7.29.2018

Batman Birthday Party

Our little buddy boy, Eli, turned 5 in April so we threw him a Brunch with Batman themed birthday party! 

When Eli decided he wanted a Batman party, dense mom over here thought maybe we should do a different theme since we already had one super hero party. But um hello, Avengers and Justice League are clearly two TOTALLY different things! So we forged ahead with  the Batman theme! (You can read about our Avengers! party here) 


First things first we had to pick a venue and I did this WAY late so lots of places were already booked! Eeek! Luckily, our country club
Stonebriar Country Club was available and the new renovations happened to match our theme perfectly! 

Since we had done the colorful "Boom! Pow!" type look already we had to come up with a new game plan. I went to trusty ole pinterest and saw some modern mask themed party and knew this would be the solution!  

The balloon wall is from Blow It Up Balloons and I'm seriously obsessed with the owner! She's an angel! 






 Gold chivari chairs, black diamond linens + black waterfall napkins added depth + elegance to a little boy party! 



As for the kids tables we rented the little yellow chairs and propped the tables on milk creates to make them the correct height. 




created these gorgeous centerpieces and we added in the batman masks to nail the theme home. 






As for favor I bought inexpensive capes off Amazon and my darling neighbor who makes bows and all sorts of goodies added the logo on them.



Ah, the cake table, always my favorite at any event! How cute is it that the art work happened to match perfectly! 
If you know me, once I start using a company I love I keep using them until the end of time! Ha! 
I found this backdrop from Style Me Gorgeous on Facebook. It's actually the first thing I ordered and based the rest of the party off this. 
I then ordered the Gotham City towers off Oriental Trading Co. and the banner from a GoodNewsLane and the cupcake toppers from Fancy My Cupcake on Etsy. 
My neighbor and friend, Mary, is the owner of Better Batter Cakes and she makes all of our cakes. 
As for the cookies and cake pops we recently started using Sift and Stir and they always deliver the best and YUMMIEST treats! 
HOW IS ANYONE THIS TALENTED?



As for the food, I took my little guy with me to the meeting with the event coordinator at the country club and let him help pick the menu. We did chicken biscuits, bacon (my little superheros fav food), eggs,fruit and a parfait bar. 



Now onto the FUN part, the entertainment. Eli wanted a viewing of his favorite movie Batman Lego, of course wanted to invite Batman and his sidekick Robin, and we decided to hire a caricature artist. 
{If your looking to hire a superhero we highly recommend Real Hero Parties as they employ REAL heros like firefighters, teachers and military veterans!) 





Oh shoot, I almost forgot the welcome table! 
I printed off some printables from Etsy + mixed old and new pictures of the birthday boy. I also bought the Batman Classic: 5 Minute Batman Stories for guests to sign.




Overall, the party was a lot of fun and Eli said it was the best day ever! 
I cannot believe how fast these 5 years have flown by and that my BABY will be off to transitional kindergarten next year. 
Eli, you are the most handsome, silly willy boy on earth. Your laser focus on whatever you are into is astonishing. You are strong, fair, cuddly, loud, and so stinkin' smart! I hope you know I will always be your number one fan! 
You are the light of the world and the light of life! 
'Love you so much'
Momma
































































Paperless Post

You guy know my love for hosting parties and events. 
After years of working in the fashion industry and getting to use my creative side day in and day out, 
I needed a creative outlet once I came home to raise my babies. 
I'll never forget the creative rush of planning and executing Eli's first birthday party. 
Everyone kept asking if I was "relieved" his party was over and feeling exactly the opposite.
Wishing I could start all over with a new theme and create a new vision. 
Now that I have 3 bitty babies I still love coming up with a vision and planning every last detail of a party but lets get honest, I don't have a lot of time!
Paperless Post has become a staple for me in event planning over the past 7 years.
They offer the most beautiful + elegant designs that don't skimp on detail. 
Here is my latest invitation for an upcoming baby shower I'm hosting. 


Some of my favorite things that makes Paperless Post stand out is their attention to detail + 
how convenient their service is.
They offer the experience of snail mail by having the invitation arrive in an envelope, personalized with each guests name. The envelope then flips around to show the envelope liner and the invitation pops out. A true experience at a fraction of the price. 




They also offer such convenience as you can add the event straight into your calendar on your phone. It adds the address to which you are going, date and time. 
I was able to upload the guest of honors registries so its an easy click away. 
Lastly, it makes for keeping up with RSVP's a dream! 
I really could go on and on about Paperless Post as it's just an event planners dream come true but I will leave you with some of the other invitations I have created over the years.
*Working in collaboration with PaperlessPost.com 


My 30th Birthday Party


My 3rd Baby Shower 


Caroline Carlisle's Dedication 


Collins Claire's Baby Dedication 


Our Annual Kids Christmas Party with Santa 


Another Year of our Christmas Party 


Mitch's Birthday Party 7 years ago


Our annual Easter Party with our Best Friends

5.04.2018

Texas Tech Alumni Legacy Program

Oh my goodness. You guys. 
About a month ago I learned about the 
and can I please tell you how P-P-Pumped I was to find out about it? 
Any kiddo with a parent, grandparent, or special Red Raider graduate  in their family that is enrolled with the Texas Tech Alumni Association at the Century Level ($100)can become a Legacy!  
We enrolled and not 2 weeks later the kiddos got the sweetest mail surprise! {I mean, come on, who doesn't love a good mail day?! This surprise will forever top the list!} 

 In the first package all Legacies receive a welcome letter and gift as well as their membership cards! 
 We received the most gorgeous red fleece blankets embroidered with the Double T and "Legacy Program". They are SO soft and the quality is impeccable! {I may or may not have cuddled up on the couch with one a time or 2! They feel like heaven!} 
With the annual membership legacies will receive birthday greetings, exclusive gifts and invitations to legacy events throughout their childhood to remind them they are an important part of the Texas Tech family! 



