styling | Ella's "Pocket Full of Posies" 3rd Birthday

There's no better way I can think of than to start the weekend off with something to inspire you with...

And I'm hoping the details from Ella's 3rd birthday will do just that.

Remember the invitation I designed and shared with you...(see full post here)

...and the lovely flowers from Maisey's Daisey's Little Shop...(see full post here)

...along with the gorgeous aprons created by Made by Morgan...(see full post here)

Well if you take those three main elements and combine them with a few simple, charming details...
You've got yourself a
  "Pocket Full of Posies" Birthday Party...

I'll let the photos speak...
 and then I'll recap everything at the end.

 Psst...for all of you Pinterest lovers...
I kept almost all of the images large to make for a beautiful pinning experience!
So go ahead..."Pin away"...*wink*

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INSPIRATION: 
I pay especially close attention to the unique little mannerisms that define my children while preparing/deciding on their birthday theme. Ella’s theme this year was chosen after noticing the genuine excitement she had as she either tucked in or pulled out small treasures from her pockets. So although I knew pockets would somehow need to be incorporated into her party, it wasn’t until we were singing/participating in “Ring-Around-the-Rosie” together that the lightbulb went off:  “A Pocket Full of Posies” Party!!

I started putting together this Pinterest board of inspiration for her party and then designed the invitation. From there the ideas for the vintage aprons transpired and her vintage color scheme containing orange, yellow, blue, green and pink was chosen.

PARTY DECOR:
 I kept the party decor quite simple actually. It was Ella’s first party in which there were no extended family members or adult friends invited. This year she had three little girls from our neighborhood attend so I tried to focus more on what would seem magical to them. As the little guests arrived, the first thing they saw were the beautiful aprons awaiting them. There was a simple food/dessert table (just their height) and a table with some balloons tied to the chairs. The dessert table had charming denim pocket banners used as part of the backdrop. I created these using pockets I cut out from recycled toddler jeans and strung them together with some twine. There were yellow floral printed napkins I used on the dessert table for color. These same napkins were used by the girls while they were eating and some of the napkins were even mailed to Made by Morgan for her to incorporate them into the aprons and bags she made. (go back and look at the aprons closer now…you’d never know they were napkins). *wink*  The other party element I tied into almost every detail of the party were the paper maché flowers created by Maisey's Daisey's Little Shop. The flowers were incorporated into the backdrop, used as dessert toppers, adorned the punch bowl, topped off and added charm to The Pastry Pedestals™ displaying the cookies & mini cupcakes.

BIRTHDAY GIRL'S PARTY OUTFIT

The dress and pantaloons were designed by Made by Morgan. The dress was actually repurposed from Ella's Vintage Witch Halloween Costume made previously by Morgan . (see Ella wearing it here). 

FOOD/DESSERTS/BEVERAGES:
 Again, with only four little girls to feed, I chose to keep the menu simple and sweet. I made mini flower cupcakes (and a few regular sized cupcakes), and some "Posey Parfaits" topped off with the adorable flowers from Maisey's Daisey's Little Shop. The Flower Sugar Cookies and Mini Flower Cupcakes were displayed on The Pastry Pedestal™.  “Pocket Sandwiches” filled with peanut butter and jelly were also served to help balance out the sugary treats.  (see the credits below for the neat little gadget that helped me make those).

Drinks included a “Posey Punch” using a favorite slushy-type party punch recipe I’ve had for years. (I'll be sharing the recipe next week).  I also offered a dispenser with cold water containing sliced citrus. Both beverages had edible organic flowers floating in them for a splash of color as well to tie in the party theme.

ACTIVITIES:
 After the party guests picked out an apron and a flower hair clip to wear, they were sent on a small scavenger hunt outside. Using the denim pocket on their aprons, they filled their pockets as they located small wooden game pieces I’d hidden around the playset. Once all of the pieces were found they naturally turned to entertaining themselves on the playset for a bit. We then sung a few rounds of Ring-Around-the-Rosie before heading back inside for another surprise activity. Since Ella loves getting her toenails painted, with the help of my two older daughters, we set up a “Posies for your Toesies” pedicure station. Each party guest was able to select a “fast-drying” nail polish for their toes along with an adhesive nail art flower for each big toe. (they thought that was SO special).

PARTY FAVORS: The little girls were given a 12-piece “Pocket Full of Posies” matching game set. I created these by purchasing precut 1-inch round wooden circles from a local craft store. I designed coordinating paper printables that I punched out with a 1-inch circle cutter and then used Mod Podge to secure them to the wooden circles. The game pieces were bundled up in handmade fabric bags created by Made By Morgan – which coordinating perfectly with the aprons they were given to wear when the arrived at the party. Along with being able to pick out an apron when they arrived at the party, the girls also picked out a handmade flower hair clip to wear – created by Maisey’s Daiseys Little Shop.

VENDOR CREDITS/RESOURCES:

• Party Styling, Photography & Paper Printables: Pen N’ Paperflowers

• Aprons: Made by Morgan

• Cloth Game Piece Bags: Made by Morgan


• Wooden Game Pieces: Pen N’ Paperflowers 
– Cupcake and Cookies Holders: The Pastry Pedestal™


• Paper Maché Flowers: Maisey’s Daiseys Little Shop


• Baked Goods: Pen N’ Paperflowers


• Gadget for creating “Pocket Sandwiches”: KrustBuster


• Large Metal Hanging Flowers: Jo-Ann Fabric & Craft Stores

• White Enamel Cupcake Stand: Pottery Barn Kids

• Ella's Birthday Dress & Pantaloons: Made by Morgan

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KEEPiNG iT REAL

I was sick on the weekend of Ella's Party.

I was feeling so badly...

I seriously wanted to cancel the party altogether.

I had to re-photograph a lot of the party details

because I was NOT into it on party day.

I ended up completely remaking the cookies. (which were originally gingerbread)

With Ella's birthday in November...

our calendar didn't allow for celebrating until early December.

So the gingerbread cookies were perfect for the season.

They looked exactly like the cookies you see posted here...

except that they were a gingerbread base - not sugar cookie.

So see...

Not everything always goes as planned. *wink* http://www.joann.com/