Posted on April 10, 2013 by Kara

Whimsical Mermaid Birthday Party

This captivating WHIMSICAL MERMAID BIRTHDAY PARTY was submitted by Kristina Geronsin of A Petite Soiree.

I think this mermaid party is so beautiful! Some of the things that I like best about it are:

The black grapes threaded onto skewers to look like seaweed
The fabric strip banner backdrop
The chocolate seashell cupcake toppers
and MORE!

Styling, fabric banner, printed signs and labels- A Petite Soiree
Photography- Hearfelt Memories by Kelly
Mermaid and Shark Cookies- Cookies Supreme
Macaron Pops and Clamshell Macarons- Le Pop Shop
Cake- Abella Catering
Invitation digital design- Modern Chic Tots
Childrens Beaded Necklaces- MissCoCoDesigns

Items used in this party available in Kara’s Party Ideas Shop:
Wooden Spoons
Mini Pedestal Cups
Lollipop / Treat Sticks
Square Plastic Milk Bottles
Striped Paper Straws
Jute Twine
Clear Cellophane Bags
Mini Cocktail Containers
Favor Boxes
Burlap
Pearl Gumballs
2″ Scallop Circle Paper Punch

Here’s what Kristina said about planning the party-

“My twin girls love Mermaids, so a Whimsical Mermaid party was perfect for their birthday! I found a whimsical invitation design and after I added my own embellishments to it, that became my overall inspiration for the party! I did decide to add a few sharks “to the waters” so the boys didn’t feel out of place at the party! Not a girl to ever love purple, this party totally changed that! I chose a dreamy, soft palette of aqua and lavender. I made the hand tied fabric backdrop to create a focal point around all of the yummy sweets. The food was themed too, seaweed grapes, banana and peanut butter “sushi” bites and clamshell macarons were just a few of the menu items! I used a mixture of crushed graham crackers and brown sugar to make the sand look on a few of the platters to keep with the underwater theme. My friend did the cake pops with a coral design which I loved! I really wanted a special cake because my girls had been talking about a mermaid cake for weeks! I thought a soft ombre pattern with the candy coral turned out beautifully! For favors the boys got shark cups and the girls got chunky bubblegum pearl and aqua beaded bracelets with a starfish charm. All of the guests enjoyed the sand art activity too and loved that they were taking home their own creation! The party was a huge success and my girls still talk about their Mermaid Birthday!”

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Kara

Under the Sea Mermaid 3rd Birthday Party

This elegant UNDER THE SEA MERMAID THIRD BIRTHDAY PARTY was submitted by Eboness Belin of Fleur de Lis Events.

I love the complete transformation that this under the sea party setup creates. Just looking at the photos, I feel like I’m swimming with mermaids! A few of the party ideas that I like best in this party are:

The starfish wand party favors
The jellyfish-inspired fabric circles chandelier
The glittery shell and star shaped cookies
and MORE!

Party Concept/Event Design: Fleur de Lis Events
Dessert Table: Fleur de Lis Events Mansfield, TX
Photography: Catie Ronquillo Photography
Sheer Bliss Chiffon Chandelier: Fleur de Lis Events
Sea Shell & Starfish Sugar Cookies: Susan Howell at A Cookie Jar
Sea Shells, Starfish, & Sea Glass: Sea Shell Supply on Etsy
Ruffle Cake and Cupcakes: Kroger’s Bakery Mansfield TX #584
Dress: Target
Crystal Starfish accent on dress bow: Create Your Style with Swarovski Elements
Linens: Rental Stops Grand Prairie, TX and Inspired Touch Event Solutions Arlington, TX

Items used in this party available in Kara’s Party Ideas Shop:
Rock Candy Swizzle Sticks
Paper Lanterns
Apothecary Jars
Cupcake Liners
Pearl Gumballs
Tissue Pom Poms
Salt Water Taffy
Sprinkles
White Paper Doilies
Clear Cellophane Bags

Read on to see what Eboness said about planning the party- “My daughter Emerald loves the Little Mermaid and Nemo. As an Event Designer I wanted to create the underwater world that she loved, but with a unique twist and sophisticated decor elements. I knew that keeping the color palette pretty narrow, blues and greens, with white, would be the key to the elegance of the party. I used Pinterest and multiple what I call “scouting” trips out in the market for about 9 months to source materials to pull together my look. Handcrafted items are a natural in making any party stand out. It takes more time, but in the end you’ll have a conversation worthy work of art as part of your memories to share with family and friends for years to come.

Party Highlights:
The Sheer Bliss Chiffon Fabric Chandelier, this piece was truly a labor of love. I absolutely adore sheer fabric and after looking for a pretty piece on Etsy that suited my fancy, I decided to make my own. Light and floaty, the chiffon circles offer a dreamlike aesthetic, and certainly transport you to a different place. I liken it to what it must be like to make a quilt- with each circle I added ( and there were tons) I was building something great! I saw a lot of jellyfish decor out there, but I really wanted a sophisticated touch, and after shopping for supplies at several stores I knew that I could craft and then offer in my Etsy shop for others going for the same look. The great thing is that it can be used in a nursery, baby shower, or wedding!!

-DIY Dessert Table Tissue Paper Backdrop, the backdrop was inspired by a DIY project from www.ohhappyday.com.
-Invites: I created the design on Publisher and printed myself on pre-boxed plain wedding invites. The border had a satin/pearl finish which played into the theme quite nicely.
-DIY Crystal trimmed Mirrored Servers on Dessert Table: I used inexpensive crystals to line the edges of all of the mirrors that the cookies were served on. It transformed ordinary, to “phenomenal”!

