Peas & Thank You's

Too cool for school!

2011-10-05T16:26:00.001-04:00

My daughter is a unique little girl... I don't know many 8 year olds who would be over the moon for a SCHOOL themed birthday party, but she can't get enough of school. She devours books, is most excited to tell me what "Math Facts in a Flash" level she reached that day, and keeps school supplies in her nightstand so she can practice her creative writing at bedtime. It was a challenge to incorporate the school theme with her request for "smelly stickers" and fun activities!!

The kids didn't actually see the party room or favor bar until half way through the party because I had it tucked away inside. We did end up having beautiful fall weather though, so we spent an hour having "recess" outside. We provided plenty of hula hoops, skip ball, ribbon wands, bubbles, sidewalk chalk, and ladder ball and the kids really enjoyed free play and socializing.

As soon as they came inside for cake, the squeals began! It was the ultimate confirmation that I did a good job ; ) The party featured a cake table and favor bar with tons of specially chosen goodies and a good lesson to learn for each.

The favor bar included puzzle erasers, crayons, lollipops, sticker books, gummy worms, composition books, and personalized bottle cap backpack clips... but the items that caused the biggest "scent"sation were the Smencils! I hit the jackpot and found the cutest little red metal trash can to put the Smencils in, and each had a little tag that said "Being dull STINKS!" (I thought it was hilarious hehehe!)

Big thanks to my local Publix of course, they always bake the most delicious cakes for our parties! I specifically asked them to make it look homemade (I remember taking homemade treats to school to celebrate... back when kids were ALLOWED to do such preposterous things!) I added a quick DIY chalkboard banner and a last minute custom fondant topper from Cakes and Kids. I am so grateful to Julie for helping me out at the last minute!! It was the perfect touch for our party and she even made it just like the heart shaped apple I designed for the invitations!

I used a giant polka dot hat box that I found at Hobby Lobby for a cake riser. Actually most of the party supplies are from Hobby Lobby, from the lanterns and tissue for the poms, to the chalkboard, metal pails, and locker box. Yes, I have a reserved parking space there. Well I should... anyways.

I made circle garland for the first time for this party, and I was pleasantly surprised at how quick and easy the project was! I also added leaves and stems to the paper lanterns to turn them into apples too.

Neenie was beside herself when she saw the Knock Knock that Natalie made for her party! I couldn't bear to leave it at the front door where it would only be admired on the way in, and I just happened to have a door IN the eat in kitchen that wasn't feeling very festive... so of course we had to give it a feature in the party room! It is seriously too cute for words!

The vintage desk made a great side table for drinks. In case you missed it on facebook, this little desk was actually rescued from a recycling truck - it was once in my very own Kindergarten when I was a little girl! My mom saved it and sent it all the way to Georgia for my girls, and I added a coat of chalkboard spray to spruce it up for the party. The kids were fascinated by the desk, but even more so by the hinged juice bottles and "crayon" straws! Both the straws AND the awesome display idea are from Hey Yoyo!

They were equally fascinated by the individual ice cream cups too. I never serve ice cream at a party... c'mon, it takes FOREVER to scoop out and makes a huge mess right?! When I saw these little cups at The Party Fairy I had to give them a try. Each cup came with an inside and outside lid, a little wooden spoon to tuck in between, and it was the perfect size for a custom sticker too. I labelled the flavors on the stickers (the benefit of older children - they could read and choose for themselves!) Go forth and spread the good news, ice cream is making a party comeback!!

A last peek at the invitations I made especially for our party. They resembled two pocket folders and came complete with a bookmark, "official" school letter, and schedule (with fun revisions!)

Of course, no school year is complete without a horrible school portrait right? The boys were definitely not interested (the Mario Kart tournament on the Wii and our table of Playmobil made them more than happy though) while the girls had an awesome time getting their photos taken. It was the perfect time of year to stock up on photo booth props and we got some hilarious pictures to send in our thank you notes!

Elmo gets DOTTY!

2011-08-28T22:24:00.001-04:00

Five years ago when I (HAND CUT goodness gracious) my very first Elmo invitations, I knew that the theme was timeless as far as a two year old is concerned. Every year there is a new crowd of two year olds and they just adore him time and time again. He actually debuted on Sesame Street way back in the 1970's... when I was a child myself... but in 1985 puppeteer Kevin Clash turned him into the three and a half year old icon that he has been for so many years since.

Although Elmo will never grow old, I thought after these five years that it might be a great time to launch a fresh new redesign! I will still offer the originals, but I had SO much fun with this new set that I could hardly wait to share the photos.

Yup, Elmo has gone DOTTY! I had several requests to add polka dots this summer so I decided to go ahead and set up an entire theme with them. I love the clean but playful feel and adore the stylish new fonts.

I also infused two new Paper Source colors that were only recently released, Clover green and Sunshine yellow. They are so bright and really bring Elmo to life!

So Elmo has your two year old singing "Lala La La" all day long? It's ok mom - you can have a FABULOUS sesame street party! Check out some of the adorable ideas on Pinterest, like this cupcake display.

Source: annies-eats.net via Peas & on Pinterest

You can see more on my pinboard here, or do a search of your own and you'll see for yourself. Elmo is cool. Just ask your two year old!

Step right up for our new Circus theme!

2011-08-23T17:45:00.000-04:00

Circus parties can quite literally provide fun for all ages, just like they say. From a small backyard celebration with hot dogs and games, to a full scale shindig with a tent and clowns, there is an abundance of decorations, activities, and foods to choose from. And thanks to a few fun loving clients (and all around awesome party moms) I am so happy to offer circus theme invitations and party goodies as well!

The new theme is available in colors suited for boys or girls, and is now available at Peas & Thank You's! Check out all the new goodies - especially the folded circus tent invitation (my favorite!!) - all made to order and personalized especially for your child.

A color change to blossom, red, peacock and pool lends a little vintage feel and tons of "girly girl" charm.

I also gathered some of the best inspiration and ideas to get your circus or carnival party planning going on Pinterest! Check out this adorable (and so EASY) duck pond game:

Source: google.com via Peas & on Pinterest

And don't forget the perfect party outfit too!

Source: etsy.com via Peas & on Pinterest

Check out my Circus & Carnival Party Pinterest board for more awesome ideas, and you can find the sources for each (like recipes, tutorials, shopping links or full party details for each) by clicking each photo and then the link to the top right.

Weekly Update 8.15.11

2011-08-15T08:38:00.000-04:00

A couple big things going on this week so I thought a little update was in order!

First I want to welcome my dear friend and fellow paper crafter Leanne, who is officially starting TODAY to help me out in the office! She is truly a second set of hands and we are both excited to make some serious cuteness for all your upcoming celebrations.

Also, I accomplished a huge task last night and turned my Etsy shop back on! I have been accumulating boxes and boxes of premade items that Leanne helped me out with, and they are finally all finished and listed in the shop as ready to ship items. Everything you see in the shop will ship on the next business day, so if you're in a pinch and unprepared, stop by and see if I can't help you pull together an adorable last minute party.

And without further ado, the first new theme contest is a tie... since camping and woodland creatures go hand in hand, I've decided to design a mix and match set incorporating both themes! Keep your eyes out for the debut, because the set will be launched at 25% off for everyone!

Ok, back to work : ) Have a wonderful week!

August new theme contest!

2011-08-09T11:33:00.002-04:00

Now that the new shop is finally launched, I couldn't wait to announce my first new theme contest! This will be regular occurence here on my blog, when you can suggest a new theme you want added to my shop. After being inundated with custom design requests for the past year, I finally had to establish custom design fees... but not because I don't LOVE designing new themes! It just takes a long time and was limiting the number of orders I was able to accept (not to mention the number of hours I could sleep.) So to make up for that I am offering the opportunity for you to suggest what new theme you would like to see at Peas & Thank You's!

Each contest may run differently. Sometimes I'll add a facebook poll to determine the winner, sometimes I'll pick my favorite, and if there are too many entries that I love I may pick one from a hat! This month, though, I'm going to show you some sample dies that I have that I've been just waiting to use... you tell me which one(s) you love the most and I'll design a party theme with the most popular selection.

Everyone will win because the new theme will be launched at 25% off!

Here are the nominees!

Camping

Woodlands

Baby Forecast

Bumble Bees

Cherries

Just leave me a comment telling me which one is your favorite! Any suggestions for patterns or styles that you would want incorporated are more than welcome too. As soon as I have a considerable number of "votes" I'll announce the winner and get started with the new design!

Party Scoops: Summer Picks for Boys No.ONE!

2011-05-23T08:00:00.003-04:00

I cannot tell you how excited I've been to reveal my number 1 pick for summer invitations for boys! Without a doubt, a CAMPING PARTY is what I would want for my own birthday (just in case anyone ever wants to throw me a party, you know... )

Why camping? Well, personally I grew up a total tomboy. Our family vacations never once involved a hotel, a beach, or a restaurant. From the age of 2 months, we camped - mostly around the Ohio Valley region and sometimes as far as Harrisburg, PA or Lake Erie. I ate hot dogs off a stick, slept in cozy sleeping bag listening to the fire, and ran rampid through the woods and rivers.

A camping party adventure doesn't have to involve sleepovers, outhouses, or bug spray though (although I think that would make it all the more fun!) A backyard adventure with scouting type activities, building teepees, or roasting marshmallows would make any crowd of boys happy. And if yours are too little for all that, you can still host a traditional party and decorate for the great outdoors!

Here are my top picks for Camping Party invitations. (I got a little carried away and had to share a few extras!)

Retail Option: Little Tent Invitations by Tiny Prints $1.99 - $0.99 (quantity discount) I don't think anyone has informed major retailers just how much fun camping is. Luckily I found this sweet and very classic flat invitation at Tiny Prints! I love the simplicity and vintage feel of the illustration.

Handmade/Retail Option: Great Outdoors by The Celebration Shoppe 8 for $22. Honestly, I'm not sure which category this would fall in. Kim has grown an amazing stationery and party decor shop and her designs continue to delight me every day! Even better, she offers a never ending supply of inspiration to help you plan your party on her blog. A must see!

DIY {Printable} Option: Explore Party by Party Sweet Events, $9.99. I love the flannel feel background of this printable invitation, and the motif speaks to my inner pyromaniac (ok I'm not really, but I do like my campfires on the threshold of bonfires!) Want more? This price includes the ENTIRE party set - banner, labels, flags, party circles and more!

DIY {Handmade} Option: A Little Loveliness Now, this is obviously not an anyone-can-do DIY option... I'm not sure I would even be up to the task! Melissa at A Little Loveliness created these AMAZING hand sewn, zipper close sleeping bag invitations for her son's sleepover and documented the entire process for you. Is it not AMAZING?!

Bonus! The Blackberry Vine (Momma Made Invitations) Jami's Blog is such a neat place to visit, be inspired with cakes, crafts, parties... I stumbled upon these adorable invitations that she made for her own son's birthday and I had to share them. A mom who really *gets* me ; ) You must check out her post - there is even more cuteness on the back too!

So now that you found the perfect invitations, what do you DO with a camping theme party? I fear you might never return... stuck in bloggyland bliss forever, but I have to share. You MUST check out the full posts in these links for AMAZING photos, ideas, products and inspiration! Enjoy!

Moore Minutes

(who will always be my favorite party planning mom by the way, as she landed a guest desert feature on Amy Atlas... and provided me likely the only experience I'll ever have of seeing something I made featured on those hallowed pages!!!)

Oh Sugar Events

b.a.s.h.ful events

tsj photography

So there you have it! My 5 most popular boys themes for the summer, and where to find the perfect invitations (and a little inspiration along the way!) Don't forget to email me if you'll be hosting an awesome adventure filled, s'mores covered party this summer... so I can send you my mailing address for my invitation!!!

