I know that lots of you are busy planning some awesome parties, and since the dessert table / candy buffet has been so prominent lately, I decided to invited Natalie Clamp, the owner and creative genius behind Chic Sweets, to share with us some tips on creating a stunning dessert table /candy buffet, to help you create the wow factor at your upcoming parties.

Natalie is a working mother of three who has a talent for creating beautiful dessert and candy buffets. Her talent has turned her into a sought-after dessert table designer in the West Coast Florida area, and she has designed some awesome tables for some amazing events. Her work has also been showcased on Daytime, a daily morning show which airs across the Southeast of the USA.

Here are Natalie’s tips on how to create a great dessert buffet:

1.  Candies and Desserts: The table can be a great focal point in a room/venue and I hate to see jars half full or a lot of empty space on the table. The table is meant to “wow” your guests so after designing the table, then figure out how much dessert or candy you will need depending on the number of guests. Having a lot of candy or desserts also allows guests to take desserts home as favors, and that is the best part.

Also giving your guests a variety to choose from is important as well. I love to mix desserts with hard candy. Think, “small bites.” Guests should feel like they can go back and forth and even, “graze” a bit if they want to.

2. Artistry/Design: Every time I sit down and get ready to sketch, I think about the couple or client and try to incorporate something that inspires me and create my table around it. Is it a monogram? Color palette? Design on an invitation? Let the table and the design tell a story about the event. If I feel stuck or need some inspiration, I will take a break and open a Martha Stewart magazine or check out my favorite blogs (like, Creative Hostess). Dessert tables have become increasingly popular for some time and there are some great parties out there, with dessert tables designed and inspired by moms, party planners, designers, etc.

3. Displaying candies/desserts: This is the part where you should think of yourself as a “food stylist.” I love lining plates and jars with patterned paper or wrapping papers. My go-to site is www.paper-source.com. They have some fantastic papers, ribbons and stamps. It’s so easy and completely transforms the look. I also often use all white platters and vases-it creates a monochromatic look and looks clean.

You can also lay desserts in a bed of M&M’s or other hard candy which makes it fun! Or even covering a foam cone with a coordinating ribbon and sticking lollipops or rock candy in them is always a winner and again, relatively easy to do. 

Also, you do not have to be a graphic artist to create some great labels for your table. Download a unique font from www.urbanfonts.com to make your table more special and personalized. 

4. Keep color schemes to 1-2 colors: I think it’s important to take control of the color scheme and not go too crazy. The most modern, contemporary table we’ve done was an all-white winter table. Also working with unique color palettes is always fun-blue and orange/gray and yellow/black and white. I’m currently in love with any color and gray. It just makes any color pop!

5. Backdrop, backdrop, backdrop:  Think of the backdrop as a continuation of the table. A great wallpaper and lighting can completely change the look of your table. If that is not accessible, I hang paper lanterns or not that long ago we did a table with butterflies and hung them from the ceiling. It looked great and distracted from the plain backdrop.

6. Linens: Linens go hand in hand with a backdrop. A great linen will elevate the look of your table. Go with a lighter fabric in the springtime and heavier, like a silk or taffeta for the fall/winter season. You can even go to a local linen company and many times they will rent out linens for a nominal fee. If you don’t have access to a local linen company, many great stores, like Target, carry some great and most of all, affordable lines.

Thank you Natalie for sharing these great tips with us! I wish you even more success with Chic Sweets.

Photo Credits: {Cancer Awareness Dessert Table: artistiquephotography.com, White Winter Dessert Table: Limelight Photography, Bridal Showcase Dessert Table: Limelight Photography.

I’d like to welcome today’s ‘pro‘, Jamie of Giggledust Parties, who’ll be sharing some great party tips. Jamie is the talent behind the event company Giggledust Parties, dedicated to planning amazing children’s parties. I’ve featured a few of Jamie’s gorgeous parties, and I’m sure you’ll remember the fabulous Night Owl Pyjama party she hosted for her daughter’s eighth birthday! Jamie is amazingly creative, and I love how she drafts her whole family in to make her parties extra special and personal. For instance, her husband made the Dressing Armoire, and she made the gorgeous canopy and ribbon chandeliers for her Pink Princess Tea Party. I’m really thrilled to have Jamie as our guest today, and I’m equally thrilled that she took time off to answer our three questions, and share some insightful tips with our readers.

