Parties | A Joyful Riot

November 1, 2016

A “Bow”-tiful Birthday Party for Hello Kitty!

Today is Hello Kitty’s birthday :D didn’t you know?! Haha, don’t worry we didn’t either until about a month ago when we were planning this bow-tastic birthday party set up!

Truth be told, we’ve never been into many character things at all. Even as children, neither Malissa or I (or any of our siblings for that matter) were fanatic for a certain character, show, or company (like Disney). I guess that’s just not how we were raised.

However, I do distinctly remember that we had a Sanrio (the company that created Hello Kitty) store in one of our local malls throughout jr. high and we LOVED it there! They had the cutest little products and amazing pens and pencils! As someone who prided herself in having the coolest writing utensils, i.e. totally unnecessary little doo-dads added onto them, I loved going to the Sanrio store and picking out fun new ones to add to my collection.

Additionally, and more importantly than the cool pens they had, this store had the most AMAZING selection of bubble gum. They seriously had packs of blueberry bubblegum, banana bubblegum, strawberry, pineapple and every other fruit flavor imaginable! Plus, a bunch of other unique flavors. Because bubble gum is my FAVORITE, I could not resist buying a couple packs every time we went to the mall.

So, while I maybe never have had a Hello Kitty full-on get up, I had plenty of fun little gadgets and bubble gums with her cute little head on them. And I have always thought she was possibly the cutest little cartoon character out there! She’s always featured in new little outfits and bows and I just love that about her. In fact, I think her bow is so cute that I decided to throw a whole little party based on the accessory!

Avery, has all these adorable new Hello Kitty themed printables that are perfectly created to work with their labels and other products. There are a ton of cute options and I just love how easily you can put together a whole party with their templates! I’ve always said I think that graphics are one of the most important parts of a cute party and this takes all the work out of that. (PST see our Instagram this week for an awesome Avery GIVEAWAY!)

September 1, 2016

Geodes & Gemstone Inspired Outdoor Dinner Party

The gorgeous natural purple and turquoise colors of raw geodes inspired this outdoor dinner party. Featuring geometric decor, lots of rock candy and glitzy gold, this party is rich and fresh.

A few weeks ago, I was able to celebrate my awesome mom and throw her a little dinner party for her birthday! I didn’t have any grandiose plans at first, I just wanted to make her dinner for once, but then I had this idea for geode cupcakes (post for those to come!). And then I thought, I could use them for my mom’s birthday! She loves pretty rocks! And the ideas for other geode and gemstone inspired decor just started coming. And I thought, why pass up an opportunity to make a big fuss? I love to throw parties, especially for closest loved ones. So I went with it and this glitzy-ish outdoor dinner was the result.

When I say my mom loves pretty rocks, I mean I remember many trips out to obscure places to hunt for things like trilobite fossils and mochi marbles. My mom loves searching the beach for shells (k, yeah, not exactly rocks but you know..same kind of genre haha) and she used to have buckets of them in the garage. My parents still take day trips to collect petrified wood. And, up until recently when it broke, she would polish all kinds of rocks in her own little tumbler. Maybe she doesn’t have a huge collection, and she would probably never spend money on a rock, but pretty stones definitely remind me of my mom.

So I figured she wouldn’t mind a little party inspired by some of the most amazing rocks around, geodes. Seriously, these rocks kill me! They are just plain-jane gray and ugly on the outside and then you bust them open and a world of sparkly gorgeousness is revealed! I absolutely love their waves of swirling color and caverns of glitz. So I decided to expand on that and include a few other gemstones and some gemstone-shaped decor. Everything was purple, turquoise, gray or gold and I love how those colors when together.

And did you see that amazing cake?! The Sweet Tooth Fairy provided us with that gold-leaf work of art (that was so delicious too btw!) as well as some fabulous, sparkly mini cupcakes!

Not only was this party rich in theme and colors but it was pretty decadent in dessert as well! Click through the “read more” button below to see more pictures!

June 13, 2016

Vintage Citrus Floral Birthday Party

A couple weekends ago we celebrated our baby’s second birthday with our families. Stella had such a wonderful time, we had a yummy meal, and lots of fun even though we also got rained in and had a rather terrifying experience.

I’m serious. Terror ensued. Everything got set up and ready outside but just before we were about to sit down to eat, it started to rain (ugh) so we quickly moved the whole party inside. Luckily I had already gotten my pictures (phew!) and we had plenty of room to still set everything up all pretty inside.

But, just after moving everything inside and just before dinner was ready, we saw a bee.

Then we saw another one. And after we took care of that one we saw three more. After killing about 15 bees, things finally settled down and we ate our dinner, opened Stelly’s presents and had cake in peace. Now, maybe my telling of the story doesn’t sound so terrifying but it is because bees are the WORST. They are my literal biggest fear. Well, to be fair, wasps and yellow jackets and the like are the actual worst. I love bees because they make honey and honey is my favorite thing ever. But still, they’re all kind of similar and they all fly and can really hurt you and so that’s scary.