Tips/Tricks:
-I used lots of clear acrylic risers on the dessert table to add visual interest with varying heights, and to make the desserts appear like they were floating underwater. -Start early in planning your party- you’ll discover tweaks that need to be made along the way as well as unexpected ‘aha’ moments that will encourage you to tarry on when you are tired, or discouraged.”

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Kara

Mermaid + Beach Themed 5th Birthday Party

This beautiful MERMAID + BEACH THEMED FIFTH BIRTHDAY PARTY was submitted by Amanda Edwards of invite me.

So many beautiful party ideas here! Some of my favorite things about this mermaid party are:
The scalloped paper hanging globes
The shell shaped cookies
The mermaid costumes
The scalloped aqua favor bags
and MORE!

Mermaid printables + partyware: invite me

Photography: White Spark Photography

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

Apothecary Jars

Balloons

Candles

Lollipop / Treat Sticks

Jute Twine

Chevron Print Wooden Spoons

Glass Dessert Jars

Popcorn Boxes

This is what Amanda said about the party- “My daughter Milla turned 5 recently and being a summer birthday, she wanted something beach themed. With a love of all things “Ariel”, we decided to have a mermaid beach themed party.

Complete with starfish, golden sands and a fabulous collection of seashell treats, the celebration was every little mermaid’s dream. A beach themed dessert table with beautiful hues of turquoise and lilac set the scene.

The party was in full swing as little guests, all with mermaid tails, enjoyed the beach themed treats. Mermaid Milly entertained all of Milla’s little mermaid friends with dancing, musical statues, face painting and of course, a game of pin the tail on the mermaid.

Most of the beach themed treats and the birthday cake were made by me but also the talented Catherine from Sweet Empire made the deliciously gorgeous macarons, shell cookies and pearls pops.

Doily-inspired Lovely Lace Tiffany blue paper plates and cups tied in perfectly with our mermaid theme along with the divine mermaid printables and customized back-drop that I designed and created. For a little extra sparkle, we adorned our printable hats and Milla’s party chocolates with ribbon, shells and starfish from our local craft store. Milla and all her little mermaid friends had a wonderful time.”

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

Apothecary Jars

Balloons

Candles

Lollipop / Treat Sticks

Jute Twine

Chevron Print Wooden Spoons

Glass Dessert Jars

Popcorn Boxes

Posted on January 25, 2013 by Kara

Whimsical Mermaid Birthday Party

This darling WHIMSICAL MERMAID UNDER THE SEA BIRTHDAY PARTY was submitted by Debbie of Wants and Wishes!

Debbie said this about planning the party- “I know there are a lot of ideas for mermaid parties so I wanted to create something unique, fresh and modern yet still fun & bright for the little mermaids attending the party! I got my inspiration from Disney’s The Little Mermaid ‘Under the Sea’ song. I was also inspired by my niece, as she is obsessed with mermaids from any and every tv show. I wanted to create a dessert table that made the guests feel as though they were on the ocean floor living the life of a mermaid!

For the décor, there were colorful ‘seaweed’ strands and blue beads cascading down the walls, with a large starfish as the center point. I accented everything with more glittery ‘seaweed’ and other ocean plants, along with schools of fish. We also hung a printable ‘Happy Birthday’ banner that we designed. It’s so fun how it looks like the mini starfish are holding the banner up!

The desserts turned out really well and were extremely easy. I made marshmallow octopus pops which were sitting on a bed of white sugar with a little cinnamon mixed in to create a fresher ‘sand’ look. (I know a lot of people use brown sugar, but I wanted a lighter, more whimsical feeling). Mixed with the ‘sand’ were colorful chocolate non-perils. The mini cupcakes were also sprinkled with the white sugar and cinnamon mixture and topped with a colored chocolate seashell. We marbleized the chocolate so it wouldn’t be a solid pink or purple, to make the shells look more realistic. We used the same concept for the cake. We mixed in different shades of blue and applied the frosting in a swirl pattern like tussled ocean water. The cake was also topped with chocolate seashells and starfish. After marbleizing them, we dusted them with edible glitter to add a little extra sparkle.

No mermaid party would be complete without bubbles…. So we created bubble wrappers that are part of our printable collection.”

Party Styling: Wants and Wishes

Party Printables: Wants and Wishes Shop

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

Clear Cellophane Bags

Posted on September 28, 2012 by Kara

Under the Sea + Little Mermaid Party

I’m loving this UNDER THE SEA + LITTLE MERMAID BIRTHDAY PARTY submitted by Anna of Anna & Co. All the beach like party elements are just darling. And that cake- SO pretty!

Anna said- “We opted for a less commercialized Little Mermaid/Ariel party with a few hints of the classic 1989 tale. Natural colors of sea and sand were chosen to mimic salty surroundings like that of a mermaid. The natural burlap coupled with the color of the sea, starfish, sand and seahorses transported the party to the shore where the Princess of the Sea lives… in the heart of every princess loving little girl. We hope you enjoy our day ‘Under The Sea’.”

Vendors Used:

Iinvitation; paper embellishments; party styling- Anna & Co.

Favor candy; napkins, forks & cups- Party City

Starfish- Joanne’s

Baby’s breath- Import Flowers

Water drops; beach pail buckets, tinted glass saucer for candle- Dollar Tree

Burlap/jute- Tractor Supply

Tissue paper poms- Sysco

Special thanks for filling the gap when Ana couldn’t be behind the lens- Allison Barlar Photography

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

Burlap

Ribbon