{Creative Hostess Interview With Jaime}

What are your favorite kids party & baby shower style trends?

I love that parents are getting more creative and personalized with their child’s birthday parties. We are seeing less and less of the licensed character type parties and more parties that reflect the child’s interests.  Parents are recognizing that their children are young for such a short period of time and that each birthday is a reason to celebrate!

What inspires you when planning / styling kids parties?

In terms of party development, I have had different inspiration elements for each of the Giggledust Parties I have created. It can be a great fabric, funky plate or plush pillow I see that sparks my imagination and gets the design going!  I love creating the party experience and immersing myself in the details of the party.  My goal is to create a truly magical experience for the children by creating an environment where they will be transported to the royal ballrooms of princesses, enchanted gardens of fairies and swashbuckling adventures of pirates.   I recognize that a 4 year old cannot appreciate the detail that went into building a custom princess canopy complete with crystal chandeliers. However, while sitting under that canopy, a 4 year old can understand the feeling of being special, loved and truly a princess for the day!  I believe it is the detailing of the decor that allows the child to be emotionally connected to the experience.   Each time that I see a child immerse themselves in the “magic” of their day, I am inspired to do it again and again.

Organize, organize, organize….and then plan some more!  Putting together a great party doesn’t have to take a lot of money but it does need detailed planning.  Entertaining a group of children for several hours is not an easy task and takes some thought and planning to be a success.

These are the elements I believe are necessary to throw a great kids party:

• Pick a theme.  As a detail-oriented Type-A  planner, I LOVE themes!  I grew up in a house where every season, celebration or milestone event was given a theme to decorate around. It really does make it so much easier to pull together a cohesive party if you have a unified theme for the event.  It can be as simple as a color scheme or can be as specific as your child’s favorite stuffed animal. It doesn’t matter what it is – just have one! 
• Send Personalized Invitations.  The invitations set the mood for your event and get the guests excited about the party. Make sure that the invitations convey the message that you want about your party and keep with your theme.   
• Set a fabulous table.  The highlight of your event is singing Happy Birthday to the guest of honor.  Make sure that your table conveys the importance of the celebration!  Use real china and glassware, make place cards for the kids, display a wonderful centerpiece that is in keeping with your theme, use linens instead of paper.  Let the kids know that they are special and that their celebration deserves breaking out the good stuff!!
• Engaging Activities.  It doesn’t matter how great the decorations look, it you don’t have something fun to entertain the kids your party will be a flop!  Have a craft, play kid-friendly music and engage the guests in classic games ….there is a reason that these games have been around for decades. Kids love them!  Add a twist to the party games by keeping to your party theme….instead of pin the tail on the donkey at your princess party, try pin the tiara on the princess!
• Have a General Timeline.  This is so important to me – know what you are doing, when, during the party.  I am not saying that you have to have each minute planned but have a general guideline for when you will be doing each party activity. There is nothing worse than a hostess that is frantically running around trying to determine what to do next with a group of high energy kids. A calm hostess sets the tone for the guests…
• Send Thank-You Notes.  Leave your guests with a memory of the party experience as great as you started it by sending out coordinated thank you notes.  These are a must in my book!  Get your child involved, talk about the importance of thanking their guests for celebrating their birthday!

Thanks Jamie for sharing these great tips!  

I can’t remember how I came across Brittany’s website or her blog, but I remember being thoroughly impressed by the parties she featured on her blog, and thinking, ‘here’s a talented new event planner to keep on my radar’, because I had a feeling she would be moving on to very big things. The launching of her fabulous new website and blog, One Charming Party, definitely confirms my suspicions, and I congratulate her on her success thus far. She’s one who considers the environment in her party planning, and I’m sure once you see some of the events she’s styled, you’ll love her work too. Here are a few pictures from some great parties designed by Brittany:

 Pretty tea party

American Girl Pioneer Party

Vintage Glam Barbie Party

I caught up with Brittany some time ago and she gracefully agreed to share a few party planning tips with Creative Hostess, in response to our three questions: 

Creative Hostess Interview With Brittany

What are your favorite kids party & baby shower style trends?

