Tag: party

  • Pretty Southern Wedding Shower

    Pretty Southern Wedding Shower

    Wedding Shower Balloons
    If there’s one thing every Southern woman knows, it’s that when tasked with hosting a bridal shower, a hostess has got to be on her a-game. From the invitations to the marquee hire, every detail has to be thought out. Nothing is too precious, cute is a fair game, and the food and drink have to be delicious. We know the gaggle of guests will gossip about the choice in napkins, munchies, party games…well everything, because it’s just what Southern ladies do.

    But don’t worry. We at Pretty Southern have watched our mamas, aunts — and your mama’s friends who are also “aunts” — do this for years.

    Here are 10 tips for hosting the perfect pretty Southern shower.

    1. You don’t have to do it alone. For this recent event, all the groom’s aunts banned together (there were five total) to host the shower. It was truly a team effort including help with the preparations, event planners like Washington DC event planners for planning and of course the costs. This shower split five ways was fairly economical thanks to a few penny-pinching ideas.

    Paper doilies, fake (recyclable) rose petals, and framed pictures of the couple make easy decorations.
    Paper doilies, fake (recyclable) rose petals, and framed pictures of the couple make easy decorations.

    2. Find decorations from your local dollar store. Paper doilies are so under-rated. They can add a little loveliness to an otherwise plain table. Fake flower petals and bouquets (when positioned correctly) can be precious, as are the paper bridal dresses. Check out your local gift/stationary store for Bride & Groom Christmas ornaments which can serve as a decoration, as well as a gift for the happy couple.

    3. Place pictures of the couple throughout the event space. For this shower, we were lucky that the groom’s mother had framed a few of the engagement photos.

    Love is Sweet

    4. A dessert section is a sweet treat. We opted for cake pops from Gabriel’s bakery in Marietta, Ga., frosted to look like wedding attire. The bridal pops were red velvet (our bride’s favorite flavor) and the groom’s with black bow-ties were chocolate, and with white bow-ties were a yellow cake. Along with the cake pops, we also picked up mini cupcakes.

    5. A framed chalkboard add’s a touch of kitschy cuteness, plus you can reuse this piece again for other parties just by writing a different message. We thought “Love is sweet” worked well for our dessert table.

    Note the doily.
    Note the doily.

    6. Call your local grocery store at least two weeks in advance to reserve your flowers. The Fresh Market came through for us with these lovely hydrangeas (Momma is particularly proud of this centerpiece she made).

    7. Old tin cans make excellent (and cheap!) centerpieces. All you need is burlap, ribbon, scissors and a hot glue gun to create these crafts.

    8. Keep the food simple. Bridal showers, as well as baby showers, are held in the afternoons so most guests might have eaten lunch. We saved on time by ordering some platters from The Fresh Market. Our menu for this event included.

    A perfect menu for a Southern bridal shower.
    A perfect menu for a Southern bridal shower.
    • Chicken Caesar Salad Cups
      (click here for the recipe)
    • Chicken and Seafood Salad Sandwiches
    • Deviled Eggs
    • Assorted Fruits, Cheeses and Crackers
    • Spinach Dip  with Veggies and Pita
    • Cake Pops
    • Mini cupcakes

    Wine bar

    9. For the drinks, provide sweet tea, water and wine. Of course you can go all out for a bellini bar (or a “Fruity Screwy Vodka Bar like Katy Ruth Camp created) but for this event we kept it easy with a selection of three whites — Champagne, Pinot Grigio, and Chardonnay — plus two reds: a Cabarnet and a Merlot.

    10. For your party supplies, you don’t have to go to a department store for your linens. We scored the tablecloths at Michael’s, as well as the party napkins. Momma also has this glass pitcher stand as a party staple (pictured with Arnold Palmer) and she was pretty proud of her table scapes. We also rented a 360 booth with digital props and fun filters and it kept things fun and exciting.

    Table

    For more Southern loveliness, follow Pretty Southern on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. We’re here to help plan your next pretty Southern shower!

  • D.I.Y. Chalkboard Party Hat!

    D.I.Y. Chalkboard Party Hat!

    I accidentally created this fun party hat d.i.y. last weekend while making decorations for my friend Stacy’s birthday and I had to share it with you guys!  I was looking for paint to cover some cardboard balloon-printed party hats (from the dollar-store y’all) and saw my chalkboard spray paint that was left over from our wedding crafts.  This is the quickest, easiest party craft and wouldn’t it be so much fun for a kid’s party?  You could give them the hats and chalk and let them decorate away!  Just follow these 3 super easy steps to create your own:

    1.  Take basic cardboard party hats and paint with 2-3 coats of chalkboard paint, allowing each layer to dry fully.

    2. Use tinsel, ribbon, or paper to decorate around the bottom and top of hat.  I used wire tinsel with colorful stars (also from the dollar store) and attached with a hot glue gun (get one from Glue Guns Direct supplier).  Just start with a drop of glue, place the beginning of your decoration, continue wrapping around the base of hat and adding a dot of hot glue every so often.   Add as much or as little as you like and then add a little more to the top of your hat.

