Hip Hooray

Farewell Summer (An ode to ice-cream)

2011-03-01T14:54:00.008+10:00

Today, in our part of the world, we officially kiss summer goodbye. Today, in our part of the world, it is still 35degrees celsius! Yes, it is quite clear that, as we know and love, summer will indeed linger a little longer. Maybe a lot longer.

In our part of the world, it’s pretty much Summer all year `round in fact, which is a good excuse as any for the fact that going out for ice-cream is a firm favourite-thing-to-do in our house, whatever the weather.

When Baskin-Robbins moved in just up the road, a few years ago now, there was much happy dancing going on in our house. If you should ask Mia, our eldest, what one of her most favourite things in the world is, there’s a good chance she’ll tell you `Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough’ – of the aforementioned BR variety.

And so it was that an Ice-cream Parlour party was set for Mia’s 5th Birthday - a simple, fun celebration inspired by her great love for all things cold, melty and delicious.

Now, Mia is soon to turn 7, so forgive us for reminiscing a little here. In the two years since we threw this little backyard shindig, everybody's favourite dessert has trended as a theme for all sorts of celebrations. There have been many gorgeous parties and a whole host of inspiration out there for this theme - like here and here and here and here. See, lots! We hope you don't mind having to look at another, but it seemed a fitting way to say `goodbye' to summer, and well, there can never be too much of a good thing right?

For Mia's party, delightful invitations, favour tags and signage from Imprintables set a soft gelati colour palette which was not overly girlie so could be used if your son is a bit partial to Cookies `n’ Cream too.

I put my very handy and patient parents to work on building our very own parlour, complete with candy stripes and scalloped awning and booked Baskin-Robbins in to cater (who else?). On the Parlour menu: Raspberry and White Choocolate; Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough; Mint Choc Chip; Hokey Pokey; and Rainbow Sherbert (the much parent-friendlier version of that ghastly rainbow ice-cream that just seems to talk only to children!).

The best part – making D-I-Y sundaes from jars filled with mini marshmallows; meringues; M&Ms; Maltesers and smashed chocolate honeycomb; topped off with Flake, Wafers, 100s and 1000s, Choc sprinkles or Rainbow sprinkles and Nana’s Hot Chocolate Fudge or Uncle Luke’s best Butterscotch sauce – or all of the above! Wooden spoons stamped with `yum!' and `cool' were a fun touch.

The rest of the party buffet included ice-cream cupcakes (baked in cones), home-made marshmallow sherbert cones; paper cones filled with trail mix (popcorn, pretzels, m&ms); chocolate brownies; fruit salad (served in vintage ice-cream cups found on etsy); mini hotdogs; mini B-L-Ts and vanilla milkshakes.

I created Mia's birthday cake from a book I’ve had in my collection for many years – Anna Von Marburg’s `Happy Birthday’ – adapting the `flavours’ to suit the colour palette – chocolate, strawberry, vanilla and neapolitan. Many at the party mistook it for real ice-cream and hurried me along to get it served before it melted. The original design actually does use scoops of ice-cream, but I crafted these scoops from cupcakes and so avoided a melting mess!

We decorated an outdoor party tent with bunting sewn from sweet ice-cream themed fabrics and giant ice-cream cones fashioned from paper lanterns and cardboard. I recall having a string of games planned - including a lovingly created felt version of `put the cherry on the ice cream cone' - only to discover that a bunch of five-year old friends, a backyard to run in and the freedom to create an ice-cream sundae of their dreams was about all that was necessary. We did manage a round of pass the parcel, the layers of which revealed a fun button badge for each player.

Personalised favour boxes were filled with old-fashioned sweets including those great chewy ice-creams, milk bottles, and creamy chupa chups, plus kawaii-style ice-cream stickers and erasers and for the girls, button hair ties I made with the cutest Japanese fabric – ice-creams of course!

This photo makes my heart happy everytime I see it and reminds me why it is we do what we do - such joy a birthday party can bring to a child.

Wherever you are in the world - whether you have already bid a fond farewell to summer, are hoping for all its sunshine-y beauty to linger a little longer with you too, or just wishing it would hurry up and hug you with its warmth - we wish you joy and a big bowl of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream! With whipped cream and fudge? You bet. xo

A love note

2011-02-14T22:44:00.010+10:00

Hello friends

It's been a little while. OK, it's been a long while. Gulp.

All this time we've been wandering, we knew that one day our heart would lead us back to you. And on this day that celebrates `happy hearts' so it is that it feels right to be here again.

We are well. Thank you for asking after us. And we hope that you are too.

We have been nervous to know if the words would come easily – after all, somewhere in the haze of the summer that will soon pass, our words have been elusive. Clouded. Quiet, but noisy all at once.

For so, so long, if you might ask us how we were, our answer would always be `crazy busy'. Our lists were long. Boring long. Boring answer.

Then busy got tired. And crazy yearned for calm.

And so without intention to be gone so long, we simply unplugged for a little while. We switched off the background noise that was drowning out our voice. If you like, we went in search of the acoustic version of ourselves.

And found it looking up at us. With piggytails and giggles; wisdom and charm.

So we've been working on making busy look different. Good different.

And we are striving to make our list shorter. Simpler. More or Less.

More loving and listening and learning and laughing with our babies –they soon will be grown.

Less `not now's, `in a minute's, `hurry up's, `maybe tomorrow's.

More sleep. Less to eat!

More `love to's. Less `have to's.

And of course, more, more, more of pretty. And party.

So if you open the mailbox today and pick up our little love note, know that we have missed you. We come back here with the happiest of hearts. And we look forward to the times when we can be here to share a little something with you. We just hope you like acappella!

And because a love note is always more wonderful with happy snaps folded within, here's a few of our favourite `happy heart' images from recent weeks – all created by home grown talent and just as sweet on any day of the year.

Image credits: Clockwise from top left - Just call me Martha; Bubble and Sweet; Just call me Martha; PolkaDot Prints; Style Me Gorgeous; Bubble and Sweet; Hello Naomi; Eat Drink Chic; The Paper Tie Affair

Happy Valentine's Day. May your heart be happy today and always. xo

Halloween Inspiration - A Feast of Treats!

2010-10-12T12:39:00.043+10:00

When we lived in America, my kids adored the fun of Halloween. Changing their minds every day for weeks beforehand about what they were going to dress up as. Deciding who we would trick or treat with and where to go - you can get candy anywhere but we used to love visiting friends in the historic Capitol neighbourhood of Olympia, Washington where every year we would marvel at how everyone was even more creative than last year in decorating for the annual spookfest. Our favourite was the dentist's house with an enormous and elaborate display of carved pumpkins every year (including all the American Presidents) - he of course used to put toothbrushes in all of the kid's treat bags!

Now back in Australia, we still trick or treat shamelessly - it is a tradition for the kids and it is really a great chance to have a spooky celebration, complete with the fun of dress ups and sweet treats. Of course it is not much fun on our own, so we have gradually roped in neighbours and friends since moving back 5 years ago.

This year I am loving all the Halloween happenings in blogland. The roundup below should give you a few ideas for working on a spooktacular soiree of your own. Make sure you visit each of these talented party people to see all the detail they have dreamed up!

Loving this Pottery Barn Kids styling for Halloween - even if you don't have a party you can make your living room boo-tiful!

image via Pottery Barn Kids

Then there are the amazing dessert tables, many with their own printables that are available for purchase.

The TomKat Studio has two themes this year - traditional Halloween for a get together of little ones, showcased here in this fun table created by the clever Glory of Glorious Treats

image via Glorious Treats

and then this glamorous table suitable for a grown up gathering with a more sophisticated palette including purple and green and some glittery bling.

image via TomKat Studio

Sweets Indeed have done a table inspired by a vintage gothic motif (with that gorgeous purple cake!) and they also sell the most amazing Sweet Skewers at their etsy store -they have different themes throughout the year.

images via Sweets Indeed

This clever "Pink-O-Ween" table styled by Pizzazzerie, with printable paper details from Anders Ruff, gives us a new twist on traditional colours while supporting a great cause! Very cute!

image via Pizzazzerie

Anders Ruff also have another more traditional suite of Halloween paper printables (I have bought these and can't wait to use them!)

image via Anders Ruff

I think you'll love these two amazing Halloween printables from Gwynn Wasson Designs that she is offering for free - enjoy!

This one in black and yellow - love the ghoulish ghostly cupcakes -

and this one Eerily Elegant in shades of green and pumpkin.

image via Gwynn Wasson Designs

Then there is the fabulously frightening food that haunts the foodie sites at this time of year.

My favourites are Martha Stewart's ghost cake (you could spend hours on Martha's Halloween pages),

image via Martha Stewart

vampire cake pops from Bubble and Sweet,

image via Bubble and Sweet

and Mummy Oreo pops from HowDoesShe?

image via HowDoesShe?

Of course if the thought of all that printing, cutting or punching makes your skin crawl, we have some spooky details that are ready to go!

images via Details, details!

Happy Halloween!

Real Hip Decor: Cupcake Liner Pom Poms

2010-09-30T17:32:00.006+10:00

So while we know Tissue Poms have been hot property in the land of party blogs for some time and while we have been taking orders for them left, right and centre since we began stocking them, we couldn't resist sharing this very clever adaption of these essential party pretty.

Heidi, from Made by Heidi: Sew. Craft. Create. has a guest post tutorial on How Does She? showing how to turn cupcake liners (papers, patty pans, baking cups - whatever baking language you speak) into these gorgeous frilly poms!

(Image from Made by Heidi: Sew. Craft. Create. via How Does She?)

Now I must say that I tried this and I have some tips to share:

1. Try the glue gun - I think it gives you a more precise glue spot than the craft glue I used.

2. Pay close attention to Step 4 - I missed this in my quick perusal of the instructions and it is difficult to do when the craft glue is wet (again maybe better with glue gun) but ensures that really full ruffled look.

3. I am going to try another one and use pins instead of glue - I think this would work as well and perhaps be a little quicker.

You can try your own by following the instructions here.

Adorable!

Real Hip Hooray: Gloriously Imperfect

2010-09-27T23:01:00.013+10:00

The lovely and stylish Steph over at Bondville hosted her daughter's third birthday earlier this month. I had to giggle at her post about her best intentions for decorating and how some friends swooped in to save her at the last minute - I think we've all been there.

It is casually styled and sweet in its simplicity, but still a celebration with lots of little details that make it special and memorable for the birthday girl!

My favourite is the cake - totally achievable for every aspiring cake diva, but pink and pretty with chocolate involved - doesn't get any better.

You can see all the details here.

I also found this lovely simple baby shower that Steph posted earlier in the year. Again some gorgeous details - but you had me at the freckle cups!

(All images via Bondville)

Hooray(s) for Saturday

2010-09-25T17:50:00.010+10:00

So amidst the chaos of moving to our warehouse, the accompanying activity that a 25% off everything housewarming sale brings, and plans for one of us to take a very well earned escape with her family, we have neglected our dear friends here. Just in case you have been busy bees along with us, we have this wrap up for you of what is catching our attention in the world of celebrations this week (or the last two weeks as the case may be - I started this blog post last Saturday and ended up staying with my four year old in hospital for three days - another distraction!)

