You need a bit of Inspiration... Every Now & Zen

I chose an Asian inspired baby shower for this month's spa party theme. Usually, each Spa Party of the Month series is broken up into 3 posts. Touch, where I describe the spa treatments & set the stage; Taste which details foods that would be appropriate for the given theme, and Sight  which provides decor suggestions. Every now and again I'll also throw in a Sounds post where I'll present a playlist inspired by the theme, but I haven't done that ever since the demise of my beloved Imeem.

Well this month, I just can't seem to contain myself to only those posts. There is a wealth of inspiration on the web for Asian-inspired parties and I just had to share two of my favorites. Of course I could have incorporated elements of these parties in the upcoming decor post, BUT I think that both of these parties are well worth you viewing the whole thing. 

First up is an Asian-inspired baby shower thrown for/by Joanna, over at the blog Lotus Haus. Though I'll give you a sneak preview below, I encourage you to visit her blog for all of the details and symbolism that made this shower so wonderful. Joanna has a knack for combining "global, modern & sustainable style", with marvelous results. If you think her Asian baby shower is cute, I'd suggest checking out the Lebanese inspired shower as well.

Before I jump into the next party, I wanted to share two DIY projects that I spotted elsewhere on Joanna's blog a chinese take out floral arrangement & an adorable way to package paper fortune cookies;  which would also work well with a variety of other fortune cookies that I'll share later both edible and inedible.

 Photos: Joanna Dyckhoff, Lotus Haus Creative Services

This second feature is care of Brides.com, who did a wonderful job of fusing elements from a variety of Asian countries in their East Meets Guest wedding reception. I love the florals and use of color.

Photos: Brides.com

Now, if you read the spa party of the month post you'll realize that the treatment I chose to focus on this go-'round is manicures. BUT, if you were to have an Asian-inspired spa party with facials the napkin styling by Social Couture would be a great way to present guests face/hand towels and chopsticks, which they can use to create a bun to keep hair out of their faces (assuming they have long hair), checkout this e-how tute on creating fancy beaded chopsticks just for this purpose.  While your at it, try picturing that lovely and vibrant low bouquet from the East Meets Guest interspersed with some facial size bath poufs...could be interesting. 

Photos:(l-r) Photobucket user Lunalovegood_photos,Social Couture, 

Brides.com, Bathtime Goodies

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Milk-n-Cookies (Sight)

This month's Spa Party of the Month Theme is Milk-n-Cookies. If you missed the Touch post with spa treatment suggestions and the Taste post with menu suggestions be sure to check them out. In this last segment, I'll share a few ideas for decorating your Milk-n-Cookies Spajama party.

Since this is a Spajama Party the decor will be inspired by the bedroom.

Treatment Area

Photo credits from l-r [Hostess with the Mostess (2),Walmart, Party Wishes, Setting the Mood with Jamee (3), Walmart]

I just love the idea of setting the table to look like a bed. Originally done by The Hostess with The Mostess for a  bedtime story themed baby shower, the concept has been adapted by other party planners like  Donna of Party Wishes, and Jamee of Setting the Mood for fun and colorful sleepover party decor. I also like the little extras that Jamee did for this pajama party like the sweet dreams sign, and the floating candle with toe separators. Included in my photo montage, are two sheet sets available at Walmart.com that I think would work well for this theme.  Instead of using your "bed table" as your buffet area as Jamee did, I'd suggest using it as your treatment area. Put all of the necessary implements in the center of the table, and set a place setting for each guest, similar to the Hostess with the Mostess' table, substituting plates and napkins with manicure bowls, and hand towels. You can choose to set emory boards, nail brushes, orangewood sticks and buffers at each place setting or just have them available in small receptacles on the table.  Having manicures set up at the dining table allows guests sufficient work surface, and keeps them from having to lean over to a low coffee table or using their laps as table tops.

Cookie Buffet

One thing I've picked up from Amy Atlas' beautiful dessert bars is that she doesn't just dress the table. She often uses a backdrop which ties together the individual design elements on the table nicely. One example of this is the Moroccan inspired dessert bar she created for Sunday Suppers 

Photo: Karen Mordechai

You can make your own bed-inspired backdrop for your cookie buffet by creating an upholstered headboard. This popular DIY project is one which I undertook myself (though it was before my bloggy days so no photos, sorry); it is a relatively quick project if you have another pair of hands available. Many of the DIY tutorials you'll find online call for more expensive upholstery foam, which you can skip since you'll only be using this headboard for show. I'd also skip the drilling and do a fake-out tufting by just using my staple gun to secure the fabric where I wanted the buttons, and then glue gun the buttons on top. No need to drill new wholes in your wall, pick a place in the house where you already have photos hanging to set up your buffet, add d-rings or other picture mounting hardware to the back of your headboard, and switch out your photos for the event. If you are going to have a lot of pattern going on on the table, its a good idea to stick with a solid color headboard. If you have extra shams or pillow cases left over from the bed set you used prop some pillows up against the headboard on the table.

