Kate's Minnie Mouse Birthday Party

This post is very personal to me, this little girl is very important to me. I have shared her baby shower and her first birthday with you all... so it only seems natural to share her 2nd birthday party. She is my Kate, seeing her little face makes my heart smile. She is a special little girl bubbling with warmth and personality. She is a beautiful little soul who makes me count my blessings and thank the Lord above everyday for bringing her into our lives.

Ok, now onto the photos of her "Nouse" birthday party. I am not into the traditional, party store, cookie cutter character parties. But my little Kate ADORES Minnie Mouse. I wanted to create a custom party decor that incorporated her beloved "Nouse" (as she calls her) but was still stylish and fun. Our color palette was black, white and hot pink. Basically zebra print and polka dots galore with a Minnie Mouse inspired flair!!!

The gorgeous birthday girl, trying on her Minnie ears and in her first outfit of the day. Her zebra peasant top was a great Etsy find from seller BellaLoveBoutique

Guests were greeted by the infamous Ikea frame, with a picture of the birthday girl and her favorite stuffed Minnie Mouse plush. We set the frame on an easel accented with ribbons.

The party was held in her parent's backyard, so we set up lounge areas with tables. Each table held a different framed picture of Kate with a single vase arrangement of flowers and candy.


Our little Kate is a fashionista. She walks around the house carrying three different purses, bracelets rattling on her wrists, with necklaces and is always styling with sunglasses. This party was for Kate and we made it all about her and her favorite things. We set a table for the little girls to play dress up and pile on as many necklaces and bracelets as they could. Needless to say they loved it and there wasn't one pair of sunglasses or necklace left.
Please see below for all our resources and links.


Our little fashionista getting dressed up for her party!

How could we have a Minnie Mouse themed party and not have Minnie ears? Kate's Mama hand made each 24 pairs - with love of course! Kids and parents wore the ears throughout the party. They were a huge hit!!!


We tried several different methods to create the "ears". We tried felt, stock paper, etc... However, the best looking ears were created using foam. We traced the template that we designed onto the foam, cut it out and glued it onto headbands we wrapped in black ribbon. The final touch was a gros grain polka dot ribbon which was glued in the center. This was more cost effective than purchasing them online or in a party store. And they looked a whole lot better too. For our little "Mickeys", we used the same ears without the bow.


Baby Ella Bella

Another fun Etsy find from seller Bitty Chou Chou, these shoes were adorable, well made and coordinated with the party perfectly!!!

The birthday girl (in her 2nd outfit of the day) with her custom designed hat. Kate's Mama created the hat herself after searching high and low for the perfect hat. This has become a tradition she wants to continue after designing her first birthday hat as well. She used a regular party hat and wrapped it in pink polka dot material. Then added a zebra ribbon trim and a black feather boa poof and of course Minnie ears!!! Kate's skirt was a sparkly black tulle skirt from Nordstroms and her shirt is by Disney Couture.

I wanted to do something fun and different for the centerpieces. After scouring the Internet and magazines for ideas, I came up with this. I created the Minnie heads with black spray painted styrofoam balls. I attached the styrofoam balls with toothpicks and picked it into oasis. I loved how the painted styrofoam had a sparkly texture to it. I then created a floral arrangement around the base of the Minnie heads. We also created all white gerbera daisy floral arrangements in hot pink ribbon wrapped vases adorned with a Minnie Mouse silhouette.
Each table featured a custom zebra print runner.

The dessert table was really fun to create. Of course it was inspired by the dessert goddess Amy Atlas and the one and only party planning genius, Jenn from Hostess with the Mostess. Some of the goodies included Oreo truffles, zebra pretzels, strawberry marshmallows, pirate booty cones, cotton candy cones, cupcakes and candy.

The cupcake tower!!! We added zebra ribbon trim to each tier with a hot pink polka dot bow, a black feather boa to the bottom and a polka dot material wrapped 2 to the top. We created the Minnie cupcake toppers with our right hand machine, THE Cricut. Basically this party wouldn't have happened without our trusty Cricut, more specifically the Mouse silhouette. We had Minnie heads and bows in every size possible.

Our dessert table was originally set beneath a beautiful tree with hanging Martha Stewart inspired paper pom poms. However, much to my dismay, little black bugs started to appear EVERYWHERE. Thankfully it happened before all of the desserts were set out. So the table was moved to another location with a different background (see above) I still had to post what the table was supposed to look like because I loved it that much.
We used zebra printed tissue paper and black tissue paper to create the pom poms.

The food went so quickly we didn't even have a chance to snap a picture. We served Mickey Mouse chicken nuggets and Mickey Mouse shaped sandwiches for the kids. For the adults we had an Italian spread of bruschetta, ravioli, Mickey Mouse pasta salad and pizza.