Party Scoops: Summer Picks for Boys No.3 (Repost)

2011-05-22T02:08:00.001-04:00

Well I'm so sorry that No.3 went missing! This was posted last Wednesday right after Blogger set a maintenance "roll back point", and it doesn't appear like it will be coming back so I am reposting all of these awesome carnival/circus invitations and inspiration! I know circus parties are very popular right now... I am working on two right now and have two more coming up later in the summer. How can you resist all the fun, games, bright decor and easy food options that go with the circus!

Here are my favorite picks for circus invitations!

Retail Option: InvitationBox by SanLori Designs 20 for $50. The circus tent is obviously iconic for invitations, and what I love about these is the simplicity. Two primary colors with stripes and stars are all that is necessary, and the designer did not try to squeeze in a lion, elephant, clown, tightrope walker... you get the point. Less is more!

Handmade Option: Boxed Set by Gourmet Invitations Price N/A. (In fact, I'm not sure I want to know the price!) This set has every finishing touch imaginable right down to custom designed stamps and wrap around address labels. Absolutely adorable!

DIY Option: Ticket booth by Martha Stewart Leave it to Martha to make something SO simple that is just adorable. You certainly don't need a lot of fancy equipment to make this yourself either.

Need more circus party inspiration? Check out these parties for plenty of big top fun!

J at Your Service

Kara's Party Ideas

Dimpleprints

Hopefully Blogger won't lose any more posts, I'm REALLY excited to post my #1 boys summer theme pick on Monday!!

Party Scoops: Summer Picks for Boys No.2

2011-05-21T01:09:00.000-04:00

Following up on my very first Party Scoop {Inviting Invitations}, this week I am counting down my top 5 summer party theme picks for boys, featuring the best retail, handmade, and DIY invitations I can find!

Today's pick coming in at No.2: Surf's Up!

Surfing theme parties seem to be taking over the long held reign of Under the Sea parties this year! It works great for a pool party, but can hold it's own without water just as well. Vintage and retro is just as common as bright luau style, and the decorations are just plain cool!

Here are my favorite picks for surfing invitations!

Retail Option: Checkerboard "Fun Palm" available at InvitationConsultants.com , price varies $3-$8 depending on quantity. Surely it's obvious why I love this invitation. I do not, however, love the price! If you are having a really really big party though, then the price drops significantly and you can score these gorgeous standing die cut palm invitations!

Handmade Option: Bushel & Peck Paper, 10 for $15. The invitation is awesome. The price is awesome. What more could you want??

DIY Option: Oriental Trading Project, Woody Car with Surfboard (Free). Dude... to be fair, it does say this is an advanced level of difficulty and will take an hour to make (to make one invitation that is)... but if you know anyone with a Silhouette or Cricut you are good to go! Check out the link for a downloadable instruction sheet.

Ready to hang 10? Here are some AWESOME surfing parties to check out!

I Love Parties

Style Me Gorgeous

Tini Posh

Love it, right?! I had such a hard time deciding if this was my first or second pick... but tomorrow's theme speaks to my own childhood - I am so excited to share my last boys' summer theme pick with you!! Next week we'll feature parties just for the girls!

Party Scoops: Summer Picks for Boys No.4

2011-05-10T08:11:00.002-04:00

Following up on my very first Party Scoop {Inviting Invitations}, this week I am counting down my top 5 summer party theme picks for boys, featuring the best retail, handmade, and DIY invitations I can find!

Today's pick coming in at No.4: Baseball!

Being a mom of two girls, it did take me a while to wrap my head around this. Boys love sports... and are perfectly content to have an entire party that consists of playing their favorite sport. Where's the dress up? Or the craft? Ok I get it (kinda). Baseball is the great american pastime, so whether you go vintage or little league, you're sure to hit a home run with the boys!

Here are my favorite picks for baseball invitations!

Handmade Option: Mr. Beancakes $56 for 8 Hello, um, awesome? That's right, the queen of die cutting and stitching paper has found her soulmate. Need I say more?

Retail Option: Tiny Prints $2.99 each I hate to admit how long it took me to find a retail invitation for this theme that I actually liked! While there are some really really bad ones out there, I don't think you could go wrong here. BUT... I don't think this invite would have the same wow factor for me if there was, say, an iphone snapshot or the boy rounding second base 25 yards away. Don't. Do. It. Stick with close up and candid of your son's handsome face!

DIY Option: Spaceships and Laser Beams $10 Printable File. I suppose this could classify as retail also, but Spaceships & Laser Beams took the hardest part out of DIY for you, and all you have to do here is print it, cut it, and mail it. And if you check out her shop, I think you will be pleasantly surprised at the coordinating party decorations! Vintage/cartoon/fun.. the kind even this girly momma has to love!

Need more Baseball Party inspiration? Follow the links here to see some grand slam events!

Dimpleprints

Charm Event Design

Mon Tresor

{I'm out of puns already... no really. Just, uh, come back tomorrow?!}

Party Scoops: Summer Picks for BOYS No.5

2011-05-09T13:44:00.001-04:00

Following up on my very first Party Scoop {Inviting Invitations}, this week I am counting down my top 5 summer party theme picks for boys, featuring the best retail, handmade, and DIY invitations I can find! Choosing and sending a fun, unique invitation is a sure fire way to get your little boy's guests excited to come to the party. Today's picks top the chart on both!

Summer theme pick for boys, #5: Pirates!

Pirate parties are always going to rank high on my list, because they are fun to plan and decorate, and you can always find a great variety of both paper products and party supplies. There is an endless flow of ideas from themed food and drinks to piratey activities and most of them are easy DIY projects. Want to get extravagant? Have dad pitch in with all those power tools you KNOW he's dying to put to use, and he can build a mast for the picnic table, a plank to walk, or a treasure chest for favors.

Here are my favorite finds for Pirate invitations!

Retail option: Chasing Fireflies by Meri Meri $20 for 12 invitations AND 12 thank you notes. These might be retail invitations, but you can't beat the price for an invitation that doubles as a pirate hat! Even if the hat only lasts a day (or an hour depending on how rambunctious your son is), they are just too cool. Plus the set includes thank you notes!

Handmade option: Mary Had a Little Party 6 for $25.50. Kristen never ceases to wow when it comes to unique and her style is so fun. Sail these off to your guests and they are sure to be impressed!

DIY option: Materials and instructions by Ginger and George! A message in a bottle can not scream pirate any more than this! Ginger and George give you complete instructions for creating these invitations yourself, right down to the printable and directions for tea staining it too. Of course mailing would cost more as you would have to pack these in small boxes, but they are fabulous for smaller parties when you can hand deliver (which of course, makes it even MORE exciting for your little matey!)

Need more Pirate Party inspiration? Check out these fabulous parties!

Celebrations at Home

The Purple Pug

Suenos Encantados

Hope you like me picks.... otherwise, well, WALK THE PLANK! ARRRR!

What I want for mother's day...

2011-05-07T12:13:00.000-04:00

Squirmy hugs and slobbery kisses!! Did you think I was going to ask for jewels, a designer bag, or something silly like that I have absolutely no use for?

I want one from this little sweetheart:

Neenie, 7 years old

one from this little monkey:

Lulu, 4 years old

one from my furbabies:

Eagle Beagle, 14 years old

Autumn Star, 13 years old

and even one from the little brown cow:

Reesie Boy, 16 weeks old

Happy Mother's Day to you all! I wish many squirmy hugs and slobbery kisses for each and every one of you too!

Lulu's "Cowgirl Chic" roundup!

2011-05-03T08:25:00.001-04:00

My own little darlin' celebrated her fourth birthday this weekend with a rustic, dainty and country loving chic cowgirl party! (I'm sorry there really are a gazillion photos... literally.... I wanted to show you all the little details that I had so much fun planning!) It all started with a pair of pink cowgirl boots from Target. Lulu wore them SO much they had to be replaced three times - most recently upgraded to a gorgeous pair of brown and pink Justin boots from a real cowboy boot outlet out here in the country. We live in that part of Georgia where cowboy boots, hats, and cows are normal.

{the invitations} Each invitation was hand torn and stitched onto burlap, embellished with a pink star and chocolate horse. Lulu couldn't wait to give them to her friends at preschool!

{the seating} Because the party was outdoors, it was crucial to provide a comfortable, shady area for parents to relax and kids to retreat to to enjoy their snacks and refreshments. I was so happy to have a friend willing to lend me an easy up canopy, that I draped with burlap tied at the corners with handmade rag flowers made from scraps of the girls' skirts.

Hay bales were used for both seating and table space and worked perfectly for both. An extra square of burlap made for a quick last minute "table" cloth with a ball jar balanced in the center to hold a few flowers. Honestly I was not expecting the flowers to stay standing very long but miraculously they stayed put right through the end!

{the backdrop} Real spaces require very real solutions... knowing I would be placing the main table in front of the garage door, I wanted to dress up the space just enough that the carriage style doors would look like part of the decor and not the ugly things in the background! So I made a faux cowboy rope name for Lulu and a simple coordinating wreath for either side. The wreaths also utilized scraps of burlap and raggy flowers from the skirt extras.

The rope name was a creative endeavor that involved a 25' roll of heavy gauge wire from Home Depot, a 900' spool of just twine from Hobby Lobby, 3 Command picture hooks and several hours of braiding. I am so in love with the result!

{the table} Dainty, girly and chic meets rustic, country and cowgirl! The first major undertaking was the incredible ruffled tablecloth... 40 yards of burlap and linen triple layered and hand ruffled by yours truly. Betcha didn't know I could DO that!

The insanely adorable cupcake toppers were made by the one and only Kristy of The Purple Pug. I gave Kristy a few details of the party and she totally knocked me off my cowgirl boots with adorable glittered cacti (my favorite!), magnolias (Lulu's given name is Magnolia Lu), pink cowgirl boots and pink and brown glittered "Lulu" toppers. Our guests loved them so much - the kids were over the moon to take one home with them and several moms asked if they could keep one to place in their scrapbooks!

The cake balls were SUCH a hit! I knew as soon as I saw these little pearl decked hens made by Terri's Party Treasures that they were destined to make an appearance at our event. I found the most perfect display ever for them at hobby lobby - a neat little wire egg rack with a hen on top! (I almost did cartwheels right in the middle of hobby lobby when I spotted that treasure!)

I also made mini pies.. yes I baked, I know! I saw the most adorable pie pops on Bakerella and followed her instructions to the letter (minus the lollipop sticks of course). Apple and cherry, yum!

Country fare and a lighter healthy snack was offered as well, fresh fruit with yogurt and granola dip and fresh veggies with ranch. I wanted a very rustic display to serve both, so I fabricated these from wooden trays and bowls scoured from Home Goods and ranch style candle holders I found in the clearance section of a local catch all home decor store, Real Deals.

My local Publix bakery and incredibly talented grocery cake decorator mastered my ruffle cake request on the first try! I am sooooo impressed!! While moms swooned over the gorgeous cake, the kids were busy devouring the s'more pops I whipped up. These little treats we so easy - a marshmallow with a quick dip in Wilton chocolate melts and crushed graham crackers.

{the finishing touches} Moment of truth: I have a slight obsessive compulsive side. Which led me to buy all old fashioned soda bottles... of course, I didn't have anywhere to put them so that led to this awesome tree planter which looked so much like a barrel that I had to buy it too. Of course, I don't let my girls have soda so I had to get some adorable old fashioned hinged milk bottles that I filled with chocolate and strawberry milk (and the tin tub, and pink paper straws... you can see how this is a problem for me right?!)

Party favors displayed in an old "farm fresh" crate, also found at Real Deals. The kids were treated to hand dipped gourmet apples in three yummy concoctions: Dirty Apples (caramel and jimmies), Gimme S'mores (marshmallow fluff, chocolate, and graham cracker crumbs) and Cattle Snickers (caramel, chocolate, and crushed peanuts). I don't know which was a bigger mess, my kitchen or the kids faces! They loved them!