Loved this trend alert from Celebrations at Home.

(image from Amy Atlas via Celebrations at Home)

On a smaller (but just as sweet) scale, this reminded us of the vintage ribbon bunting we did for Mathilda's Market in April this year. We usually decorate the market and used hanging pinwheels in the doorways and this pretty bunting to line the garden beds in the outdoor seating area.

Also loving

An adorable country wedding here - can't decide my favourite thing - the quilt-backed photobooth or the gift wagon!

This divine first birthday complete with adorable birthday girl and inspired photography.

These oh-so-sweet wee wedding cakes including beautiful stands and darling decoration.

A cute and colourful beach party - with summer on the way here, some great inspiration for fun in the sun!

and

The second edition of this wonderful e-zine - can't wait for the Christmas edition! While browsing I found this very cool artist - can't decide which to order first but my guess is it will be "The Best Things in Life Are Sweet"!

Enjoy!

Real Hip Hooray: A lovely ladybird's garden

2010-08-27T21:24:00.015+10:00

The promise of Spring fills the air this week. Can you feel it? And it's not even so much about the weather where we are from - it's actually kind of lovely warm-ish all year round - but rather that wonderful intangible something that puts a little skip in one's step. The promise of new growth and new babies, of morning walks and longer days, of lighter, somehow happier clothes, of clean cupboards, airy linen and the scent of blossom on the breeze.

What a lovely time of year to party in the garden.

We are playing a little catch-up on sharing with you some of our favourite Real Hip Hoorays from recent weeks. And while it is certainly possible you have already smiled at this sweet soiree held in Ella's ladybird garden, if there was even a chance that you might not have seen it yet, we could not live with ourselves if it passed you by. Besides, there can be no harm done in a double dose of this kind of happy, right?

Inspired by her very own Lovely Ladybug invitation design, Suzi Waters of Alannah Rose Stationery transformed her inner Melbourne family home into a sweet garden scene for daughter Ella's 4th Birthday party. We adore the soft colour palette of pinks and lilacs against a blanket of green grass - a gorgeous twist on the traditional red and black of your average ladybird.

Tin pails, watering cans, bug catchers and fresh flowers bring to life the ladybird's garden home - watch for her nestled on flower cookies and hidden atop of cupcakes.

(All images provided by Suzi Waters, Alannah Rose Stationery)

Suzi shares more delightful images and details from this celebration on her blog.

Blue skies are promised here tomorrow and we are looking forward to a day spent with grass beneath our bare feet. The girls will reach for butterflies and peek beneath leaves in search of ladybirds. And we might just pop in to share another gorgeous outdoor celebration with you. Happy weekend xo

A Beauty-Full Day: Ava's Tea Party

2010-08-22T22:28:00.010+10:00

Today, Ava Rosemeyer would have been seven years old.

A day for cake and balloons and pretty party skirts.

A day shared with girlfriends, filled with giggles and gifts.

And so it was. (On earth, as it is in heaven).

With plenty of pink, a dash of sparkle and twirling galore, at the Watkins house, we stopped and sat a while with true friends. We sipped tea, let the girls decorate their own cupcakes and raised our strawberry milkshakes heaven-ward. We didn't quite get to brushing hair or ironing tablecloths (or even filling the napkin holders *smile*!) A simple, imperfectly perfect Tea Party. A sunshine-y day. A happy day. A day to be grateful, to be glad, to remember Ava.

Of course in the Baird household there was never going to be fine china, butterfly cakes or pretty pinkness. Instead with a house full of boys we opted for a tent picnic in our living room in honour of Ava. As we set up the tent, Campbell, 4, announced that "It's going to be so much fun, Mum!" We sat cross legged with chocolate crackles, chocolate cake (complete with dino coloured sprinkles) and chocolate milkshakes.

The boys compared milk moustaches, we talked about Ava and we sat still together and shared the moment.

Happy Birthday, Ava. Your Super-Princess powers have shone bright all over the world today. Thank you for the gift of reminding us of the joy to be found in celebrating small things every day.

Don't forget, alongside your plans for cupcakes and pink milk, you can also support Ava's Tea Party by purchasing a printable invitation from The Beauty Full Collection. Lovingly created by nine of Australia's favourite children's stationery designers, each invitation file is only $AUD10 (and our cart supports international transactions). 100% of sales go to Paradise Kids, supporting families such as the Rosemeyers through grief and loss.

A Beauty Full Board: Inspiration for Ava

2010-08-19T13:10:00.007+10:00

It seems there is a constant chattering about tea parties at the moment. Perhaps it sounds louder to us because our ears are listening for it. Either way, it's there. And nothing makes us happier to know that this weekend, or last weekend, next weekend - whenever - in backyards, on front verandahs, around kitchen tables, at local parks - wherever - families and friends, a few or many, will gather to share cupcakes and conversation and cherish their own, sharing in Ava's Tea Party 2010.

The support of the burgeoning party industry in Australia for this most special of Tea Parties has been quite wonderful to watch - the constant chattering (thanks Facebook and Twitter) tells us that there are many creative types channeling energy and spirit and pure heart into their simply sweet celebrations. Ava is most certainly twirling above to see what you all have planned unfold, and we too are happy dancing in anticipation to see the beauty full ways in which you will celebrate and remember.

As we were preparing to launch the Beauty Full collection (Invitations for Ava) some weeks ago now, our imaginations ran wild with ideas for how the creative blogging community we are so proud to be a part of, might share in the spirit of Ava's Tea Party.

This was one of them.

Beauty Full Boards (Inspiration for Ava).

A big thank you to friend and talented stylist, Sharnel, who purchased the invitation by Style Me Gorgeous and has used it to inspire this Beauty Full board of tea party prettiness. It gives us joy to share it with you today.

Top row L to R: Cupcakes, Cotton Candy (source unknown), Pink lemonade, Tiara cupcake

Second row L to R: Balloons (source unknown), vintage tea party place setting (source unknown), Cake

Bottom row L to R: Picnic setting, Ice cream cones (source unknown), a little girl's tea party

Invitation by Style Me Gorgeous - part of the Beauty Full Collection (Invitations for Ava). Printable invitations for only $AUD10. 100% of sales go to Paradise Kids, supporting families experiencing illness and loss.

While August is slipping on by, there is still time, if you would like, to share with us your inspiration for Ava's Tea Party. There will always be time. A tea party is such a timeless way to treasure, after all. Beauty Full board submissions can be sent to us here.

And if inspiration has since made way for planning and creating, we can't wait to see that too. Wherever you are in the world, if you're hosting an Ava's Tea Party this August, please send us some piccies to share. It would mean a lot to this very special family.

Crazy Hazy days of August

2010-08-17T21:57:00.002+10:00

Oh, how we only wish we could have put a little `Lazy' into that title. Alas, there has been way too little of magazine-reading, tea-sipping and day-dreaming of late. August is sneaking on by in a whirl of activity that keeps us from you, yet begs to be shared. A whirl of activity that looks something like this:

Watching and smiling and thanking as Tea Parties for Ava are dreamed

and planned and created and shared.

Sending off the Beauty Full collection invitations to new homes

and kind hearts. Do you have yours yet?

Packing little suitcases full of Tea Party pretties.

Styling a christening and first birthday celebration for

Cheeky Monkey Addison.

Three days scouting all things new and gorgeous for the store at the

trade fairs in Melbourne.

Creating a sweet strawberry soiree for my 4 year-old daughter

(very last minute!)

A glam makeover (entirely necessary!) and paparazzi photo shoots for

Little One Baby Design and Style issue (on newsstands this week)

Skulking around aforementioned newsstands waiting for Shop4Kids to land -

yes, we're in there too!

Planning and prepping and pulling together our stall for Mathilda's Market this past weekend - this time dedicated to Ava's Tea Party

and the Beauty Full collection.

See, a whole list of hazy craziness. We guess you might like to see some matching hazy crazy pictures? Consider that added to the list.

Meanwhile, we will be holding tight to these last days of August. For many reasons, but most of all this one, it will linger in our memory long after the haze has passed.

And if you feel like sharing a little of your hazy, crazy (or lazy!) August with us, please drop us a little note - we'd love to hear from you.

little. lovely. A giveaway

2010-08-12T21:14:00.004+10:00

If you have little people in your life and like finding lovely things for them, then pop on over to little. lovely. - a favourite blog of ours for its mix of inspirational kids interiors, fashion, recipes, craft and pretty parties.

Today we are wishing Khali a very Happy First Birthday and joining the week-long celebration by giving away $100 to one of her readers to spend in our little store of lovely party things. It's as simple as leaving a comment. Good luck!

Christmas in July

2010-07-31T07:23:00.007+10:00

The weatherman is predicting 27 degrees today in Brisbane. Seriously, it's the middle of winter! No cause for complaint usually. Except today the neighbourhood is gathering for a new tradition - Christmas in July. We might have hoped for a little nip in the air while we go about stuffing and roasting the pork and preparing all the trimmings. But really, it may as well be December. The kids have dubbed it `Early Christmas' - which means anticipation is high about what today might hold - they even got up earlier than normal!! I fear there may be disappointment.

Last weekend, the talented Australian photographer Tracey Lau, celebrated Christmas in July. I have been popping back to her blog all week to swoon over these beautiful pictures and that amazing dessert table.

(Images via Tracey Lau)

Just looking at these images gives me the warm and fuzzies and it seems easy to imagine that it may have been freezing cold outside her home in Sydney.

Looking out the window to my 27 degree winter day I know there's not a snowman who would stand a chance out there. And while the kids dreams of a double dose of Santa may be dashed today, there will still be much to celebrate with friends. Much to be grateful for.

And much to eat.

Merry Christmas in July.

P.S. While you're over at Tracey's blog, don't miss her exciting announcement and extraordinary I-gotta-have-one-of-those giveaway.

The Beauty Full Collection (Invitations for Ava)

2010-07-26T07:30:00.005+10:00

Something of beauty to share with you today.
In more ways than we can possibly describe.
A beauty full child who flew to heaven too soon - adored, missed, remembered.
Her beauty full family who opened their hearts to us and a pretty little idea we had.
A beauty full way in which they have chosen to honour their daughter - a tea party, simple or fancy, it matters not. But it matters.
And nine generous, creative friends who embraced our idea with all their heart and created this.

Sharing the Love

2010-07-24T00:40:00.009+10:00

Wandered over to Eat Drink Chic tonight where Amy whispered in our ear about her adorable download and DIY tutorial for Message in a Bottle favours currently featured at Once Wed.

What a sweet idea for sharing the love, both a message to your lovely guests and a way for them to send their very own message of love to the happy couple. Grab all the instructions and your free download here. (No weddings on the horizon for us but these are too darn gorgeous to resist!)

