place empties here for milk man” for the home of used milk bottles. A bouquet of taffy skewers was displayed in an old creamer can. I also made vases out of paint sticks glued to formula cans and then painted… So inexpensive! An old barrel becomes a table to hold my beverage container with coral and aqua water bottles. Two happy one year olds equals a very successful party!”
Vendors and Credits:
Event Planner/Floral Designer: Designs by Kimberly Francom
Photography: Smith Vision Photography
Milk Bottle Cookies: My Cookie Couture
Coconut Macaroons: Cakes by Deanna
Milk bottles for florals: Save On Crafts
Custom Stamps and printing of postcard invitations: Zazzle
Items used in this party available in Kara’s Party Ideas Shop: Striped Paper Straws Milk Bottles Baker’s Twine Ribbon Clear Cellophane Bags Lollipop Sticks Sprinkles Taffy Rock Candy Swizzle Sticks Candy Sticks Tissue Pom Poms Eyelet Paper Lanterns
This COOKIES AND MILK 2ND BIRTHDAY PARTY, submitted by Jen Carver of Banner Events, has got to be one of my favorite cookies and milk parties to date. Oh the details, folks…just look at it all! Wow, I am so impressed. Of course, Jen never ceases to amaze me. So talented.
Party description & vendor list, along with tips on how to throw a party on a budget, at bottom of post…
Description and details from Jen-
“Do you ‘utter-ly’ love milk & cookies? My 2-year old son, Max, does! And what better way to celebrate our little cookie monster’s birthday than with a sweet milk & cookies party!
Ready for the best news? Using Anders Ruff’s darling ‘Vintage Milk & Cookies’printable set, the party prep was simple & inexpensive, & the clean-up was quick! I gave myself a little challenge for this event & pulled off the party prep & planning in a matter of days and with a very limited budget. You can too!
{FIVE TIPS FOR EASY & BUDGET FRIENDLY PARTY PLANNING}:
I’m sharing some of my favorite tips & tricks for tying an event together with minimal effort, but without sacrificing style or breaking the bank.
First: Choose a theme! Choosing a theme early in the planning process helps to eliminate a great deal of stress as it narrows down much of the decision making process. Invitations, activities, decor, party favors, food & color scheme will naturally coordinate with the chosen theme. Once you’ve decided on a theme, a plan can start to take shape!
As you can see, I chose a darling vintage milk & cookies theme. With my son’s current cookie obsession, this theme fit perfectly! The printable invitation & graphics package I chose from Anders Ruff, set the feel of our theme & the color palette. That is the beauty of using printable graphics! They help stylishly and effortlessly guide both the overall feeling of an event & also help tie in the fun little details that will knock your guests’ socks off! Lucky for you, Anders Ruffoffers printable invitations and party packages in dozens of very unique and popular themes!
‘Moo’-ving right along… After last year’s big ‘First Bee Day’ Celebration (seen here), it was nice to keep things simple. Max’s grandparents were excited to receive this adorable invitation, perfectly customized for his sweet celebration. The invitation sets the stage for your event & is the first glimpse of your chosen theme that your guests will have!
Second: Take inventory! With your chosen theme in mind, before heading out to shop for your event, look around your house to see what you already have that can be used as is or even repurposed. You will be amazed by what you already have that you can use. Here are a few things I discovered in my home:
An antique white farm style beadboard side table from my office was used as the focal point for our dessert display.
A cherry wood sofa table was used to display additional cookies.
Ikea jars with metal lids were dressed up with Anders Ruff printable flat labels and housed several yummy varieties of cookies.
Wood letters that spell MAX–leftover from last year’s party– got a fresh coat of paint and gave a nice pop of color to our main dessert bar.
Twine & clothes pins were used to hang our birthday bunting made by attaching printable banner elements from the printable ‘Vintage Milk & Cookies’ package to more handmade rosettes.
A round glass vase was transformed into a cookie jar (and provided the inspiration for my cookie jar favors) using custom chocolate brown vinyl lettering from A&E Design Works.
Tablecloths & serving stands/platters were all things I already owned and just had to be washed and set in place. {The gorgeous platter, cake stand and tiered stands you see here are part of a beautiful collection from Willow House by Angie Bytnar.}
Craft paper was used for wrapping gifts.
Leftover paper shred was utilized for lining cookie trays and embellishing a party hat for the guest of honor.
Once you’ve gathered things you may be able to use from your ‘at home’ inventory, make a short list of obvious supplies you may need to either borrow or purchase to carry out your theme. (Color coordinating paper plates, cupcake liners, napkins, etc…)
Third: Window Shop! I love shopping for party inspiration and am always amazed by some of the incredible things there are for purchase that can cut down on my prep time and help pull off my vision. Inspiration can come from just about anywhere! I generally like to start at the local dollar store to see what items from my list they may have. (I usually find quite a bit there!) Of course, craft stores, such as JoAnn, Michaels and Hobby Lobby are a must. Purchases made at these locations can be great, especially if you utilize the plethora of coupons that can be pulled from local newspapers or printed from online. Thrift stores, grocery stores and discount stores like Ross & TJ Maxx are also full of great party finds. Typically, I go from store to store with my notepad & pen & make notes about the things I see. I generally don’t buy anything on my first trip, and try to discipline myself into just jotting down specs about possibilities. This keeps me from overbuying and/or spending too much on items that I may find cheaper at other stores. (Of course, if there is an incredible sale or a must-have item that has low inventory, you may consider purchasing it on the spot, especially if there is a good return policy.)
