NEW GOODIES

alannah rose

We are literally doing little leaps of joy as we have just unpacked the most stunning boxed party invitations and tags for children’s birthday parties, baptisms and baby showers, imported from Alannah Rose Australia. The themes are fantastic from pirates and fairy princesses to pretty in pink and pastel blue christening invitations. I'm starting to plan a party for each one!

Alannah Rose stationery was launched in 2005, not long after the birth of Head Designer and Director Suzi Waters' first daughter. Suzi had designed many wedding invitations and thank you cards for family and friends over the years and it was after the overwhelming response to her daughter’s thank you cards that she decided to share her designs with a broader market. It was here that the Alannah Rose stationery business was born.

Suzi has over 15 years experience in the advertising, marketing and graphic design industry, and has worked on a multitude of local and international clientele. Having gone through the process of planning and designing her own wedding, and now as a mum, Suzi understands the importance of having quality invitations and stationery to announce life's special occasions.

Today, Alannah Rose is one of Australia's leading invitation and stationery companies. Their name is known for excellent service, beautiful design and outstanding quality.

You can rest assured that each stationery piece from Alannah Rose has been professionally designed and printed to the highest standards. All items are proudly designed and printed in Australia, and are exclusive to Alannah Rose Design. And are now available in our paper shop.

NEW GOODIES

sambellina

We are so excited to introduce the simple and stylish Sambellina range of designer kids party products. The collection includes tableware, invitations, and gift tags so you can fully coordinate your little one's big day!

Here is a message from the creative director herself…

Hello - I'm Kate and I am very excited to introduce Sambellina, a new collection of designer party accessories and stationery especially for children (or the young at heart). Sambellina has been created out of a life-long passion for all things paper, doodling & drawing, and beautiful birthday parties…

Samantha, my 4 year old, is the ultimate party client. Everyday she is either a princess, fairy, mermaid or ballerina. My little girl has reminded me how much fun it is to draw, create and of course, have a delicious birthday party! For her 4th birthday, she started her party planning about 12 months ahead with a new idea every day - and so, Sambellina was born. My fun-loving little man Christian has been known to wear a fairy dress and crown, but also loves trains, cars and tractors... so I can't wait to put together his 2nd birthday.

Our new party collection has been designed with a boutique style in mind while keeping it simple and sweet for children to love. By using classic polka dot and striped designs together with lovable characters and gorgeous details, the co-ordinated party range will capture the imagination of little ones and help to make it easy and fun to create a very special (and stylish) celebration.

IN GOOD COMPANY SHOP

Invitations

Set of 12 invitations, envelopes and adhesive magnets

R120 each

Gift Tags

Set of 12

R50 each

Paper Cups

Set of 12

R50 each

Paper Plates

Set of 12

R60 each

CHARM OF THE WEEK

fortune charms

Who needs fortune cookies, when you can open up and reveal these little treasures to fortell what the future holds:

Next to be engaged…

Next to be pregnant…

Next to receive a special phone call…

Next to go on a special trip...

Next to receive good luck...

IN GOOD COMPANY

Charms

R40 each

THE REAL GOOD LIFE

on the farm

REAL GOOD PARTY ADVICE

For favours, I also used boxes that our Brie cheese comes in, and filled these with biscuits and pretty flower magnets, which were sprinkled on the table…

For the birthday cake, supermarket mini loaves of chocolate and carrot cake were iced and decorated with sugar mushrooms and chocolate sprinkles.

Our darling little girl enjoying her cake!

THE REAL GOOD LIFE

on the farm

REAL GOOD PARTY ADVICE

I made my own “Amy Atlas” inspired Dessert Buffet:

As I am no baker, and it was just the four of us, I made a “centrepiece” instead of a cake out of fabric boxes (keepsake boxes that were already in Bailey’s nursery), added some fake grass and cute wooden daisies. Imagine if this was a cake!

My Christmas glass jars were filled with all pastel shaped sweets, chocolates and biscuits.

For flower arrangements, I bought garden tea roses from the supermarket, repotted these in my orchid ceramic pots. What is so nice about having used garden flowers instead of cut, is that I am going to replant these in my balcony window boxes to enjoy throughout the year and remember this special day!

Instead of packets for guests to fill with candy, I used my old jam jars decorated with pretty fabric.

For the backdrop I “loaned” my daughter’s nursery curtain (it desperately needed ironing anyway!) and for the pictures these are actually wall stickers – which are reusable! The HAPPY BIRTHDAY banner is also from the Partiesbyhardie set.

more to come…

THE REAL GOOD LIFE

on the farm

Having already had Bailey's Big Top 1st Birthday Bash with family and friends in South Africa for my daughter's birthday, my husband suggested a simple lunch with just the four of us on the real day itself. But I couldn't pass up the opportunity to put some party ideas that I had into practice, so here are some photos of Bailey's "Day on the Farm" Birthday Lunch.

REAL GOOD PARTY ADVICE

With her real party already behind us, this lunch was just for the fun of it, so the challenge I set myself was to come up with something beautiful but budget friendly, so here are my “chic but cheap” ideas:

For country looking tableware,I bought bamboo disposable plates and cutlery from the local supermarket.

And I placed these together with linen napkins in woven baskets (that I had been collecting for a few months that contain the baby potatoes I buy).

Little bread rolls were spruced up with a plastic daisy (stolen from the grass centerpiece mats) inserted in the top

Fake grass squares (purchased for Easter) were placed in the centre of the table and I dotted farm animals all around (stolen from the girl’s toy box).

For vases; I repurposed baby food jars. I simply placed them in the dishwasher, and they come out as pretty mason jars. Ideal for mini vases and votive candle holders (and they make great take home favours).

I bought a printable party set (www.partiesbyhardie.com), actually the Girl’s Ocean one (so this can be reused for such a theme) and used the pretty paper to wrap strips around the jars.

For flowers, I was in luck, the local supermarket had a bunch of pink country looking flowers, so when cut up and placed in jars really looked like “professional” and “fancy” flower arrangements.

Apple candles were bought for my Back to School Breakfast, so reused for this party – but one could easily use real apples for the same look. And these can be converted into candles, by simply cutting a whole big enough for a tealight.

For place cards, months ago I had bought zinc garden markers, fortunately I had not used these yet, so they fitted in nicely with the theme.

More good advice to follow with our Make your own “Amy Atlas” inspired Dessert Buffet.

BOOK OF THE WEEK

shower with love

Amazon Product Description

With this companion to Throwing the Perfect Shower, party-givers will find fun ways to make pre-wedding and baby festivities even more fabulous. Here are 128 pages crammed-full of unique themes, games, and activities, as well as full-colour photographs that show exactly how to set up the party. Give the bride-to-be a Cookbook Shower, where everyone provides a favorite recipe. Then, mount them in a pretty personalised volume that she'll treasure forever. Host an Initial Shower for an expectant mom, where everything has to start with a designated letter--perhaps "P" for pink. Then the guests can wear polka dots, plaid, and paisley; bring presents such as pyjamas; and eat pasta and (cream) puffs. Every one of these ideas will enchant the guest of honour.

IN GOOD COMPANY LIBRARY

THROWING THE PERFECT SHOWER

Jill Williams Grover

Free on loan for members