Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Votes and {invitations}

Sooo, I entered a contest yesterday to be in the best Party Blogs list. There is a button on the side that you can go to and vote for me. Could you? Would you? It would make me happy and get some exposure for this new venture of mine. I would greatly appreciate it. On the other side of things we now have a wonderful graphic designer doing invitations for me. My son came home yesterday with the most fabulous birthday invitation. I am not sure who was more excited, myself or my son. It was gorgeous, so personalized and fit the theme perfectly. There was no company name on the invitation so I hopped on the phone and called the mother. It turns out that is was her sister who did the invitation and does it as a home business while she is at home with her 1 year old. I immediately sent her and email. I was so excited about her work. It turns out that she is excited to so, I would like to welcome Serendipity Designs to the Poppylop team. Welcome aboard. We look forward to you wonderful works of art.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

The reviews are in

The girls had a great time. All went well. YAY. I love happy children!! Some wouldn't take off the skirts, the treasure hunt was a success, they danced, they ate and everyone left happy. Even mom was happy. Now that's what I call a great party.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Fairy Fun continued




Flower cupcakes


It is almost the big day for little L. She will have her big day tomorrow. Decorations are going up and the cake is ready. The fairy's will soon deliver their treasure. The excitment builds.



Fairy on top of the birthday girls cupcake

I have really enjoyed doing this. Everything from decorating the fairy wings to creating the treasure hunt. I think with all the flowers, tule and pink the girls will be happy. I can hardly wait to get the verdict from the "Head" fairy.


The treasures for the fairies to hide. Notice the fairy dust?

Here are some pictures of the cake. Tomorrow I will get to go and get the venue pictures. I'm so excited!!!

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Super Pops




Wow, how fun are these? I came across these a few weeks back and HAD to have them for someones party.... will it be you? I looked around and found that everyone was out of stock ---ug. Then I found the wonderful Kate from CupKatesEventDesign on Etsy. Thank goodness for her. She sent me a whole wack of them and in no time flat. I think I received the order withing 5 days. Not too shabby. Thank you Kate.


These are called Push ups (no not the female kind). These hold yummy delish cake and icing. They fit any theme and can be customized with lables, bow and whatever else your imagination desires. I have seen them used for pirate parties and princess parties, but they can also be used for adult parties. The flexibility of use here is never ending.


One thing that I think will be popular with them is that they reduce mess and waste. They have lids, so that if children don't finish all their cake (can you imagine NOT finishing cake) they can put the lid on and take it home. Also, the crumbs stay in the container reducing the chance of having to chase those nasty cake crumbs all over the place after the party. (Nice eh!!)

We are not limited to just cake here either. I am thinking ice cream, pudding parfaits...oooh the list goes on. Can you tell I'm excited about this one? Yup I am. Are you too?


Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Poppylop Parties: Recipes For Fun

Poppylop Parties: Recipes For Fun: "Bubbles - Spring and Bubbles, For some reason I think the two go together. Call me crazy. If you are planning a spring party or even anyti..."

Recipes For Fun

Bubbles - Spring and Bubbles, For some reason I think the two go together. Call me crazy. If you are planning a spring party or even anytime of the year (outdoor) party, this bubble recipe will add a little extra fun.

1/4 Joy dish detergent - or any really inexpensive dishwashing liquid. (the cheaper the better)
3/4 cup water
5 drops of glycerin Do Not Skip this part. (available at pharmacies)

Mix it all together.
You will probably need to double or more the recipe and place in serveral containers. Shallow dishes work best. I like tin pie plates.

Next you will need to make some bubble blowers. Feel free to pick some up at the store, but for added punch it would be very impressive to have some hand crafted ones. Kids can make these as well.
  • Pipe cleaners are great, bendable, flexible. Bend them into any shape.
  • Wire works well too.
  • Very inexpensive toilet paper rolls are easy for little hands to handle and while they work only until they get soggy, the blow great bubbles.
  • For a more impressive bubble (you will need a bigger container for this) Tie a long length of string onto a dowel (tie both ends on so they will slide back and forth. Close loop, put tied ends together, dip in solution. Slowly open the string, slide on end back and swing the string through the air (boy I hope this makes sense!!)
  • Another easier way is to get two straws the same length and a lenght of string. Put string through the straws and tie two ends together. Put knot end inside straw. If you hold the straws apart you will have a square or rectangle. Dip in the solution and blow.

This should keep young and old amused for a few hours. It really works best on a humid day.

