Cupcake Flair for Your Next Party

One of my daily reads is Jenn Sbranti’s Hostess with the Mostess blog. Jenn is an amazingly talented graphic/web designer who has an eye for modern entertaining products and shares her finds on her blog.

She recently posted about these adorable cupcake wrappers from Estilo Weddings. Each design comes in either a pack of 12 wrappers for $12 or 50 wrappers for $46. I love the idea of purchasing a few designs and having them in the house for your next party to pull out and jazz up your desserts.

Thanks for the great find Jenn!

Casting Call: “Rock the Reception” on TLC

TLC recently contacted us in search of engaged couples who would be interested in participating on a new show called “Rock the Reception”. Selected couples will be teamed up with choreographers to turn their first wedding dance into an unforgettable production number.

Couples who are interested in being considered must be getting married anytime between now and the first week of September 2008.

To see an example of what they’re looking for (and what you’ll be expected to do), check out this incredibly hilarious first dance on You Tube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vqiw-Kqtlr0

If you want to surprise your guests with an awesome performance that will make your wedding truly memorable, contact Elements of Entertaining and we’ll help you set up an interview with TLC.

Baby Shower Gifts…Sneak Peek

I’m excited to show you some of the adorable baby shower gifts Elements of Entertaining will be carrying on our site. Almost everything you see below comes in either another color, animal or print.

What are some of your favorite baby shower gifts to give or receive?

“Plan My Next Party” Contest

Elements of Entertaining is excited to announce the launch of our “Plan My Next Party” contest. We are offering one lucky winner our event consulting services, free! This includes assistance with all of your party planning details. How cool is that!

All you have to do is post a comment on our blog with a brief description of your next event and why you need our help. Be sure to include your event location and date.

We will be selecting a winner on May 17, 2008.

We can’t wait to see the fun events you all have planned!

Colorful Containers…Perfect for Your Next Party

Looking for creative party decor that can be customized to match the colors/style of your event and will serve a functional purpose post the event? Then check out this adorable collection of vases, storage containers, placemats, frames, other really cool decor from The MacBeth Collection. What I love most is that they offer a ton of pattern options to choose from and you can add your own text to any of their products.

Flip Flop the Night Away

Weddings are often an all night affair which include lots of dancing and sore feet, which is why I love the idea of offering your guests some comfortable and colorful flips flops at the reception. Elements of Entertaining will soon be offering Kate Parker’s adorable flip flop baskets in the following colors: white, black, brown, pink, green, orange, red, aqua and navy blue.

Designs to Drool Over…

Rebecca Thuss is one of the amazing talents behind the pages of Martha Stewart Weddings. Her work is breathtaking, colorful, bold and so inspiring. You have to check out her portfolio of table settings, flowers, favors, parties and so much more!

Welcome Your Guests in Style!

I am in love with Kate Parker’s welcome baskets for out-of-town guests. Kate’s design team creates these custom baskets, packed full of locally made products, tailored to your event and location. And if you don’t see something that fits your needs, Kate will create a custom basket specifically for your event. How cool is that?

Elements of Entertaining, will also be partnering with Kate Parker and will carry her full line of welcome baskets on our e-commerce site, launching this month. And you’ll be able to work directly with us to easily create a custom order.

Pose for Your Own Stationary

Pose Prints, has one of the most fun stationary design sites on the web. In just a few clicks, you can create a custom invitation for your next party that looks just like you (or the guest of honor). And you can easily view and send an e-card right from their site in minutes. Or place an order for printed invites which will run you about $50 for every 25 you purchase.

I can’t wait to design an invite for the next baby or bridal shower I throw!

And as a prelude to my weekly updates on “Soon to be Mrs. B”, I designed an adorable engagement card just for them. Check it out and see how I did…

Give Gifts That Give

So many brides are looking for unique gifts to give their guests as a token of their appreciation for attending their wedding. But…it can be overwhelming trying to find the perfect gift that is cute, everyone will enjoy and fits within your budget (yikes)! Which is why when I stumbled across Truffles for a Cause, my eyes lit up with excitement. Truffles for a Cause, creates dessert-sized truffle favors which come individually packed in a solid white box and tied with satin colored ribbon. Inside the box they’ve included a tiny printed card, listing the name of the charity you selected to make a monetary donation to, in your guests honor. You’ll also receive a custom favor table card thanking guests for coming and offering a brief description of the charity you selected. How cool (and thoughtful) is that?

One of my favorite charities to donate to is The Humane Society, they perform some many amazing acts of kindness. I’m grateful to all of the people that work so hard to protect animals and keep them safe.

A Board of Pictures to Inspire Your Next Event

Style Me Pretty, a blog that features fun and unique ideas to help you plan a wedding, hosted an “inspiration board” contest. Readers had a chance to submit their collage of beautiful pictures, arranged to inspire and tell the story of the event they are envisioning. Very cool!

