Introducing: The Robots & Gears Collection

Another one for the boys!!!  This collection made it's way into the shop a couple of weeks ago and has already received some great feedback - so I thought it was time to formally introduce it!  It is "The Robots & Gears Collection"

This collection was designed for my friend's son, Asher, who recently turned 3.  She requested friendly robots, and bright fun colors.  This party package definitely does not disappoint! It would be great for boys of any age - and the bonus is that you can take many of these items straight out of the party space and then use them as decorations in the bedroom!  What boy would not love colorful gears hanging from his ceiling?

Another bonus?  The set of printable items which are FREE to anyone who purchases a full party package.

These robots are ready to party!!!Won't you invite them over?

These boy party ideas were also featured on Spaceships and Laser Beams.

- See more at: http://spaceshipsandlaserbeams.com/blog/2013/03/party-central/boy-party-ideas-add-yours-03-12-13#sthash.RjDKex6P.dpuf

Saturday Scrapbook Page: Chubby Cheek Love

I'm just going to go right on pretending that there wasn't a 3 month gap in between the last post I added and the one previous.  Let's just all forget about that, ok?

Focus on this scrapbook page, which was inspired by my little man's chubby cheeks when he was just a baby.  This baby boy has recently turned FOUR years old.  Where has the time gone?

I will be sharing photos of Isaiah's party very soon.  Stay tuned!

Daniel's 6th Birthday: LEGO fun!

A couple of weekends ago I hosted a birthday party for Isaiah, who just turned 4.  It then came to my realization that I have not yet shared Daniel's party - which was in NOVEMBER!  Time has just zipped on by!

Daniel's party was based off of his love for Legos and how he tends to put buildings together - in striped layers - one color at a time.  I decorated as much as I could with the Legos we have at our home (and we have a LOT!) The budget was kept super low (under $50 including food, favors and decorations) and was put together in literally less than two weeks!

There is no time like the present, so without further delay - be prepared to fill your eyes with primary colored Lego goodness....

The birthday boy with his cake.  This mom is no baker... I keep the cake simple and try to provide a special 'topper'.

The invitations were hand delivered by Daniel's boy classmates.  

It just so happens there are 6 boys in his class!

Clockwise Left to Right: *Bins full of colorful Lego bricks.  *#6 cake topper on a Lego cake stand.  *Simple (yet again) chocolate cupcakes in colorful wraps - set on Lego bases. *Party favors were sent home in mini red caddies.  *Party favors included a mystery mini-figure, a few Lego bricks, and mini dot to dot/coloring books (pages are FREE on the Lego website!)

 Clockwise from Left to Right:  * A special chandelier, made to look like Legos were tumbling out of a bucket!  * The boys coloring Lego themed pages.  * Imaginative play with Legos.  * The party room setup.  The backdrop was a budget friendly DIY element, made of cardboard and duct tape!  The treat table was very simple - A small cake, cupcakes, and coordinating M&M candies. * More imaginative play! It was so fun to see what the boys came up with!

 Close up of the treat table.  I made the felt 'Happy Birthday' banner with a free font I found online.

 A successful party filled with happy boys.  

(the boys were given personalized matching shirts at the party, to bring home as a favor)

I am linking this party to the Spaceships and Laser Beams blog- where you can find a TON of boy party inspiration!  You simply MUST check them out!

These boy party ideas were also featured on Spaceships and Laser Beams.
- See more at: http://spaceshipsandlaserbeams.com/blog/2013/02/party-central/boy-party-ideas-add-yours-02-26-13#sthash.K3WcbUhX.dpuf

Busy mom = Bad blogger

Wow,  If there was a blogging award for the most space between blog posts, I would likely win!
My deepest apologies to anyone who has been waiting on the edge of their seat to find out what's next... (written sarcastically)
Truth is there IS a lot coming up next; But first let me start with what has already happened:

* The older boys started school in September (Daniel is in Kindergarten and Isaiah in Preschool).  In the days leading up to the first day of school, I decided to dress up their simple backpacks a bit and added some fun name appliques.  The boys each picked out a few colors, and helped me trace the letters. It was a fun & special project that the three of us could do together.

* In Mid-October we welcomed a new niece to the family.  Truvy Hope is too cute for words.  I had the privilege of snapping some newborn photos of the little doll.

* Sadly, just a as a new life was being brought into the world, another was ended.  Craig's grandpa passed away at the age of 91.  He was an amazing man and will be greatly missed here on Earth.

* Daniel turned 6 years old at the beginning of November.  Because of all of the life events that occurred in October, I fell behind on party planning - and had to switch the theme two weeks before the event.  He ended up having a Lego party, which ended up being perfect!  See all the photos on the TaffieWishes Facebook page, here: Daniel's 6th Birthday: Lego Fun!

