Posted on October 25, 2012 by Kara

Vintage Pie Themed Party

This VINTAGE PIE THEMED BIRTHDAY PARTY submitted by Kara Praed of Freshly Baked Confections + Petite Sweets is just so creative and cute! This theme is not only perfect for a patriotic 4th of July party, but how darling would it be as a baby shower or birthday party? The possibilities are endless!

Items available in Kara’s Party Ideas Shop:
Lollipop Sticks
Swirl Lollipops
Striped Paper Straws
Mason Jar Drinking Glasses + Daisy Cut Lids
Ribbon, Fabric
Mini Plastic Cordial Glasses
Electroplated Mini Spoons

Kara said this about planning the party- “This party was a patriotic tribute to one of the trendiest treats of the moment: the all-American pie. The event showcased some fresh and clever interpretations of this “classic-turned-trendy” dessert. No doubt KPI readers are familiar with the old adage, “as American as apple pie,” and pie definitely seemed the natural choice when I began planning this patriotic celebration. True confession: I’ve had a love-affair with pie (and the concept for this party) ever since I watched the movie “Waitress,” drooling over each and every luscious pie concocted by Keri Russell behind the counter of her pie diner (Sidenote: I’ve been waiting ever since for someone to publish a cookbook of the pies featured in the film — including her recipe for Falling In Love Chocolate Mousse Pie — but alas, no such cookbook has materialized to date). The porch of my historic 1910 American Foursquare home in suburban Washington, D.C. provided an ideal setting for this tribute to a humble dessert which dates back to our founding fathers. I incorporated vintage touches throughout the décor (an assortment of vintage cake stands / antique mason jars / wooden crates; handmade paper pinwheels and cupcake-liner paper flowers; colorful fabric runners and flag banners stitched by my talented neighbor; an antique hutch rescued from the trash heap and spiffed up with a new coat of paint; even a vintage bicycle loaned to me by another neighbor, which arrived at the shoot sporting a woven Nantucket bike basket). I admittedly took a bit of liberal license with the traditional patriotic palette, using red, white and aqua as the main colors, and sprinkling “Modern Vintage” fabrics by Bonnie & Camille for Moda Fabrics and aqua-striped sip straws throughout the display for added charm. Other fun (and eco-friendly) details on the buffet included tin pie plates (purchased from the dollar store and dressed up with fabric and wax paper liners) and half-pint milk bottles and mason jars adorned with custom printables by Anders Ruff in lieu of plastic disposables.

As the proprietor of Freshly Baked Confections + Petite Sweets, I am often asked to create extravagant mini-dessert buffets for my clients’ parties and events. I decided to take this celebration’s “mini-buffet” up a notch or two by creating an “all-American pie buffet,” inspired by the delicious recipes and gorgeous presentation of the pies featured in Dani Cone’s book, Cutie Pies. I developed a menu to include both savory and sweet pies, turning to trusted partner, Windows Catering, to tackle the savory recipes, while Freshly Baked handled the sweet stuff. Together, we prepared a smorgasbord of pies in all shapes, crusts and sizes, including blackberry pie pops; apple, cheddar, rosemary pie jars; lobster mac ‘n cheese cutie pies; shrimp and crab salad tartlettes; ham and gruyere hand pies; “pie” cake pops; and even deconstructed versions like “mudslide pie dessert shots” and “blueberry pie milkshakes”. By keeping serving sizes petite, guests felt comfortable sampling all the different pie varieties on the buffet – and there were plenty of choices to satisfy every palette!

No matter how you slice it, this party was a heap of fun without being fussy. The theme could work especially well for the 4th of July, but some minor tweaks for a baby shower, afternoon tea or even a casual wedding reception would be … well … as ‘easy as pie’.”

Vendors and Credits:
Event Stylist: Kara Praed from Freshly Baked Confections + Petite Sweets
Photographer: Cynthia Chin from MoxieSox Photography
Caterer: Windows Catering Company, www.catering.com
Cake Pops, Pie Pops, & Pie Jars: Freshly Baked Confections + Petite Sweets
Fabrics: Vintage Modern & Ruby by Bonnie & Camille for Moda Fabric
Printables: Anders Ruff Custom Designs
Flag Banners & Runners: Amber Blaha

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Kara

Mason Jar + Mustache 1st Birthday Party

This MASON JAR + MUSTACHE 1ST BIRTHDAY PARTY was styled by my amazing assistant, Amber Pugmire! Isn’t it absolutely darling?! Every little detail matches the adorable theme…so look at all the photos closely! I hope this helps you gain a lot of ideas for your next party…this party theme is just too cute!

Amber said- “After working for Kara for several months and constantly being around so many amazing parties, I started getting really inspired to throw a huge bash for my son’s upcoming 1st birthday. After noticing a popular trend of using Mason jars for drinking glasses, it hit me that a ‘Mason Jar’ themed party would be perfect since my son’s name is Mason! Kara, of course, had the brilliant idea to make the theme ‘Mr. Mason’ and incorporate mustaches into the mix. Perfect!