The design trends that I see for children’s parties are a move away from cheesy, cartooney, character parties and more of a focus on vintage themes and using colors to drive a theme. For baby showers I’m seeing more parties based on classic childrens books. Very cute.

What inspires you when planning / styling kids parties & baby showers?

I can be inspired by almost anything when planning a children’s party or baby shower. Often an image or idea will be stuck in my head and then I know that I HAVE to use it at the next party I have. For example, I’ve been saving an idea that I saw for a cake made with soda pop and it has a layered rainbow batter. I finally have the perfect party to use it for and it’s in the works for an upcoming boy’s party.

What baby shower & kids party planning tips / ideas, would you like to share with our readers?

My favorite tip for a baby shower it use decorations that can double as gifts. For example a diaper (or nappy) cake as a centerpiece, an “it’s a girl” banner that can be re-used to announce the arrival of the baby, baby bottles filled with candy that the new mom can keep, pacifiers as cupcake toppers, etc. For children’s parties, my favorite tips are (1) to be eco-friendly and use washable dishes, utensils, cups, table cloths, napkins, etc. (2) save money by using your children’s toys as party activities–if your child wants a car party, use his toys cars to entertain guests in-between activities or while waiting for all of the guests to arrive (3) give party guests one really great take home favor instead of a bag full of cheap toys that will end up in the trash–believe me the parents will love you for it.

Many thanks to Brittany for taking the time to speak with us, and I wish her great success in the future.

As always, I’m really excited when guests drop by, and today I’m exited to welcome the lovely lady behind Posh Tot Events, Jennifer Shields. Posh Tot Events specialises in unique full service themed parties for children and mums to be, so if you book a party expect to get custom invitations, premium party favours, lots of fun activities, and expect your home / party location to be transformed into a beautiful themed party setting.

This Pirate Adventure Party is just a tiny taste of the fun, exciting parties Jennifer has put together, so I thought it fitting to ask her to share a few tips to inspire you in your own party planning.

Creative Hostess Interview With Jennifer 

What are your favorite kids party & baby shower style trends?

I love that even in a down economy people are still celebrating birthdays in fun and creative ways. The emergence of the “theme party” as a standard brings so much creativity to the event. I have always embraced a theme for any event- even if the theme is just a color scheme, as it allows you to coordinate the details of the event and make it truly unique. I also love the idea of candy buffets for kids’ parties. What started with weddings can be made even more fun for children who really go crazy at the site of a sweets buffet. Music also plays a big part in my events. Kids are very into the latest music and love to dance. I have actually learned a few new “line dances” from the 8 year olds at my “Rock Star Karaoke” parties and have been prompted to update my IPOD from their suggestions!

What inspires you when planning / styling kids parties & baby showers?

 Color! I love to create fresh and unique color schemes for kids’ parties because you can be bright and bold or soft and pretty or whatever strikes your mood and complements the child’s personality. Also all of my events have a theme so the inspiration could be a character, a trend, music, sports, whatever the child is into at the time of their birthday provides the inspiration for the party. I recently did a birthday party for a 7 year old who was into the Wii Mario Kart game. We did a primary color scheme and had pictures with “Mario” on the red carpet in front of a custom designed
backdrop, a “Wii Lounge” where the kids could play the game on a big screen and a fabulous favor “buffet” where the kids could fill their own treat buckets with goodies that tied in with the Mario theme.

What baby shower & kids party planning tips / ideas, would you like to share with our readers?

The best part about planning a party for children is knowing that ultimately kids are easily impressed and amused. Unlike the pressure that exists in planning a wedding or even just a dinner party, with a children’s party you
can have fun and be whimsical and not sweat the little details. Little touches like place cards for each child can elicit shrieks of delight from an 8 year old where at an adult event that is old news. They love personalization, decoration and most of all they love being able to laugh and dance and play knowing the day is all about them. It’s a joy to
experience. When planning a child’s party try to remember what it is like to be a kid. Relax a little and most importantly, have FUN!