Basically good ole' comfort food. And the plates, they were "souvenirs" from Disneyland. For a month, I went to almost every Disneyland restaurant and collected new Mickey Mouse shaped plastic plates. I love these plates because they were sturdy and you can't find them anywhere but Disney theme parks.

Our beautiful material covered letters.

Our hand made pennant banner. We used a triangle template, traced it onto the material, then glued the pieces to a long piece of hot pink polka dot ribbon.

We kept the kid's table decor fairly simply because we later used it for crafts. Instead of using flowers at the base of the Minnie's, we adorned the base with white feather boas. And hot pink ribbon wrapped cylinders with one stem of white gerbera daises with a black center.

A few of the adorable party guests...

Another Cricut powered project. We used the Minnie Mouse silhouettes and ribbon to string the banner together. We glued the letters on with glitter.

The kids had a blast accessorizing and playing dress up. We also had a few crafts, such as coloring pages and activities. Another fun craft was the Minnie Wands. We cut Minnie Mouse silhouettes out of the black foam and glued them onto ribbon wrapped dowel rods. We set out bowls of glittery foam stickers, ribbons and glitter glue markers. The kids loved creating their own design. We also had a bubble machine, a game of "Minnie Says" and a bounce house (not pictured for obvious reasons).


The birthday girl, her Minnie Mouse birthday cake (after an impatient little guest stuck their finger in the icing) and her Daddy! We added a little bling to the candle with black rhinestones.

And Kate in her third and final outfit of the day. Once again, a fabulous Etsy find by seller Sherbert Baby Boutique. Our favors were Minnie Mouse tumblers from the Disney Store, filled with candy, fruit snacks and stickers. The guests also took home as many necklaces, bracelets, sunglasses and Minnie ears they could hold. For the adults, we had Minnie Mouse shaped rice krispie treats dipped in white chocolate and drizzled with chocolate, in cellophane bags tied with pink polka dot ribbons. The party was a smashing success! But most importantly, the guest of honor had a blast surrounded by her favorite people.

Resources & Links:

Jewelry Table...

The white sunglasses and necklaces were purchased from Oriental Trading.

The bracelets were purchased from a local vendor here in Los Angeles.

Dessert Table...

Zebra Cupcake Liners were purchased from Bake It Pretty.

Inspiration...

Amy Atlas

Jennifer Sbranti - Hostess with the Mostess

Palos Verdes Seaside Chic

Hello Everyone! Below are a few images from a table scape we designed for an event in Palos Verdes. We incorporated some seaside "chicness" with an elegant color palette of white, aqua and chocolate brown. Enjoy!

The floral arrangement was created with white phaeo orchids, tulips, hydrangea, calla lilies, dendrobium orchids and roses. We used monstera leaves, rolled ti leaves, flax, seeded eucalyptus and kiwi branches to accent and create a stylish flair to the all white arrangement.

At the base of the cylinder, we incorporated driftwood, kiwi branches, starfish, moss and loose orchids. The votive candles were wrapped with aqua ribbon, a strip of ti leaf and finished with twine and a rhinestone for an organic ocean inspired twist.

The gorgeous brown ribbon taffeta linen and aqua lighting were the perfect finishing touches to complete the luxurious look.

Los Angeles River Center Wedding {Apricot Tangerine and Pink}

When I first met Minh -ha and Jon, I could feel the love. They adored each other and it was visible in the way they connected as they spoke. Jon's only concern was Minh-ha's happiness and having her every wedding dream realized. It was such a pleasure to create the floral design for their wedding day held at the beautiful Los Angeles River Center & Gardens. Minh-ha had a clear vision of what she wanted their wedding to be - clean, rustic elegance, softly accented with lush floral arrangements. The color palette, a fruit wood base with delicious accents of apricot, tangerine, and blush pink.

Her bridal bouquet was created with peonies, runnunculas, lisianthis and garden roses in shades of creamy white, blush pink and apricot.

Minh-ha and Jon wanted simple decor for the ceremony, we lined the aisle with dark wooden boxes and placed lush floral arrangements on top.

The arrangements were created with lisianthis, garden roses, stock and carnations in shades of apricot, tangerine and pink in dark fruit wood julep cups. The base of the centerpieces were accents with fresh kumquats.

I love this photo... their happiness is contagious.

The cake was accented with open apricot and blush pink roses and placed on wooden boxes.

Congratulations Minh-ha and Jon!!!

Wishing you a lifetime of happiness, love and laughter...xoxo

Many thanks to Dru Chen for the beautiful photos...

Venue: Los Angeles River Center & Gardens