Are you inspired by all things vintage?  Pretty teacups, hydrangeas and full blown roses, lace and doilies?  If you’re hosting a vintage style party for a shower, birthday, charity event or simply because you love your friends, you’ll find a lovely range of vintage themed party supplies, decorations and accessories to bring this theme to life in your own home at Australia’s #1 online party shop, Pink Frosting.

Here are some of my favourites:

Clockwise from top:  Vintage style bunting flags in pretty designs with pink ribbon make gorgeous decorations for your party ceilings or the front of your buffet table; this vintage sandwich stand is such a pretty decoration for serving the daintiest of tasty morsels to your guests; guests will love to be invited to a high tea at your house with these pretty vintage teacup invitations in three different designs; Eat Me! Take One! Scrumptious! these fun vintage canape picks are the perfect way to display your yummy treats and give a high tea at the Ritz feeling to your soiree.

Shop the whole range of vintage party decorations and supplies at Australia’s #1 online party shop .

Happy Celebrating!

Kathryn

Decorate all your special occasions with a do-it-yourself project that will leave your guests “oohing” and “awing” from the minute they step onto the scene with our DIY Paper Pennant Bunting Kit. Because of its versatile nature, this one of a kind flag banner ensemble really lets your creative side shine by garnishing all your favourite events with a personalised touch of charm. By kitting these items altogether in one, simple package, we leave the fun part up to you for making everything from outdoor weddings and baby showers to anniversary extravaganzas, birthday parties, holidays and more a little bit more fun and a lot more personal!

Here are a few of our ideas on how to use your kit:

And here are the included designs to help you create your own party and wedding decoration masterpiece:

Perfect for the do-it-yourself crafter, our printable bunting flags are fun and easy. With only a few simple steps, you can print these on your home computer with your very own message!

Simply Gorgeous!

Happy Celebrating
Kathryn

You can visit my post on Party Biscuits at Pink Frosting’s online party planning website.

Happy Celebrating!

Kathryn

I love baby showers.  They are one of my favourite celebrations.  There’s no more exciting reason to celebrate than love and babies – and I’m in baby planning mode right now (no, not pregnant – just excitedly organising the new range of baby shower supplies at www.PinkFrosting.com.au) so I thought it was high time I shared my guide to planning the perfect baby shower!

If you are hosting a baby shower, you have lots of fun ahead of you.  If you’re not an expert party host, let me guide you through the maze of party planning techniques to create a shower the mum to be and all of your guests will truly adore.

1.  Remember who the guest of honour is:  Before you plan anything, take some time to think about the mum to be and what she’s like.  If she’s a sociable girl with hundreds of friends, she may want a big soiree, but if she’s a shy sort then you will want to keep the party small.  Think also about her likes and loves and you might find a theme is staring you in the face.  Is she a mani and pedi spa girl?  Then what about a pampering shower. Does she love to party?  Then why not a mocktail (early) night out on the town.  If she’s more of a traditionalist, you might like to host a baby animals party in pink or blue.

2.  Be consistent with the theme:  Now that you’ve decided on a theme, stick with it throughout the party.  Use the theme on the invitations, decorations, with the catering and cocktails, and with the games you play.  The best parties have consistent themes or colour schemes throughout which pull everything together for the guests.

3.  Stick to the budget:  Once you’ve settled on who is paying for the shower, make sure you agree on the budget and stick to it particularly if you are sharing the costs.  If you have a limited budget, you can still create a really fun shower – just get creative about how you spend your money and ask guests to bring a plate of food for example.

4.  Make the party safe and comfortable for everyone:  One of your responsibilities as host of the party is to ensure your guests will be safe and comfortable.  So, spend some time making sure the space is clean and easy to move around.  Is there plenty of seating for guests?  If you have elderly family members attending, make sure there is plenty of space for them to sit and be comfortable at all times.  Is there enough free space for guests to rest their drinks as they mingle? If you have lots of cords for speakers and stereo systems, make sure they are taped down and moved out of the way so there are no trip hazards for guests.

5.  Key area decoration techniques:  To create the best visual impact, think of two or three key spaces to decorate and concentrate mostly on these such as your food table, a cake or gift table and the entrance way.  Then get decorating with some themed pieces – some of our favourites are honeycomb paper balls, coloured paper lanterns, big bulbous party balloons in contrasting colours packed in tightly, paper bags in striking colours overflowing with coloured tissue paper. 

