How cool/genius is this?! Tear off gingham napkins that are not only adorable and handy but sustainable too! These bad boys are made of cotton and can be thrown in the wash to be used again and again.

I seriously need to get some of these for summer! The one in the image above can be found at Cox & Cox in the UK but for those of you state side, they’re available at Neiman Marcus in red, blue or brown.

Spotted the work of the Geronimo Balloon-Troopers at the Portland Summer School event over the weekend and had to share these images from their photo gallery. I love the colors and combination of shimmering gold with the pale pink and yellows. Pretty, pretty!

Mrs. Lilien always has the most clever combinations and playful collections when it comes to fashion. She’s a favorite that I visit for style inspiration and a dose of class.

I particularly love her recent post about setting a proper table when entertaining. If it’s one thing I absolutely love, it’s a good ol’ dinner party! But it can be a bit of a challenge to remember the approprite place for each of the flatware, glassware and dinner plates.

Thanks to Mrs. Lilien’s charming illustration, setting the perfect table is confusing no more! Read the full article here for a complete explanation of the proper Mrs. table setting. Cheers!

I spotted this beautiful first birthday invitation and certificate on Pinterest yesterday in Inspired Bride’s collection. This suite was created by the husband and wife team of Duet letterpress for their adorable daughter, Emily. What a lucky girl!

The invitation is letterpressed on the smaller pink card and details from the 1st year are included in the certificate. Both were bundled up with baker’s twine along with a picture of the birthday girl in a small glassine envelope.

I think the certificate is such a sweet way of celebrating all those simple moments and big milestones with your friends and family. See more pictures and find out the details about the printing here.

Most bake sales I’ve been to entail a lot of plastic wrap and Tupperware but these photos by Heather Bullard are enough to wipe this memories away. Everything is just darling but I think the vintage props are what really take the cake. Make sure to check out the rest of her portfolio, it’s a real treat!

Heather Bullard via Pinterest

Photos by Edyta Szyszlo

I just adore these DIY Baby Shower Invitations by the talented Edyta Szyszlo. Created for her friend, I especially love the fruit stripe envelope liner and the custom silhouettes. Also, make sure to check out the photos form the event, Edyta did such an amazing job!

Hi Friends and happy Monday! I thought I’d start the week off with a DIY project that I created for larger events like weddings, showers or anything that requires multiple tables. Instead of traditional numbered cards I thought it would be fun to number the napkins instead. They make for a striking presentation that your guests are sure to remember. The template comes in black but can be easily customized by changing the color of the napkin.

Complete instructions and step-by-step photos after the break.

Materials Needed:
Cloth Napkins
3″ Circle Punch
Iron-on Transfers (light colored fabric)
Iron
Ink Jet Printer

No St. Patrick’s Day is complete with out a good Irish beer! Why not celebrate in style with these shamrock inspired coasters?! Substitute with sparkling cider for little ones and everyone can join in the fun!

WHAT YOU’LL NEED
Color Printer
Paper
Blotter paper or thick cardstock
Spray Adhesive
Craft Knife

INSTRUCTIONS
To make these printables more coaster-like, simply print template onto regular text weight paper then glue them to a thicker cardstock with a spray adhesive. I use thick blotter paper or watercolor paper which can be found at any art supply store.

Once glued together, using a craft knife, carefully trim out each coaster along solid grey line. If printed with an ink jet printer be warned that the ink may bleed when dampened. An alternative is to either print with a color laser printer or have them laminated. Sláinte!

CONDITIONS OF USE: All Twig & Thistle downloads are subject to our Terms & Conditions. Downloads are for personal, non-commercial use only. In addition please do not redistribute or modify any of the templates. If you’d like to link to the pdf, please link to this post directly. Thanks!

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I’ve got a couple of fun DIY projects I did that I can’t wait to share with you but first, I wanted to show this adorable project by the talented ladies of One Charming Party.

Sara and Brittany purchased the clear bags from my Esty shop,  filled them with gold coins and dressed them up with a label. The cute “It’s your lucky day!” printable is available for download on their site and I’m told there are more St. Patrick’s Day goodies to come!

It’s a shame that now days the first thing you think of when you hear “Tea Party” isn’t actually a tea party. Well, in an effort to take back the term, I present to you a tea party hosted by the talented Alison Iven! A friend forwarded me the link and it was such a joy looking at all the details, I especially love the recipe cards and the labels for the homemade jam!

See more shower pics and browse the rest of Alison’s lovely portfolio here. Thanks Jessica!

With the Academy Awards coming up and all the DIY freebies available to host your own award party, I thought it’d be fun to gather some Oscar event inspiration.

I’ve been obsessed with this Oreo Cake since I spotted it in the September issue of Martha Stewart Living. Since the Oscars are traditionally a black tie event, I can’t think of a more appropriate occasion to make one of these! Yumm!