I knew I wanted to have the party outdoors since it was summer so I decided to incorporate pinwheels into the theme as well to give it a little bit of a whimsical, summer feeling. I also loved the idea of everything being vintage since that seems to flow nicely with mustaches and canning jars….{continued below}

Vendors and Credits:
Photography- Lyndsey Fagerlund Photography
Printable Invite and Tent Cards- Paper & Pigtails
Brown Tulip Cupcake Liners- Just Sugar Coat It
Fondant Mason Jar Smash Cake Topper and Fondant Mason Jar Cupcake Toppers- Sweeten Your Day
Vintage Mason Jar Cake Pops and Chocolate Mustache Pops- Autumn Lynn’s Chocolate Sins
Mason Jar Sugar Cookies and Mustache Sugar Cookies- All Things Exquisite
Fondant Mustache Cupcake Toppers- Edible Details
Cupcakes- Dippidee and Chubby Hubby Cupcakes
Mini Mustache Stamp (used on wooden spoons)- Hugfish and Orange
Customized Mason Jar Stamp (used on napkins and chip bags)- Cupcake Tree
Vintage Bow Tie- All for the Boys
“If you (mustache) I’m one” Shirt- Birthday Couture
Cardboard Favor Bags Stamped with Mason Jar Image- The Country Chic Cottage
Customized Mustache Notepad- Wacky Cracker
Scissor Vignette Digital File- Graphique

Natural Food Trays, Baker’s Twine, Mason Jars with Daisy Cut Lids, Assorted Bendy Straws, Berry Baskets, Wooden Spoons, Burlap, Watermelon Gumballs, Rock Candy, Candy Sticks, Mustache Candy, Houndstooth Favor Bags, Handmade Twist Lollipops- Kara’s Party Ideas Shop

Continued….”My goal quickly became to do every possible thing with Mason jars that I (or others on Pinterest) could think of! I spray painted one jar, mod podged fabric strips onto the inside of another,tinted several blue (with mod podge and food coloring), painted the inside of a few (by emptying a jar of craft paint into it and shaking to coat it completely), added chalkboard paint rectangles to all of the drinking jars, and I mod podged scrapbook paper onto the lids of almost all of the jars I used. I even made a garland out of spray-painted jar lids! I also used jars to display many of the party elements (desserts, egg salad, flowers, pictures, the guest book notes and pens, the party favor candy, cake!, pinwheels, even bubbles and scissors for the kid’s activities)! Plus, I used jars as decorations by displaying some in a hanging chandelier and making others into hanging lanterns displayed on shepherd hooks. I also used jars of all shapes and sizes to prop up a lot of my serving trays- kind of like Mason jar cake plates. :)

Kori, from Paper & Pigtails, designed the most perfect invitation based on all of the information I gave her about the theme. It was a great way to start the party! I also contacted several vendors that Kara has loved in the past and ended up with some AMAZING treats! The cookies made by Jen of All Things Exquisite were just adorable and so yummy, while the cake pops from Autumn of Autumn Lynn’s Chocolate Sins turned out exactly how I’d imagined. Then to top it all off, literally, Jen from Sweeten Your Day Cakes came up with the cutest Mason jar cake topper. It completed the cake (which was actually made by Kara at literally the last minute) PERFECTLY. The rest of the food… the mini pies in jars, the pie pops, the hazelnut pinwheel cookies, the tortellini skewers, the egg salad, and the fruit cones were made by my mom and me (mostly by my mom, we actually wouldn’t have had any dinner food if it wasn’t for her!).

Besides eating, we had several activities at the party! Of course, there was a photobooth set up at one end of the yard which was a constant source of entertainment. There were also bubbles in jars with vintage keys to blow through and there was a glow jar craft that the kids all enjoyed. I also found a mustache notepad that I had personalized with ‘Mister Mason’ and set out next to an enormous empty Mason jar with some pens. It was a fun variation on a guest book!

I topped and filled a dresser with party favors. All of the favors were, of course, in jars! There was a huge assortment of old-fashioned candy along with combs and mustaches (both candy and sticker mustaches). I made a sign that said ‘Thank you for combing, we’re sorry you mustache.’ and put it in a frame by the favor jars! There were assorted favor bags for the guests to fill with the candy and trinkets as they left. Also, my friend Jamie offered to “can” dozens of cakes into jars that I could give out as party favors. Since canning the frosting seemed really complicated, Jamie played around with several cake recipes trying to find one that was moist and yummy on its own. She finally found a winner with Paula Deen’s Caramel Apple Pound Cake (don’t be scared away by the surprising ingredient) and it was a HUGE hit!

I had so much fun planning and putting together all of the different party elements, even if it did mean a lot of LATE nights holed up in my basement. I also have to say that I love that Kara has a party shop that literally has everything! It was such a great source of products and supplies (from candy and straws to favor bags and craft punches) that I don’t know what I would have done otherwise! Thank you so much to all of the vendors who contributed their amazing talents and to Kara, my Mom, and so many of my friends and neighbors for their help. Also thank you to the Bishops for letting us use their yard and to Lyndsey Fagerlund Photography for her beautiful photos and her patience with me. I couldn’t have ever pulled it off without everyone!”

Party supplies & decor from Kara’s Party Ideas Shop:
Natural Food Trays, Baker’s Twine, Mason Jars with Daisy Cut Lids, Assorted Bendy Straws, Berry Baskets, Wooden Spoons, Burlap, Watermelon Gumballs, Rock Candy, Candy Sticks, Mustache Candy, Houndstooth Favor Bags, Handmade Twist Lollipops- Kara’s Party Ideas Shop

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Vintage Pie Themed Party

Mason Jar + Mustache 1st Birthday Party