6.  Before launch, be prepared:  Do a count of how many glasses, plates, knives, forks, spoons, tea cups etc you have for the party and think about if you have enough.  As a general rule, you need at least two plates per guest and two to three glasses because most guests will switch drinks or leave their glass somewhere and not remember it’s their’s!  If you have a large guest list, you might look at hiring your linen, cutlery, crockery and glasses so you have plenty ready for your guests so you don’t need to be worried about washing up during the party to make sure everyone has enough.

7.  Don’t try and do it all yourself:  Any hostess with the mostest knows that perfect parties aren’t all done by one person.  Make the most of your talents and if you love baking, then you make the cake but buy pre-arranged flowers for the decorations to save on time.  If you love decorating but can’t cook, then enjoy tinkering with the decor and buy platters from the local delicatessen instead of attempting to cook everything yourself.

8.  Play lots of fun games:  Games at a baby shower mean that guests get to know one another better and they break the ice.  They also create frivolity and activity at the party which can get your guests feeling terrific.  There are heaps of fun baby shower games to play – see our stories on baby shower games to play.  And don’t forget some fun prizes for the winners!  You’ll find that $2 shops and online party favour stores are your friends!

9.  Capture the memories:  give someone the task of being the official photographer of the party and don’t forget to get lots of photos of each of the guests as well as the decorations and little details.  Some photos you don’t want to miss include the decor before the guests arrive, pictures of each guest and photos of the mum-to-be opening her gifts.  If you really want to do something lovely for the guest of honour, you could make the photos into a scrapbook for her and give this to her as a gift.

10.  Relax and enjoy:  Once the guests arrive, concentrate on everyone having a great time; but don’t forget to relax and enjoy the celebration yourself too.  Afterall, you’ve put in alot of effort, so you will be able to afford some moments to mingle with your guests to enjoy your successful baby shower.

Happy Celebrating!

Kathryn

Baby on Safari – Boy or Girl

Host a Baby on Safari fun baby shower with the help of the jungle themed party supplies at Pink Frosting.  The pretty Safari baby shower range of decorations, favours, napkins, plates and more will help you host a fun party to celebrate the impending birth of your baby boy or girl.

Bumble Bee Baby Shower

Create a buzz about your new baby with a bumble bee themed baby shower!  Decorate your shower with bee themed plates, napkins, party centrepieces, favours and so much more.  A bee themed baby shower works beautifully in a garden setting, picnic or indoors on a warm day.

Sweet Pea Baby Shower

The gorgeous little baby sweet pea is a cute motif for your baby shower or baby party.  The sweet pea baby shower party supplies at Pink Frosting include napkins, cups, plates, banners, favours and so much more to help you bring this lovely theme to life. 

Of course, there are still the ever popular themes available still including Mod Mum, About to Pop and Tea Party at www.PinkFrosting.com.au.

Happy Celebrating!

Kathryn

Beautiful Butterfly Cake Decoration Sets - Bring the captivating flight of the butterfly to life with our stunning assortment of cake ornaments. The carefully selected variations in size and design are ideal to create a delicate fluttering effect.  Choose from four colours – blushing glamour in pink, something blue, garden charm green or natural elegance.  The butterflies are made to look authentic – a designer assortment of complementary colours, designs, and sizes is included in each package.

Bite Me Cupcake Wrappers - Create the perfect cupcake or tasty afternoon treat with a funny BITE ME cupcake wrapper from Pink Frosting.  Our designer, laser-cut cupcake wrappers are perfect for creating a very special cupcake treat for guests, friends and family at any celebration from weddings to baby showers, and Christmas to Halloween.  

Grand Display for Cupcakes - Take your cupcake extravaganza to the next level with this cupcake stand. Each tier can be displayed individually or stacked to suit your needs. Depending on how you stack the tiers the cupcake tower will hold 45 to 75 large cupcakes!The creative design is sure to compliment your decor and delight your guests.  In combination with our cupcake baking cups in black and white, as well as our beautiful laser cut cupcake wrappers, you will create a cupcake display to take your guests’ breath away!

It’s a Boy and It’s a Girl Cupcake Wrappers – Our It’s a Boy design laser-cut cupcake wrapper easily assembles to slip your favourite cupcake or candy-filled cup into for a marvelous display.  Create a beautiful cupcake tree, set at each place setting as a party favour, the possibilities are endless.

Personalised and Custom Coloured Cupcake Wrappers – Now our famous cupcake wrappers come custom coloured and personalised – perfect for your next party!  We adore them for special occasions like Christenings, weddings and anniversaries to make a unique statement about your special event.

Visit the Pink Frosting cake and cupcake decorations shop online for gorgeous products for your next party.

Happy Celebrating!

