Stylish Green Wedding Shoot

This stylish photo shoot found on The Wedding Chicks is so inspirational and is based around vintage literature, while incorporating green and reusable items. A perfect combination!

Photographed by Audrey Hannah Photo and Flourish Studio Photography.

It's worth heading over to The Wedding Chicks to see the development and originality of all the design elements. Everything used for this shoot was locally grown, and one of the gowns was designed with environmentally friendly fabrics. All of the decor was purchased from antique or vintage shops...in other words, nothing you see here is brand new, everything has been re-used into something beautiful without a heavy environmental impact.

Here are some other fun facts about the shoot:

*bow~tie made from old book pages

*table runner made from old book pages

*true vintage suits

*locally grown florals

*herbs ready to be planted as wedding favors to inspire new growth

*true vintage furniture circa 1920

As always, please see the original source on The Wedding Chicks to see a list and link to all the talented vendors who participated in this shoot.

Back to School Blackboard Cupcakes

These cupcakes earn top marks for sweetening even the most reluctant student's return to school.

Ingredients

• Yellow, green, and white frosting
• Cupcakes
• Red Skittles or M&M's
• Small plastic bag

• Rubber band or twist tie
• Chocolate-covered graham crackers
• White Good & Plenty candies

Instructions

1. Cover the cupcakes with yellow frosting and allow them to sit for an hour before decorating. Dab each red Skittle or M&M with a bit of green frosting for the apple's leaf, then set them aside.

2. Put a tablespoon or two of white frosting into a small plastic bag for piping. Cut a very small hole in a corner of the bag, twist the top of the bag closed, and secure it with a rubber band or twist tie. Piping the frosting gently out of the hole, write messages on the chocolate-covered graham crackers. Leave space at the bottom of the cookie, where it'll be stuck into the cupcake.

3. Cut a groove in the cupcake's frosting with a knife, then fit a blackboard into the groove. Add one Skittle or M&M apple and a piece of Good & Plenty chalk, as shown.

Source: Family Fun

Mini Dessert ~ Ice Cream Apples

In keeping with my back to school theme, I will be posting lots more fun ideas, and DIY downloads for styling your first day of school parties, as well as creative and fun menu ideas.

Today's darling back to school theme menu idea comes from Jess and Pen & Paperflowers! Thank you for sharing with us Jess!

Sweet Treat ~ Back to School FREE Printable Party Collection

Celebrate the new school year with the back to school prinatable party collections by Tweedle Dee Designs. The set includes, party punchables, 4" printable circle, rainbow alphabet banner and their new lunch box notes. All available for FREE download by clicking HERE!

Be sure to head over to Brandi's blog at Tweedle Dee Designs to say Thank You!

Edible Crayons

These have to be just the cutest idea for a Back to School or Graduation theme party

~ Edible Crayons found via The Crafting Chick!

All you need is pretzel rods, candy melts, and paper for the "wrappers". The candy melts can be found at any local craft store {such as Michael's} in different colors {or use white candy melts w/ food coloring}. These customized crayon wrappers were created in Photoshop, personalized with the kids' names, and printed out on colored cardstock; however I also found FREE printable crayon wrappers in red, blue, green, orange, purple, and yellow; as well as a template to make a DIY personalized crayon box at Parties by Hardie.

My daughter's Back to School {AKA First Day of Preschool} party is really coming together and I'm getting sooooo excited, a little teary~eyed!!

Back to School Free Printables

This is definitely going to be the "Back to School" banner that I use for my daughter's first day at preschool. While she technically isn't going "back to school" since she is starting her first year in preschool, I am such a sentimental sap that I thought it would be cute to use the same banner year after year for the first day of each new year...and add some sort of specialty decor to correspond with the grade she is starting in school.

Along with the "Back to School" banner download there are also darling and theme

related regular and oversized party toppers {I especially will be using the little blonde

girl cupcake toppers}.

These were designed by Charlotte, of The Paper Cupcake, and featured on Party Like a Kid. If you would like any other printables to go with this or any other design, be sure to check out Charlotte's shop, The Paper Cupcake. She offers SO MANY cute custom designed printable partyware options {and be sure to tell her thank you while you are there}!!!

Click HERE to start your FREE Back to School 2010 printable collection download!