I’m terrified of bees because I’ve been stung (more correctly bit) on at least six different occasions and on every single one, I got 5+ stings. That’s right, I’ve been downright attacked by bees more times than I can count on one hand and for that reason, they are so much scarier than spiders, mice, snakes or anything in the ocean. haha JK, I refuse to get in the ocean because everything in there is so much scarier than a bee. I’m a wuss.

And, just so you know, the party didn’t end with no bee incidents. The birthday girl, our sweet and happy Stelly, got stung at the end. There was a docile bee crawling around on the floor and was blending in perfectly so we didn’t see it. It may have been hit before and didn’t die or it may have just been tired cus it was late at night by this point. Either way, poor Stella was just sitting there and then the saddest crying I’ve ever heard and my heard broke and now she is scared of bees too :(

April 28, 2016

A Mother’s Day Picnic Brunch

A lot of times with Mother’s Day the focus is on what children should get their mother or significant mother figure in their life. But what about the dad?! It is just as important for the father to shower his spouse with some needed love on this special day. So when FTD challenged us with putting together a tablescape featuring their florals to help inspire dads we jumped at the opportunity!

First off, look at all these gorgeous Mother’s Day bouquets! If there is one thing that is a no-fail gift it is having flowers delivered. No way that cannot improve someone’s day and every time I have gotten flowers delivered to my mom or mother-in-law they have loved it! If you take the flowers and pair it with a simple brunch then you have definitely out done yourself this year.

I decided to throw a simple outdoor brunch picnic with the beautiful Sunlit Meadows bouquet. Now, you might be thinking this is a lot to do but trust me – all you need is a lovely spring day, a blanket, these flowers and some quick breakfast food and you have the most fabulous Mother’s Day surprise! I chose a wood pallet as the makeshift table but of course any blanket will do. And grab some pillows to make it even more inviting!

Brunch is a common Mother’s Day gift and of course I would never encourage anyone to not treat their wife or significant other to breakfast in bed. But I also firmly believe you have to take advantage of May weather and there is truly nothing better than a picnic. Planning one for someone you love is such a warm gesture and laying on a blanket in the sun is one of the true joys of life. I just am not convinced there is any better way to celebrate Mother’s Day. Plus, if you have a yard or patio then no one even has to get out of their pajamas!

For my picnic I grabbed some blueberry muffins, orange juice, strawberries and pie (at brunch it is perfectly acceptable to have dessert). I kept it small and easy to show all you dads how easy it is to create a lovely spread. No cooking required!

Extra flowers are always a plus. I always just go to my local grocery store and buy two bunches of flowers and stick them in whatever vases I have around – it so easy to DIY floral arrangements. Above I am using votive holders (hence the no water) and below I am using lanterns so really anything works.

And one more look at those flowers! I just love the vase so much and will definitely be using it in the future!

January 11, 2016

A Geometric Galentine’s Day Party with Cheeky

Have you seen Cheeky plates at target?? They’ve previously only had a regular dinnerware line but just release, on the 6th, an all-new party ware line! Both lines are adorable, with geometric designs, inlaid patterns and the cutest, trendy colors! But, the best part about Cheeky ware is that, beyond the cute designs and variety, they are also a company dedicated to helping end hunger. For every Cheeky item you purchase, a meal is donated to a person in need right here in the U.S. How wonderful is that? So you know that not only are you getting the cute paper-ware you need for your home and events but you’re also helping end starvation here at home.

So when Cheeky asked if we would help introduce their new party designs, we were thrilled to be a part of it and, after falling for every new plate, settled in on these perpendicular lined ones that inspired this Galentine’s Day geometric party set up!

You know we’re fans of Galentine’s Day! Last year we celebrated with this pastel heart and black cat (since it also fell on Friday the 13th) party and now it’s a holiday I’d like to pay tribute to every year, as Leslie Knope says, “it should be a National Holiday!” I love the idea of a holiday for women to just gather the other women of their lives and say, “Hey, I love you! Now let’s paint our nails and eat waffles!”

Getting your mom, your sisters, your women in-laws and you BFFs together for a sweet-filled party is just what we all need about this time of year, I think. January is rough, is it not? Holidays over, murky air, dirty slush, back to school, sicknesses still abundant. I mean, come February we really need this day! But, I hate how this day also usually signals the end of my New Years good intensions (like of eating less chocolate and working out…) so for this party, I made two treats and a drink that are totally lacking in refined sugars, grains, or dairy!

Cheeky’s slogan of “Eat. Drink. Think.” inspired me to make this a party that doesn’t lack in any heavenly sweetness but is also thoughtful of the ingredients we’re consuming to get that sweetness. So, I welcome you to join me and my fave gals for a sweet little get-together with free printables and some amazing paleo dessert recipes! Click ‘read more’ below!