A last minute banner whipped up with extra burlap, twine, and rag flowers. I die cut the letters on the Silhouette and hot glued them to the pennants!

Big thanks to my mom for finding the kids cowboy and cowgirl hats at Dollar Tree! I scoured for two weeks to no avail, but she found these for just $1 each - they were felt outside and I loved them, but they didn't stay on the kids heads very well so we added ribbons (what do you want for $1 right?... They still flopped a lot with the ribbons but were adorable none the less!)

{the fun} The highlight of the party was the animals! I don't like to share photos of guests for privacy issues (especially since our guest are just little cowpokes) but I have a few cute candids of the animals and the birthday girl!

Believe it or not, Mack the horse was not in high demand! My girls couldn't get enough of him (even after he nipped Neenie's hand), but I guess when you live in the country the kids can get immuned to things like that... Lulu had so much fun riding though that she was heartbroken when it was time for Mack to go home, so I distracted her with a pen of the cutest, softest bunnies ever!

Lola the mini horse was quite the attraction though, whether her awesome hair stylin' or laid back personality, the kids had to pet her on every trip past. Lulu and Lola had a little heart to heart moment too, so cute!

Hanging out on the "ranch"...

{the birthday portraits} After the party I couldn't resist snapping a few candids of Lulu with her sister Neenie and "best boy" Gabe. The girls' adorable outfits were custom made by Beth at Baa Baa Baby Boutique! The skirts were soooo twirly that Lulu couldn't stop shaking her hips just to see it sway.

You may recognize the little horse... er, puppy... in the last photo. That's our Reesie boy that we rescued not too long ago! 

I hope you enjoyed the photos of our lil' cowgirl's birthday! I was so sad that it ended too soon... and that she's growing up on me all too fast. With any luck, though, big sister will choose to have a cowgirl party in the fall and I can do it all over again!

Lulu's Under the Sea Party {2010}

2011-04-27T07:53:00.000-04:00

Since I didn't launch my shiny new blog until late last summer, I never did share the photos from my littlest one's third birthday party with you! It's hard to believe we are getting ready to celebrate her 4th birthday in just a few days!!

Now my Lulu didn't have a first birthday party... or a second. So for her third I wanted to do whatever she wanted, which was The Little Mermaid. Ok, so I did whatever she wanted with one small compromise - no Disney (sorry kid!) I spent weeks adding little decorations to the house here and there, and every time something new would appear, the sweet thing threw her arms around my legs and with her loviest eyes told me "Mommy, I jus YOVE my birtday pawty, fank you SO much!" Which was a tear jerker for mommy every time. Anndddd it made it kind of hard to stop decorating!

I wanted seaweed from the ceiling as if the party were underwater, so I use several packages of tissue paper and cut stacks upon stacks of seaweed that I strung with simple fishing line and thumb tacks. I also added lanterns in blues and green at random for bubbles, and scattered the floor with matching balloons as well. The project was very time consuming, but had a very small price tag!

I also added fishing nets to the table and dangling from the corners of the rooms, with die cut sea creatures on the windows and nets.

My favorite project was the edible (and most delicious) candy aquariums. Oh Nuts! Is a fabulous candy retailer and I was able to buy orange rock candy crystals for the sand, swizzle sticks for coral, white sixlets for pearls and foiled milk chocolate fish. By the way, the chocolate fish are to die for!

I also made mini aquariums for favors, and set up a deserted beach island complete with a treasure box filled with pearl sixlets and chocolate coins.

Tableware was wrapped in blue napkins and tied with hemp twine, and set in a plain little metal tub lined with trimmed tissue paper seaweed and a cute little sea turtle.

I had so much food to put on the table I didn't fuss much with a desert display, but the fishing net below made it easy to carve out a space for cake and cupcakes and add a few glass baubles and pearls. I did give in and put a Little Mermaid candle on the cake to make my baby girl happy!

I used the party as a bit of an experiment for party hat templates (this one ~~flopped~~ failed miserably... you can't tell but there are three different types of tape and adhesive holding them together in the back) and to test out the new water bottle labels, which performed beautifully even after they were left outside in the rain storm!

Activities included a Mermaid photo station (painted by yours truly), the limbo made to look like palm trees (designed by your truly and put together with a little hubby help), a sandbox treasure hunt with sea creatures, and horseshoes with a fabulous seahorse themed set I found at Target. I also found sea creature inflatables in all sorts of sizes that the kids had a blast playing with in the trampoline.

I hope you enjoyed the photos as much I enjoyed photoshopping them for you hahaha!! Most of the day was very cloudy and overcast, and I hadn't yet purchased my really fabulous camera yet... so yes I tweaked these quite a bit! We had a wonderful time with a big group of friends, and Lulu had the "best birtday pawty eber"!

Stop back in a few days, I can't wait to share her 4th birthday with you as well!

Some bunny turned one!

2011-04-26T10:19:00.000-04:00

I know, Easter is SO two days ago right? Well I can't bid farewell to the soft pastels, jelly beans, or fuzzy little bunnies until I show off the photos from Reid's first birthday party! Mom Claire wanted to celebrate his birthday the day before Easter, and she chose an Easter Egg Hunt theme party perfect for the season.

The entrance was decorated with ribbon wreaths done in blues, greens and yellows. I matched Claire's color choices with a floppy little blue bunny and a hint of brown as well. I LOVE the grassy border with little Easter eggs tucked here and there, so sweet!

Petit fours made to match the invitation!

The birthday boy himself... so many cute photos it was hard to choose which ones to include! I especially love that he kept his hat on, my kind of boy Reid!

Perfect sign for the egg hunt. It's hard to incorporate activities into a first birthday party, but this was surely a hit with all ages, kids and no-so-kids!

Reid showing off his wonderful parents!

Thank you so much to Claire for letting me take a small part in your big celebration, and allowing me to show off your very special first birthday party! Happy birthday Reid!!

Kailey and Ryan's Art Party

2011-04-25T07:55:00.001-04:00

Long overdue, and with many apologies to mom Helen, I am finally able to show off the photos from Kailey & Ryan's Art party!! Several weeks ago I showed you the custom products I created here, and I was so excited to see the pictures from the event and couldn't wait to show them to you!

Art parties are ALWAYS a great choice for kids of any age! They love to get creative and messy, and there are so many age appropriate projects to choose from. I love that this party was bold and colorful - perfect for 4 year olds!

Helen planned so many fun activities for the girls and their guests. Homemade playdough, macaroni jewelry, chalkboards and chalk to color on, easels for painting, a watercolor table, and hand print canvases to name a few!

I loved the bright signs designating the activity stations!

Hard at working kneading the homemade playdough... I am guessing that this was probably just as much fun as actually playing with it!

The bright colors and fun times did not stop at the arts and crafts tables - Helen color coordinated this party right down to the straws, twirly pops, plates and forks!!

Color explosion of cupcakes to feast the little one's eyes as well!

I have a habit of refraining from posting photos of anyone other than the birthday child, but mom said it was okay to share - and I just had to smile when I saw this one. A perfect birthday party experience in my eyes! The kids obviously enjoyed the party.... nobody is crying, fighting, pushing, dripping, falling, or otherwise uncontent. Just a happy crew!

Last but not least, I wanted to mention Kailey & Ryan's donation station. What a thoughtful venture - they collected art supply donations for a local shelter instead of birthday presents! How wonderful!!

Thank you so much to Helen and the girls for allowing me to show off their fabulous party. I can tell it was oodles of fun!! Great job Helen!!!

Weekly Update 4.14.11

2011-04-14T21:25:00.000-04:00

Just a quick note because I've reached that point... the one where I dread having to say no to new order requests. Currently I don't have any time available until mid June, two or three openings there and then I am pretty much booked until August! I adore all of you and if I can help in any way to find another designer or vendor that has what you need please do ask! There are a lot of wonderful paper party boutiques that I would be thrilled to introduce you to.

Also since this will wrap up new reservations until August, I also want to let you know for future planning that I will be taking more orders in the fall - I have only accepted 2 to 3 per week through the summer so that I can spend precious time with my children - however I will not be doing as many custom designs, in order to accomodate more clients.

Thank you all SO much for celebrating Peas & Thank You's 5th Anniversary with me! I am blessed to have so many wonderful friends, clients, and family who have stuck by me through the growing pains and continue to cheer me on. THANK YOU!

Party Scoops: Inviting Invitations

2011-04-11T08:15:00.000-04:00

It's no lie that when it comes to paper, invitations are my first love. While they might not be the very first thing you consider when planning a childrens' party, perhaps after the theme, budget, and guest list - I believe they play a vital role in your event.

So what's the scoop? It's my first serving of party "wisdom" if you will. I'm not a professional party planner or an etiquette expert; my tips are based on my experiences as a party guest mom, a party hostess for my own two daughters, and my interactions with nearly 500 party planning moms. With each scoop I'll serve up some delicious party tips, and offer flavors from other experienced party professionals too!

in-və-ˈtā-shən: an often formal request to be present

see also invite: to offer an incentive, and inviting: attractive, tempting

When your guests open an invitation, they immediately know when and where the party is being held and who the party is for. Did you blink? They may have also decided whether or not they want to attend your event! I firmly believe this is an equally important detail... after all, you are spending a good deal of money to host a party, and you are spending many hours planning a great time for your guest of honor and attendees, so why miss the opportunity to INVITE them - really attract and tempt them to attend?!

You don't have to spend a fortune to send a wonderful invitation. It should however, reflect your style or the theme of the party, and be wonderful enough to convey to your guests that this is a party they don't want to miss! (It should also be delivered by mail, in my opinion. To be perfectly honest, I have never excitedly "opened" an evite or facebook event request and gotten giddy with anticipation!!) Your invitations should also however reflect the budget of your event. A custom letterpress invitation with matching response card would be just as out of place for a picnic in the park as a retail fill in the blank for a formal baptism reception.

Do-it-yourself invitations are a great option for crafty moms also! If you haven't visited an Archiver's or scrapbook/craft specialty store lately, you are probably envisioning a piece of card stock with cheesy clip art and Comic Sans font text - don't even go there! With the amazing products and tools available today, you CAN make something unique and adorable, and most stores offer free workshops to show you how. Beware... I don't suggest DIY as a money saving option unless you already own a staple of scrapbook tools as you can easily end up spending just as much. I do suggest DIY if you are creative and can identify what you want your invitations to look like, before you start making them.

................Details you MUST include on your invitation................

The occasion and guest of honor's name

Date and time of the event, including pick up time for drop-off or sleepover parties

Location {always include a physical address, as your guests might not be familiar with your venue!}

RSVP name {classmates' parents MAY NOT already know your name, this is vital} and contact phone number/email address if a response is requested

........................Details you should also consider........................

Address siblings' names on the invitation if they are invited, or let parents know personally

Inform parents of any activities, such as water events or sports, that would require appropriate attire

Do not include gift requests unless for a baby shower registry {included separately if possible}, or a no gift or donation suggestion. I may not be Miss Manners but I'm pretty sure that's a big no no!

Inform guests if a meal will be served if the event take place at a regular meal time {for example, "Join us for pizza and cake" or "Snacks and desserts will be served"}.

Have I convinced you yet of the importance of a well delivered and thoughtful invitation? Check out my next scoop for my own paper-loving picks of all types and budgets!

When all else fails, just remember that your child would be happiest with his or her friends at the party to celebrate with them, and plan your invitations accordingly... INVITE them!

{Day 4} Giveaway Winner!

2011-04-06T08:00:00.002-04:00

The suspense!! It's probably killing you as much as it's killing me not publish this post right this very second! I never could stand a surprise.

So, the WINNER of the "With a Little Help from my Friends" Giveaway is....

