Pink Peppermint Blogger

What a wild and crazy year for Pink Peppermint Paper! We finished our first full year of blogging and celebrated our fourth year in the stationery business both in late October. I worked with lots of great folks who make me feel so appreciated and creative even when I don’t always see those things in myself. Somewhere in there, Lauren and I started a party planning gig–Pink Peppermint Parties. Bought a house. Sold a house, and my family and I relocated to Mississippi. Well, all except for that “sold a house” part. Ugh. No worries. 2011 is the year. I can FEEL it!

I was taking a look back at all we’ve shared with you this year. Here are some of my faves (for one reason or another) with links back to the full posts if you’re new or just missed them the first go round.

Little Girl’s Birthday Brunch – silhouette artwork and party favors inspired by my favorite little girl

High-Flying Birthday Adventure - L.O.V.E. working this super creative mom (and my former boss). Airsick bags to hold party favors. “We’re sick to see you go”!?! Yes, we did.

Hole-in-One First Birthday – The cake. The activities. THE WHEAT GRASS. Seriously.

All in Due Time Couples Baby Shower – Eight or so hostesses all living in different cities. This had no real hope of working, but it did anyway! I love it when a plan comes together.

Backyard Birthday Carnival – Fun colors. Games. Carnival food. Yum! This post gets a LOT of hits. I think it’s because of this awesome ceiling drape!

Feather Her Nest Baby Shower – Lauren hosted this for a dear friend. Love the elements from nature as well as the pops of color inspired by the baby’s nursery. RicRac, how do I love thee?

ARTy Party Lots of colors. Fun invitation. All-time favorite themed regrets line. You’re welcome.

Lifesaver Party – Our first Pink Peppermint Parties customer celebrating a big grant for a small not-for-profit, StopSMA.org. Someone wants to pay us for this?! Yea!

Hungry for more? The bugs were too at this Bug Out Birthday – the fabulous Lauren schools us on throwing an uber creative venue birthday. Where to begin…

Heroes and Villains – I’m still tired from this party in early October–my boy’s 5th.

Setting the stage for a battle of good versus evil.

Good guys and bad stand defiant atop cupcakes, capes whipping in the wind. The industrial cupcake stand was made of dampers and such from Lowe’s gutter/roofing section. Score!

Some of the good guys watching carefully from above.

I like to include elements of fun for the adults, too. C’mon now. That’s good stuff.

Neighborhood Halloween Bash – a great mix of spooky and fun at my sister’s house!

Another Fab Golf ParTee – Here’s another fun golf-themed birthday with lots of creative touches including the sought-after Sippy Cup Trophy! Man, I love a pennant banner. And argyle. Don’t get me started.

And last are these recent bottle labels. Whip a few up for NYE!

In 2010, I also saw my business double, which is due, in no small part, to those of you who follow me, leave comments and share links with friends. Many thanks! I am truly blessed to do something I love. So looking forward to new and exciting things in the coming year! Happy New Year!

Eleanor

Some college friends are expecting a little girl! They live out of town, as many of us now do, and quickly settled on a couples shower as a great way to visit with all the folks they don’t see as often as they’d like. Several girlfriends and I got busy putting together a sweet baby shower. I don’t get to do these very often so “Yea!”

I’ll admit this was somehow the first couples baby shower I’d been to, much less hosted. I was on the hunt for something feminine but not so much so that the guys would feel squirmy. I came across this Modern Due Date Shower from Hostess with the Mostess and decided that using mod printed papers and due date-themed elements would be a nice middle ground. If my math is right, the mom- and dad-to-be will be celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary this summer, and since this is their first baby I thought “All in Due Time” was a theme that worked well. Hope you agree!

Here’s the shower invitation!

I found a great set of coordinating scrapbook papers from American Crafts’ Everyday collection. I liked them because of their use of pink and green and the concentric (is that the right word?) circles–both themes in the baby’s nursery bedding. Plus, there was a number element that worked well with the due date theme. I used a strawberry colored envelope lined with numbers.

When guests arrived, they were greeted with this paper loop wreath also made from patterned papers.

I used a template I found online for the paper baby shoes that hung in the middle and were placed around inside the house for the party. Who could resist a little pair of Mary Janes? Not me. I added a small pink button closure to each.

In the foyer was the perfect place to sort of introduce our theme with some due date numbers. I picked these up at Michael’s, painted them and then distressed them a bit. I then hot glued them to some inexpensive craft boxes, which were covered with more decorative paper.

I also found this small craft figure, which I made preggars with half an Easter egg cut the long way. I dressed her in cut paper to match the numbers.

And here’s the full affect for the entry way complete with those beautiful pink flowering branches. I love Spring!

This was my first time making party poms. Like many things in my life, I saw these and thought “I could totally do that.” These must not have been as bad as I thought because a co-hostess asked where I bought them. Yea! Props to my mom for being a good sport the night before and fluffing those with me! I found that to be the hardest part. Also like many things in my life, it’s just something you have to do a lot until you get good. With the help of my dear husband, I hung them with those nifty little adhesive hooks by 3M that just peel right off after use and tied a bow at the top to hide the hooks a bit.

There were five of us hosting from four different states, so we divided and conquered for the party. One got the cake–a yummy white two-tiered number with our coordinating circle motif and the sweetest fondant baby shoes on top. Adorable!

Another handled the flowers. They complimented the color scheme so well. I thought they were perfect!

Another the food, and so on…

We served chicken kabobs, roast beef on rolls, spinach and artichoke dip, fruit, bruschetta, and a yummy sundried pesto roasted red pepper cheese cake with crackers. Tasty!

Here are the candy pacifiers I fell in love with from HWTM. I used store-bought cookie icing as the “glue” to hold these together so they were edible. It seems I made lots of them, so we placed them around the house in candy dishes, and tied some to the wine glasses.

I am always amazed at how easy it is to find even the unlikeliest of things in the colors you need. I found this mod polka dot fabric as well as the more floral one shown above. Then, I came across napkins that echoed both the color scheme and the fabric. What are the odds?

In keeping with our “All in Due Time” theme, we sent guests home with these pocket calendar favors. I bought inexpensive vinyl-covered calendars and once again used our patterned papers by trimming them to size and slipping them into the vinyl to cover the original. They were tied with a bow and adorned with a tag reading “All in Due Time” and including the baby’s due date.

Their big day was also marked inside!

I borrowed these little suitcases of my daughter’s, which strangely enough, matched perfectly. Plus, I thought it was a subtle nod to both the idea of having a bag packed for the hospital and to hitting the road when the fun ended.

The message says, “Time flies when you are having fun! Thanks for being here.”

We had an evening of fun reconnecting with old college friends, and I think it was a really special night for Gayle and Michael. We are all so excited for them to join the club and see what all the fuss is about! Now we are left to count the days until their baby girl arrives!