In Jamee's photos above you can see that she decorated the inside of the jars she used for her candy buffet (to see it done with cookies rather than candy visit the Milk-n-Cookies Taste post). This can be done with complementary fabric, scrapbook paper or wrapping paper.

For any additional decor throughout your party space, you can use storybooks and stuffed animals to add an element of whimsy.
 

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Prep School: Sight

Now that you know Esthy High's Curriculum and Lunch Room Menu it is time to pull it all together with the decor. Because this party is for back-to-school, I think a preppy look would work well. My secret to inexpensive party decor is Ribbon, Ribbon, Ribbon! Grosgrain ribbon comes in solids, stripes, polkadots, and even argyle, and makes for perfectly preppy party decor. While writing this post I found an online ribbon retailer that has a GREAT selection of stripes and solids.

The Table:

For this purposes of this party the dining room table will be used as your "lab" space. To set the table, use a place mat under each of the silver mixing bowls which girls will use to steam their faces, this adds color and helps to control spills. A cute way to display the face cloths is to use custom made napkin rings out of ribbon and d-rings, by following this easy tutorial at the Hip Hostess' Blog. A larger version of these can also be used to wrap the yoga mats (which you can find for $5 each at your local 5 Below store). Place the face cloths on top of a folded hand towel, next to each bowl. In the center of the table use some low wooden trays wrapped with ribbon to hold the products that you'll be using for the facials.You can use ribbon to dress up a plain white table cloth by using it as a table runner like these photos from Martha Stewart Weddings and Swanky Tables













More Ribbon Crafts & Gifts (b/c some people are just super crafty):

Headbands

This video from VideoJug will show you how to make ribbon headbands for your guests, like this one from Molasses Tree. These make nice gifts and are also useful for keeping the girl's hair off of their faces during their facial treatments.

Magnet Boards & Magnets:


The photo above, from Better Homes and Gardens, shows how a few painted canvases with ribbon accents can transform a space. Take this idea further by using magnetic paint, to create functional magnet boards for the girls to use throughout the school year. To accompany them whip up some quick marble magnets, which look cute when packaged in Altoid tins.

Photo: Hip To Piece Squares

The Diva is in the Details..... more tips for super preppy party



Besides the Pink & Green color palette featured throughout the post, a few other color combos complement the preppy/girly feel including: Lavender and Green and my favorite especially for back to school Pink and Navy. You can print out the striped paper and favor flags needed to make the little notebooks above right here.

Remember those folders that you are going to hand out to each girl with the class schedule and course material, why not dress up plain folders my adding a little monogram detail on the front or even lining the inside with some pretty scrapbook paper, or if your going with the pink & navy palette just print out the striped paper from your computer after downloading the pdf from the link above.

Last, but not least! If your a whiz on the sewing machine, you can even throw together some cute little lined zippered pouches perfect for holding make up or school supplies.

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Slumdog Slumber Party: Decor

Pink & Pistachio are the colors that I chose to center my inspiration board on. Pistachios are actually often found as a garnish on Indian desserts, and pink is one of the many bold colors often found in Indian textiles.

The game plan
Kitchen/Dining Area:Top a pink table cloth with a wrapping paper table runner, using paper from paper-source.com 's new India collection (I choose the Rajasthani paisley wrapping paper and matching thank you cards). If you have a round table not to worry, you can make custom placemats using cardstock available in the same print, seal them with Mod Podge decoupage glue so that they won't get soggy during the meal. In the photo above, the party planner also used wrapping paper to cover the little gift boxes at each table setting, another option is to use the beautiful fuschia with gold scrolls gift boxes also from paper-source.com. Inside the boxes include bindis or glass bangles both available from shopbeachcombers.com and/or stick on mehndi tattoos from dollsofindia.com. Since this is such an informal meal there is no need to set a placesetting for each girl, instead use pistachio colored paper plates and napkins and a mix of pink and pistachio plastic cutlery.

Inexpensive hand towels can be purchased locally and placed in each guest's chair for use during their various spa treatments, and guest towels can be used to bring the theme into the bathroom.

Movie Area: In a corner of the room, set up a small table to hold popcorn, nuts, and candy. Download your favorite Slumdog Millionaire movie poster and use it as wall decor behind your snack station. If you also want to add punches of color to the movie viewing area look for Indian inspired throw pillows at your local Home Goods, Marshall's or similar store. Be sure to have extra blankets or throws on hand for girls to get cozy while watching the films.

Above all have fun!

Decor is Pt. 3 in the Slumdog Slumber Party Series to read about food click here and here and read about the overall party theme and activities here.

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K.I.S.S.- Custom Candles

My K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Soiree) feature is all about little things that party hosts can do in order to give their events that extra little something. One such element is custom candles, which can be used as favors, decoration, or for memory/ceremonial purposes.

Though candles find their way into a variety of parties and themes, they are just perfect for spa parties because of the ambiance they create. Thanks to Kim over at Event Planning Mom Style any one can make their own custom candles in a matter of minutes with t-shirt transfer paper, and a bit of imagination.

View the step-by-step tutorial with pics here


And as always if you have a simple party tip email ikissandtell@hennergyspaparties.com and it could be featured here (you'll be given credit of course).