And now we are at mid-November.  The temperatures have dropped and it has started to snow.  I believe I will find myself indoors a lot more over the coming months, and that could very easily mean MORE BLOGGING!  * But please don't quote me on that! :)

wishing you a great day!
Angela

Saturday Scrapbook Page: 4th of July

I know, I know... it's Tuesday!  With the 4th of July falling mid-week this year, it sort of caught me off guard.  I would like to share with you a scrapbook page that I created a while back.  It features the tradition and FUN that my family has during this wonderful holiday.  Let freedom ring!

Introducing: The Shabby Chic Collection

For those of you who have not yet seen, there is a new party collection available!  Designed for the second birthday of one of my close friend's, the 'Shabby Chic' collection is full of pink roses, lace and butterflies!  This package is perfect for tea parties, birthdays or even baby showers.  I am very happy with how this collection turned out and hope you like it too!

TEN

For ten years I have been married to this man, this amazing man.  He has cried with me during the tough times, and celebrated with me during the best.  He has given me three beautiful children and is the best father they could ever have.  He inspires me to be a better mother.  Life with him has been wonderful and I look forward to another decade with him by my side.  I love you honey!

So I don't make myself a liar..

As I mentioned in a previous post, May is BUSY!  I really thought that by now I would have done at least one post about Levi's 1st Birthday party, but alas... I haven't.
I plan to make a series of posts that go into detail of how I transformed my simple (and dark) dining room space into a whimsically decorated party room.

For today, all I have time for is a Before and After comparison photo.  I think it pretty much speaks for itself.  More to come later!  I promise!



And in case you haven't seen yet, the brand new 'CLUB create' party package is now available in the shop, at 15% off!  It would be perfect for any creative type party:  baking, art, craft, even legos!  This week I am editing photos for the Shabby Chic collection, which will be available this Thursday.

In other exciting news, the Modern Butterfly Meadow party that I styled for my friend's 7 year old daughter was featured on Baby Lifestyles website!  You can see the article HERE.  It was such a fun party to create, and I couldn't be more proud to have it featured on such an amazing website.
You can purchase the Butterfly Meadow Party Package in my etsy shop, if you want to throw a similar party of your own!

Late Night Switcheroo!

In case you missed my late night switch - I have now added a NEW party package for 15% off!

Introducing the newly re-designed Farm Animal Friends Party Package!

All Party packages will now feature a set of free printable items including:  Happy Birthday sign, fill in the blank invitation, and coordinating blank labels.  I will be adding these items to the existing party collections over the next few weeks.  These printables are offered ONLY with the purchase of a Full Party Package, which gives you your best value in coordinating decor!

Also, I tallied up all of the votes for which party package to design and offer on sale starting May 31st!  It was a SUPER close call, but the winner is: Hawaiian Luau!  I think this will be a fun summer theme, and am excited to get started designing it!  Never fear - the other two top runners, Ladybug Garden and Prince & The Magic Dragon, got so much love that I will be redesigning them very soon as well. :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

May Madness! 5-5-5 = 15% OFF!

May is a particularly busy month it seems.  There are so many little events people are scheduling to 'squeeze in' before summer starts!  End of year Preschool programs, Firefighter banquet, bake sales, etc.

I have also been busy over the last few weeks creating and photographing new/ redesigned party package items, and thought I might as well make May a little extra crazy! So, here goes..

There are 5 Thursdays (the 5th day of the week.. starting with Sunday) in this, the 5th month, and I am going to try to release either a new or redesigned party package EVERY Thursday for the month of May!  Party packages will be offered at a 15% discount for the week of their release ONLY (from Thursday to Thursday)






Here is the lineup:
Thursday, May 3rd (today!) : Vintage Cowboy Cutie  On sale NOW!
Thursday, May 10th: Farm Animal Friends (redesign)
Thursday, May 17th: Club Create! (new party theme, great for boys & girls!)
Thursday, May 24th: Shabby Chic (new party theme, girly girly!)
Thursday, May 31st: ???

As you can see, I need your help deciding which party theme I should offer on the 31st!  I would like to re-work a previous party theme.  Here are a few of the themes I have started:

Princess Fairy Tale
Prince and the Magic Dragon
Sport Star
Hawaiian Luau
Ladybug Garden
Magic

If you could, please take a moment and let me know (either here or on Facebook) which party theme you would like to see offered at a 15% discount on May 31st!

This should be a fun/crazy month!

The Family Wall

When we first moved into our 1904 Foursquare house, I had a vision for the formal entry foyer that included a large 'gallery wall'. We initially put up photos of many of the historic houses on our street. Eventually, as we started our family, I decided that the wall could be so much more. It is now a collection of favorite photos and mementos which reminds me every day how much love fills this house.

A couple of months ago, the fabulous Vana from Le Papier Studio hosted a contest on her facebook fan page that allowed viewers to submit a photo with the chance to win a free silhouette print.

I chose to submit a photo of our oldest son, Daniel - who was doing some 'fishing' at the lake cabin. I love that photo because we always have such a great time at the cabins and our time together as a family is so special. After a month or so of voting, the fishing photo received enough votes to be one of the winners!