I love creating inspiration boards when working with clients to plan their next event, it’s a great kick-off tool and ensures we have a reference point to look back on, enabling us to keep the style and design on track.

I had a blast looking through all of the boards on Style Me Pretty, here’s one that I think is fun and sassy…check out more for yourself!

Pink (Inc) Is the New Black!

I am loving the flexible fabric structures Pink Inc., has available to rent or purchase. These amazing, over-the-top accents will definitely take your event to the next level. Imagine the design possibilities…add a dramatic, glowing tunnel entrance for guests to walk through…project a movie or slide show on a custom shaped fabric wall…add private corners to an expansive ballroom room with fabric dividers…create ceiling interest with colored fabric sails.

And you have to check out the really cool play areas for kids…they transport you into a fantasy land where your imagination can run wild.

A Tub Full of Ice Cream

If you haven’t seen the latest craze in at-home spa products for your bath or body, then you’re in a for a sweet treat! Me!Bath, created a yummy line of ice cream bath salts that are shockingly fragrant and beautiful to look at. When submergered in water, each scoop fizzes and melts around your body while creating a hydrating bathtime experince. I love that!

Me!Bath also offers Shower Sherbet, Body Icing, Body Wash and some adorable gift sets. There are so many flavors to choose from… my favorite has to be the pink “Gotta Have it Pomegranate” Sherbert and Mini Scoops.

Gift these unique bath products at your next party and see how your guests react…the WOWs and thank yous will totally make your day. And how cute would the Shower Sherbert be as baby or bridal shower favors!!!

You will also be able to purchase the entire Me!Bath collection through Elements of Entertaining when we launch at the end of April so stay tuned.

I-I-I-I Want Candy

I am so excited to be working with a really fun couple and their son to plan a Bar Mitzvah this August. We’ve chosen the Willy Wonka theme (how cool is that) and we’ll have a blast creating some really over-the-top “play rooms” for the kids. Who wouldn’t want to spend time in an Oompa Loompa lounge with a door just tall enough for an Oompa Loompa? Or try their skills at a marshmallow shooting gun in the all white TV room (remember this is where they miniaturized people and put them in a TV…lol) as you watch a replay of the movie on a fog screen. Or visit the Gobstopper Galley with candy wall paper….YUM!

Speaking of candy…you have to check out the most adorable candy store I’ve ever seen, Dylan’s Candy Bar. Dylan’s which originally opened in New York now offers some of the most visually appealing candy you can find. Wonder where she got her creativity? Maybe papa Ralph Lauren had something to do with it…hmmmm….

Girls Night Out In The City That Never Sleeps, Vegas!

One of my really good friends Emilie is getting married next Spring (okay well her boyfriend hasn’t exactly popped the question yet but he will soon….we hope…lol). So in honor of all the fabulous planning we have coming up I thought I’d offer some fun bachlorette party ideas to inspire your next event….

Frostings Event Design Rentals in Tucson, AZ

Is it just me, or does Frostings have some of the most gorgeously modern and fun furniture rentals in town? I’m totally inspired to throw a chic, lounge-style party.

Frostings has everything from sofas to accent chairs; coffee tables; barstool; highboys; ottomans; topiaries, accent lamps, spotlights, pillows, vases, props and so much more. The designer behind all of their finds, Paloma Rodarte, inspires her clients to consider the 5 senses when planning an event (taste, look, sound, scent & touch). What great advice….this can help you tie together all of your party planning elements into a cohesive atmosphere your guests will be sure to enjoy!

Elements of Entertaining – April 2008 Launch

I am so excited to launch my new online party decor & event planning business Elements of Entertaining at the end of April. The concept for EofE derived from my struggles to find cool and modern party supplies when throwing a baby shower, bridal shower or even a girls night out party. Prior to each party I would spend hours upon hours driving around to local party supply stores only to find cheap, unattractive decor and felt very frustrated. Even searching online for better supplies that were cute became exhausting, which is why I decided to launch Elements of Entertaining. Soon you will be able to find adorable and hip party decor packaged in custom themes, for instance “Pink Cheeks Baby Shower” or “I Do, I Do, I Do Bridal Shower”.

Check out a sneak peek of some of my products below.

These adorable products shots were taken by an extremely talented photographer in Tucson, Kadie Pangburn. Her work is so beautiful & modern. Thanks Kadie for all your effort and creativity with the photo shoot, you were so fun to work with.

Besides offering custom party decor online, I also provide event planning assistance to those in Tucson in need of an event planner. EofE will also provide you access to an online database of local event planners in your area.

And last but not least, I would like to say thank you to my incredibly supportive husband, Jason, for helping me every step of the way to create and launch my dream business. And to my beautiful daughter Tori, you were the extra push I needed to make this business a success, all the while spending more time with the people that matter most, my family.

Sincerest Regards….Andria Mullaney