They would also fit in beautifully at a baby shower, naming day or Christening with Love Letters for the newborn and their family.

(Images via eat drink chic and once wed)

Another fabulous outing for these cute little bottles too! Love it!

Delicate Drinks

2010-07-18T20:37:00.006+10:00

You know how we've got a little thing for doilies going on ?

Well after seeing these . . . .

(images via A Field Journal)

it's officially a head-over-heels, heart-pounding, butterflies-in-the-tummy, can't-get-enough-of crush!

Pop over to this gorgeous blog for more details and links to the DIY tutorial.

We have been busy creating some doily garlands in white for a very special project, but wouldn't they be pretty in pastels too? Off I go in search . . .

Hooray(s) for Saturday

2010-07-16T22:17:00.006+10:00

So much to love this week. Hope you have your cuppa and your oohs and aahs at the ready.

(image via Twig and Thistle)

Sweet. And sophisticated. And grown - up. (Pictured)

Gobsmackingly beautiful cakes indeed - but me oh my, we're smitten with the styling on this shoot.

Hello Yellow!

Pinwheels, bunting, pom poms - a few of our favourite things in one pretty little party (via Party Perfect)

Cure your craving with this seriously sweet sugar hit.

Love the new outfit and accessories, Ms Polka.

You can now catch up with us over here, too. Pyjamas still the dress code. Cup of tea obligatory.

And just because we love snail mail. And this celebrates it. Awwww. (via Little Pinwheel)

Sweet Surprise

2010-07-16T18:29:00.005+10:00

There is such joy in finding pretty things in unexpected places.

These lovely bottles of lemonade (Product of France!) are available at . . .ALDI! This week only of course - you know how it goes.

I have stocked up for Ava's `Strawberry Lemonade' party, but they are just made for a pretty baby shower or high tea.

Thanks to Alicia for the tip-off. You were right. They are perfect.

Real Hip Hooray: Vintage Chick (en)

2010-07-16T10:52:00.006+10:00

images via Jennifer Birkhead Design

What a wonderfully sweet and creative celebration for little April's 1st Birthday.

Just the coordinating vintage `chic' outfits alone were enough to make our heart skip a little beat. But then, oh, the details! Cupcakes and chicken cookies served in doily-lined egg cartons. Vintage glassware and fresh flowers. Pretty paper garlands and a clever doily backdrop. Chicken wire framed for guests to peg their birthday wishes to.

This party embodies all that we love about celebrating with children at home - creating a theme out of something that they love or is special to your family, beautiful mum-made details, a space that is so personal and reflects family all around. It simply made our hearts warm.

April's mum, Jennifer Birkhead is a talented stationery designer and one we predict is going places. Happy First Birthday little April, you are one very chic Vintage Chick.

Oh and doilies are on our new favourite things list. Yours too? It just makes our Mum shake her head!

Enchanted . . .

2010-07-14T19:48:00.004+10:00

image via My Life -My Loves

by these cuter-than-cute invitations. We have always adored the idea of sending invitations with an extra something that hints at what awaits on the day. There is such fun in digging through a layer of sweets to get to the details beneath or receiving a little dress-up to wear to the party. These mini woodland terrariums would have any lucky invitees anticipation-ometer sitting on Very High, don't you think?

Sharnel has been planning and collecting and crafting for Olivia's 6th Birthday for some time and we love that we could help her find the perfect home for these friendly folk. Sarah at Style Me Gorgeous has translated the vision perfectly on paper. Follow the trail through the woods over here, we predict there will be magic made in a couple of weeks time.

Making Lemonade

2010-07-11T09:43:00.007+10:00

Image via Etsy

Making lemonade has been on my mind these past few days. For several reasons.

It's summer on the other side of the world - weather made for celebrating outdoors. Lemonade and ice cream are abundant in the creative parties I have spotted recently. So sweet and refreshing. So uncomplicated.

Soon my Ava will turn 4. She adores Strawberry Shortcake and Lemon Meringue (the characters, not the treats - they are for me to adore :). And as you know cartoon character birthdays are not our style. So I'm thinking of twisting up the theme into a little `Strawberry Lemonade' soiree.

And perhaps not least, because over the weekend we were handed a couple of lemons. Only small ones, in the scheme of lemons. But a lemon is a lemon is a lemon and this one tasted, well, sour.

On Saturday as I was preparing our scheduled Hooray(s) for Saturday post, I digressed to check in on our site traffic and discovered a new referral. As a store owner, this is usually exciting. But the name made me curious. Very curious. And my stomach flipped over as I waited to see where the link might connect me to.

And I found this. . . .

Did you click already? Wow, the launch of a pretty new blog, created by some BIG names in the US paper and party industry. Admired for their creativity, revered for their originality. They are our idols. And, yes, they still will be. We don't do grudges.

But for now the taste lingers. They know we exist. We follow their other businesses on twitter. Within days of their launch, they have linked to our store in a post (and for that we say thanks!). We have even (very shyly, I may add) emailed them directly with submissions for parties featured on our blog.

Now, beside them and their accolades, we feel LITTLE.

And this is how LITTLE works. Vanessa works full time to help make ends meet for her family and helps in the business late at night and on weekends. I work from home running our little dream store, and sometimes our ends don't meet. I pack orders on our dining room table, drag my kids reluctantly to the post office in the afternoon for our customers who are in a hurry, and somewhere between nappy changing, school pick up, and goodnight kisses we dream BIG.

When it comes to parties, we forget to take the butter out of the fridge in time and so have to stay up late whipping the buttercream for the birthday cake we made. We have hubbies who roll their eyes at the mention of a party - goodness, they may have to mow the lawn! And we are lucky to have generous parents who help us clear dishes, make dinners, entertain kids while we do the cutting, sticking, pasting of invitations and goodie bags. We take photos of our kids, of our parties, with an outdated digital camera. We have Photoshop on our PC - but get overwhelmed by its options. We love Pretty but are not so good at Perfect.

And so we might be LITTLE. But we have BIG hearts. And we play fair. If it simply didn't share our name, we too would be shouting Hip Hip Hooray - one more gorgeous party blog to follow. But Hip Hooray is our LITTLE piece of BIG. Here we have shared, laughed, connected in ways we once would never have imagined possible. To us, it is more than just the name of a blog - we dreamed it might become a brand and stand proudly in its field. I guess we were just not ready to have to share that.

We do know that there is, of course, room for all of us. That is the wonderful thing about blogs - no need to return one to the shelf in order to take another home, no need to donate the other to charity when you get the upgraded model, right?

And in case you're wondering, that's why we are introducing you through this post. Because we know that you will find this blog. And love it. That's OK. We do too. But we have manners and think it is the right thing to do. We wanted you to know that we know they have arrived to the party (way after it got started over here!). We wanted you to meet them and avoid any confusion over the nametag pinned to their lapel. To welcome them and to make sure you benefit from the wealth of experience, amazing creativity and resources they will share.

Hip Hooray is our happy place. We hope it is your happy place too. And in that spirit we have pondered whether to share with you even a taste of how this made us feel. We hope you did not mind that we chose to.

Besides after all this, let me tell you, this week has had some sweet lemonade moments -

my Dad celebrated his birthday and the kids and I took him cupcakes and toasted marshmallows together in my parents open fireplace - just as we did when we were kids;
school holidays meant my six year old was a constant companion - I took her to her first play, Tashi, and was reminded of how much I love - and miss - going to the theatre;
I planned, prepped, created a mini photo shoot for a national magazine feature we have coming up - such fun;
the big girls went for a sleepover to Nannas and I delighted in using the time when I would normally lie with them, tell them stories of when I was a `little dirl', and tickle their backs (with three kids this is 2 hours most nights!!) to eat spicy thai takeout with my hubby and curl up with Dear John on the DVD;
Vanessa and her beautiful boys arrived home from the US yesterday lugging a little `extra' in their suitcase - stay tuned for some new pretties in the store and a couple of fun giveaways;
And together with 9 generous, creative souls, the light of a very special little angel and the big heart of her inspiring family, we have started the journey to launch a `beauty-full' project - we can't wait to share.

On Saturday night when I crept into bed, a little sad, my hubby woke and immediately thought of the ultimate lemonade moment - their traffic might inadvertently become our traffic! Hopefully they will stay a while and enjoy the read.

So without question we are going to `Make Lemonade'. And still dream that one day LITTLE will grow up to be BIG too. Hey we might even get a gig as a `Contributing Editor'! xo

P.S. If you feel like making lemonade too, there's a recipe over here

P.P.S sorry Hooray(s) for Saturday went missing. I got writer's block after I clicked that link :) Back this weekend.

Hooray(s) for Saturday: A collection in red, white and blue

2010-07-03T19:03:00.009+10:00

While we are Australian through and through, it's fair to say we have a little soft spot for the 4th of July. 20 years ago, young and adventurous, Vanessa packed her bags, kissed us all goodbye and set off for the U.S of A to complete studies in Journalism at Central Washington University.

The short version of the long story goes a little like this: Girl meets Boy. Girl and Boy fall in love. Girl comes home for visit. Boy comes to visit Girl at her home. Boy proposes before even meeting Girl's parents!! Boy and Girl get married. Girl has baby boy - an Aussie. Girl and 2 Boys move back to the U.S. Girl has another baby boy - an American. (Sister of Girl visits US and gets to help deliver new nephew - that was me, yay!). Happy family resides States -side for (too) many years (Sister of girl allowed to say that.) Girl + 3 boys return to Australia. Girl has another baby boy. Family complete. Australia is home. Girl and Boy and their 3 boys get to visit the U.S. often. They are there right now in fact. Celebrating the 4th of July with friends and family.

So like I said, a little soft spot, a special place in our collective family hearts for the United States. We will miss them tomorrow, when usually the American flag comes out at our parents house and its hotdogs all round.

Patriotism (by association? by marriage?) aside, Red, White and Blue is such a classic colour palette for celebrating all kinds of occasions - preppy, nautical, sporty - so we thought we'd round up a few of our recent favourite celebrations spotted in this scheme:

image via Sambellina's Party

A fun train-themed celebration styled by Kate, our very favourite spotty partyware designer for her own son's 3rd birthday.

image via Jack and Izzy

A handsome Party in the Park with so many lovingly-made details via Jack and Izzy

image via The Tomkat Studio

Nautical and oh-so-Nice, the combo is at its classic best throughout this crab-inspired celebration from TomKat Studio.

Happy 4th of July to our friends and readers from the United States.

Free printable: Milk and Cookies

2010-07-03T07:56:00.006+10:00

Thanks to everyone who dropped by here for a little Milk and Cookies - we are always delighted to share some warm and fuzzy and love getting some back too - your comments are so appreciated.

I hope to come back and share some recipes from the day and a few tips on recreating the look, but for now can't wait any longer to share with you a new free printable designed for Hip Hooray - and you - by the talented Sarah at Style Me Gorgeous. Take a look at these lovelies - nine sweet polka-dot labels and tags to get your cookies looking gorgeous!