I’m also loving gold lately! Funny how as a girl I loathed it, and now I can’t get enough of the stuff! Gold confetti plates would be perfect for an awards party. Speaking of sparkle, sequined shoes and a glittered clutch would make the for lovely accessories to a red gown or a shimmering black dress.

And before the night is over, gold heart shaped cakes would make for a sweet finish to a glamorous evening!

The 2011 Oscars air on February 27th this year and I couldn’t be more excited! I’m a huge movie fan and grew up in a family that celebrated film and television. Consequently, the Academy Awards were always a big deal to us. My parents even named our cats Oscar and Emmy!

Last year, I created a downloadable Oscar suite that included printable party invitations, ballots, envelope liners, popcorn bags and candy toppers. I’ve been getting quite a few requests for an updated 2011 version so, with out further ado, here they are! Each PDF includes instructions and if you need more information, please see my original posts here and here.

OSCAR INVITATION & ENVELOPE LINERS
Set the tone for the party to come with these printable Oscar Party Invitations and envelope liners.

OSCAR BALLOT
Play along while you watch! Have guests arrive early to fill out the ballot ahead of time for who they think will win. At the end of the evening, tally up the score to see who guessed the most right!

POPCORN BAGS
What are movies without the popcorn? Serve individual portions by printing the template directly onto white paper bags, line with glassine bags to prevent butter stains and fill with movie popcorn! Both the paper and glassine bags can be found in my Etsy shop here.

CANDY BAG TOPPERS
Of course you can’t have the popcorn without the candy! Dress sweets up by arranging in cellophane bags and topping with red and white stripped toppers. Arrange it all on an old fashioned candy tray and pass it around to all your guests. Learn how to make a candy try here.

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CONDITIONS OF USE: All Twig & Thistle downloads are subject to our Terms & Conditions. Downloads are for personal, non-commercial use only. In addition please do not redistribute or modify any of the templates. If you’d like to link to the pdf, please link to this post directly. Thanks!

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One of the best details from my surprise birthday party had to be the invites and place settings. Katie hired Miss Danae, a completely amazing calligrapher! Her work is nothing short of perfection, just spend a few minutes (or hours) in her photostream and Etsy Shop, you won’t regret it!

My birthday was last Friday and I seriously think it was the best I’ve ever had. It was one of those long birthday weekends with a celebration planned everyday. To top it all off, my dear friend Katie, threw the most amazing surprise birthday luncheon for me! I showed up expecting a simple lunch with her and her family only to find her home completely decorated and a few of my closest friends waiting to celebrate with me.

The decorations were beyond exquisite and I can’t begin to describe how amazing everything was. It was like walking into the best dream ever! Tulle… felt… glitter… I swear, that girl and I are cut from the same cloth!

To set the tone, she created two wreaths for the outside door reading “Happy Birthday”. Made up of a variety of felt pieces cut into floral shapes with small glittered birds peaking through. The entry way was decorated with pink tule around the banisters and a “Surprise” banner draped the front hall. Her living room had a canopy of tulle along with a cluster of pink pom poms hanging from the ceiling and the effect was amazing! Even the fireplace had it’s own dash of sparkle!

Note: All Address Have Been Changed

The invitations were hand lettered by calligrapher Danae Blackburn Hernandez of I Dream of Letters with matching custom envelopes. She also made the place cards and tags for each of the favors.

The dinning table was the true show stopper! Decorated with coordinating table linens, vintage pink glassware, and gold cutlery; all of which Katie has collected over the years. Katie even asked my husband what my favorite meal was and made pasta Boscaiola for lunch. For desert, we had a white cake with lemon buttercream frosting!

I honestly can’t think of a better way I could have spent my 32nd birthday. It was, without a doubt, the nicest event thrown in my honor and I loved every minute of it. Katie thought of every last detail and it made for a very memorable and delightful lunch. Big kisses to Katie for such an amazing party and to Melissa and Erica for celebrating it with me. I will never ever forget it! xoxo

As promised, I’ve got tons of pictures and details to share of my sister Laurel’s bridal shower. To match the invitation, most of the desserts were either pink or white. On the menu; a pink lemonade cake with sugar poppies (the brides wedding flower) I got from a local cake decorator, pink and white marshmallows, mini powered donuts, waffer cookies and peppermint knots. To drink, we had pink lemonade, blackberry IZZEs, Sophia Champagne and gin and tonics with a splash of grenadine.

For activities, I made a Couple’s Pop Quiz and custom cards for adult bingo. The main attraction, was a video my sister Allison made of Laurel’s fiancé answering a series of questions. Laurel then had to guess his response. It was so much fun and definitely the highlight of the night.

Lastly, for favors, I gave raspberry macaroons in boxes that I cut out on my SilhouetteSD. I was planning on making the macaroons myself but they didn’t turn out well (think Pepto Hershey Kisses) so I purchased some form a nearby bakery instead. I also made little cloth envelopes made to look like air mail envelopes with naughty scratch-it tickets inside.

All in all it was a great time and I was so happy to help see my sister off on this new chapter in her life!