Back to School Theme Party with Apple Shaped Cupcakes

So I bet you are all winding down the summer and getting ready for "back to school" parties and celebrations like I am!

I found this adorable "Back to School" theme party on Social Couture who found the original inspiration on the Bower Power blog. Although there are is a lot of fun inspiration found in this party {I love the idea of using apples, so perfect and budget friendly} ~ I have to say that these apple shaped cupcakes are SO CUTE! I hopped over to the Bower Power blog to find out how they made these adorable cupcakes. Here's the description {and they are supposedly simple to replicate}:

Make a white cupcake in a red liner and top with a tiny bit of red icing

Slice a mini donut in half {lay in on the counter and cut it parallel to the counter}

Lay 1/2 of the round donut onto the icing and then ice the whole cupcake

Dip the top in red sugar sprinkles

Add a chocolate leaf and a half a tootsie roll for the stem

Love it!

Come back soon as we will be featuring LOTS of back to school party inspiration and

FREE DIY printables and downloads!

REAL PARTIES: A Vintage Alice In Wonderland Birthday

I'm so excited to have found another Alice in Wonderland themed party! This one was planned by Kasey Buick and was featured on Amy Atlas's blog.

The attention to detail is incredible, and a few of the personal touches that set this party apart are; the layered vintage lace linens, the gorgeous chandelier and props, the "eat me" printed bags, the paper flower garland, birdcage backdrop, and wonderland bunting letters which all work together to create the perfect whimsical, vintage vibe.

I love the homespun, DIY feel to this party! Great job Kasey!

REAL PARTIES: A Sweet Pink Lemonade 1st Birthday

How can this sweet Pink Lemonade 1st Birthday Party not make you smile?! =)

Found on Eat Drink Pretty's blog, I headed over to blog of the mom (and planner) of

this adorable party, and believe me when I saw there are so many more fun DIY details

and photos on Pam's blog than I could possibly post here. One of the things I love most

about parties like these, is that every single detail was DIY by Pam and the whole party

was done on a budget. I love to show my readers that you CAN have darling theme parties

with just a little inspiration and DIY creativity!

Way to go Pam!!

Pam custom designed the invitations and even took the photo herself ~ she estimates

the cost to be about .40 cents per invitation!

Pam took a cake decorating class the month before the party and homemade this darling

cake, including making the lemon toppers out of fondant! Wow!

This sweet scalloped garland was made from 4 sheets of scrapbook paper from a local

craft store ~ about .35 cents each.

And here is my favorite DIY detail...Pam used a crate from Michaels ($5.99 after

sheused a 40% of coupon) and some wood from Home Depot (about $4.00). The pink

paint isfrom Sherwin Williams in a "sample" size for $4.80 and cups from the dollar

store (4 cupsfor $1.00)!

You will just have to go over and check out all the pink and yellow yumminess and the

secret to Pam's success directly on her blog!

DIY Candy Necklace Craft Favor w/ FREE Printable Labels

I found this adorable DIY Candy Necklace Craft Favor with a downloadable printable

label on Paper and Cake's blog. They were so creative in coming up with a fresh alternative to the idea of candy buffets at parties.

They shared their tutorial on how to create your own modern favor boxes, filled with candy and string, for party guests to make their own couture candy necklaces. This would be perfect as a craft at a child party or baby shower done in a sweets~theme!

via Paper and Cake:

Supplies:

*favor boxes (4" clear cube boxes were used in this case)

*a skewer

*embroidery floss (to match your candy colors)

*cereal with holes (like fruit loops; a large box will fill 10 favor boxes)

*candies (take a favor box with you to the candy store so you can get a sense of

how much you need to fill each box)

1. Play with your color palette ! you could do each box in a single color group or include the whole rainbow!

2. Trim Licorice Belts into small squares. Using a skewer, poke a hole through licorice belts and other chew candies.

3. Layer the cereal, then candies in each box.

4. Place a length of embroidery floss ~ tied at one end with a Fruit Loop and knotted at the other - on top of candies inside the box.

5. You can make your own labels with pretty scrapbook papers and card stock or you can download Paper and Cake's Couture Candy Labels for free! Affix labels to box front.

6. Tie some rock candy to the box with some cording or ribbon.

7. Then let your guests have a blast making their own candy necklaces!

Be sure to check out Paper and Cake's blog to see all of their fabulous printable partyware!