In creating Zoe's Milk and Cookies party, I used the large size to create labels for the cookie buffet jars, the smaller size to label the tins and petite cookie jars as take-home gifts, and the square tags to tie to the large bottles of milk - `chocolate' and `100%'. I do confess running out of time on the day to make them fancier (neater?!) with some overprinting or hand-stamping and had to make-do with my hand-writing - I'm hoping the guests saw that as `personal' rather than `overlooked'!

Even if you are not planning a party right now, a batch of home-baked cookies makes a lovely `Hello neighbour' or `Thank You, friend' gift at any time.

Mmmm, we can smell those chocolate-chips wafting around your kitchen already. Download these pretties over here and happy baking xo

Real Hip Hooray: Milk and Cookies

2010-06-30T11:23:00.020+10:00

Yesterday, our little Zoe celebrated her second birthday with the menu of her wildest, two-year-old dreams - Milk and Cookies. For breakfast. For lunch. For afternoon tea. For dinner. And, ummm, for breakfast again this morning!!

Against a backdrop of chocolate-chip inspired polka dots and shades of burnt butter, chocolate, caramel and vanilla, I created this little spread of home-baked goodness . . . .

I so adore polka dots - a classic party companion which can be both youthful and playful or extremely elegant. I simply can't get enough of them and gave this party a good sprinkling. When creating the invitations, I had been inspired by this gorgeous party backdrop, and imagined translating it indoors using our palette of chocolatey warmth.

Double choc-chip cookies, Polka Dots and Snickerdoodles filled jars just made for digging in. Cookie pops (oreos dipped in white chocolate) kept the kids smiling and milk bottles and marshmallows seemed the perfect lolly additions to the buffet.

Somewhere in my `I've seen that somewhere' files catalogued in the right side of my brain was the perfect cake. I was delighted when a quick dig through my magazine collection revealed a `cookies `n' cream' cake, gracing the cover of the inimitable Donna Hay Kids Magazine (5th Annual Edition, 2008). Layer upon layer of crisp-on-the-outside, gooey-in-the-middle giant choc-chip cookies and cold, sweet drippy ice-cream (Cookies `n Cream' of course!). PERFECT, right?

And if you've ever sipped your hot tea through a Tim Tam biscuit - if not, you must! - then you'll know how much fun the kids had with their petite bottles of milk and edible stripey straws. What started out as a dilemma about not having a shade of stripey paper straw to match the colour palette (gasp!) resolved in a creative moment that sneaked up on me (in the aisles of Big W!) and became a fun and fitting `cookie' detail.

We served steaming cups of hot chocolate and marshmallows and a shot or two of Kahlua to spice up the grown-up milk (I felt 18 again!). The kids toted home tins filled with milk bottles - plain and chocolate-covered, - jersey caramels, marshmallows and Twix; and grown-up guests collected their own petite cookie jar filled with Polka Dot cookies.

Baby, it was cold outside, but hearts and bellies were warm on the inside.

Happy Birthday to our very own crazy, cuddly, charismatic Cookie monster. Zoe escapes the camera lens at every turn, so this is the one and only birthday shot I managed on the day - devouring the first of four (!) Cookie pops. Like I told you, dream dinner.

Be sure to drop in again tomorrow - we have a little more polka-dot cookie goodness to share with you.

Turning Two

2010-06-26T20:35:00.004+10:00

In just a few days this sweet child of mine will be Two. My baby. My last baby. Now a little girl. A little girl with a very big personality. As affectionate as she is stubborn. As giggly as she is grumpy. As delightful as she is frustrating. As sugary as she is spicy.

Zoe Grace (5 Weeks Old)

On Tuesday we will celebrate simply with Milk and Cookies. Fittingly, two of Zoe's favourite things. Her preferred choice of dinner - if it were a menu option!

Our closest family, a few friends and our kind neighbours will be dropping in for some home-baked goodies and a warming hot chocolate.

Everything about this celebration is kind of impromptu (if you hadn't noticed the trend, that's a little how life rolls around here). As such, a phone call to our guests probably would have sufficed, but if I haven't said it before, I'm saying it now. I love, love, love Snail Mail. Packing it, sending it, receiving it, opening it. A thrill that can never be replaced by technology. So, inspired by chocolate chips and a warm and fuzzy colour palette, I made these in an hour on the couch and popped them in the post.

Then I ordered this from a sweet and clever friend. And the rest of the plan? Mmmm, still in the making.

So with visions of Whoopie Pies, Cookies'n'cream pops, and delicious chocolate chip cookies dancing in my head, I better get me to my kitchen. Enjoy your weekend xo

Hooray(s) for Saturday

2010-06-26T11:41:00.001+10:00

Did you drop by last Saturday? Wonder where we were? Sorry we missed you. Promise we weren't sleeping in or standing you up intentionally.

Let's just say there was certainly no lazing about in jammies drinking hot cups of tea going on. Rather it was a 2am to bed and a 5.30am rise - standard procedure for our days at Mathildas Market - the gorgeous handmade market for little people.

We love being out of the `warehouse' and having the opportunity to show off some of our store pretties in the flesh. Still a favourite colour palette is this red, pink and latte combo and in the spirit of handmade (or hard-to-find) we pulled together a little display with these new (and quite adorable) personalised cupcake toppers, pretty custom ribbon garland, sweet stationery, fancy cupcake wrappers, mini ribbon cake bunting, paper garlands, stripey straws and cute spotty labels (coming soon). Please forgive the photography - Mathildas Market is staged in a delightfully historic building at the Brisbane Racing Club where character is abundant but light is not.

If you live locally and dropped by to see us, thank you - it was lovely to meet you. If you're a little further away, then we thought you might like to spend this Saturday morning meeting a few of our favourite finds from Mathildas Market Brisbane - hooray for handmade!

Fancy Tea? Sugar with that? How about your own perfectly pretty, vintage china collection?

A bling Tee for your favourite party theme.

Make somebody's letterbox happy with one of these.

Or these.

Hanging around looking gorgeous.

I own one. Most favourite gift ever. (Perhaps a kitchenaid would compete!)

The perfect backyard party venue. Just add (imaginary?) friends and cupcakes.

Standout fashion for the guest of honour.

Hello Sunshine

2010-06-23T09:50:00.005+10:00

Image via Eat. Drink. Chic

I'm with Amy. It's certainly a little dark and grey around here today. And slightly chilly.

Winter in Brisbane passes in the blink of an eye, coming and going quicker than you've had a chance to even think about getting the woolies out of storage. Up here, Summer seems to always be lurking quietly around the corner waiting for it's chance to sweep Winter away for another year.

But Summer must be sleeping in today - and letting Winter do it's thing for just a little while. So if it's a little grey where you are too, head over here and get you some summer with these sweet printable tags. You'll even love them if it's all bright and sunshine-y where you are. Happy all round, really.

Real Hip Hooray: Flying High

2010-06-22T20:31:00.004+10:00

I must say we were literally giddy when we spotted this kite themed first birthday party. Isn't it just a delight? Talented photographer - and party thrower! - Tracey Lau, has taken the dessert table to dizzying new heights with this incredibly original and creative party designed for son Jeremiah.

We just adore every perfect detail from the soaring backdrop to the grassy blanket beneath; the picket fences containing kite cookies and the simple elegant cake; the blue soda with those fun stripey straws and the handmade kite embellishments woven throughout the table. Oh and cloud marshmallows! Squeal!

All images via Tracey Lau

Aside from all this sugary goodness, Jeremiah's guests delighted in kite-making and decorating and were blessed with a perfect day for letting them fly. Tracey has lovingly handmade most of the creative elements of this party and kindly shares her tips and sources - and lots more `sky' candy - over at her beautiful blog.

Hooray(s) for Saturday

2010-06-12T12:12:00.002+10:00

Aah, sweet Saturday. The day to linger a little longer in my pyjamas, actually drink my tea hot, and enjoy my hubby's best-ever poached eggs anytime up to midday. The day that usually slips by a little too quickly for my liking.

Each week we stumble upon so many creative celebrations, yummy recipes begging to be recreated, divine stationery finds, or simply sweet party details. Somehow it always seems to be Saturday, when hubby is home and the kids are content to potter, imagine and create, before I am able to sit still long enough to gather and share them with you.

So in the hope that you too might get to linger a little longer in your PJs on Saturday, please feel free to drop in here for our Hooray(s)for Saturday series - a neat little round-up of what we have spotted recently that we know you'll love.

Image via Amy Atlas

Sweet, sweet, sweet indeed. Makes me thirsty for pink lemonade. (pictured)

A whole lot of party gorgeous-ness in one little box. Wow!

From one quirky tablecloth maker to another. So inspired. (via Party Perfect)

So Chic Aussie wedding has the world utterly engaged. Congrats!

I SO need one of these. My friends would be grateful.

Colour-filled (by you!) cupcakes. Happy (belated) birthday, friend.

Snail mail makes us happy. Pretty envelopes make us even happier. We're in. Are you?

Combine Matroyshka nesting dolls, handmade pompoms, pretty fabric and what do you get? The most popular blog party this week. We're sure you've seen it by now, but simply couldn't be left out of all this blog love. It's gorgeous!

Hip Host: Suzi Waters, Alannah Rose Stationery

2010-06-11T22:29:00.002+10:00

Oh, how excited we are to share with you the first of our Hip Host interview series. Along the path of our own journey in business, and now blogging, we have been inspired by many amazing people designing beautiful things, celebrating life’s occasions with simplicity and style, and most importantly creating precious memories for their families and friends.

We hope you love taking a little glimpse into the lives and inspirations of our Hip Hosts and take away a few tips each time to help celebrate your own life with style.

Suzi Waters is the talented designer behind one of Australia’s leading custom stationery brands – a favourite amongst brides for elegant, distinctive designs and now a hit with the Mums with her ready-to-write children’s invitations.

Suzi with daughters Alannah and Ella

Clockwise from top left: Alannah Rose boxed invitations for children; sweet details in Ella's room; Modern Retro wedding stationery suite; Suzi's space for creativity. All images courtesy of Suzi Waters.

As Mum to two young girls, Suzi delights in designing stunning children’s parties. Her attention to the details has captured the blogosphere – including THE Amy Atlas - with this beautiful bird-inspired soiree created for 5 year-old Alannah, the sweet namesake of both her business and the popular little Lala bird invitation.

All images via Alannah Rose Stationery blog

Tell us a little about yourself, your business and the people in your life worth celebrating
A mum to two gorgeous girls, wife to my lovely husband (my childhood sweetheart!) and owner/director of Alannah Rose Stationery. I'm a self confessed shopaholic, detail addict and control freak. I love my family, friends and my job. Alannah Rose was started 5 years ago after the birth of my first daughter - out of a need to spend more time with her and still do the work I love - design!