For this particular party, I found the following things from the Dollar Store:
small glass bowls that would be fashioned into my take home cookie jar party favors
cookies (Famous Amos for filling the cookie jars, fudge striped cookies, etc…)
Fourth: Purposefully Shop. With your notes in hand, return to the stores where you found the greatest deals for the items needed. Be sure to consider which things best meet both your party vision and your budget restrictions. (It’s always a good idea to save receipts in case you don’t end up using something or find an unexpected deal at a future date.) Anything you couldn’t find locally, may now be purchased online.
I found several fun prop items already on sale at Michaels & JoAnns and was able to use additional money saving coupons. I also scored a few clearance items at Target. Things I purchased included:
Hay bales for the dining table centerpiece and dessert table.
Galvanized bucket and milk jugs for displaying cookies and milk.
Mini wooden crates for each place setting & for the dessert bar.
Large wooden crates for adding height/levels to my display & a rustic touch.
Ceramic cows & milk cartons for whimsy.
Fifth: Simplify Food/Dessert Prep. Unless you absolutely love slaving away in the kitchen, give yourself permission to purchase some of the food/desserts. It’s a good rule of thumb to opt for a few tried & true homemade items that are crowd pleasers & also make for a great presentation. Then, fill in the rest of the needed food/desserts with some prepared store bought items that require minimal prep & mostly need some simple styling/arranging. From those purchased items, I like to splurge on 2-3 specialty/gourmet items for that added WOW factor. These specialty items generally serve two purposes–they act as a dessert & due to their custom nature, also usually function as part of the decor too!
How did I do this for our ‘Milk & Cookies’ party? By sticking to a simple ‘milk & cookies’ theme, it meant I didn’t need to do a huge dessert table. I chose a couple of favorite recipes we’d make–my husband’s whoopie pies and my Oreo truffles.
From Costco & Walmart, I purchased some prepackaged cookies and found fun ways to arrange them. Our fun ‘splurge’/ gourmet items were these gorgeous cookies from Goosie Girl and The CookieXchange, as well as incredible fondant cupcake toppers from Fondant Flinger, all of which were custom designed to coordinate with both the colors of our event and the printable graphic package.
We kept our party favors simple & edible too, and by coordinating them with the party colors, we got twice the bang for our buck because they served as part of the decor until they were taken home by guests!
Milk chocolate bars were embellished with custom candy bar wrappers from Anders Ruff’s Vintage Milk & Cookies printable package.
Cute chocolate and white striped sacks with coordinating party printables were available for take away treats. Family members loved being able to select a few extra cookie favorites to take home for later.
Guests also got to take home the mini cookie jar favors from their place setting.
This weekend’s winning party feature goes to this super adorable MILKAHOLIC SIP AND SEE BABY SHOWER submitted by Half Baked. What a clever idea! Carrie said that a ‘Milkaholic’ baby shower seemed fitting considering how much time a newborn spends eating! So true! I just love it.
Carrie- “I designed the invitation and let it set the tone for the party decor. Sleek and modern yet baby themed was the intent. The Milkaholic baby bottle became a logo that was used throughout the party. With this being a co-ed event, we wanted to keep the decor more modern and less traditional “baby”. To create a unique backdrop for the dessert table, I painted a canvas to match the party invite. Black and white patterned bunting was hung along the wall above the painting. Mini bottles were filled with milk and given sleek milk labels.”
You did such a good job, Carrie! Thanks for your submission! Congratulations on being chosen as a winning party feature!
“Activities for a co-ed baby event can be tricky. Not wanting the male guests to feel awkward, I opted for non-organized activities that would still be fun and entertaining. Guests were encouraged to write humorous thoughts onto diapers to provide Ted and Meredith a little chuckle later on. TheDiaper Thoughtsstation gave the men an avenue to showcase their best and most clever diaper humor! AWell Wishes station encouraged guests to write something sentimental on keepsake cards which were then placed into a glass bubble bowl. Of course, the main activity was oohing and awing over the guest of honor, Baby Colin!”
“Guests were given a small box filled with ‘Kisses from Colin’. Hershey Kisses with patterned labels inside a white box wrapped with coordinating paper and tags.”
The centerpieces were a collection of items from Anthropologie, Pottery Barn, thrift stores, antique shops, and things they already owned. For the seating, they went with hay bales to play off the country theme.
They made the napkins with a variety of patterned fabrics and tied heart-shaped cookie cutters around them with twine.
Congratulations on being the winning party feature today!
{Update: Drink Dispensers are from Pottery Barn here.}
For favors they filled milk bottles {from Pottery Barn I believe..however, they are no longer available. BUT, you can find some on eBay! Go here} with layers of ingredients for chocolate chip oatmeal cookies & had them stacked in a lovely wooden crate.
For the guestbook table they made a sign with Josh and Ellen’s “recipe for love” detailing the highlights of how they got together in recipe form. They had cards for guest to write their own “recipes for love” and a recipe fox for them to file it away in!
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