Kathryn

If you’re organising a party of any kind, there isn’t a nicer treat for your guests than a beautifully presented cupcake.  Of course, I am a little biased towards these little morsels of great taste and fun (just look at the Pink Frosting logo!), but cupcakes truly are an easy way to create a beautiful cake presentation for your celebration.  In my series of party presentation ideas, I’m going to look at beautiful ways to style up your party without too much investment in time or money – after all, most of our customers at Pink Frosting’s online party shop are busy, busy, busy and want to create a celebration that looks spectacular without spending days tinkering away making crafts.

To present a gorgeous cupcake for your party, first start with a standard cupcake.  This is my basic recipe:

• 2 cups self-raising flour, sifted
• 3/4 cup caster sugar
• 3/4 cup milk
• 125g butter, melted, cooled
• 2 x 59g eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Essence

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease a 12 x 1/3-cup capacity muffin pan. Alternatively, line holes with paper cases. Combine flour and caster sugar in a bowl. Make a well in the centre.
2. Add milk, butter, eggs and vanilla to flour mixture. Using a large metal spoon, stir gently to combine.
3. Spoon mixture into prepared muffin pan. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Stand in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
4. Once your cupcakes are cool, frost them with a swirly buttercream.   Here’s our easy how to create a swirly buttercream top on your cupcakes demonstration.

Now you’re ready to present the cupcakes and make them suit your theme.  No matter what you are celebrating, Pink Frosting’s cupcake decorations shop has a huge range of themed cupcake toppers, decorations, racks and presentation stands, and cupcake wrappers to suit your style. 

Using cupcake wrappers is so simple!  They come flat packed, so take one end of the wrapper with each hand and hug the wrapper around the cupcake until the ends meet.  Then loop the smaller end through the slit (outside to inside so you’re hiding the ends) and you have a beautifully wrapped cupcake!  From there, you can place your cupcakes into a cupcake rack or stand for beautiful presentation instead of a cake, or if you’re using the cupcakes as favours, carefully place the cupcakes into a cupcake box and tie a coordinating ribbon around it’s centre.  Perfection and it only took about an hour from start to finish.

Here are some gorgeous cupcake wrappers presented perfectly for your inspiration:

Happy Celebrating!

Kathryn

I’m starting a new series today focusing on party presentation ideas.  There are so many beautiful blogs around the world to give you excellent ideas on how to present your party.  Some of my favourites are Hostess with the Mostess, Pizzazzerie, Kara’s Party Ideas and Amy Atlas’ Blog.  You can subscribe to these blogs to get daily inspiration for your party and see how the experts do it.  Many of these blogs also present real party ideas and galleries – straight from the house of people just like you and I – people who just love to entertain and have created a really beautiful party.  The catalogue of ideas will have you inspired for years of creative parties!

Then you have amazing websites filled with party planning tips and ideas.  The one you’re reading now – Australia Entertains - is packed with tips to make your party perfect.  Others that we adore and turn to for inspiration include Martha Stewart’s most excellent website which could have your days filled for months reading entertaining tips and inspirational ideas, the Pink Frosting party ideas website is packed with great Australian ideas for party planning including seasonal menus and flower guides for our part of the world, and although it’s not very pretty, the About Entertaining pages are packed with great party tips and etiquette guides.

Finally, even if you’re planning a christening or kids birthday party, you should visit the exquisite wedding ideas blogs for inspiration.  Our favourite wedding blogs are the ultimate Australian wedding blog Polka Dot Bride, the spectacular daily swoon-fest at Style me Pretty and Brooklyn Bride, as well as the lovely and entertaining features at Wedding Chicks.

So over the coming months, we’ll explore great party presentation ideas.  The first will be cupcake wrappers, which must be my all-time favourite indulgent party decoration!

Happy Celebrating!

Kathryn

Presenting the pretty pink miniature Double Bubble gumball machines at the Pink Frosting party shop.  Each functioning plastic gumball machine measures 6.35cm x 12.7cm and resembles the classic shape with a pink base and top and a Dubble Bubble-logo-decorated clear globe that reveals the white gumballs inside.  Just turn the silver coloured crank and a gumball is dispensed below.  The top also screws off for insertion of replacement gumballs or other candy like smarties, sugar almonds or wrapped treats.

I just adore these gumball machines and can’t wait to use them at my next pink themed party.  Stand by for plenty of photos!

Happy Celebrating!

Kathryn

If you missed these events, here they are for your inspiration and viewing pleasure:

Donna Hay Styles Up Sydney!
 

Catherine’s Surprise Baby Shower Photos

Happy Celebrating!

Kathryn