Ms. Beachy!!!

Thanks Ms. Beachy! We thought it was pretty awesome too!

Winning comment #111

Ms. Beachy I will contact you via email! Not that I have any doubt you will respond, but don't forget that I do need to hear back from you within 7 days to claim your prize!! Congratulations!

Thank you ALL so much for participating in the giveaway!! It was a pleasure to meet so many of you on facebook, and I appreciate your fabulous support of the sponsors! Thank you for making my 5th anniversary amazing!!

From the bottom of my heart, thank you to the sponsors...

Laura at Eye Candy Event Details

Linnette at PaperGlitter

Laura at Cupcakes and Lemonade

Maylene at Malu Boutiques

Claudia at Tini Posh

Do at Piggy Bank Parties

Natalie at Southern Belle's Charm

Kristin at Stampin' Fanatic

Leanne at Plumcake Parties

Kristie at Kind Living Designs

Elizabeth at Baa Baa Baby Boutique

...a girl could not ask for a better group of friends!

The final 5th Anniversary Celebration prize will be awarded Friday at 8 AM EST, to the winner of the Photo Celebration Contest! You can see the entries here and like a photo or two to help the entrants with their chances of winning a Peas & Thank You's $100 Credit!

Have a wonderful Wednesday friends!

5 Year Anniversary Celebration... Keep on partying!

2011-04-01T12:46:00.002-04:00

What a reminder that I'm not 25 anymore... I partied (ok I wish I partied - I worked) until 5 AM last night, and woke up moving even slower than my snail this morning. I think he even might have had a few drinks and was still moving better than me!

The first thing I saw made it all better though. A dear friend whom I've known since 7th grade sent me this fabulous photo collage she put together in honor of my 5th anniversary! I was laughing so much because she noted the symbolism of the items... particularly the clock because I'm never one to clock out at 5. (I'm guessing 5 AM doesn't count!) Thank you Diane!!

What a perfect way to introduce the finalists for my 5th Anniversary Photo Celebration Contest huh? Well you'll have to hed over to facebook to see them, just click HERE! Remember, the photo with the most likes on Friday April 8th at 8AM EST wins a $100 Peas and Thank you's credit towards their next order, so help out the moms and give a like or two!

"With a little help from my friends" {Day 4} + GIVEAWAY

2011-03-31T08:01:00.002-04:00

Fact: I grew up with the Beatles (no really, I heard so much of the White Album during Sunday breakfasts that I am convinced McCartney and Lennon dined with us regularly), so the title just seems appropriate for this amazing giveaway. I wanted to dedicate an entire post to the wonderful support system I have with my friends on Etsy and the Children's Party Network. Sharing this journey with other mompreneurs has kept me going day after day, when I was overwhelmed with business or juggling that business with life, or when one day looked like the next because I forgot to insert "sleep" in between!

I invited some of those lovely ladies to join me for a collaborative giveaway, and not in a million years could I have imagined the incredible response and amazing generosity these gals have bestowed upon me!! Perhaps by the end of this post, after you have soaked in all of the amazing prizes these gals have donated to my celebration, you will realize why I don't even need to explain.

So without further ado, I invite you to meet each and every friend - I just know you're gonna love them! Please take a moment to stop by their shops and see the lovely things they make, follow their blog, and like them on facebook {say hello while you're there! I guarantee you've never met a nicer bunch of ladies!!} PS... the winner of yesterday's daily giveaway winner can be found at the bottom of this post!

And now, the "With a little help from my friends" Giveaway!!

ONE WINNER - $357 TOTAL VALUE

Rules and how to enter can be found at the bottom of this post!

Winner will receive this fabulous collection of goodies to help you
Celebrate Spring!

Eye Candy Event Details, NEW Think Spring DIY Printable Party Pack {$30 Value}

Your party guests, family and friends will love the fun and unique atmosphere you will create with this exciting "eye candy"!

Contains: 3 piece art set, 4 postcard designs, 6 mini card designs, 10 notecard designs, stationery box + stationery paper

Files will be sent via email - this is a digital printable set that you can print as many as you like!

Visit Eye Candy Event Details!

Etsy * Blog * Facebook

PaperGlitter, Printable Easter Decoration Kit and Collage Sheet {$12.50 Value}

This adorable party kit includes templates for making "Fill in the blank" invitations, Cupcake Toppers, Banner flags, Lawn flags, Tags, Napkin rings, Coloring page, Easter baskets, Cupcake wrappers and MUCH MORE! Also includes the bonus Easter Collage Sheet with printable Easter icons.

PDF Files will be sent via email - these files are not editable!

Visit PaperGlitter!

Etsy * Blog * Facebook

Cupcakes and Lemonade, 12 Handmade Easter Cupcake Toppers and Centerpiece Sign {$20 Value}

One dozen handmade cupcake toppers and one handmade centerpiece sign from Cupcakes and Lemonade's new Easter design, in a darling combination of polka dots and plaid. Perfect finishing touch for the children's table or an Easter party playgroup with friends!

Visit Cupcakes and Lemonade!

Etsy * Blog * Facebook

Malu Boutiques, 24 Handmade Vintage Easter Tags {$24 Value}

Vintage Easter tags for party favors, Easter treats, or charming goody bags for a classroom celebration!

Visit Malu Boutiques!

Etsy * Blog * Facebook

Tini Posh, Handmade Spring Diva Tutu Set
{$35 Value}

Gorgeous handmade tutu set! Prize includes:

1 Tutu hand tied with lots and lots of super soft tulle and an elastic waist (will grow with your tini one)

1 Bling Onsie, Tee or Tank (up to 4T)

1 Hairbow with headband

Your DIVA will be darling when she wears her Diva tutu set to have her photo taken with the Easter bunny!

Visit Tini Posh!

Etsy * Blog * Facebook * Tini Divas!

Peas and Thank You's, Handmade Bunny Note Set {$30 Value}

Boxed set of 12 notes flat printed and hand layered, featuring a signature bunny die cut embellishment. Send a seasonal "Hoppy Easter" greeting to a friend or include them with an Easter gift!

Visit me!

Etsy * Blog * Facebook

And then after the eggs have all been found,

these fabulous vendors are ready to help you with your

Party Planning!

Piggy Bank Parties, 1 Printable Create-Your-Own Custom Saying Banner and 1 Printable set of Create-Your-Own Custom Cake Stakes {$30 Value}

Our Printable Create-Your-Own Collection offers custom décor to match any party theme or color scheme at a Piggy Bank price!

The Create-Your-Own Saying Printable Banner includes 1 panel of each letter, number or punctuation (up to 20 panels), 5"x5" Square Panels in your selection of background, color and font choices available.

The Create-Your-Own Printable Cake Stakes include 12 Cake Stakes (4 designs, 3 of each design) in your selection of background, color and font choices available.

PDF Files will be sent via email - print as many as you need!

Visit Piggy Bank Parties!

Web * Etsy * Blog * Facebook

Southern Belles Charm, Handmade Party Decor {$50 Value}

Party package includes

One {1} Custom Birthday Hat with first name initial of the Guest of Honor
Three {3} Custom Matching Chandelier Signs
Twelve {12} Custom Scalloped Large Cupcake Toppers

All Southern Belle's Charm products are designed to any party or color scheme. We specialize in designing memories through your eyes!

Visit Southern Belle's Charm!

Web * Etsy * Blog * Facebook

Stampin' Fanatic, Shop Credit for 1 Custom Handmade Banner {$30 Value}

Valid for 1 custom personalized scallop circle OR pennant banner. This will include ANY saying that is up to 30 spaces long; additional spaces can be added at a reduced rate.

Visit Stampin' Fanatic!

Etsy * Blog * Facebook

Plumcake Parties, Handmade Thank You Notes (with my favorite snail!!) {$27 Value}

Guests always appreciate a traditional "snail mail" thank you note! Plumcake Parties created these special notes especially for Peas and Thank You's giveaway (our little snail is flattered!)

One set of 12 layered handmade note cards and envelopes, featuring an adorable die cut snail embellishment!

Visit Plumcake Parties!

Etsy * Facebook

Baa Baa Baby Boutique, Handmade Sock Monkey Birthday Set {$39 Value}

One colored "Onesie" in sizes 0-3 M to 12-18 M or shirt in sizes 2-5T, with a Sock Monkey Embroidery Applique and monogrammed name or phrase underneath. Also included is an infant/toddler white terrycloth bib with the number "1" in a coordinating sock monkey print (available in blue, pink, orange, green, red and cream) and a name or short phrase embroidered across the bottom.

This set is available for boys AND girls!

Visit Baa Baa Baby Boutique!

Web * Etsy * Blog * Facebook

Kind Living Designs, Handmade Party Favors for boys or girls, check out your options below! {$30 - $42 Value}

Invites: Check. Party Decor: Check. Party Games: Check. Cupcakes & Dessert: Check. Party Favors? Party Favors? Huh...party favors. No one wants to send kids home with a bag full of in-expensive throw away toys, fistfuls of candy. How about an inexpensive, but super fun, unique and wholesome party favor? Kind Living Designs is here to help!

In honor of Peas and Thank You's big 5 birthday, we're giving away a set of one of our most beloved, adorably delicious party favors. The best news? You get to choose! And yes, we can personalize those favors for you.

Visit Kind Living Designs!

Web * Etsy * Facebook

Kind Living Designs Prize OPTION 1:

If you've got a girlie-girl, our Bow Heads are perfect for her. Little girls love new hair bows and Moms love the fact that they send kiddos come home with a little treat they can use throughout the year! Hand-drawn artwork created especially for your party theme, we even tailor the birthday girl's favor with a message especially for her. One set of 12 favors for the lucky winner!

OR Kind Living Designs Prize OPTION 2:

Slappers! Wholesome and super fun these bracelets are HITS! Boys and girls love 'em. Hey, I LOVE 'em and I'm a grown up. I wear my polka dots very proudly, thank you. Holy cow - introduce these to a bunch of kids at a birthday party and they squeal. Half the fun is slap-slap-slap'in it on. Of course, little boys ultimately end up using them as super hero cuffs or swords - but no worries - no sharp edges. Lots of ribbon choices for you - awesome polkas or skulls and spiders. We've got you covered. AND we'll personalize the tag for your birthday boy or girl. One set of 12 favors for the lucky winner!

Insane, right? NO WAY! That's how the party gals roll baby!

Grand Prize Package {$357 Total Value}

will be awarded to ONE lucky winner!!

{READ ME!} Rules: Grand prize package will be awarded to ONE winner, to be chosen via Random.Org. Giveaway entries open between 8:00 AM EST on Thursday, March 31, 2011 until 11:59 PM EST on Tuesday, April 5, 2011. Winner will be announced at 8:00 AM EST on Wednesday April 6, 2011 after the winning entry has been validated. Giveaway is open to United States residents only. Winner will have one week {7 days} to claim their prize by responding to a notification email from Peas and Thank You's (if an email address is not associated with your comment ID, please include a contact email address within your comment.) A new winner will be chosen if the prize has not been claimed within 7 days. ALL prizes designated as printable items will be delivered via email (no product will be shipped.) ALL prizes designated as handmade items will be subject to the standard policies of the individual shops awarding the prize. Please keep in mind that custom made items are subject to the individual shop's turnaround time.

How to enter (up to 5 entries per person):

1. Leave a comment on this blog post! (Don't forget to include your email address!)

2. Like Eye Candy Event Details, PaperGlitter, Cupcakes and Lemonade, and Malu Boutiques on facebook, and leave 1 additional comment to let us know.

3. Like Tini Posh, Peas and Thank You's, Piggy Bank Parties, and Southern Belle's Charm, on facebook, and leave 1 additional comment to let us know.

4. Like Stampin Fanatic, Baa Baa Baby Boutique, Kind Living Designs, and Plumcake Parties on facebook, and leave 1 additional comment to let us know.