What has been the most memorable celebration in your life?
What were some of your favourite `details’?
The most memorable celebrations in my life were the births of both my daughters and my wedding day. Preparing for the arrival of a baby is so much fun (I cheated and found out I was having a girl - both times) and the emotions of holding such a precious life you've created for the first time is something to celebrate. And cherish. The preparation of the nursery, details in their rooms and of course their baby thank you cards were little details that I enjoyed preparing. I also of course love doing the girls birthday parties, as they get older their excitement levels grow and the joy on their faces when they see the final setting, the food, their party outfits and having fun with their friends makes it all worth it. Our parties are planned well in advance, the girls usually choose their invitation for their next party before the current one is even finished!

What are your three must-haves for creating a Hip Hooray?
Can I do four? Invitations, family/friends, cake and colour!

Are there any parties being planned in your household right now? What is inspiring you and what stage are you at in the planning?
We've recently had Alannah's 5th birthday, so plans are now in place for Ella's 4th birthday in July. She's chosen the invitation (one of the new designs!) and I'm finding lots of inspiring things that will tie in nicely. I tend to just pick up pieces here and there when I see them and try to stick to a main colour theme. Today I picked up some table cloths and pots in the colour I'm working with, and so it begins! (by the time the party arrives I have a big box of goodies!)

Could you share some of your favourite resources for creating a Hip Hooray?
Oh so many!
Details Details! of course for little extras like paper decorations, plates, table runners etc.
I love Ikea - you can pick up basic pieces in white that look great with ribbon tied to them, flowers put in them, etc, just use your imagination!
Invitations from Alannah Rose, of course! :)
For Cakes, in Sydney Sweet Art are fabulous, in Melbourne I use Jodie at Designer Cakes in Donvale.
And Etsy for little hard-to-find pieces.

Do you prefer an intimate dinner party or catering for a crowd?
I really love a simple dinner party, fine food, friends and chat, but with small children and crazy bed time antics, that doesn't happen too much at our place, so catering for a crowd is the norm at the moment and I embrace it and love it for what it is, a super fun, big day!

What’s your party drink of choice?
For kids? Water! But is it their favourite? probably not. I usually use Mini Pops for the kids parties, they are preservative and artificial colour free, easy for the younger kids to use and eliminate spills!
For me? Champagne - preferably French!

Who would be on your guest list for the ultimate dinner party – any four people?
Oh, hard question! Richard Branson. Amy Atlas. Jamie Oliver. Kylie Minogue. (I'm assuming I'm already there!)

If you could be a guest at a Hip Hooray anywhere in the world, which would it be?
Corny possibly, but the Oscars! Glamour, fashion and excitement all rolled into one.

Where do you draw inspiration for your beautiful stationery designs and stylish parties?
I'm renovating at the moment, so spend a lot of time pouring over home magazines and weblogs. Being a shopaholic, a trip to the stores can be quite inspiring - I'm the crazy one eyeing off the visual merchandising displays rather than the store contents!

What is your favourite colour palette?
Red and Pink is my favourite at the moment for the girls.

What’s coming up next at Alannah Rose Exclusive Stationery?
Lots of things! We are excited to have just launched some new party designs and there are more secret things, so stay tuned!

What gift is on the top of your own Birthday wish list this year?
I have already celebrated my birthday this year and got everything I wished for! Lunch with friends, dinner with family, new boots and a holiday!

And finally, do you have a tried and tested, never-fail party recipe you could share with our readers?

Gingerbread Shapes

125g unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup golden syrup

2 1/2 cups plain flour, sifted

1 tablespoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 box Orchid roll out icing
food colour of choice

cookie cutter in shape of choice

Preheat the oven to 190°C. Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 10-12 minutes or until light and creamy. Add the golden syrup, flour, ginger and bicarbonate of soda and beat until a smooth dough forms. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll out the dough between sheets of non-stick baking paper to 4mm thick. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes from the dough. Place on baking trays lined with non-stick baking paper and bake for 8–10 minutes or until golden. Cool on trays. to ice, add colour to packet icing and knead through. Roll out and cut with same shape as used for gingerbread. Stick on cooled ginger bread shapes with sugar paste (sugar/water). Display on plates or put in cello bags with ribbon for pretty take home favour. Makes approximately 22.

Yummo! Thanks so much Suzi - delighted you could kick off this little series for us.

Here’s a little more of Suzi’s beautiful party design – head over to her blog for the full details and to keep up with beautiful new things in the world of Alannah Rose Exclusive Stationery.

Images via Alannah Rose Stationery blog

In the window: What's the Buzz?

2010-06-11T14:02:00.001+10:00

So, you'd be forgiven for thinking the windows might be a little dusty around here.

Truth is we've been busier than ever filling the store with new releases and old favourites and would love for you to press your nose up against the glass and take a look - we promise not to make you sneeze!

This week we're buzzing with excitement over the arrival of these adorable new invitations from Alannah Rose Exclusive Stationery.

The humble bumble bee has been elevated to new heights of garden party stardom in recent times and we have spotted some beautiful, creative parties inspired by this little guy in his handsome striped suit.

This fun theme would work perfectly for a sweet baby shower, naming day / christening celebration or of course a birthday for either boys or girls and of any age.

Style it up with an (obvious!) colour palette of classic black and canary yellow

Image credits: Top - Amorology Weddings , Middle and bottom - via TomKat Studio

or twist it up a little with a softer, more modern mix of lemon, white and grey. So in love with this colour combination right now - bees or no bees!

Image credits: Top - Homelove via Imprintables, Middle - via Imprintables, Bottom - via DaisyChain

This Buzz Buzz Bee also has a new Lovely Ladybird friend - ain't she a cutie?

Pop by later to catch up with the very clever Suzi from Alannah Rose Exclusive Stationery in our very first Hip Host interview - you'll love the tips (and recipe!) she has to share with us.

From the Heart -ies!

2010-05-13T13:05:00.007+10:00

Now you can make your friends walk the plank for a very good cause! Amy from Giggleberry creations let us know she is auctioning off a fab collection of Pirate Party goodies to raise money for the `Running the marathon for Autism' team . Autism is also close to our hearts - a dear friend does an amazing job of raising two out of her three young sons with the condition and while her energy and finances are challenged daily, the results of undertaking intense therapy from an early age with her boys has been remarkable.

We have added a couple of pirate cuties from our store to Amy's collection - a dozen red and white stripe cupcake wrappers, a set of three pirate-theme cookie cutters and a dozen food/cupcake flags in red and black - making this the odds-on cutest Pirate party you will see in town. Worth it alone for the fab Giggleberry bunting, I reckon. Make it yours by bidding right here. Auction ends Sunday night May 16.

Real Hip Hooray: Pretty Vintage Circus

2010-05-13T09:12:00.008+10:00

Having just stepped away from the pages of Sweet Paul magazine with visions of fairy floss and circus elephants dancing in my head, I find the prettiest vintage circus party. The unconventional colour palette reminds me of pink lemonade and takes this theme to a whole new level of girlie gorgeous. We adore every detail - the soft circus tent graphic tying everything together, little tubs of fairy floss, a refrigerator-box ticket booth, colour co-ordinated carnival-style games and a sweet matching dress for the Birthday Girl!

(images via The TomKat Studio )

Kim of the adorable TomKatstudio worked her magic on the paper goods and a very clever and creative mum has pulled this all together for a lucky little girl. You can find more details and pictures of this beauty over at Kim's blog.

Consider yourself warned, though - Kim's beautiful blog will keep you entertained for hours so make sure the dinner doesn't burn and that the littlies are able to bath themselves before you get started (wink!).

Hip Inspiration: Sweet Paul Magazine

2010-05-11T09:38:00.009+10:00

From the pages of fashion catalogues to backyard parties all around the country, Circus inspired creativity is taking the world by storm.

With such a whimsical combination of fabric `details' and simple, creative food ideas, these party pages from the first edition of Sweet Paul Magazine go to the top of our list for inspiration.

Sweet Paul is a New-York based stylist and writer of one of our favourite blogs. Here you will find beautiful food and creative craftiness all styled up with an incredible eye and fab photography - ready for you to devour, dream about and recreate. The new online magazine is a very exciting extension to the amazing work of Sweet Paul and feeds our addiction quite nicely, thank you.

FREE Printable: Celebrating Mum

2010-05-07T11:01:00.006+10:00

Oh, how I cannot wait for a sleep-in and breakfast-in-bed this Sunday. We have already spent the week in a flurry of Mother's Day activities at school and kindergarten and the girls are excitedly hiding secret gifts around every corner. Hope they can remember where they stashed them. The cutest part is that they will likely have upcycled something (that was already mine!) or crafted something lovely with supplies they know they are not supposed to get into. I promise to act completely surprised and forgive them for using my new delivery of favourite fabric, because their heart is in exactly the right place and that simply makes me proud and, of course, besotted.

If you're getting together with family this weekend and sharing a meal in honour of the Mums, we have a sweet download for you to help style it up into something a little special. Thanks again to the talented Sarah at Style Me Gorgeous for a vintage-inspired printable suite in a colour palette of soft coral and sage green. Download your copy and create your own pretty table setting with designs to suit menus, placecards and even paper flags to dress up cupcakes or drinking straws.

And if time or inspiration for gift-buying is short, trim up a few pages of this versatile set and tie with ribbon to make a delightful package of notes, gift cards and labels.

Over at the Style Me Gorgeous blog you can also find a cute colour-in to keep the kids busy while Dad sees to the bacon and eggs - they will love dressing up the Breakfast-in-Bed tray for you.

Happy Mother's Day from Hip Hooray - we hope you like our little gift. Celebrate in style.

And enjoy the sleep-in - you deserve it!

Well, hello

2010-04-29T10:10:00.005+10:00

Art print by Shira Sela on Etsy

Hello blog, hello friends - we have missed you. Sorry we've kept you waiting. The last two weeks have been a rollercoaster ride of family travels, family celebrations and sadly, some family heartbreak. We are pleased to be back and can't wait to share a few snippets we've been collecting while away. xo

Real Hip Hooray: Rainbows `n' Ruffles

2010-04-13T18:54:00.019+10:00

My big girl, Mia, turned 6 on Monday. So we held a little un-party to celebrate.

Mia is a constant whirlwind of colour - from what she chooses to wear to the art she creates and everything in between, there is simply no place for black in her world. As a Mum not particularly fond of the rock chick look for my little girls this is a passion I am quite happy to nurture. So when these gorgeous invitations were launched last year, Mia was quite besotted with them and announced there and then that her next party would be a Rainbow Party. I liked the idea too - not too young, not too grown-up and simply a perfect fit for my unashamedly girlie girl.

Mia is a creative type and always has big ideas (not sure where she gets that from!). In the moments when she was dreaming up the decorations, carefully selecting the guests, and poring over the Womens Weekly Kids Cake Book to find the perfect cake we, of course, didn't have the heart to tell her an elaborate party might not be coming her way this year.

Over time I eased her into the concept of `less is more' and in doing so realised, that despite her having a strong creative vision of her own, my definition and Mia's definition of `elaborate' were two different things. It seemed she would ultimately be happy with some candles to blow out on a cake - oh and the dancing she had written playlists for and carefully choreographed. I simply could not deny her the sheer joy of celebrating with a few friends on her special day. So we pitched it to Daddy as a `playdate' and I set myself the challenge of creating a special afternoon that didn't leave us poor or frazzled.

