Pink Peppermint Blogger

My Caroline is the princess-loving tough as nails variety of little girl. A sweet jumble of contradictions. The kind of girl you only get from having an older brother in the house. It’s hard to predict what she’ll come up with next, but when it came to her 3rd birthday celebration, she and I decided we’d combine two of her current faves–princesses and snow!

In case you missed it, here’s the invitation. We handed out the majority of them so I got a little playful with addressing them. There were Ladies, Dukes and even Barons on the invitation list.

Here’s the glitter embellishment on the envelope.

Guests were welcomed to Castle Touchet with these grapevine wreaths spray painted silver and flocked with snow.

Inside where it was warm, the royal banquet table stretched out underneath a sky of falling snow.

We had snowflake crowns for the boys and tiaras for the girls.

Princess Caroline’s birthday throne at the head of the table was all wrapped up in a bow and set off with her royal portrait.

Laid out on a blanket of snow down the center of the table were snow globes filled with a different royal and snowy scenes.

A royal crown, a snowy church, a silver slipper, and a Victorian ice skate among others.

The princess one turned out to be my favorite!

After everyone checked out our stash of toys, it was time to eat!

Our centerpiece was made up of sparkly winter branches embedded in a vase of snow.

We had simple breakfast foods like sausage balls, mini muffins, pigs in a blanket and fresh fruit on these snowflake skewers.

The crowd favorites were these donut snowmen.

And look. There’s our dainty little princess enjoying one now!

The kids also really went for these marshmallow pops.

They had juice from these sweet little cups that come with snap on lids so they don’t spill.

I decked them out in royal fashion with some ribbon and scrapbooking embellishments.

And for the adults we had hot chocolate and coffee.

The mantle was decorated with a glittery snow village and castle.

And since it was a surprisingly mild January day {naturally}, we set up a play table of snow outside.

We had a few scoops and buckets and those kiddos went to town!

Then everyone headed back inside for cake. The birthday girl was feeling unusually shy as everyone sang.

Then there was more playing in the snow before everyone said their goodbyes.

As party favors, everyone got snow powder so they could make their own snow at home.

We had a great time celebrating with the birthday girl and a sweet group of friends for her first big girl party. Happy third birthday sweet Caroline!

Sources:

Large/Small Ripple Cups, Clear Favor Boxes – Think Garnish

Invitations, Paper Crowns, Cup Wraps, Favor Tags – Pink Peppermint Paper

Cake – Dream Cakes

We had a great response to our photo submission contest. We received 75 entries for use in our online holiday card catalog! There was no limit to the number of photos you could submit, and the winner was chosen at random by random.org to receive a $100 Pink Peppermint Paper gift certificate. A HUGE thanks to all who participated. Remember now, this was not a photo contest, but it’s a shame because look at some of these beauties!

submitted by Kim Alexander

submitted by Rachel Wiley

submitted by Ashley Kerth

There are a TON of others that I love too, but I can’t show them all to you! You’ll just have to wait and see them in the holiday card designs. Thanks again to everyone who participated. I am just thrilled with the result.

Oh, I guess you still want to know who won. Drumroll, please…. the winner of a $100 PPP gift certificate is Carol Alford! Congratulations! Email eleanor@pinkpeppermintpaper.com to claim your prize.

The holidays will soon be upon us, {sigh} and it’s time for me to start working on a few new card designs for this year! Problem. I need some sweet faces to feature in those holiday cards. For all of you photographers, aspiring photographers or folks with a camera, mostly willing subjects and a good eye, here’s your chance to have your photos featured in card designs in our online store, www.pinkpeppermintpaper.com.

“What’s in it for me?” you ask. Submit your pics for a chance to win a $100 gift certificate to Pink Peppermint Paper. Use it for your own cards or for any of our other paper items–invitations, announcements, custom work. Heck, we might even be sweet-talked into working on a party for you. Here’s the deal:

• Email your high resolution photos to eleanor@pinkpeppermintpaper.com. If you want your real names to be used, please include those as well, just as you would on your own cards, e.g. “…from the Fords–Grant, Sara, Will and Anna”. If you do not include names, we’ll just make some up.
• Each separate usable photo that you submit will get you another entry for a new chance to win. Send in as many photos as you like. Couples, singles, group shots, with our without adults.
• By submitting photos, you are certifying that you have the rights to use/distribute these photos and that you are not infringing on anyone’s copyright to those images. If you’re not sure, PLEASE ask. We don’t like to break the rules.
• Photographers, please include a link to your website or Facebook page, so that we can feature it at the bottom of that card design page on our website. If you submit photos of subjects who are not members of your immediate family, you must also have their permission. If they agree to participate, we’ll also submit their names to enter the drawing–that’s one for you, one for them per picture ’cause we’re just that nice!
• Winner to be drawn randomly on Monday, August 30, 2010. That gives you two weekends to pick through your files!
• If you are a photographer and are interested in offering your clients a discount on Pink Peppermint holiday card orders, please email me at eleanor@pinkpeppermintpaper.com and we’ll get you set up.
• Questions? Don’t be afraid to ask. Email me at eleanor@pinkpeppermintpaper.com or post your query on our Facebook page.

Send this year’s pictures, last year’s, or the year before that! Thanks for participating. Now, go get busy!

I do this every year. I saw it coming from a mile away. Just like last year. But it was summertime. My kids were out of school, and I had only the few hours a day they chose to take a nap (or not) to accomplish anything. I told myself it’d just have to wait until school started. By the time I had my wits about me, October was barreling down on us–my son’s birthday. Everything would just have to wait until after the party. Then, BAM. Halloween. November.

November is gonna be the month. I can feel it! I’m already thinking ahead. School fundraiser. Crud, I need a new picture of the kids. What will they wear? Shopping with the kids. Holiday photo session. Adult beverage. Well-managed gift idea list. One that’s really thought-out. One that attempts to manage the toy creep–the exponential explosion that’s taken over the den and is already threatening adjoining spaces. One that takes into account October and December birthdays. Ugh. If I can just make it to Thanksgiving. Early bird card orders. I LOVE YOU. Thanksgiving feast at school. I signed up. November is my month, right? Wonder if the Pilgrims had UncrustablesTM? Thanksgiving. Travel. Overeating. Black Friday. Back to work.

Emails and orders flying. Printing. Shipping. Mailing lists. Festive holiday postage. Baked goods. Classroom treats. I wonder if anyone is allergic? If I can just make it to my order deadline…Wrapping paper. Wishing I had one of those hoses that they use to blow in insulation that spit out red and green candy stripes all over our gifts to conceal their contents. Patent pending.

One more week until the kids are out. Draft twenty-three point list of To Dos before said time. And, hey. Maybe I’ll print some Christmas cards of my own. If I can just make it to Christmas. Wait. What about my poor little December 27th birthday girl? I knew I should’ve applied myself in math. If I can just make it to New Year’s. I hate New Year’s. If I can just get the kids back to school I can recommit to my annual pledge to fitness. Right. If I can just make it to Spring Break….OK I’m giving myself palpitations just writing about it.

So that’s officially half the year I’ve wished away, and it occurs to me that I’m blowing through the sweet spot, the best years with my two kiddos, without soaking it all in like I should. This season, we’re going to get crafty and make things. We’re going to bake and cut and glue things. I may even let them use glitter. OK, who am I kidding. No glitter. But this season, I mean it. I’m going to slow down and really roll around in the holidays.