5. Share this post on facebook, and leave one additional comment to let us know. (There's a share button at the bottom of this post - easy PEASy!)

My most sincere thank you to all of the sponsors:

Laura, Linnette, Laura, Maylene, Claudia, Do, Natalie, Kristin, Leanne,

Elizabeth, and Kristie... I am so lucky to have friends as kind and generous as you!

THANK YOU.

I bet you thought I forgot to award yesterday's daily giveaway prize! No way!! The winning comment is number 1!

Congratulations Melony!! I will contact you for your shipping address and the Vroom! Indy Car note set will be on the way shortly!

Thank you all for participating in the daily giveaways, and GOOD LUCK today!!

5 Year Anniversary Celebration {Day 3} + GIVEAWAY

2011-03-30T08:07:00.001-04:00

What an awesome turnout for the daily giveaways and flurry of activity on facebook! I have to admit... it has just been overwhelming for me to take it all in. I am truly a wallflower at heart so it doesn't take much more than one act of kindness or sweet compliment to make me blush. You have all given me such a monumental joy!! Many many "thank you's" to you all!!

Ok so I'm totally ready to give up the name of the second daily giveaway winner. With Lulu's help...

Congratulations Nina! I will send you an email, and as soon as you can give me your mailing address your prize will be on the way! I hope you adore my little Shaun creations! Thank you all for entering and there's still one more at the end of this post... oooohhhh and then you will be STUNNED tomorrow, I promise!!

So today I had totally planned to give you the inside scoop on what the Etsy Insanity is all about. Not as a buyer (we all know why shopping on Etsy leads to insanity... and being broke is a pretty big side effect too hehehe) but what it's like as a seller.

The only problem with that plan is that even though my shop has been on vacation for the better portion of a year, maybe two (I can't even remember) I'm still experiencing insanity. It's 1 AM and I haven't even started tonight's production workload ... soooo instead I'm going to leave you with two thoughts:

1. You get what you wish for. If you give Etsy your heart and soul - make the best product you can, invest time in running your business professionally, use quality materials, and make your clients happy - you WILL succeed.

2. Build yourself a support system. Because the more you give, the more you get... as in dirty laundry (it was wash it or answer the waiting emails), frozen dinners (stop and cook? I have orders to ship, I don't think so), and grumpy children (look girls, Strawberry Shortcake is on, I just have to do this one thing and I'll be right back!) You NEED help, you are NOT superwoman!

My husband has been one incredible trooper for

picking up so much of my slack... and letting me hire a house cleaner : ) He gets my biggest THANK YOU of all!

I also have a "party support system" - the Children's Party Network. Being surrounded by so many peers who do what you do, share your excitement and your pains, inspire you, give you honest feedback, and who you can totally call your friends, is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. Natalie and Kristy, your investment into CPN has impacted so many in such a fabulous way. Thank you on behalf of all of your party peeps!!

Ok I really need to work on my orders now before the sleep deprivation sets in ; )

Wait! Day 3's 5 Year Anniversary Celebration Giveaway! One of my recent favorites for boys, Indy cars!!

This giveaway is also only open for 24 hours! To enter, leave a comment on this post no later than 8 AM on Thursday, March 31st. I highly suggest leaving your email address so I can contact you if you win!!

The winner will receive one set of twelve handmade Vroom! flat note cards, boxed with blue envelopes!

These notes are flat printed with a raised die cut INDY CAR embellishment!

Today's winner will be chosen via Random.Org... I'm out of kids, and even if I had more, I don't think you would even notice them once you see all the fabulous prizes in tomorrow collaboration giveaway!

I'll email the winner as well as post the winning entry in tomorrow's blog, along with the big big giveaway! Don't forget about my ongoing contest too, for Peas and Thank You's Photo Celebration! Details for the contest can be found in Friday's post here and there's a $100 prize towards your next Peas and Thank You's order!! (Psssttt, want to know a secret? You're odds are REALLY GOOD if you send in a photo right now!)

Good luck!!

5 Year Anniversary Celebration {Day 2} + GIVEAWAY

2011-03-29T08:05:00.001-04:00

Thank you all for entering the first giveaway!! Neenie was so excited to pick the winner this morning and here's the declaration...

Congratulations Rebecca! Your prize will be on the way to you shortly and I hope you enjoy using them as much as I enjoyed making them! Thank you all for entering and for all your sweet comments, what a fabulous way to start my celebration ♥ There's another giveaway at the end of this post if you weren't the lucky winner yesterday!!

Many people ask me about my signature use of die cutting in my products, so today I wanted to give you a little peek at the why and how of my die cuts. The "why" is actually quite amusing... it's ok to laugh I do too... when I first started making stationery and invitations, I did not own a color printer!! I was limited to black ink, and there were so many other start up costs that I couldn't justify (or afford) buying another printer. So I used color paper to bring my pieces to life, and after a while I just got so used to it that I preferred them that way!

Now this was before the Silhouette and the Cricut... and right about the exact same time the Quickutz Squeeze was released. Die shapes were few and often not what I was looking for, so I began cutting my own by hand. With an Exacto knife!! Basic shapes were easy of course... but when I got my first really complicated request I might have underestimated the amount of work involved.

Yup, Elmo. CUT. BY. HAND. Seriously. I think there were at least 20 in that order if not more?! I obviously survived and went on to do more and more, like this little monkey I made for my nieces first birthday.

So I have it a lot easier these days! I have a Silhouette which I LOVE more than life itself, I can quickly whip up a brand new shape in minutes and it does all the cutting for me. I decided to upgrade that very same monkey and here is the result with the Silhouette!

I used my first one so much I burnt the circuit board and had to buy a second! I also still use the Squeeze, which now has an enormous selection of shapes, as well as the Sizzix that I use for larger dies for my banners. The Squeeze has been replaced due to overuse, but Neenie was happy to inherit my old one, and the Sizzix has been upgraded to an electric model. (Hubby was very grateful as I often put him to work cutting scallops for me. We've done so many that the handle fell off!!)

Soon I will be converting a lot of my designs to "Print and Cut" shapes which will allow a greater range of shapes, such as faces that were previously impossible! I should have made the switch for Woody here... so the next time around he won't be quite as complicated (but every bit as adorable!) I will also be posting a tutorial for those who want to learn how to design their own print and cut shapes!

So today's 5 Year Anniversary Celebration Giveaway features one of my favorite recent custom die cuts, Shaun the Sheep!!

This giveaway is also only open for 24 hours! To enter, leave a comment on this post no later than 8 AM on Wednesday, March 30th. I highly suggest leaving your email address so I can contact you if you win!!

The winner will receive one set of twelve handmade "Thank Ewe" flat note cards, boxed with pink envelopes!

These notes are flat printed with a signature raised die cut Shaun the Sheep embellishment.

Winner will be chosen the old fashioned way again... little Lulu will do the honors this time and she will pull the name from a hat after I drag her out of bed and hopefully brush her hair! I'll post the photo evidence again... because if big sister did it then she has to do it too ; )

I'll email the winner as well as post the winning entry in tomorrow's blog, along with the next giveaway! Don't forget about my ongoing contest too, for Peas and Thank You's Photo Celebration! Details for the contest can be found in Friday's post here and there's a $100 prize towards your next Peas and Thank You's order!!

Thank You so much for appreciating my work!

Your kind words and applause mean the world to me, and I hope to never take that for granted.

5 Year Anniversary Celebration {Day 1} + GIVEAWAY

2011-03-28T07:53:00.002-04:00

First let me run a few laps around the room here and get it out of my system...

(just a moment...)

Ok. All better. WOO-HOO!! I cannot believe that it's been 5 years since I had this crazy idea in my head to start my own little business. I have been looking forward to celebrating this milestone for, well, for five years I guess. I accomplished what 95% of small businesses could not... I survived. I could use some big fancy words and smile graciously with a calm cool composure, but when you're in the business of celebrating like a kid, that just wouldn't seem right!

I guess a little introduction into how I came to start Peas & Thank You's would be a great place to start. That little cutie pie in the photo is my daughter Neenie when she was just two years old, just a few weeks after I started my business. Before this, I worked at a Traffic Engineering firm and Neenie went to day care, all day every day. I loathed sending her to day care... especially when she started getting sick all the time. Ear infections, pink eye, you name it. Trips to the ER and keeping her home for 3 days, just to send her back and get sick again the next week.

Coincidentally, being a crafty person, I had made Neenie's 2nd birthday invitations as a sort of experiment. I was thinking about making a business out of it. Well... I'm going to be perfectly honest - they were pretty darn awful! But I had fun and I decided to start investing in real tools and materials and give it a shot.

After a few months of research (literally, months and months) I decided on a printer, paper wholesaler, bought and experimented with tools and adhesives, and I even opened an account with Envelopments, Inc (which later proved to be a waste, but you live and learn!) Etsy was only a few months old and I didn't even know it existed at the time, so I started a word of mouth campaign, emailed fliers, and had a friend begin working on a website for me. (Oh yeah, and I quit my job!)

This was my first official order! Stitched baptism announcements for a friends newly adopted daughter. Soooo... yeah I did all of that stitching by hand! They turned out beautiful and I'm so proud that I keep one in my portfolio. The paper was textured scrapbook paper because I hadn't received my first order from Waste Not Paper yet, and I do wish I had thought out the backside a little better to cover the stitching... but all in all I still love it.

This was another one of my early orders, personalized stationery for my cousin Tara's little boy. Personal notes accounted for three quarters of my business the first year or so... I guess because facebook hadn't been invented yet?! I still love to make stationery sets, as gifts for our teachers, friends, family and others to give as gifts.

So in the spirit of my first year in business, it's time for the first 5 Year Anniversary Celebration Giveaway!!

This giveaway is only open for 24 hours! To enter, leave a comment on this post no later than 8 AM on Tuesday, March 29th. I highly suggest leaving your email address so I can contact you if you win!!

The winner will receive one set of twelve handmade "Apple of my Eye" folded note cards, boxed with red envelopes! $30 Retail Value!

These notes are flat printed with a signature raised die cut apple embellishment. Use them for sending a note to your child's teacher, a thank you to a thoughtful friend, or just to say hello!

Winner will be chosen the old fashioned way... my sweet Neenie gets the first honors and she will pull the name from a hat before she heads off to school tomorrow morning! I'll post the photo evidence so you can see how much SHE'S grown in 5 years too!

I'll email the winner as well as post the winning entry in tomorrow's blog, along with the next giveaway! Don't forget about my ongoing contest too, for Peas and Thank You's Photo Celebration! Details for the contest can be found in Friday's post here and there's a $100 prize towards your next Peas and Thank You's order!!

Thank You so much for being part of my journey!

Whether clients, party professionals, friends or family, you have all supported my dream, encouraged me to work harder, and inspired me to do better... and for that I am grateful!!

Easter Egg Hunt & First Birthday {custom design}

2011-03-27T10:00:00.002-04:00

With Easter just 4 weeks away, these little bunnies hopped across my desk just in time for Reid's first birthday! Mom and client Claire requested a light blue and green bunny theme that would be suitable for Reid's party and Easter egg hunt.

Close up of the bunny paper piecing... just adorable!

Once we picked an invitation design, we decided to use the grass and eggs motif for the banner and cupcake toppers as well. Some of the eggs on the banner were cut and pop mounted too.

Matching favor stickers!

Claire asked for a white hat with blue tulle to match Reid's birthday outfit. I can only imagine what a handsome southern charmer he is going to be!

I hope Reid has a wonderful first birthday and I wish beautiful weather for your egg hunt!

The weather wasn't quite so beautiful here this weekend, but I hope everyone had lots of sunshine where you are to get great photos for the contest entries! If you missed my post on Friday you can check it out here to find out how to win a $100 shop credit and other great prizes throughout the week!! Best luck y'all!