There is no greater gift to give a child than a passion for education and a community to feel apart of. I am thrilled to pass my love for Texas Tech to the next generation just like my mom passed her love for Tech on to me! 



The Century Level membership has a ton of great benefits, in addition to the Legacy Program, including access to the Frazier Alumni Pavillon on the Texas Tech campus on game day. 
Back in the day (long ago!) when I was a Tech Cheerleader I absolutely LOVED the Frazier Alumni Pavillon. It's a nice cool retreat from the blazing West Texas sun with great food and drinks! 
I cannot wait to take my kiddos there this Fall for homecoming! 

Also, we will also start receiving the Techsan magazine, get discounts at national retailers and the ability to network with over 30,000 fellow Red Raiders! 


So you guys click here to become apart of the LEGACY
Also, once you become a member don't forget to use the hashtag #TTAALegacy for a chance to become the Legacy of the Month! 
You guys may know a few little kiddos being featured soon! 

Wreck 'Em Tech! 
Lauren 

*Working in collaboration with the Texas Tech Alumni Association but all opinions are our own! Thank you, Tech!!! 






5.01.2018

Tea for Two Birthday Party


 Tea for Two: 

Our Caroline Carlisle turned 2 on November 5th and we celebrated 
our girl with a "Pink Tea Party" at her request! 
Y'all, our girl cracks us up beyond measure. She's a fancy little spitfire. 
She insisted on wearing a string of (faux) pearls, white gloves and church shoes everyday for about 6 months, mind you most of the time with JUST a diaper. 
The girl knows what she likes and what she doesn't and we are all just along for the ride! 

{Dress: Pink Peony Boutique Hat: Etsy Shop Timeless Kisses 
Photo by: Nicole Weirick Photography}

First off, we decided on the House of Hadley Kate for our birthday celebration venue! 
The House of Hadley Kate is located in downtown Frisco and is the cutest old house that has been renovated for children's birthday parties! 
They do ALL the set up, tear down and have employees help host the party which is incredibly helpful! 
We had toured the House of Hadley Kate before CC's first birthday and wanted to save this cute venue for a more "themed" party when she was a tad older so she could partake in all the cute activities they set up! 
{CC has since been asked to be a brand ambassador for their cute kids boutique HOHK Kids! You can shop online and follow their instagram! Seriously such cute stuff!}

Once we picked the theme and venue I went to pinterest to start gathering ideas for her decor.
The first thing I knew we had to have was a balloon swag! 
I emailed over a picture to the House of Hadley Kate and boy did they deliver! 
I love the mix of light pink, white and gold glitter balloons with the gorgeous greenery detail. 
I then ordered the "Tea for Two" gold balloons to nail the theme home. 
{Gold Foil Balloons:Etsy Shop Oh Shiny Paper Co }
{Large white confetti Balloons: Etsy Shop Super Sweet Party

Before I even picked a cake I knew I wanted CC to have a macaroon tower. 
Nothing pairs better with tea and pink macaroons! 
Since we didn't need 300 macaroons we added in roses to the display and I think it turned out so elegant and pretty! 
As for the food we went with tried-and-true Market Street Catering. The food is so delicious and extremely well priced. Our menu consisted of Tea Sandwiches (Cucumber with dilled cream cheese, Honey maple ham with swiss and raspberry preservatives, Pimento cheese, Smoked gouda spread with tomatoes and bacon, Artichoke chicken salad on olive bread, Turkey and American cheese and Peanut butter and jelly)  European Cheese Board, Stuffed Brie Platter, Charcuterie board, Fruit platter and a Veggie Platter. 
{Macaroon tower: Amazon, Macaroons: Market Street



My dear friend Jenn Lyons owns the best paper goods company around, Filled with Joy, and she custom made the sign, thank you tags and invite! 

The cake is always one of the most fun parts to pick out! I usually let the kids scroll through pinterest and pick out ideas they like! Then we take it and make it our own. 
Our friend and neighbor Mary Baird is the owner of Better Batter Cakes and she is always so incredible! 
CC wanted a "pink tea pot and cup" so Mrs. Mary made it happen! 

 For the tea party I thought each of our friends needed their own hand painted tea cup which also served as the party favor. They had so much fun sipping tea from their cups and of course I had little plastic tea cups with straws too. 
 The kiddos enjoyed a few types of decaf tea, lemonade and water. 
{Tea Cups: Holly Slay}







As for entertainment, we had fun dressing up in pearls, twirling around the dance floor and decorating hats and tea cups! 









Well there you have it! Our little "pink tea party" was so much fun and we are so thankful for our family and friends that came to celebrate our little Ceec!! 
My baby girl, you hold such a special place in my heart! You are wonderfully carefree, strong and yet the kindest soul I have ever known. You are thoughtful and soft but brave and independent. You are a social butterfly that doesn't know a stranger but a mama's girl through and through. Your heart is pure gold and I couldn't be more proud of who you are! I pray you know what unique talents and gifts you have. That you use them to your full potential. I pray you are courageous and kind. Loving and giving. 
Caroline Carlisle you are made for extraordinary things. I can never thank God enough for YOU!
I love you with my whole heart!!!!