{Trendy Tuesday} -- Preppy Nautical Baby Shower

If you follow party design blogs, you have probably noticed several nautical themed baby showers, lately.  It seems to be the current hot baby shower design theme.  Of course, most of these showers have a preppy feel to them, which I love. 

Probably my favorite nautical shower design comes from sweet Meredith at Meredith Lee Party + Events.  You may recognize Meredith from the popular The Party Press.  She also has a paper goods business, MJ Paperie, which designed all the beautiful paper goods for this shower.  Meredith is one talented and busy lady!

Some of my favorite elements of this party are the use of the nets, the navy and white stripes repeated throughout the decor, and the circle monograms.  Read below for all the seaworthy details! 

Party Details:

As told by Meredith:

[I] was asked to design a baby shower for a couple out of Chicago. The shower was held in Harbert, Michigan about 4 blocks away from Lake Michigan so the Nautical theme made sense. To add to it, the baby-to-be's crib bedding was a sailboat motif, so we took the navy & white sailor's stripes and went sailing with all sorts of nautical accents.The only downside to the entire shower came about 30 minutes before the shower began. The mom-to-be had threats of premature labor (she's fine now!) and was unable to attend. The family and guests still attended, however, and baby Gael was welcomed with loads of love! It was lots of fun!

{Decor} For decor, we took fish nets and hung them at the entryway and as the dessert & drinks table backdrop. I love fish nets for anything nautical. They add such an element of realness to the scene. We then used all sorts of truffle bowls, apothecary jars, hurricanes and vases to fill each with sand and seashells.  My favorite decor element was the navy and white striped fabric used throughout the shower to cover the tables. It was just what it needed to bring the entire "nautical" theme together!

{Paper Goods} The paper goods were my favorite element of the entire event. The circle monogram with the baby's initials was the icing on the cake! A monogrammed banner was strung across the fish net behind the dessert table to bring a personalized touch to the shower along with an "advice for the new parents" card that guests were asked to fill out. The food tents included a strip of rope, which also coordinated with the rope elements in the banners and such. The cupcakes were also topped with sailboat and monogram circles that ended up being a huge hit at the party!

{Food} For the food, we had quite a spread! From Chicken Alfredo to Pasta Marinara to tangy crab dip, the guests were in good hands! For dessert, we served white cupcakes, red velvet cupcakes and white chocolate covered strawberries along with salt water taffy for them to pick at!

VENDOR CREDITS:

Styling/Meredith Lee | Party + Event Design (www.meredithleeevents.com)

Paper Goods/MJ Paperie (www.mjpaperie.com)

Photography/Hemmerlein Photography (www.hemmerleinphotography.com)

Cupcakes/Indulgence Pastry Shop & Cafe (www.indulgencepastryshop.com/)

Catering/LePeep (www.lepeep.com)

Florals/Poppies by Polly McCarthy

Thanks for sharing this shower with us, Meredith!  It is fantastic!

{Summer Olympics} - More Olympics Party Ideas

Just one more day until the Summer Olympics!  This will be my last Olympics party post, I promise.  In addition to the Summer Olympics Party and Dessert Table I posted last week, I've gathered a few more ideas from some other bloggers. 

Additionally, I want to extend a BIG thank you to everyone who shared my Olympics Party ideas:  The Celebration Shoppe, Ms. Candiquik, The Party Press, Celebrations at Home, Crossing the Bugger-Dixon Line, and Homes.com. And, there were many more who shared on Facebook, which I so appreciated!

 via Ms. Candiquik

via Celebrations at Home




via Homes.com

{Tutorial} -- Watermelon Olympic Rings

For my final Olympic Dessert for the Summer Olympics Party, I made Watermelon Olympic Rings.  To make them, I simply cut watermelon into rings and arranged them on a plate to resemble the Olympic Rings. This table was all about simple desserts that kids would love and this treat certainly fit that criteria. As a bonus, it's a healthy treat, too! 

Here's how I made them: 

I cut watermelon into approximately 1 inch thick slices.  Then, I gathered two different size circle cookie cutters.  It really does not matter what size you use, just look for two that are at least 1 inch apart in size. 

Using the larger circle cookie cutter, cut out a piece of watermelon.

Center the smaller circle cookie cutter in the middle of the watermelon circle.  Press down to remove the inside circle.  I had a couple of little helpers who were more than happy to dispose of that center circle!

Your completed circle should look like the above circle.  Repeat five times for one set of Olympic Rings.  These disappeared pretty quickly with two kids.  It might be a good idea to make several plates of them if you feeding more children. 

This "dessert" is a healthy accompaniment or alternative to cupcakes and cookies for your Olympics party!  For more Olympics desserts, party ideas, and free Olympics party printables, please visit HERE.

{Recipes} - Go For Gold Pineapple Muffins

For our Summer Olympics Dessert Table, I looked for a recipe that would be festive and also healthier than the typical cupcake. When I found these pineapple muffins, I knew they would be perfect! The golden pineapple and sugar topping were delicious and also fit perfectly with the Olympics theme.  As a bonus, my 9 year old daughter made these muffins the morning of the photo shoot. So, they are simple enough for little chefs, too!