A week or so later, I got a package in the mail with this beauty inside! Isn't it wonderful? I love it!

It fits perfectly as part of the 'family wall'! And it is now part of the 'spring collection' Here are a few other images/ close ups of the wall:

Left to right: photo of Daniel and Isaiah fishing, Photo group, pointillism print done by me (of Craig and the two older boys)

What's going on?

If you are someone who happens to pop into this blog every once in a while, and notice that I do not post as often as I probably should, you may begin to think that it is because I don't have much of anything going on worth talking about. Truth is, it's the exact opposite! These last few weeks in particular have been especially busy, and I will be excited to get the details up on the blog. And because I always accomplish more when I make a 'list'...

Here are just a few things that have been happening in my world, things that I will be giving details on soon:

* Received a copy of the new book: Seaside Home It is a GREAT tutorial book, and I plan to do a little review on it soon, as well as offer a special GIVEAWAY in celebration!

* Entered oldest son's photo in a contest for Le Papier Studio (I have been a fan of her work for quite a while now), and it was one of the winners! We received an awesome silhouette print - and I would like to share how I am displaying it!

* Threw a wonderfully whimsical 1st birthday party for Levi. I am thrilled with how it turned out. I will be sharing photos AND giving step by step tutorials on how to make the major party elements. This will be a fun series of posts.

* Celebrated Easter with family (I love to dress my boys in coordinating outfits!)

Isaiah's Vintage Cowboy Cutie Party

I am super busy finishing up the decorations and food for Levi's first birthday, taking pictures of everything along the way so that I can share how I transform my simple dining room into a party space, when I realized that I never did post photos of Isaiah's party!

His party was fortunate enough to get features on both the Catch my Party blog and Spaceships and Laser Beams blog, and so I got lazy I suppose and forgot to post photos right here on the Taffie Wishes blog!

Without further a-do, here is a collage of photos from his big day. It was a colorful, fun celebration with family and friends. I love how it really fit his personality. The vintage cowboy cutie items were, in fact, designed after him!

Just in time for Spring!

This weekend the weather was gorgeous and I had the pleasure of styling a party for Kristina's daughter Audrey's 7th birthday. I have had a vision for this party for many months now and was so excited to see it all come together!

It really makes me think of spring. The fresh air, the flowers budding, butterflies filling the air!

All items used in this party will be available in the shop soon!

Something for the GIRLS!

Having three boys of my own, and two nephews -all of whom have birthdays within 5 months of each other, it is no surprise that the newly redesigned items have consisted primarily of boy themes: cowboys, nautical, puppy...but today I added some new items in the shops that are perfect for GIRL parties!

I can't even tell you how much fun I had designing this collection, which I am calling Lollipops and Polka Dots. The party package was a request from one of my friends, whose daughter Piper is turning 4 this week! It was a tight deadline, but I couldn't be more pleased with how everything turned out. Katie is a great designer and photographer, who has agreed to take pictures of the entire party. I promise to share them with you when she does!

The rest of this week I will be fine tuning the products for another little girl's party, which will be held on Friday. Those items will most likely make their way into the shop this weekend or early next week!

New Products!

I have been a busy little bee this past month designing new items and re-designing old collections for the shop. This past weekend, I was able to get the redesign of both the Playful Puppy collection and the Nautical (classic sailboats) collection into the shop. I would love to hear what you think!

These cute milk carton favor boxes have been a hit! The originals were design as part of the Farm Animal Friends collection, which I made for my nephew Kirk's first birthday. I can't wait to have those redesigned products back in the shop... they're super cute!

Hope everyone is having a great Monday!

Happy Valentines Day

Hope everyone had a great day, filled with lots of love!

Decor in action! (custom name banner)

A while back I created a custom name banner for a client.... with a 'wonderland tea' theme in mind.

I am so thrilled to have played a small part in this AMAZING party! The detail and color coordination is just beautiful, as is the party girl! I can imagine she had such a wonderful time in her own personal wonderland.

Check out the photos of this incredible party HERE

Super Bowl Sunday

Everyone knows that the best place for a little boy to nap is in the armpit of his daddy! Have a great relaxing Super Bowl Sunday everyone!

Giveaway Winner: Heart banner and Benefit Fundraiser

The giveaway has ended and has turned up some GREAT results! In total there were 26 blog comments, and 3 additional 'shares' via facebook that were not accounted for in the comments. So, $29 was raised! I have a special surprise though... I'm going to double that! Taffie Wishes will be donating $58 to Marisa's chipin account. I can't thank you enough for helping her out. She is very deserving! For those of you who are in the Alexandria area, the benefit is today from 4 until 7 pm at Zion. Hope to see you there!

And now onto the giveaway winner! I used random.org (see image at left) which selected comment #4. Congratulations Jokerine, I will be contacting you for your shipping address!

Thanks again everyone!