We have a mission! Little Einsteins celebration!

2011-03-26T17:09:00.001-04:00

Today's custom product feature is another super-colorful, super-fun party set I recently created especially for 3 year old Natalie and her mom Amanda! Natalie LOVES the Little Einsteins and I had so much fun making her party wish come true for her!!

Invitations featured a custom die cut of Rocket and highlighted with music notes.

Coordinating thank you notes!

Love the party sign, so colorful!!

The banner featured die cuts of each of the characters, Leo, June, Quincy and Annie. I actually cut each of the characters the old fashioned way, with my trusty xacto knife, and accented their faces with my favorite Gelly Roll pens. They turned out awesome!

The characters were too intricate to do for cupcake toppers (boy have I learned that lesson!) so we used Rocket embellishments. I cannot take credit for the ingenious 5 4 3 2 1 idea either - I actually saw a photo of a cake that had piped the numbers as such around the plate! I'll post a link if I can ever find it again!!

And last but not least the favor tags, so simple but PERFECT for the theme!

Natalie's Little Einsteins goodies were so much fun to make. With the focus on the bright bold colors it was hard to go wrong! I hope she adores them and has an amazing birthday party, happy birthday Natalie!!

5 Year Giveaway preview and contest announcement!

2011-03-25T11:56:00.000-04:00

Next Wednesday, March 30th, will mark the 5th anniversary of Peas and Thank You's!! While months of research and planning went into starting my own business, that is the day I officially filed my DBA, business license, and sales tax certificate. At the time I was fully aware of the small business statistics - 95% would fail in the first 5 years. I am speechless to even describe how it feels for me to reach that milestone...

So to mark the occasion, I have an entire WEEK of celebrations lined up! I'll be sharing photos of early projects that I worked on (as long as you don't laugh), secrets to my die cutting technique, a no holds barred look into what it takes to survive Etsy, and a special tribute to all of the wonderful mompreneurs that inspire me to keep going every day!

There will be several giveaways too, stop by for a chance to win one of several boxed note card sets handmade by me... and you especially don't want to miss Thursday's post (INSERT GIANT FLASHING NEON SIGN HERE!) Some of the most wonderful party girls and Etsy sellers have contributed prizes for a FANtabulous giveaway, including printable Easter and party sets, custom handmade party banners, signs, toppers, favor tags, and MORE!! You don't want to miss it!

And now the contest announcement...

Peas & Thank You's Photo Celebration

1 Winner will receive a $100 credit towards their next Peas & Thank You's order!

Here's the details!

1. Photo contest entries must demonstrate a celebration of the theme "FIVE". Interpret the theme however you like... get creative! Five kids jumping in the air, arrange something cool into the shape of the numeral 5, just have fun! YOU must take the photo... everyone is welcome to enter - from novice to pro - but you may not enter a photograph you did not take youself.

2. All photo entries must be submitted to me via email no later than next Friday, April 1st, 2011 at 8 AM EST. Photo submissions in poor taste will be rejected at my discretion.

3. Photo entries will be displayed in a contest folder on Peas & Thank You's facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/peasandthankyous for 1 week. During that week, voters will be encouraged to "like" the photo they think best celebrates "FIVE"! Remember, the photos with the best quality, originality, and creativity are likely to get the most votes!

4. Peas & Thank You's assumes no responsibility for lost emails, broken cameras, whatever it is that might somehow be misconstrued as my fault. No really, don't be silly here people ; )

5. The winner (with the most likes as of 8 AM EST on Friday, April 8, 2011) will receive a $100 credit towards my products and services. The winner is welcome to use the credit toward their next order, subject to my regularly published availability and scheduling, anytime for a period of 1 year. The winner MAY redeem the credit towards a custom designed order at my discretion - not all requests are feasible so don't ask me to die cut the likeness of George W. Bush or anything crazy...

6. Any questions? Just email me!

Now GO! Have fun and tell your friends!

(You want them to vote for you right?)

How the west was won!

2011-03-25T08:30:00.032-04:00

Austin's Toy Story Hoedown was one for the books! Whitney, client and Austin's mom, did not spare a single detail planning this party... and I have been waiting ever so patiently to show off her photos. I am so happy to say that she made all of my late nights assembling these teeny tiny die cut pieces worth every effort (to see what went into Whitney's party goodies check out part 1 here!)

Woody's warm welcome at the door was quickly followed up with amazement for guests - cowboys and cowpokes alike! At each seat was a cowboy hat, bandanna and sheriff's badge, and at each place setting was an adorable placement made by mom! She also made the centerpieces (I know I say this every time, but I really love balloons for kids parties. I don't know why, but kids just light up when they see a balloon!)

The dessert table was obviously the main attraction! Cupcakes, brownie covered oreos (you heard me, an oreo inside a brownie... um, YUM) and sugar cookies with custom edible toppers, with TONS of Toy Story and cowboy charm!

A close up of the die cut cupcake toppers and edible cookie toppers. Isn't Bullseye stinkin' adorable?!

While most of the decorations were western inspired, Whitney requested one special sign for the lunch table! I thought her Pizza Planet idea was perfect!

The water bottle labels were so much fun! I hope the guests chuckled at them as much as I did!! They read "Wanted: For the crime of eating all the birthday cake... 50 Bzillion Reward... Last known whereabouts Austin's 3rd birthday party!"

Custom cup stickers with a little cowboy humor too!

At the conclusion of the party all the little cowpokes received their favor bags with special die cut favor tags. Rex chomping on the number 3 was just perfect!

Closer view of the tags. I sure hope everyone saved them - Rex was no easy task! They look so cute though!!

Handsome lil' birthday cowpoke Austin!

Austin and his family enjoying the big day! Happy birthday cowboy, I sure hope you enjoyed it all!!

Big thanks to Whitney for sharing here photos - and a huge job well done as well!! Austin's party must be all the talk down at the "watering hole" (ok, or at preschool but I had to get one more cowboy chuckle in there!!)

Do you know the cupcake lady?

2011-03-24T08:00:00.003-04:00

She doesn't live on Drury Lane, but she sure knows how to party!

Client Sandra sent me a link to this girly fun cupcake partyware, and asked if I could modify the colors of my cupcake designs to match.

Of course I happily obliged! When it came time however to begin personalizing the items, I was caught totally off guard... Sandra requested "Happy Birthday Sandra" and "28"s!! Oh yes, she is throwing herself one big yummy cupcake party!! My new hero. Nobody ever threw ME a party like this... why not do it for yourself?

Here's a sampling of what we came up with...

Stickers for custom napkin rings, cupcake toppers, favor tags, and water bottle labels in blosson, fuchsia, pool, sunshine and chartreuse. I used blossom bakers twine from The Twinery for the favor tags... I had all the colors to match except "Lemondrop". Ugh! Kicking myself!! I couldn't have them all match but one - that would drive me batty, you know?

I love the party sign. Adore is more like it.

And a big girly cupcake cake topper!

As always, my favorite item was the banner. I don't think the photo does it any justice though, likely because I had to use my speedlight to sneek some photos in the middle of the night!

I hope Sandra has inspired you to celebrate yourself with just as much effort as the little ones! Happy birthday Sandra - save me a cupcake!!

{Oooh, and if you've read this far, here's a little treat for you. Click your way over to visit Piggy Bank Parties on the blog or facebook. You might just see something I made special for to celebrate Hank's milestone of 500 facebook fans! Yup, it's a giveaway and there's lots of fabulous goodies to win!}

Cameron's five alarm fireman party!

2011-03-23T08:00:00.020-04:00

Fireman parties will never go out of style for boys; how can you resist the charm of your little man looking up to such a hero! Cameron recently celebrated his third birthday with the visit of a real fire truck, and a wonderful party planned by mom and client Shanna.

Shanna had fun shopping for a lot of wonderful party decorations, like this real fire bell...

and special fireman themed balloons!

However I think the kids' favorites were probably these super cool fire hydrant sippy cups and favor bags!

Thank you Shanna for sending me these wonderful photos of the fireman creations in action! I'm dying to know... did mom make this cupcake stand herself? I absolutely adore it, and I love how she used neat little trinkets of firemen, hydrants, safety cones, signs and trucks to make it that much more fun.

My favorite shot... the pennant banner highlighting the birthday boys portrait (girls hold on to your hearts!) The wonder in his eyes says it all!

Oh I'm a-flutter still! CUTIE PIE!! Well done Shanna!!

So what's in store for tomorrow (besides another click on that sweet photo)? Custom cupcake party goodies for a 28th birthday!! Yup, you heard me, 28. I think Sandra's idea is going to catch on - yes we deserve adorable parties too! See you tomorrow!

Art party goodies messy enough for two!

2011-03-22T11:22:00.000-04:00

Today I have the super colorful art party goodies to show you that I created for Kailey and Ryan, who are about to turn 4! For their party we focused on bright bold colors and paint splats... and I could not have been more pleased with the result!

The invitation was made much like the palette I created for Neenie's art party, but raised die cut paint splats were formatted around mom's custom text.

Did you have to put your sunglasses on yet? I told you it was bright and colorful - LOVE IT!!

The cupcake toppers featured die cuts of artists' palettes and crayons. They had a simple design but make a huge impact with the color and embellishements. The palette is a new Quickutz/Lifestyle 2x2 die that I recently purchased and was happy to put to use, and the crayons were custom designed with the Silhouette. I also used an extra large palette and brush to embellish the main party sign!

Since art activities are the highlight of the party, mom Helen requested signs to identify each activity station. We mixed up the colors and "splats" and added lots of tulle to really make them stand out.

The "splat" favor tags created for Judy's Little Picasso party were perfect just the way they were, so we recreated them with Kailey and Ryan's colors as well.

Even the stickers kicked up the color!

I hope Kailey and Ryan have an awesome birthday party, I thouroughly enjoyed creating the paper goodies for them and mom Helen was wonderful to work with! I hope you all enjoyed the eye candy as well!

Asher's vrooming past two!

2011-03-21T07:48:00.000-04:00

This handsome little boy recently celebrated his second birthday with a fabulous party marvelously designed by mom and client Melissa! He was so cute in his Grease Monkey coveralls, you may remember catching a sneak peak on facebook. Isn't he adorable??

I also posted product photos of Melissa's order back in January. She just adored the Little Red Car party designed by Hello Naomi, so we incorporated many of the same fonts and checks to help her achieve the look. We also added polka dots to bring together the partyware Melissa had purchased for the event... and she did a great job with the dessert table!!

So many great pictures to share! The favor boxes showing off the die cut favor tags, and matching water bottle labels were a big hit. My favorite are the ribbon topiaries Melissa made for centerpieces - perfect!

Now this is where Asher gets totally spoiled... Melissa made all of these box cars for the kids to race in - complete with personalized license plates! AND she spray painted a race track around the front yard for the to race!! What an AWESOME MOMMA!!

Thank you so much for sharing pictures of Asher's birthday with us!!

Stop back EVERY day for the next 12 days... I will be featuring tons of fun client parties as well as recent custom products. Yes... you guessed it... all of my little foster puppies have found their forever homes (including one who made a home in our very own hearts) and it's time to catch up! Starting next Monday, I will also be hosting a five day daily giveaway of my own handmade creations to celebrate Peas & Thank You's 5th anniversary!! I do hope you'll celebrate with me!

Weekly Update 3.14.11

2011-03-14T09:41:00.000-04:00

The spring and summer schedule has been updated and posted here! I will continue accepting reservations until I have no spots available through July 31st... at this time I can accommodate the production of up to 3 large events each week during April and May, and two large events each week during June and July. Production is scheduled approximately 5 weeks in advance of events requiring invitations, and no less than 10 days in advance of events requiring decorations only.