If this is all too much, you can buy or rent a bubble machine. Any under the sea, princess or bubble party will be complete.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Photography



In starting my blog and website, I went looking for all those wonderful pictures that were taken of the parties I had thrown. Much to my chagrin there weren't many. Most of the details were over looked, the guests were just a blob of backs of heads, the beautiful candy buffet I did, wasn't even present and the lighting don't even get me started. OHHH dear, what to do. Well I'll tell you. Do your photography research. I know I am going to need great pictures from now on. Not only to have fabulous memories for my children, but also for the business. This madness cannot continue.


So, here's the plan. I am reading and learning a lot about how to take pictures at parties, which I see from photographers sites, is not an easy task (thank goodness, I thought it was just me). I plan to practice in advance and make sure I know what pictures to take instead of running around like a mad woman just clicking when I can.

Here is what I have learned so far;


  • Get down to the child's level and take pictures from there. It is ok to take a few from the usual adult hight, but the most effective pictures (those that will capture the true feeling of the day) will be take low to ground where the action is.

  • Nominate someone to do it for you. If you know someone who is going to be at the party that has experience in photography or just alway seems to have the best pictures, let them do the picture taking. I am a big fan of getting parents who attend parties to be active and participate. "Camera chief" can be a great role for someone who wants to do something. This way you will be hands free to attend to all the details you have planned. Deligate, deligate.

  • Hire a photographer. If you can afford it and are willing to go to the expense then hire a professional. I am sure that you won't regret it. There is also the less expensive option of having a photography student or amateur photographer to do the pictures. I have found some of my favourite photographers on sites like "USEDEVERYWHERE" and "KIJIJI" Hey, sometimes they are free!! Nothing beats free.

  • Lastly, for tonight anyways, get the detail. The tule skirts, the design on the cake, the fabulous paper straws. It could be anything. I had a friend who took a picture of the candy necklaces I had wrapped around the napkins and cutlery. I thought she was silly at the time, but now I am so happy to have memory of the details that I created. I only wish I had a picture of that cute candy bar....next time.





BACK TO YOUR ROOTS











It is said that a"home based" party can be the most memorable in a child's life. If you think back to your birthday parties, I am sure that the ones that come to mind right away are those that you had in your loving room, backyard or basement. Mom's homemade cake, playing pin the tail on the donkey (which has come a loooong way now) or hot potato. Believe it or not these simple and basic activities are the best and probably the reason that you remember them so fondly. Your mother probably made your favourite food, had things decorated the way you liked with your favourite colours, and yippee, BALLOONS. It was out of the ordinary and full of your favourites or "FLAVOURITES" in the case of food. What could be better. Time moves forward and now the tendency is to blow the roof off of these parties. To "out do" the Joneses and make it bigger and better than last year. Some people spend upwards of $20 000 on this one day or a couple of hour events. Who is this party for? The parents or the child. It is important to keep this in mind when planning. We can want to bring in the whole petting farm, but is it really necessary. What if we just put some stuffed animals behind a small garden boarder fence. Would your 3 year old mind?? No probably not, but it would add to that farm theme without taking it overboard.




It time to get back to basics. It can be hard to hold back. I know for a fact that it's a challenge. I do have a tendency to go over board, but when it comes down to it the visit from the professional actor/pirate was not really necessary when my husband's free version was even more entertaining. Don't hesitate to go back to those good old games either. Chances are that your kids have probably never even heard of "HOT POTATO" and I have yet to meet a child who didn't cheer when we announced it was time to play musical chairs!!




Go back to your roots, think simple and see how it turns out. If your child was not happy with the results, there is always next year.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Website

After many hours of work and a few choice words, my baby is born ....well the website it up and running.  Yippee for me.  I am so excited.  It's not perfect not is it exactly what I wanted but I think it make the point clear.  What do you think?
My goal was to be clear, give examples and make it easy to get what you want, with a dash of inspiration.  I hope it makes the mark.

http://www.poppylopparties.com/

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Super Excited

My business cards have arrived.  I'm so excited.  This kinda makes it all official.  Yippee... Now to get some customers!!! hmmmmm

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

POPPYLOP PARTIES: A sea of fairy fun

POPPYLOP PARTIES: A sea of fairy fun: "I am still plugging away at the fairy garden party. Here is a sneak peak at the invitations and the skirts I've made. I like the..."

A sea of fairy fun

I am still plugging away at the fairy garden party.  Here is a sneak peak at the invitations and the skirts I've made.  I like the way it is all coming together.  So much fun.  I hope the party girl is equally surprised.
I just love the colours and softness of this party.
The invitation also doubles as the thank you loot bags. The design is from My Grafico .  So much fun. They will be ironed on to the fabric loot bags.  So cute.
Only two weeks to go.
More fun to come.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Busy day today

Well, the past two days have been ordering, planning and creating. Things are coming together nicely.  Now, however, it's time for bed.  Back at it tomorrow.
Don't forget to let your friends know about us.  We would love to help them put things together.  Like us here and on FB