Thanks so much for stopping by Jennifer, and for sharing some really great tips! You can visit Jennifer’s blog for more party inspiration.

 I am so pleased that Chris from Celebrations at Home has graciously agreed to participate in our ongoing ‘Tips From The Pros’ series. She’s such a talented event planner & stylist and has styled some pretty fabulous events, including of course, a number of gorgeous kids parties & baby showers. Chris runs her own event planning business & her fabulous blog is dedicated to sharing ideas and inspiration for creating great celebrations at home. Her years of party planning experience, and degree in fashion merchandising have helped to strengthen her eye for detail…and what a strong eye she has!  Featured below are little snippets from her very creative nautical sip & see baby shower, & her daughter’s 8th birthday party.

I’m excited to share Chris’s very inspiring party tips & advice in answer to our three questions:

 Creative Hostess Interview With Chris 

Likewise, a baby shower does not need to be full of plastic baby decor or limited to pink, blue, or yellow.  I love seeing modern color combinations and more ‘adult’ decorating touches.  Blogs are FULL of inspiration!  In fact sometimes I think there are too many ideas and too little time to implement them all!

 What baby shower & kids party planning tips would you like to share with our readers? 

I prefer to keep kids parties smaller and more manageable because let’s face it….even a few kids is a lot!!  This also makes activities easier to plan and budget for.  My advice is to invite only those that the birthday child has a real friendship/relationship with, and resist the urge to invite the whole class or the whole neighborhood. 

My tip for Baby showers is to think outside the “baby” box and keep it classy.  I think creating Baby Showers is the most fun because the sky is the limit when it comes to design.  You can use great color combinations, get girly with it, or go sporty, etc.  For me, balance is the key.  Keep the overall look adult friendly, but bring in baby touches with well chosen toys, books, or other baby items.  Jenn at Hostess with the Mostess is a master at this. 

Thanks Chris for gracing us with your presence today, & for the great tips & inspiration your shared!

I’m so very excited to bring you our brand new series, “Party Tips from the Pros.” Every Tuesday we’ ll be featuring a new talented Event Stylist, who’ll be sharing her best tips & giving us a sneak peak into what inspires her fabulous parties. 

I’m equally excited to introduce our very first ‘pro’, Kelly of The Party Dress. I’ve been following Kelly’s fabulous blog for a few weeks now, & I absolutely love her outstanding collages & party designs. I’m always inspired when I visit! In addition to styling gorgeous events & running her blog, Kelly also contributes to the party segment on Project Nursery.

Kelly graciously agreed to share with us some helpful party planning  tips & to tell us about her party style & what inspires it!

Creative Hostess Interview With Kelly

 What are your favorite kids party & baby shower style trends?

For kids – I am loving the animal themes right now – especially for Fall!  For baby showers, instead of cheesy baby shower themes, I love creating a sophisticated event.  You have to remember that a baby shower is thrown for the mom – so make it a party that is just as special as she is!  Beautiful flowers, sophisticated stationary, stylish food….you get the idea!

What inspires you when styling kids parties & baby showers?

I like to plan kid parties the same way I would plan a party for adults.  Everyone use simple elements, such as place cards, cloth napkins, or a nice invitation automatically for dinner parties or weddings….but these are things people tend to forget when planning a kids party.  I try to include these adult elements in all of my kid parties….it elevates the event to a whole new level. 

In terms of themes, I like to take inspiration from one item (such as an owl, a bumble bee, or birds) instead of popular characters.  Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with a princess or cookie monster party!  But it’s fun to come up with somewhat creative, too….

What baby shower & kids party planning tips would you like to share with our readers?

It’s all in the details!  Choose a theme, a color palette and stick to it.  Cohesive elements pull a party together!  Source elements and supplies from local craft stores, and on-line shops such as Etsy.com.   You don’t have to spend a fortune to create a cohesive, stylish event.

Also, a prepared hostess is a relaxed hostess.  The more relaxed you are, the more fun you will have!  Try to get as much prep work done as possible before the party.  This is especially true for kids parties….where the “hostess” is also the “chaperone!”

Thanks so much to Kelly for taking the time to inspire our readers. For more inspiration visit Kelly’s blog, The Party Dress.