Lucky for me, Rainbows went through a little popularity surge in blogland recently and the planning was made easy - first I spotted this cake, then this inspiration board, and a cute downloadable colouring sheet. I love it when a plan comes together!

So Mia celebrated being 6 amidst a cascade of gorgeous colour - fun rainbow ruffles, umbrellas, yellow gumboots, ribbon wands, a surprising cake and a sugar rush of rainbow-inspired treats.

Mia had been understandably sceptical about a white cake at a Rainbow party and I had deliberately not given too much away about what was on the inside - there were nerves cutting this one, but she was full of giggles and excitement when the fun stripes of colour were revealed!

What I loved most about this `playdate' is that it felt `elaborate' without being expensive or stressful to create. I pulled it off with only two days at hand after our camping holiday, including the sewing of the oh-so-ruffley rainbow table skirt - Mia's favourite thing (and mine!). She already has plans for me to convert it to a dress for her. Might even get one for myself - mmmm, maybe not! I like a little black in my world.

Couldn't resist popping this pic in of Mia - the grumpy face, getting tired and bored of all the picture taking and just wishing everyone would arrive - and her middle sister Ava offering up one of her `don't worry' cuddles.

Happy Birthday gorgeous girl. Keep dreaming big and always dream in colour. xo

Oh and I'll save you commenting about there being no pink in the rainbow, by simply repeating what Mia said when I mentioned that small detail: `But there HAS to be pink in the rainbow'. Girls!

Check back in later for my Rainbows `n' Ruffles style guide and a few tips on recreating the look.

Real Hip Hooray: The Most Elegant of Elephants...

2010-04-05T12:24:00.015+10:00

So after showing you a sneak peak of this darling invitation and inspiration back in January, we have been counting down the days until the lovely Sarah from Style Me Gorgeous celebrated her sweet son Max's Naming Day. Wait no longer - here are some of the divine details of this beautiful and hip celebration!

Using an adorable colour palette of baby blue and chocolate - inspired by Martha Stewart paper lanterns - Sarah has managed to serve up a table of treats that make our mouths water!

From the delightful cake toppers perched above shaggy coconut in just the right shade, to the delicious elephant cookies with their darling themed packaging, Sarah has managed to take the charm and whimsy of a children's celebration and given it an elegant twist that any grown up would love to have for their special day.

We love the idea of the little suitcase, inviting friends to leave special wishes for Max on his Naming Day, such a lovely keepsake. Of course we also adore the take home Lolly Bags, including our all-time favourite, Milk Bottles - no self-respecting Lolly Buffet or Sweets Table would be complete without them!

(Images via Sarah at Style Me Gorgeous.)

Thanks to Sarah and Max for sharing this special celebration with us and our readers. You can see more of this gorgeous and oh-so-stylish celebration here.

FREE Printable: Easter Tags

2010-03-31T12:43:00.012+10:00

Squeal! We are so very excited to share our first printable project with you just in time for Easter celebrations this weekend.

We have collaborated with the uber-talented Sarah from Style Me Gorgeous to bring you the sweetest little set of tags to style up your Easter goodies. In a gorgeous colour palette of lemon, mint and lavender, there are eight different designs - 4 Happy Easter tags and 4 Easter Goodies tags.

Here's 10 ways with your free tags:

Create take-home paper treat bags - punch and loop with ribbon or simply staple neatly to a folded edge. We added a length of pretty ribbon over the top fold and attached the tag to the ribbon at the front using double sided tape. Wooden pegs would look super cute, too.

Make sure the Easter Bunny knows who's who by tying a little personalised tag to the kids' baskets.

Gifts to give? Take a strip of wrapping paper and make a belt around a plain gift box before finishing with ribbon and a tag.

Don't let anyone mistake who collected the most eggs in the hunt - use the tags to name the buckets, bags, or baskets.

Decorate the edge of a cake stand with pretty ribbon and attach a tag at the front for a perfectly pretty display.

Fill a clear pillow-box with these little speckled eggs, tie on a personalised tag with ribbon and use as a placecard for guests at your Easter feast.

Cut a small vertical slit on the top edges of the Happy Easter tags and thread with ribbon to create a pretty garland.

Add some height to a centrepiece by slotting cards onto a loop of wire and standing in a container of wheatgrass or real turf for a little bit of fun - add fresh flowers and painted eggs for bonus sweet factor.

Use as labels on a collection of glass jars filled with Easter yummies - try marshmallows, chocolate eggs of all varieties and jelly beans - and let those who drop by fill a bag to take home.

Bake a batch of Hot Cross Buns, wrap in baking paper, tie with kitchen string and a tag and deliver to your neighbours.

We are so in love with those little speckled eggs right now - let's just say there were quite a few less of these by the end of this little photo shoot. They just seem to be the perfect colourful little treat to package up and give to friends, don't they?

So how will you use your tags? We can't wait to see! Let us know your ideas and please send us some piccies. Hop on over here to download.

Happy Easter from Hip Hooray and Style Me Gorgeous. xo

Celebrating Easter

2010-03-31T08:54:00.007+10:00

This is such a fun (read: busy!) time of the year in our house. We are headed off on Friday for our annual Easter camping trip - our seventh year in the most perfect little spot on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. The kids are beside themselves with anticipation - Mia says she wishes it could be Easter camping every day of the year - maybe she just knows her birthday is also around the corner and when it comes down to it these next two weeks are pretty darn good for a six-year-old - school's out and the beach is beckoning. There will be friends they haven't seem in a little while, chocolate, building sandcastles, chocolate, exploring the rock pools, chocolate, crab hunting by torchlight - oh, and chocolate!

In 2008, when I was heavily pregnant with Zoe, we took a little break from our tradition and celebrated Easter with the extended family instead - Mum created a delicious Easter brunch and the kids hunted for eggs around the beautiful gardens my parents have created at their home. And there were these cupcakes . . . .

Perfect inspiration for all the `bring-a-plate' invitations this week. I whipped these up for Ava's Kindy Easter Hat Parade. . . .

These cupcakes are probably even cuter with chocolate icing and pieces of Flake on the outer edge to resemble a little nest, but time was not on my side last night. Do you like the sweet tag? Why don't you check in later today - we have the cutest little pressie for you.

A reason

2010-03-26T00:10:00.005+10:00

I have been married for (nearly) 8 years. Bridal Shower not an option. I have had three beautiful daughters and am not pregnant, nor planning on being pregnant. Baby Shower not an option. My birthday is not until September. Too long to wait. I want to have this party NOW - please help me find a reason.

(images from Nonpareil Magazine)

The team at Nonpareil have created this heavenly dessert buffet for body and bath . . . . Cupcake bath bombs, Pink Lemonade and Cherry Pop handmade soaps, sweet little tins of coconut lip balm. Oh and that colour palette of watermelon and teal. The best bit - it's all downloadable and comes with recipes for creating all the lotions and potions! Be still my beating heart.

This is just one of the gorgeous features in this inspiring online mag sprinkled with DIY delights and serious style for celebrating - our definite new favourite and one you won't want to miss.

Love letters

2010-03-25T20:52:00.003+10:00

Oh my, how I would adore opening my letterbox to find one of these!

Un-Party Invitations

2010-03-21T22:40:00.007+10:00

Six little envelopes are off to school today. Mia wrote and decorated each of the labels herself. Inside are our favourite invitations from KatyJane Designs. They are for the party-she's-having-when-she's-not-supposed-to-be-having-a-party. Shhh! Don't tell her Daddy.

Six little people is such a nice number - last year it was four times that plus their parents. Which is precisely the reason we are not supposed to be having a party! So, finally, we are doing the one-friend-for-each year-rule. We are keeping it sweet and simple. And if we wipe the frosting from our noses quick enough, we may just sneak this little un-party by Daddy.

But probably her happiness will give it away.

Grown-up Goodie Bags

2010-03-21T21:47:00.005+10:00

Why should little ones have all the fun? Stylish bride turned bridesmaid, Sonja created these beautiful favours using pretty paper bags brimming with fresh blooms for her best friend's hens lunch. Love them! No doubt the gorgeous girls from Paper Eskimo would be proud as punch to see their `baby' bags looking all grown up.

But the gorgeousness (new word?) did not end there . . . . Sonja and a clever friend designed and crafted unique and thoughtful brooches for each of the girls to wear on the day.

(images via Tied with a Bouw)

Sweet bridesmaids. Lucky bride. More here.

Too kind

2010-03-11T18:13:00.011+10:00

We were overwhelmed with blog love last week after posting details of Zoe's 1st Bird-day. Thanks so much to readers and friends, old and new, who made us smile with your comments or shared our celebration with your own community. We were thrilled and honoured to feature on some of our favourite blogs and also to discover some great new reads - thanks for the shout out guys. Many of these have lovely ideas for celebrating or for the little people in your life - check them out!

Drooling . . .

2010-03-10T20:56:00.010+10:00

. . . . over everything to do with this photo shoot on Style Me Pretty. Not even quite sure where to start there are just so many details that are well . . . . drool -worthy! Oh, the colour palette. Oh, the candy store backdrop. Oh, the fabric bunting and sign. Oh, that ribbon candy ring.

(images via Style Me Pretty)

Off to clean myself up while you pop over here and agree with me. Be warned, it could get messy.

Hello Cupcake

2010-03-09T18:32:00.006+10:00

When it comes to decorating cupcakes we are buttercream swirl kind of girls - not because we have a preference, more because that is about as far as we've gotten with our mastery of cake decorating skills - and even then it's possibly a stretch to say we've mastered it! The gorgeous creations of cupcake couturier and caterer, Hello Naomi, have long held our admiration, fascination and intention to one day try our own hand at a little fondant colouring, rolling, cutting and sticking. So we were most excited to see Naomi will be running a series of tutorials over at the prettiest little online baking store Little Betsy Baker, and have vowed to tune in regularly. Check out the first one now for tips on making these little sweethearts.

(image from Hello Naomi via Little Betsy Baker)

Hip Winner!

2010-03-09T15:41:00.005+10:00

Thanks so much to those who entered our very first blog giveaway for a pack of delightful invitations by KatyJane Designs. My girls had so much fun crinkling the names, making drum roll noises and digging in to draw out a winner. Congratulations goes to . . .

Amanda was our first entry and said `I'd love to win some of the Umbrella invites. Would be so lovely for a little girl's birthday - as for a prop, I think cute gumboots (preferably spotted) would be perfect :)'

We think so too, Amanda, and would love to see the party you might create one day - spotted gumboots and all! We are also going to throw in a little umbrella cookie cutter, because frankly we just can't bear the thought of it not being part of such a cute theme.

Real Hip Hooray: Tied with a Bouw

2010-03-03T11:56:00.006+10:00

The most heart-warming thing in our business is to get to see where our little parcels, carefully wrapped with love and affection, end up, and the celebrations that are styled using them. We all lead such incredibly busy lives, and it is a rare customer who finds time to share their pics with us.