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K.I.S.S. - Block Posters

Often times when people plan parties, they get so caught up in the guest list, menu and activities that decor gets overlooked. When throwing small events many people also do not want to shell out a bunch of money on decorations that will end up collecting dust in the garage or attic after the party is over. A super simple and cheap way to set the mood for your event is to create a photo mural using Blockposters.com.


All you have to do is choose an image to upload, then slice your image into tiles depending on how large you want your final product to be, the site then converts your image into a pdf file for you to print.


Below are examples of posters created by blockposter's users that I borrowed from the photo gallery






When each portion of your image prints out there will be a border on the page to prevent the image from getting cut off in the printing process. You can leave the border there for a tile effect or simply cut if off with scissors to get the original image just supersized. Try mounting the images on foam core with spray adhesive instead of trying to tape them all to a wall. You can also use mod podge decoupage glue over top of the picture to get a matte, satin or glossy finish. Get creative you can use personal shots of family and friends, movie posters, landscapes or even a really beautiful pattern. Take your mural up a notch by adding effects or text using a free photo editing website like fotoflexer or picnik.

Pull out the red carpet, and place a photo mural at the entrance to your event for guests to pose in front of like the couple below. For more red carpet inspiration visit redcarpetrunway.com



And as always if you have a simple party tip email ikissandtell@hennergyspaparties.com and it could be featured here (you'll be given credit of course).

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Tweet of the Week (May 17th)

It all started with a simple Retweet...

RT @trendsettingwed Freebie on trendsetting wedding: Hollywood Glam table numbers: http://bit.ly/HW78c Happy Friday! :) (very nice)

Trendsetting wedding is a blog full of entertaining ideas, design ideas and a host of other creative tidbits as the author (Kristine) calls them. I've recently stared following her on Twitter and decided to RT her FREE Printable "Hollywood Glam" table numbers.

The table numbers reminded me of a party that was featured on another blog recently b/c of the use of the Damask pattern. Among other things I happen to be a google fanatic so I promptly Googled to find how else folks around the net have been using Damask in their party decor. This resulted in a series of tweets on my part sharing all of the sites I'd come across:

#1 If you liked the Hollywood Glam table #s from @trendsettingwed you'll love this Damask tablescape by Paper & Cake http://tinyurl.com/r639o3

#2 Now I'm on a Damask kick so click here http://tinyurl.com/o4zhho , http://tinyurl.com/a9wupq ,http://tinyurl.com/qmsg39

#3 Ok last one promise damask lollipop favors http://www.accenttheparty.c... going to watch TV w. the hubby now night tweeples



Now that I was fully in love with Damask, I decided I'd have to feature it in one of my spa parties. What I love about Damask is that depending on the color combination you choose, you can elicit both vintage and modern at the same time, romantic and sophisticated, traditional and trendy, I'm guessing you get the point. In my limited experience w. Damask I've most seen it used in Parisian themes, however before I use an element in a party I like to do my homework so back to Google I went.

I discovered that the name Damask is actually derived from Damascus (as in the city in Syria), where in the 12th century this method of fabric making was perfected, though the fabrics were first produced in China, India and Persia.

Interestingly, enough earlier in the day I had been researching roses for another party and found out the the Damask rose, whose name also references Damascus, is one of the two major species of roses cultivated for use in cosmetics, and perfumes. In fact, one of the ME! Bath Ice Cream Product samples that I ordered was the Valley of Roses scent derived from pink Persian (Damask) roses, and it smells just delightful.

I'm considering combining the two elements Damask print & roses for a bridesmaids brunch and featuring it as my August Spa Party of the Month.

A bit of folklore...

Roses have been written about throughout history, for their scent, beauty and healing properties, and are symbolic of love and a host of other emotions depending on the flowers color and culture in which they are found. The use of rosewater preceded the use of rose otto/attar (rose oil). Pure rose oil, in fact, is more expensive than gold as it takes no less than 180 lbs of roses to produce just one ounce of rose oil and 3-5 tons of rose petals to make just a pound of the sweet smelling oil.

Rose oil is said to have been discovered between 1582-1612 on the occasion of the wedding of the Persian Emperor Djihanguyr to Princess Nour-Djihan. In preparation for the wedding festivities the Emperor had a canal dug which encircled the palace gardens and had it filled with rosewater. The sun began the natural distillation process which separated the oil from the water. As the newlyweds strolled through the gardens the princess notices the oily dew on the surface of the water. She ran her fingers through the scented water and found that a fragrant oil clung to her hands. From then on the Emperor had it produced and bottled as a tribute to her. Similarly, it is reported that at the wedding of Shah Jahan, to Mumtaz Mahal (for whom he later built the Taj Mahal and Shalimar) guests were carried by boat through fragrant water covered by rose petals, and once again the sun caused rose oil to be produced on the water's surface.

* Note: If you too are in love with damask I've found a Free printable damask wedding invitation suite that includes templates for invites, response cards and thank you cards in a variety of colors here

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How Tutes: Diaper Cake

This is the diaper cake tutorial I used to create the diaper cake for my own baby shower

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