To place a reservation, just EMAIL ME your request - you must include your party date and theme in your request, as well as an approximate list of items you will need (specifics are not necessary, I simply need to know whether your order will include invitations and an item estimate so I can reserve an appropriate amount of time for production.)

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The first available event date for new orders is currently April 23rd for events requiring decorations only, or May 7th for events requiring invitations. Thank you!

Weekly Update 3.7.11

2011-03-07T09:30:00.001-05:00

Today is the day!! New orders and reservations being accepted for late spring and summer parties! Please read the information below for details.

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New orders and reservations are currently OPEN! All orders are subject to my scheduling availability, and I will be scheduling production slots from March 30th through July 29th at this time. Invitation orders are scheduled to ship at least 4 weeks prior to your event, so this would accommodate events falling between April 30th and August 27th. Orders for decorations only are scheduled to ship at least 10 days prior to your event, so I may be able to take a few orders for April 16th & 23rd parties as well. JUNE AND JULY SCHEDULING will be limited while my daughters are on summer break!

Current pricing is available here and is valid through July 29th. Preference will be given to party themes featured in my facebook albums and custom designs will be accepted with discretion, so please be sure to include a description of your ideas when requesting a custom design. People-based characters with intricate faces are very difficult (as learned through my Toy Story project!), so please understand if I cannot accept all requests. Please do not request custom designs based on another designers work, unless my items would be complimentary to products purchased for your event and are NOT items offered by such designer.

EMAIL ME your request and please allow up to 24 hours for response. You must include your party date and theme in your request, as well as an approximate list of items you will need (specifics are not necessary, I simply need to know whether your order will include invitations and an item ESTIMATE so I can reserve an appropriate amount of time for production.) I will respond to each request as soon as possible, letting you know if I can accommodate your event and the dates for design, production, and shipping. I will update my schedule to reflect previous and new orders & reservations next Monday, March 14th. Thank you! I look forward to working with each and every one of you!

Where has the time gone?!

2011-03-01T14:31:00.001-05:00

Oh dear bloggy blog, I miss you so and I have so many beautiful things to post on your barren pages! I apologize for my lack of posts these few weeks... as some of you have seen on facebook I have my hands a little tied right now with these sweet loves.

A few weeks ago our neighborhood located the den of a stray momma dog we had been following for almost two months. The Humane Society brought the babies in (along with momma, but sadly she had to be euthanized) and they needed someone to love and care for the babies. I couldn't say no!

Soooo... while I am still getting all of my orders produced and shipped without fail, every spare moment of my days and then some have been consumed with puppies. I do have quite a few things to share, but hopefully you will hang tight until I have the time to do so! I will likely have to postpone some other plans as well, including celebrating Peas & Thank You's 5 year anniversary on March 30th, but they are small sacrifices in comparison to the needs of our little sweets... Hoho, Reesie, Brownie, Cupcake, Tootsie, Cocoa, and Dutch!

Thank you to ALL who have been so understanding during this crazy chaotic time!

New custom design... Ready, Set, Go!

2011-02-07T16:31:00.000-05:00

I have had quite a few custom parties these past couple weeks and a lot of opportunities to stretch my legs with parties for boys! It's been a ton of fun, and it doesn't get any more fun than this new set designed for Jamie with help from his mom Britnee!

I didn't think you should read the post without the official start so....

Bet you can't guess how old Jamie will be ; )

The Quickutz Indy Car die cut was perfect for this design! Checkered flags on the return address seals tied everything together. LOVE!

The striped asphalt element turned out to be the key the whole set. We used it for matching thank you notes...

and also for the cupcake toppers and favor tags! I was just giddy when I saw how well my new black and white "Charcoal" Twine from The Twinery worked for the favor tags too.

To add a little color and excitement, we also made a few sets of these "ready! set! go!" toppers for accent. I wanted a splash of color on the invitation also to pick up the "infield" so I added a red, yellow, and green dot into the text as well. I can't WAIT to see how Britnee will use these for the party!

Matching cup stickers with checkered flags as well.

Finally the banner! I started with the template from last weeks little red car party, but kicked it up a gear with black and white checkers and a fun retro car font.

Tomorrow I will share pictures of the beautiful stationery I made for Jamie's baby sister to be, Averee! I hope he has a wonderful party - Happy Birthday Jamie!!

Reach for the sky! A Toy Story Hoedown

2011-02-04T11:30:00.001-05:00

I just finished up a custom Toy Story party... but I have to be honest, I'm a little hesitant to show you the pictures. I'm afraid you will adore them so much that you decide to have a Toy Story party for your little one!

I've turned down this request in the past, but when mom Whitney asked recently, I felt confident at this point that I could do it. Whitney decided to focus on the cowboy facet of the movie, with Woody, Jessie and Bullseye. The finished products are a die cutting MASTERPIECE! (Ok, I know all of you with cricuts right now are saying "What's the big deal, I have that cartridge." No, no, no, no no, no, no. And no! Hehehe.... )

Ok so on to the pictures right? NOT SO FAST, PARTNER! I'm slappin' a disclaimer of some sort here... by viewing the photos below you agree never to ask me to make this party for you. My fingers would fall off, seriously. So if you're thinking about settin' your perdy little heart on a Toy Story party, leave now!! Ok, NOW on to the pictures...

Nineteen separate cuts on that there Sheriff! I was afraid that I couldn't do him justice, but he really came out even better than I hoped! We used a variety of fun western fonts and incorporated the blue cloud wallpaper pattern from Andy's room. I love how it brightened up the red and brown pallette and made everything so playful!

Austin will have the darn cutenest cupcakes ever too!

The welcome sign coordinates with the party incorporating the yellow plaid from Woody's shirt, and Whitney also asked for a sign inspired by the "Pizza Planet" restaurant as they would be having pizza for lunch. What a great idea!

I love using cup stickers for guests to identify their drink. No germ swapping please!

The water bottle labels are my favorite piece of this whole party design though. (Seriously, the first sheet misprinted... instead of throughing them away, I think I might put one on my tea cup just so I can wake up and chuckle every morning!!)

Rex favor tags and coordinating thank you notes of course.

And... the banner. I love this banner!! I spotted a very unique recycled cardboard banner on Etsy that incorporated the yellow plaid and cow print, and Whitney and I both agreed it would be the perfect touch for a traditional banner with the red, browns, and light blue.

Just a reminder, now that you've seen the pictures you absolutely CAN NOT ask me to make this party again! Hehehe. I loved creating it though and I hope Austin and his posse have a great time at the party!!

Happy 3rd Birthday Austin!!

Weekly Update 1.31.11

2011-01-31T13:44:00.000-05:00

Big update today! Be sure to read on for pictures of another great custom design that was completed and shipped last week too - a sweet boy's car party inspired by Hello Naomi's awesome "Little Red Car"!

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As of today, 1.31.11, I am temporarily closed for new orders and reservations. My schedule is now full for the next 8-10 weeks, so I will be hard at work with all your fabulous parties for quite some time! Everyone who has contacted me (and responded with a confirmation) regarding a future event has been included in my schedule - if your party is not listed and should be please let me know as soon as possible!

New orders and reservations will be accepted beginning March 7th. I will have limited availability for LATE April events and then open availability for events May and beyond. If you have a summer birthday I highly suggest placing your reservation early - I will be taking considerable time off from work while my girls are home from school, and before my littlest starts Pre-K in August!

Thank you all for your AMAZING support!!

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New Custom Design

Melissa is another one of my favorite party mom clients, last year she was the genius behind my entire Sock Monkey set (and would you look at how popular Sock Monkeys are now?! It was all Melissa's doing!)

This year she was inspired by a gorgeous party by the incredibly talented Hello Naomi. I had so much fun working on this set and I can't wait to see the finished party... I've heard a few secret projects already - this mom is fabulous!

This car is a little red labor of love! Melissa and I had a hard time deciding what was too cute, too modern, too round, not round enough - I am so pleased with the result!

She also wanted to incorporate the shield shape used in the inspiration party, so we decided on shaped favor tags.

I also wanted to share a photo of the banner. I am LOVING pennant shaped banners right now! Next week I'll have a black & white checkered flag racing banner to show you as well. Car parties definately hit the mark for little boys!

I hope all of your weekend's celebrations were fabulous! Have a great week preparing for the PITTSBURGH STEELERS to win the Super Bowl!!

I'm TWINE not to get too excited!!

2011-01-26T10:36:00.000-05:00

I've had a crush on The Twinery for a while now. I am a product faithful though, when I make a change it has to stick, and it takes a gosh darn awesome product to make me change in the first place! I LOVE the twisted cotton bakers twine and always wished it came in more colors.

WISH GRANTED!

I am so excited to see these yummy new colors!! Blossom, honeydew, and charcoal - perfect colors to coordinate with so many of my designs!

I especially love the charcoal. I'm thinking pirates!

So why I am telling you this? First, because I am super excited to place my order!! Yup, I'm going to be offering The Twinery twine in lieu of nylon cord for many of the favor tags.

And second, because they have having an awesome giveaway to celebrate the new colors! Check out The Twinery's BLOG for more details to enter - hurry because it ends on 1/30 - and grab a chance to win this fabulous Valentine's Day package of goodies.

And a bonus, if you like to craft (or just love to hoard pretty things like I do) they are offering 25% off of your entire order for the duration of the giveaway period! Use the discount code NEWCOLORS.

{End of my shameless contest entry and product geekery}

Weekly Update 1.24.11

2011-01-24T09:23:00.001-05:00

Just a quick reminder, if you contact me regarding an upcoming party you would like me to schedule for production, please be sure to get back to me as soon as you can with a confirmation response! I will always let you know when I can accomodate your event, but my schedule changes constantly (sometime on a daily basis) so if I do not hear back from you I can only assume that you are not interested. As always, I don't require details or quantities right away for future parties, but I do need to know that the production date proposed is acceptable and that you do want to reserve your order.

Be sure read past the update for some super cute images from one of this week's custom orders!!

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As of today, 1.24.11, my next available production date is March 16th, so I can currently accept orders for invitation for parties April 16th or later, and orders for decorations only for parties April 2nd or later. Everyone who has contacted me (and responded with a confirmation) regarding a future event has been included in my schedule - if your party is not listed and should be please let me know as soon as possible!

I will be starting custom designs for Randall and Jillian today!

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New Custom Design!

Last week I had the pleasure of working on a custom Sock Monkey party for one of my favorite clients Carri. She wanted a girly twist on the sock monkey party, and I had soooo much fun making these silly monkeys in PINK with lots of POLKA DOTS! Take a look at how cute they came out!

Mom Carri also had a special request for custom candy bar wrappers. I had never done them before but I am so pleased with the result! I hope Calli's class loves their special treat!

Have a wonderful week planning your upcoming celebrations!

Blair's ELMO Celebration

2011-01-19T17:09:00.004-05:00

I am so thrilled to share with you photos from Blair's second birthday! Like most two year olds, Blair loves her Elmo.

I was happy to help mom Tara with a classic and stylish Elmo party for Blair, and absolutely ecstatic when she sent me photos from the party - I can not possibly adore them more!

Every birthday party HAS to have balloons on the mailbox. (Ok, maybe not the ones of the covers of magazines, but in real life, we all know this is a tried and true tradition!) I'm pretty sure Tara was not expecting that rare 6" of Georgia snow, but it sure did make the balloon sparkle!!

Colorful tissue poms above the stoop and two adorable ribbon wreaths for a bright and festive entry!

I had to include a picture of the banner... not that you haven't seen a picture of the Elmo banner before, it just makes me feel so very, very special to see the things I made in use, making your little ones' parties special!

A traditional but sooo special cake table display for Blair! Tara included personalized Elmo decorations like the famous Sesame Street lamp post and sign and adorable handmade blocks, along with balloons and cupcakes to frame... are you ready?... THIS AMAZING CAKE!!