So how delighted were we to see this most beautiful wedding created and styled by Sonja Bouw, clearly with love and affection in abundance. Sonja's attention to `the details', most of them she created herself, is perfect. We love the unique poster-inspired theme, the sunny but sophisticated colour palette of yellow and black and that fun cake of Krispy Creme donuts! Sonja shares more of their gorgeous celebration - and lots of other lovely things - over at her blog.

(images via Tied with a Bouw)

And the Oscar goes to . . .

2010-03-02T11:17:00.008+10:00

Kathleen of Twig and Thistle for her sublime art direction of a great night in with friends next Monday.

Such fun, stylish details including popcorn bags, candy bag toppers and a ballot form to keep track of all the action on the telly - who will get your votes? Easy printable files mean there is still enough time to pull off a fab red carpet affair so head on over to this beautiful blog for all the downloads and a few entertaining tips you need to create the night of nights for your friends.

The Oscars will be telecast in Australia live at 11.30am AEST Monday 8th March on Nine Network, and again at 9.30pm.

In the Window: KatyJane Designs

2010-03-01T21:46:00.009+10:00

Press your nose against the glass today and meet the adorable fill-in invitation range from KatyJane Designs.

Aren’t they just so reminiscent of a perfectly simple, carefree childhood?

Imagine if you might that the window today is strung with paper chains made from vintage children’s books. There is an old-fashioned trike, probably a red wagon, definitely a spinning top and a jack-in-the-box. There is a party table laid with Nanna’s finest embroidered linens mixed up with some fun contemporary tableware. There is a row of paper party hats. There are paper bags filled with 5c sweets from the corner store – milk bottles, teeth, spearmint leaves, cobbers, conversation hearts – and tied with these tags. There is homemade lemonade in glass bottles with stripey paper straws. And a beautiful, simple birthday cake – homebaked, of course - perhaps vanilla sponge with strawberry jam and fresh whipped cream.

And if this window were wired for sound there would be giggles for sure – happy kids without the need for a jumping castle or magician to direct their party play.

We remember birthday parties like these – and we want that for our own children. Thanks KatyJane Designs for making old so very new again.

To herald their arrival in our store, we are giving away a delightful KatyJane Designs pack of 12 fill-in invitations + party bag tags of the winner's choice. Just leave a comment here and let us know which design you love the most and a prop you might use to theme the party.

The winner will be randomly chosen next Monday 8th March, 12.00pm AEST.

International entries are welcome, however please note prize will be shipped using Australia Post Standard International Mail service.

In the Window

2010-02-28T23:00:00.006+10:00

(image via flickr)

Oh, how we dream of having a little store made of bricks and mortar. Just the other week I was doing a bit of sorting and came across a notebook from many years ago where I had made a few dreamy sketches – a visualisation, something to plan, something to look forward to. And even now our business is born, and growing, and teaching, and changing, the little store of our dreams still looks uncannily like that one in my sketches.

It has a little scalloped awning out the front, an oversized painted door, floor to ceiling glass windows. It’s walls are hung with ladders of gorgeous gift wrap. Colourful ribbons spill from their spools just waiting to be touched, measured, perfectly matched. Boxes and bags in every imaginable colour are stacked in pretty rows according to their hue. Neat piles of the most beautiful invitations seek to be a part of a special celebration. There is a cosy lounge where customers, our friends, flip through our favourite books and mags for inspiration. It is modern and fresh, but at the same time nostalgic. We serve cupcakes daily. There are, of course, pretty garlands dancing from the ceiling. Oh and a permanent lolly buffet!!

If you ever see a little store (preferably in Brisbane) that might one day look like this, be sure to let us know.

In the meantime, we will pretend this space is our floor to ceiling glass window and invite you to press your nose up against it anytime to see what’s in the store.

Back tomorrow with our first peek In the Window.

Pillow fight!

2010-02-27T15:20:00.009+10:00

Images via Cluck. Cluck. Sew

Isn't this just the most perfect space to throw a little super-stylish pyjama party? Two lucky little boys are moving in here and their clever Mum is no doubt hoping the space will be used for something much calmer - mmmm, like sleeping perhaps. Anyone for popcorn?

Real Hip Hooray: A little birdie turns one

2010-02-26T21:18:00.036+10:00

When this little Lala bird flew into our store last year, she immediately captured the attention and hearts of our customers and ever since has spent her time flitting to homes all over the country. Mine was one of those hearts captured by her simplicity and sweetness and so, inspired by the colour palette of red, pink and chocolate, I set about creating `an afternoon of sweet tweets' for friends and family to celebrate the first birthday of the littlest birdie in our nest, Zoe.

I have been promising our customers this post for far too long now - so for those of you with a little Lala bird party already in the planning or those of you seeking inspiration for a theme that is unique and adorable all at once, settle in and enjoy!

For the littlies -

Birds Nests (an absolute hit! I will share the recipe for you in another post)

Worms in dirt
Baby birds (mini cupcakes with simple birdie features

The sweets buffet -

Raspberry Friands
Caramel Tarts
Chocolate fudge brownies
Cupcakes
Individual berry trifles
Individual Tiramisu
Chocolate-dipped strawberries
Hazelnut meringue sticks

All made with love in our kitchen

Drinks -

Lemon iced tea
Pink party punch (with three girls, we pull this one out at every party!)
Bubbles and Beer
Hot chocolate shots

A little Lala bird onesie for the birthday girl complete with polka dots and heart-shaped button eye.

That cake - inspired by this one and made by my oh-so-clever Mum, who always denies she is capable and then takes my breath away. There was tears! Oh and just because I'm a details girl, can you guess what the cake was on the inside? Mmmm - hummingbird!

Repurposing an already existing shelving unit as a background for the dessert buffet - simply move contents away - or to the shelves below eye level - and fill the cubes with elements to style up the party.

Separate dessert buffets for adults and children - adults often outnumber kids at a First birthday party and it is nice to honour grown-up guests with something other than fairy bread and cheerios (although I know we all secretly love that about children's birthday parties!)

Framing the invitation as decor - a mini masterpiece!

Incorporating photographs of the birthday girl as a baby and with her sisters into the buffet display.

Homemade bird softies as favours for Zoe's little friends too young for sweets.

Take-home lolly bags for the adults too - yes, it really is all about us!

Party drinks served in clear vessels - a nice touch of colour.

Mini hot chocolate shots in pink polka dot espresso cups - a simple, fun way to warm up!

A creativity table to keep kids of all ages busy with bird-inspired colouring pages, collage and ornament making using feathers, love hearts, flowers, beads, bells, paint and sequins.

One Little Lala Bird invitations and tags by Alannah Rose Designer Stationery at Details, details! Similar designs using this motif and colour scheme are available for Baby Showers and other parties, so the one-year-old is optional for this party theme!

Zoe's outfit by Little Choopie (onesie) and Oobi Baby (skirt).

Birdcage paper cutouts by Little Retreats (Etsy). I mounted these onto painted canvases to create artwork.

Beautiful wooden tree at Hart & Heim - now a lovely addition to Zoe's woodland nursery

Pattern for sewing fabric birds from Spool

Bird's nests (holding labels) from Prior Engagement

Happy Birthday and Bird Garlands and Bird tags used as labels - all by Paperklip Design at Details, details!

Personalised Cupcake toppers from Details, details!

Chocolate take-out boxes as children's favours from Details, details!

Sweets from Tom's Confectionery Warehouse (jaffas, jelly bellies, strawberries and cream, milk bottles, musk sticks, maltesers, strawberry and chocolate bon bons, mini musks) and Coles (red gummi love hearts, marshmallows and cute gummi toadstools!)

Vintage-inspired name print (with `Sweet Tweets' table) from Sarah + Abraham

Wrapping paper as table runners from Details, details!

Paper lanterns from Details, details!

I have had such fun remembering this party - but I do wish that my baby bird would stay little just a bit longer. March officially marks the start of Party Planning 2010, so to officially archive the parties of 2009 we will be bring you more great details from these celebrations over coming days.

A little bricks and mortar . . . . .

2010-02-25T21:48:00.013+10:00

So it's been a busy week digging for those surfaces, but you (and my hubby!) might be pleased to know they have emerged from beneath their makeshift blankets of colour and are back in all their orderly, calm (but slightly boring!) glory. Funnily, the kids are not keen on sitting back at the Dining Room table after their forced stint at the Breakfast bench. Might have something to do with a better view of the T.V.

Thanks to everyone who dropped by to see us at Mathilda’s Market in Brisbane last Saturday – it is really such great fun to step out of our `studio and warehouse’ (read: computer desk and garage) and feel like we have a little piece of bricks and mortar for just one day. Despite very little sleep the night before, we always seem to come home refreshed by the sheer pleasure of meeting and chatting with customers and imparting a little party inspiration while we’re at it. So much more fun to play `this goes with that’ in person than it is behind this computer screen.

We loved the vibe of the new venue with its majestic weeping willows, sweeping lawns, red brickwork, exposed beams and snippets of Brisbane racing history in every corner.

We were quite the busy bees setting up stall and adding a few sweet touches to the entrances and so our photography is lacking a little, but here’s a few snaps of our stall and decorations.

Ribbon garlands, packaging pretties and Little Laundry garland (by Paperklip for Details, details!)

More packaging pretties

Paper chains and goodie bags (instore soon)

Our garland of vintage-inspired lace and ribbons adorns the garden

Giant paper pinwheels and paper chains strung across the many archways

And try as we might to keep our spending hands tucked in our pockets at this gorgeous market, for fear of spending everything we earn, we couldn’t resist grabbing a couple of things from these Mathilda’s newcomers . . . .

A pretty pleated top for Zoe from Don’t Tell Mamma

This fun and funky t-shirt for Campbell from Electric Boy

Did you find something wonderful at Mathilda's Market?

Desperately Seeking Surfaces

2010-02-16T20:08:00.007+10:00

Last time I looked I was the proud owner of a kitchen benchtop, a dining table, a coffee table, a hall buffet and several other horizontal surfaces. Today they have all disappeared under a mountain of pretty paper, colourful ribbons, spools of twine and printed labels!

It's Mathilda's Market week and our households are buzzing with excitement, punctuated randomly with moments of complete chaos. We know we are not alone and love hearing from other market friends that they, too, are madly crafting their way towards this weekend. Will be nice to catch up with clever ladies Jo, Helen and Anna, Melinda, Carla, Trudi and Sharon.

Here's a little sneak peek of our pretty new ribbon garlands in lots of yummy flavours available for the first time at Mathilda's:

We are also honoured to be doing a little venue decorating again. Haven't seen the new digs yet so fingers crossed our little plan comes together.

If you are close to Brisbane on Saturday, please do come visit. It would make us happy.

P.S. My husband would quite like to see those missing surfaces soon - just quietly, I'm a little bit partial to the piles of pretty things lying around. Sshhhh!