Go For Gold Pineapple Muffins

Ingredients: (adapted from Food.com)

1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup skim milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 15 muffin tins with paper liners.

Drain pineapple, reserving 1/4 cup juice. Set pineapple aside. Combine 1/2 cup flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and 1/4 cup melted butter. Set aside for muffin topping.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a small bowl, stir together egg, 1/4 cup pineappple juice, and 1/4 cup melted butter. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the well. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, until combined.

Using an ice cream scoop, fill each muffin tin approximately 1/2 full. Top batter with pineapple and cinnamon mixture, dividing mixtures equally between muffins.

Bake for about 30 minutes. Let cool in tin for 10 minutes. Remove from tin and cool completely on a wire rack.

{Trendy Tuesday} -- Summer Olympics Party Activities

As a I mentioned last week, my family is hosting a beach Olympics the same was as the London Olympics.  I have been searching for fun games for the kids and found some great activities. 

If you are planning your own Olympics party these activities would be lots of fun for both kids and adults.  And, don't forget to download your FREE OLYMPICS PARTY PRINTABLES for your party!

Long Jump via A Small Snippet

Noodle toss via Ucreate

Volleyball Hover via Tania McCartney blog



Sack races via All You



Javelin Throw via A Small Snippet




Ring Toss via Family Fun



Medal Cermony via Tania McCartney blog

{Tutorial} -- Oreo Olympic Gold Medals Dessert

If you are planning an Olympics Party, there isn't an easier dessert you could make.  I almost feel like I'm cheating when I call this a tutorial, because it truly is so simple.  Here are the instructions: 

You'll need two ingredients -- Golden Oreo Cookies and Fruit by the Foot (I used the strawberry flavor). 

Break the Oreo in half. 

Unroll one Fruit by the Foot.  Using kitchen shears, cut the fruit roll in half.  You need just one half to make each Gold Medal.  So, one Fruit by the Foot roll will be used to make two Gold Medals.

Using one of the Fruit by the Foot halves, fold it so it makes a narrow shaped V.  Press the folded end into the the Oreo cream.

Press the top half of the cookie over the Fruit by the Foot. 

Press the two ends of the Fruit by the Foot, together.  They are sticky enough that it should stick right together.  Repeat for each Gold Medal.

Such a simple treat and my kids quickly devoured them!  And, don't forget to download my FREE Olympics Printables for your Summer Olympics Party or Dessert Table.

{Free Printables} and {Mirabelle Creations Party} -- Summer Olympics Party

Last week, I designed Olympics themed party circles, medals, and a party sign for our family vacation.  We will be on vacation during the Olympics with the cousins, so we are planning an Opening Ceremonies party and games while we are there.  Since these had already been designed, I thought you might want to use them for your party, too! 

This Olympics Dessert Table is an inexpensive, easy party that I created in less than 24 hours.  It would be a great brunch or play date set up.  Or, if you are creating your own Opening Ceremonies, like we are, it would be perfect for that, too.  

Scroll below to read about all the party highlights.  Make sure you look for the Go For Gold Pineapple Muffins and Oreo Gold Medals.  Links to the Free Summer Olympics Printables are at the bottom of the post. 





Details:

Food

All of the food for the party was inspired by the Olympics.  My sweet daughter made the Go For Gold Pineapple Muffins (stayed tuned later this week for the recipe).  I chose these muffins instead of cupcakes because they include fruit and use much less sugar than a traditional cupcakes.  Little athletes have to eat healthy, of course!  

Gold Cherries (Rainier cherries) are our favorites, so they were an obvious choice.  The Watermelon Olympic Rings were made using two sizes of round cookie cutters.  My favorite treat of this party was the Oreo Gold Medals.  These were made with Golden Oreos and Fruit by the Foot dried fruit rolls.  The Oreo Gold Medals could also be packaged as a take home favor.  I chose orange juice as the drink because of its golden color. 

Decor

The party design first started with the printable party circles.  The Olympics Rings and Olympics Torch were an obvious starting point.  This year's Olympic slogan is "Inspire a Generation".  So, one party circle design includes the word, "Inspire".  The red and navy diagonal stripes were inspired by Ralph Lauren's USA Opening Ceremony Outfits. 

I designed printable medals for our party, to be given to the event winners.  In addition, the medals were used as party of the party decorations.  A gold medal was placed on the muffin pedestal, to resemble the podiums that the athletes stand on during the Olympics.  For the backdrop, I first found three black frames.  I cut out cardboard to fit in the frames, then covered the cardboard with blue and white gingham fabric.  I attached gold, silver, and bronze medals to cupcakes liners for more texture and depth.  They were then attached to the fabric, with red ribbon, to make Olympic Medal Art for the backdrop.  

The gingham fabric was also used for a table runner.  The printable party sign on the dessert table welcomes the guests.  

My two little "models" were very eager to help taste all the treats.  They particularly liked the Oreo Gold Medals.  Both of their outfits were from our favorite local childrens' clothing line, Bella Bliss. 

FREE PRINTABLES

*Please don't forget to like Mirabelle Creations on Facebook*

Printable Olympics Party Circles

Printable Olympics Medals

Printable Olympics PartySign