I don't have to describe it - you can see how awesome it is. REALLY awesome. LOVE the fondant bunting on the top layer! And a close up of the Elmo cupcakes too - how can you not love them??

Dorothy decorated sugar cookies for favors!

Personalized water bottle labels... ok again, I just love to see them in action!

And a very special party hat for the birthday girl!

Although she's not wearing it for the birthday song...

Hey, there's a reason "It's my Party" is such a popular song! I think we need to back up a second though to see why Blair was a little sad. Enter Elmo...

Poor thing got a little scared when the 6' version arrived! You know, it happens. Especially when you're two. (I do have to say that Blair has the most adorable little pout I've ever seen, doesn't she?!) Mom came to the rescue and wiped away the tears...

... sang a special little song and blew out the candle...

... and proved once and for all that there's NOTHING a cupcake can't fix!

Oh my, now that's all worth it!

Thank you soooo much to Tara for sharing these pictures!!! You planned an absolutely perfect Elmo party and I know many, many two year olds' mommies who are going to be inspired by Blair's birthday celebration. I hope Blair LOVED her party regardless of the little character anxiety, and send many birthday wishes to her!!

Weekly Update 1.18.11

2011-01-18T11:53:00.001-05:00

As you may have noticed, I no longer list my custom made items in the Etsy shop (although I am stocking the shelves with premade items as they are finished). This has helped tremendously with scheduling efforts and keeping time available for regular clients, so I am going to keep it that way so long as it works! The most common question I have received is whether I am still making custom made parties - YES! Time is always limited however, since I can only accommodate a certain amount of work each week.

My schedule is always available here on my blog {schedule} and I am going to post regular status updates both here and on facebook, so if you notice I am becoming booked about 6 weeks before an event you would like to place an order for, please get in touch with me and I will be happy to schedule time for your party! All I need to know is the date of the party and an approximate list of items you are interested in.

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As of today, 1.18.11, my next available production date is March 11th, so I can currently accept orders for invitation for parties mid-April or later, and orders for decorations only for parties late March or later. Everyone who has contacted me regarding a future event has been included in my schedule - if your party is not listed and should be please let me know as soon as possible!

I am working on custom designs for Whitney and Britnee, and will be contacting Randall and Jillian to start soon!

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Don't forget that everything in the shop is now ready to ship! There are several ladybug and sock monkey banners and cupcake toppers still available, and we are almost ready to list Pinky Pirates, Primary Elmo, Girly Elmo, Pink Princess and Plum Princess sets as well!

Have a wonderful week and don't forget to send photos of the weekend's parties if you would like me to feature them on the blog!

Farmtastic new theme: Shaun the Sheep!

2011-01-14T15:23:00.003-05:00

I have had sooo many awesome party requests lately, but this one was so unique and completely new to me that I had to introduce you!

Meet Shaun. Shaun the Sheep. He is brought to us by the creators of Wallace and Gromit - I have two children and how I have never seen this is beyond me! When mom Danyel asked me about creating a party based on this adorable cartoon I had to google it to see what it's all about.

I got to work sketching Shaun, Bitzer (the dog), and the naughty pigs in die cut form, and pulled them together with the pink and black party colors mom chose. We also decided to incorporate a little scenery, green pastures, a couple of girly flowers and a cute little tree. I just knew I couldn't wait until after the event to unvail Shaun. I HAVE to share!!

Pink and black invitations featuring a custom die cut Shaun, and thank ewe notes to go with, of course!

Cupcake toppers including Shaun, Bitzer and the naughty pig! Even those little teeth are die cut...yes, the Silhouette is that amazing.

Girly sweet favor tags to match in pink and black scallops.

We used a simple panel style for the banner, so that we could incorporate the rolling scenery along the bottom. The banner was tied with alternating combinations of pink and black satin and tulle ribbons - so sweet!

It was so much fun to create Sophia's custom Shaun goodies! How can anyone have a bad day looking at that silly lamb face?! Have a woolly good birthday Sophia!!

Sock Monkey, cake, balloons, perfection!

2011-01-07T20:36:00.001-05:00

I have to say it again... sock monkeys are SOOOO not "over" and I have the pictures to prove it! I was in heaven when my girl Leanne spotted these photos on the Children's Party Network. I had NO idea that my client Nicole was also an amazing photographer, and I am so excited that she allowed me to share these with you!

All images and copyright Nicole Mehl Photography and used with permission. Check out her blog for even more adorable sock monkey inspiration!

This monkey had me at hello!

A perfect first birthday cake table featuring a happy birthday banner, cupcakes, and an adorable made to match cake that just melts my heart.

I was touched that the invitation was displayed on Asher's big day!

It's no secret that I adore clean and simple decor and traditional elements. Nicole decorated the space with style and class! Crepe streamers and balloons make a huge statement for a vintage favorite.

And finally the birthday boy Asher, what a cutie! I love how serious he looks, studying the cake and plotting his first move.

A big thank you to Nicole for allowing me to share Asher's big day! I am honored to see my creations used in such a fabulous party. I am so happy to see how much Asher enjoyed his very special celebration and I send him many, many happy birthday wishes!

Giveaway winners!

2011-01-07T12:17:00.000-05:00

Thank you all for playing along! I loved getting your entries... and I have to admit that the higher your guesses went the better I felt about my task. My numbers were actually quite low in comparison, so without further ado the final quantities are...

Paper 2,230

and

Envelopes 2,165

Congratulations to my TWO winners!! Hollie {holliekinker} guessed 2,382 for the paper, and Jennifer (freshlypicked} guessed 2,170 for envelopes - 5 away from a perfect guess (and the second closest guess for paper too... wow!)

I will send both of you gals an email shortly! Congrats!!

Guess how many... ??

2011-01-04T14:20:00.000-05:00

Ok, it's that DREADED time of year where I am forced to not only balance my book keeping, but I have to count every piece of paper and every envelope and tabulate my inventory. NOT FUN!! So I thought maybe I could make it a little bit exciting by turning it into a contest!

You've played it before... guessing how many jelly beans in a jar at Easter, candy corn at Halloween... well now you get to guess how many pieces of paper and how many envelopes I have in my office! Take a peek at the pictures below and leave a comment with your guess for each. The person who comes the closest wins one dozen FREE cupcake toppers with their next order! Each photo will be played separately so there are two chances to win! (And should one of you be crafty enough to come the closest for both photos, I'll offer a FREE banner in exchange for the toppers if you like!)

First up, the paper rack! Guess how many sheets of paper all together!

And then, take your best shot at guessing how many envelopes! I'm a little slim right now.... there's usually 4-5 more boxes than this. Lucky you!

While you're busy with that... I'm going to get back to work!

Contest will be open until Friday, January 7th at noon! Leave your email address in your comment so I can reach you, because if I don't hear back from the winner by Monday I'll be forced to pass your prize onto the second closest guesser!

Welcome 2011 {No resolutions here!}

2011-01-01T19:43:00.000-05:00

That's right, I'm not making any resolutions for 2011. I never do. I much prefer to complete tasks and reach my goals whenever they come upon me, not just on January 1.

While I look forward to celebrating Peas & Thank You's FIFTH BIRTHDAY on March 30, I realize just much this business has changed and grown. I never had huge aspirations for Peas.... in the beginning I really wanted nothing more than to survive! With the launch of my Etsy shop nearly three years into this journey, survival had been achieved and I was able to turn my attention to long term goals: (1) perfecting my craft and selling an exceptional product and (2) pleasing my customers by being friendly and dependable and always giving them my very best.

This year I set out to continue just that. While there is certainly an ever growing list of things I would love to do, so long as I continue to accomplish those two goals it makes no difference to me what else gets done. My products and my customers will ALWAYS come first.

But if there should happen to be time left over, here's what I hope to do this year...

BLOG MORE (ok, so this isn't a huge priority in comparison to shipping orders on time, but it would be nice!)... release more ready to ship items on Etsy (more are on the way already)... host a few giveaways... finally print BUSINESS CARDS (meh, I've gone without them this long, we'll move that down in priority hehehe)... bring my facebook photos onto the blog so you can find my items (I've decided I really like not having them on Etsy anymore!)... NOT wait until 2 weeks before my girls' birthday to start planning their parties (note to self, move this to the top of the list)... and last but not least, find the right web designer to help me with my t.o.p.s.e.c.r.e.t.p.l.a.n.s.

I think I'll start right now.... by getting back this order! Happy New Year everyone!!

Christmas Wishes to you!

2010-12-23T19:47:00.000-05:00

Just a quick post to extend my best wishes for a wonderful holiday season! This year has by far been the most blessed for Peas & Thank You's - growing by leaps and bounds, having the pleasure of making so many wonderful parties for clients, meeting and sharing with some fabulous party chicks... I can't put into words what a pleasure it is to "go to work" each and every day!

All I can say is THANK YOU, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year to all of you!!

Jackson's Sock Monkey 1st Birthday Party!

2010-12-06T21:26:00.000-05:00

I am so excited to feature Jackson's first birthday party held this past weekend. Jackson's mom contacted me to create some of my favorite Sock Monkey decorations and was so sweet to allow me to share them with you. I especially love this party because of the simplicity - a great inspiration for parents feeling overwhelmed or pressured to host an over the top event. Particularly for a first birthday which is always the most stressful! A beautiful and loving celebration at it's finest...

I wish someone had filled me in on this idea when my own babies were infants! Joanna featured a first year photo banner which she clipped a photo from each month of Jackson's first year. Each photo shows Jackson wearing a onesie with "1 month", "2 months" etc. A perfect keepsake and DIY project in one!

A cupcake tower, custom wrapped water bottles, and high chair with a custom sock monkey banner look just precious sitting with the birthday boy's cake and smash cake - which were decorated with the same light blue, chocolate brown, and red argyle pattern as the decorations!

A few more party photos because I just can't resist the cuteness! Sock monkey party favors...

and the ADORABLE birthday boy digging into his cake!

There were so many adorable photos from this party, I had such a hard time choosing! Mom and dad did a FABULOUS job and I am honored to have been a part of Jackson's big day. Thank you!!!

I also want to thank Joanna for the super kind words she had to say about working with Peas & Thank You's on her blog. It means the world to me to be able to work with such amazing moms like YOU!!

Easy Advent Garland {DIY}

2010-12-01T12:11:00.000-05:00

Last night I was bound and determined to make an Advent garland for my kids to start on December 1st (nothing like waiting until the last minute eh?). With the help of my trusty Silhouette, I was able to pull it off in about 1-2 hours, with just a few sheets of paper and things I had laying around the office.

To make a pillow box style garland you will need a template like this one, which is available at the House of Three. You can either print the template and cut with scissors or use the svg file in your Cricut or Silhouette. I found and downloaded my template right from the Silhouette digital library - but it didn't have tabs on it (I found out this morning that tabs would have been a nice feature to keep them closed after my adhesive failed on several!) I also punched and added a 1.5" circle at the top before folding so I could hang the boxes on my garland.

I printed 1.5" circles for the numbers and mounted them on 2" scallops before sticking them to the fronts of the boxes. (Yet ANOTHER use for those nifty scallop dies I love!) I used scraps of red, green, and silver glitter paper and metallic gold paper to coordinate with the little ornaments that I found last week in the Target dollar section!

String the ornaments and hang the boxes, with any ribbon or cord you happen to have! A great way to use up all those scraps you've been saving for who-knows-what. I used ornament hangers to hang my boxes, and tied knots every 4-6 inches across my main cord so the ornaments wouldn't slide away when I draped the garland.

That's it! I snapped a photo last night with the mantel lit up too. (Right after I raided the halloween candy bucket to fill the first couple boxes - like I said, nothing like waiting until the last minute!)

There are a lot of free printable Advent calendars and DIY ideas that I will post on Facebook today as well! Check my fan page soon for the links!