Any excuse

2010-02-08T21:04:00.018+10:00

Don't you agree any excuse to celebrate life and love is a good excuse? Any excuse to hold on a little tighter, dance together in the kitchen while the kids giggle at us or sneak in an extra smooch is a good excuse. And any excuse to maybe bake a little something sweet and get a little creative in the gift-giving department is definitely a good excuse. Critics may holler about commercialism and hype but we say bring on Valentine's Day! Here's a few adorable (and mostly downloadable!) projects we found to help you celebrate this weekend with your loved ones in style.

Treat bags from Twig and Thistle. Head over here to download artwork for free.

Candy-filled heart cones from Martha Stewart. Instructions can be found here

Candy bar wrappers from Creature Comforts. Free download over here.

Lollipop Heart Flowers from Martha Stewart. Head over here for instructions

Message garlands from Whisker Graphics.

We love her ideas for cute places to hang them!

You can download them for free over here.

Handmade heart doilies from Martha Stewart. Get crafting with these instructions.

Little matchbox valentines from inchmark. Follow the way to download templates here.

Hanging crayon hearts from Martha Stewart. Create your own with these instructions.

Adorable Valentine's packaging set from marialunate on Etsy.

Real Hip Hooray: Up in the Air

2010-01-29T23:21:00.008+10:00

How lucky is this little birthday boy to have Amy Atlas, undisputed queen of the dessert buffet, as his MUM! Amy has shared a few `flying' pictures from her son's adorable plane-inspired party over at her blog - we love every sweet, coordinated detail from the personalised placemats and party hats to the clever runway tablescape. Most of all we love that Amy's `details' are heartfelt and handmade . . . . and not beyond the creativity and budget of the not-so-famous party planners of this world! Thanks Amy for reminding all of us just how sweet life can (and should) be . . . .

Images via Sweet Designs: A Blog by Amy Atlas. Read more

A pretty package

2010-01-28T09:49:00.010+10:00

Don't you just love these adorable little sweet bags from The Farm Chicks? The best part is that they come as a digital file for you to print as you wish and use over and over again. Now you'll never be caught short of something a little pretty to present a sweet treat, a thank you gift, or something to say I'm-just-so-glad-you're my-friend. Gorgeous for wedding or party favours and just in time for Valentine's Day too. We would be most happy to receive just one of these filled with kisses and hugs! Or maybe one of these Sweetie Pies . . . .

Serena has a delightful blog and lots of great ideas, recipes and products for living with simplicity and beauty. The Farm Chicks will ship to Australia - Yay! - these tags will be lovely in our stash of packaging pretties.

Real Hip Hooray: Pinwheel Preppy

2010-01-24T21:10:00.012+10:00

This one's for the boys. Pinwheels are one of our favourite party details and the inspiration for this perfectly preppy celebration designed by the talented Sharnel for her young man's 4th Birthday. These gorgeous pictures whizzed around the blog world last week (1st blog lesson: no sleeping allowed or you miss stuff!) - but we figure you never really can have too much of a good thing, so for any of those who didn't catch it elsewhere, these are just for you . . .

Sharnel and her business partner Keren are creators of the yummiest ever cupcakes and other goodies over at The Cupcake Company and we had the pleasure of working with Sharnel on some polka-dot pretties for our first Mathilda's Market stall last year. This talented Mum has since grabbed the attention of the party glitterati, including THE Amy Atlas, for her simple, beautiful party styling. Sharnel shares many things of beauty on her blog, My Life, My Loves and has kindly provided all the resources for William's party there.

Love this colour scheme as much as we do? Here are a few of our favourite Navy and Green details to help you get the look:

Top row L to R: Navy spot wrap, Specklefarm stripe placecards via Details, details!; Pinwheel via Twirlie Whirlies

Middle row: Paper flags and baking cups by Paper Eskimo, Paper lantern (Grass) all via Details, details!

Bottom row: Navy tin pail via Details, details!; Invitation from Smallprints; Paper lantern (Navy) via Details, details!

Tres Chic

2010-01-24T14:59:00.008+10:00

The invite said wear your favourite pink outfit and, while it's not as if Mia's wardrobe was lacking in pink, when I spotted this adorable fabric on etsy . . . .

I just had to whip her up a new twirlie skirt for the party. Fabric arrived from the US on Tuesday. Contemplated not sewing the new outfit on Wednesday. Mustered up some energy and downloaded this great little pdf pattern on Thursday. Twirling up a storm just in time for the Saturday soiree.

Real Hip Hooray: Pink Poodles in Paris

2010-01-17T11:59:00.022+10:00

Mia was a guest at a perfectly pretty parisian party recently. The cute age-appropriate twist was that it was all about the pink poodle. With lashings of pink and black, mini french yummies and adorable puppy details, the little guests returned grinning from poodle ear to ear.

Details we heart:

Pink poodle ears for all the girls on arrival
Patisserie-inspired party buffet filled with mini croissants, mini chocolate eclairs, those macarons, polka-dot cookies, bone shaped pastries, and raspberry meringues
Fabric awning suspended above the buffet for `store window' effect
Luella's boutique where the girls could `shop' for jewellery and cosmetics - all candy of course!
The much-adored Fifi the Poodle cake
Babycinos created from marshmallows and whipped cream
Eiffel tower drinking cups
Pass the Shopping Bag game - each guest retrieved a dog-bone shaped trinket box filled with crayons
Limbo beneath a boa of pink feathers!
Goodie boxes overflowing with poodle-inspired gifts - bracelets, stickers, notepads, and even fifi herself

Sonia's style file:

Invitations, paper accessories and signage - designed and created by Sonia
Cake - lovingly homemade from The Australian Women's Weekly Kids Party Cake Book
Black spotty fabric for awning - Spotlight
Party accessories and tableware, Poodle pinata, poodle ears and poodle goodie boxes all from birthdayexpress.com
Spotty baking cups and sugar bow toppers from sugarlandcaketoppers.com.au
Gift wrap, ribbon, flower dishes from Details, details!
Striped parlour - available for hire (Brisbane Only) from Details, details!

Truly. Madly. Deeply.

2010-01-16T21:37:00.004+10:00

It's official. We are in love. The Macarons and I. Well, possibly it's a little unrequited crush, all I know is my heart beats a little faster when we are in the same room together and I simply can't get enough. That's not to say our first date last week went entirely without awkward moments and moodiness, but all I hoped for was enough `good' ones to be able to line them up in perfect little rows of coloured goodness and this is what I got . . . .

Happy. Contented. Dreaming of the next time we shall meet.

P.S. Sorry I kept you hanging for a week. Long story short is that my camera disappeared just before the Parisian party last Saturday. I suspected foul play may have been involved. Camera was found several days later in the side pocket of rolling luggage hidden in back of sister's wardrobe. Should have been the first place I looked, right? 18 month old suspect since apprehended and cuddled incessantly! Pics are courtesy of friend's i-phone . . . pink poodles coming up next.

Not sure we can wait . . .

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to see more of this adorable naming day celebration being planned for little Max, new baby son of the super-talented Sarah from Style Me Gorgeous. How many days till March?

Hip Theme: A little Ooh La La!

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Mia has her first birthday party of the year tomorrow and we've (yes, both of us!) been looking forward to it all holidays . Host mum Sonia is a graphic designer with lots of style and great concepts. We have had fun sharing ideas and inspiration as she plans a tres chic Parisian soiree for 6 year old Luella (also affectionately known as Lulu - how fitting!).

I have offered to make the macarons - oooh those sweet delicate little pastel numbers which I adore the look of, but ummm, have never made before this week! Actually the test batch were a surprising success, but meringue and I have a tumultuous relationship so I am quietly anxious about our date tonight. Keep me in your thoughts - oh and if you don't see piccies here in the next few days, you will know the macarons and I had a major falling out.

Gorgeous for ladies of all ages, a Parisian theme is sweet and stylish for any girlie occasion. Look forward to sharing the details from Lulu's soiree - in the meantime here's a little inspiration . . . .

Top Row L to R: Le Parti de Paris Invitations from Alannah Rose; La Petite Boulangerie via Pen n Paper Flowers

Second Row: Handbags & heels cookie tin from Polka Dot Cookies; cupcakes via The Decorated Cookie

Third Row: Vintage style wrap from Details, details!; Petite Hot Chocolate via Details, details!; Kawaii stamps from Yozo Craft

Bottom Row: Vintage styleposter from Cavallini & Co at Zetta Florence; Macarons (image anonymous; try Twist 'n Roll for similar); Cake Topper from Lollipop Workshop

Fancy pants cupcakes

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Today was `family feast' day. Held at our parents' place once a month, it's hopefully the beginning of a wonderful tradition, bringing us all back to the table together to share great food, wine and conversation. When we try to suss out the menu in advance, Mum always replies that "it's not about the food, it's about the company". Sure, the company is wonderful, but bottom line is our Mum is a great cook and well, frankly, it's an awful lot about the food!

Anyway, the day always ends with cupcakes - the kids count on it! Today's cupcakes got a little dressed up for the occasion (probably to honour the arrival of the new coffee machine). Don't you just love what they're wearing? Donna Hay's fancy baking papers and sugar pearls in the sweetest shades of pink, chocolate and aqua. Donna aptly calls her range `bling for baking' - love it! We found ours at David Jones, but our favourite online baking store, Little Betsy Baker, is stocking them and if you're in Sydney check out the Donna Hay General Store in Woollahra.

Thanks Mum (and Dad, the wine waiter) for another memorable `family feast'. So what's on the menu next month?

Happy New Year! Let the parties begin . . .

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Well, we can’t quite believe it has come around again, but here we are popping corks all over the place and celebrating the arrival of a brand, spanking new year filled with promise. And promises.

Yes, we PROMISE to write regularly on our new blog (sorry about the false start!). Yes, we PROMISE to keep stocking our store with oh-so-gorgeous party things. Yes, we PROMISE not to have any parties for our kids this year. Hang on a minute. That doesn't sound like a promise we'd make?

2009 was indeed a huge year of planning, prepping and styling six memorable celebrations for our youngsters – and yes we may have thrown out this crazy, off-the-cuff promise to our husbands while in a haze of post-party exhaustion (you know the kind!). But now that 2010 has rolled around we're not so sure that’s a promise we can keep! HELLO! We are in the party business. Never going to happen.

So while we go about smooching to our husbands for leniency on promises made, here’s a little snapshot review of our 2009 family celebrations – look out for more details this month as we remember what fun we created last year and start dreaming up themes for 2010. We’d love to see what you created in 2009 or hear about what party style is inspiring you for 2010. May it be a wonderful celebration-filled year for you and your families xo

Three cheers!

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Hip hip hooray! Welcome and thank you for stopping by our place. We love a great celebration filled with delicious details and are excited to be sharing with you our addiction to all that is beautiful, stylish and yummy in the world of entertaining. We hope you find inspiration here to create your own style for celebrating.

Top: Punchpapers on Etsy Middle: Nice on Etsy (image via Me & Wee) Bottom: aescrapbooking