    3.  Use chalk, plain or colorful, to add an initial, name, or message to your hat.

    I think it would be great to pass these out at the beginning of a party and let each guest decorate their own.  We had so much fun with ours and even wore them to the bowling alley!

    Supplies:: party hats, tinsel or ribbon for decor, chalkboard paint, chalk, hot glue gun.

    [author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://prettysouthern.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/KatHeadShot.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Kat Kraszeski-Jackson is an art teacher, artist, and diy crafter living in Greensboro, NC. She loves sharing her favorite artists, projects, and creative inspiration here on Pretty Southern.[/author_info] [/author]

     

  • Craft Time: A d.i.y. confetti card!

    Craft Time: A d.i.y. confetti card!

    I love sending and receiving real mail.  Not just on birthdays, but any occasion I can send someone some sweet snail mail I love the chance to put a smile on someone’s face.  Today’s d.i.y. craft tutorial will give you just that chance when you create and send someone this adorable, homemade confetti card.

    I have seen fancy confetti filled cards at boutiques and online stores before but I wanted to recreate this idea in a tutorial that could easily (and cheaply) be done with items you can find at home.  Below you will find step-by-step instructions on how to make this one-of-a-kind creation AND a free printable template of the “hooray” card I designed just for Pretty Southern readers.  You can print it right at home, in any of three color schemes, and use it for your confetti card today.  I think that deserves a HOORAY!

    First of all, materials.  These are all items you should easily be able to find at home or at your local craft or party shop.  You will need to collect:

    supplies
    1. A card for the base of the project, you can use an blank greeting card you have already or print the free template I have included here.
    2. Scissors.
    3. Confetti- you can make your fromscrap paper using a hole punch or simply buy a bag.
    4. A cutting board to cut your card on, or simply cut with scissors and a ruler
    5. Tape and a glue stick
    6. Parchment paper for the “pocket” you will create to hold the confetti.  I  used this because I already had it at home from baking and it has a nice translucent quality that allows the confetti colors to show through.  You could also use tissue paper, vellum, or regular paper.

    Now on to creating your card:

    1b. cutting your card
    1a. print card templates
    1. Print and cut out your card. I have included printable templates in blue, gold, and grey.  These can be printed at home on a heavy 8.5″x11″ paper or cardstock.  Then cut your card out to a standard card size- 8″ high by 5.5″ wide and fold at the 4″ mark.  There are cutting guides on the template to make this super easy!

      parchment paper pocket
    2. Next you will create the pocket that will hold the confetti on theinside of your card. I cut my piece of parchment paper to 3″x7″ and then folded slightly off-center (horizontally) to leave a little space at the top for a flap to fold over and close.  The end pocket was 3×3 with a top flap of 1″.
    3. Fold and glue the back of your pocket to the inside of your card.  Then put a little glue up each edge to hold the front and back of the pocket together.  Make sure you leave a little extra at the top for a flap to hold the confetti in.

      3. adding pocket to card
    4. Fill the pocket with confetti.
    5. Tape the pocket closed and add a personal note to your recipient.
    6. You are finished!  Send this little gem off to someone special!

      4. fill with confetti

    I hope you enjoyed this crafting lesson and I will be back here posting more d.i.y. tutorials for you to keep your creativity flowing!

    Print your free hooray cards from one of these files:HooraycardgrayTemplateHooraycardgoldTemplateHooraycardblueTemplate.

    **project and templates copyright katjackson 2011 and should only be reproduced for personal use.

  • Celebrate July 4th with Southern Style

    Celebrate July 4th with Southern Style

    Let’s be honest, Southerners know how to host a party, barbecue, or a holiday event…and Independence Day soirees are no exception! But a true Southerner also knows how to throw a party with style, class, and true hospitality.  If you are hosting a Fourth of July party this year, I have pulled together some inspiration for throwing the quintessential southern summer get together.  (Clockwise from top left)

     

     

     

    1.    A striped sailor top gets added flair an oversized red poppy pin by EmersonMade.  This brand puts a fresh, modern spin on classic American style.

    2.   Whether in your backyard, at the pool, or at a local restaurant, any event you are hosting gets an instant face-lift with a printed menu. Create and print yours at home or use a local print shop and then place one at each seat for an elegant touch.

    3.    Paper lanterns and tons of outdoor string lights are a must for any outdoor summer party.

    4.    Simple and festive tomato-mozzarella mini sandwiches are easy to make and serve.  Add a patriotic ribbon to dress up these simple bites.

    5.   Another breezy outfit by EmersonMade, the pinstripe jumper will take you from pool to party in no time.

    6.   Setting the table will be quick and elegant with this red striped cotton tablecloth from Anthropologie.

    7.    Serve this watermelon cooler with a red-striped straw to keep guests cool.

    8.   End the day and keep the kids satisfied with these playful, bright blue candy apples, a fun take on a classic American dessert.

    No matter where you are hosting your summer party this Fourth of July make sure you show some true Southern hospitality by throwing a get together full of American style, tasty treats, and strong drinks!