A Free Spirited Woodland Fairy Party

This fairy party from Margot Madison is pure fall enchantment. Everything about it feels so beautiful and serene. The warm photography captures a feeling of fantasy as these young fairies twirl and dance to mandolin music among the leaves and butterflies. So many charming details to be found... read on below for more as told by Margot.

photos © kiwi street studios

 From Margot: If every day could be as amazing as this one I'd be a happy stylin' girl! I've been planning and planning for this wonderful day with April Combs Mann, singer and songwriter of delightful children's music April Eight. As with all projects, progress was slow at times and then picked up with lightning speed toward the end. It was so good to know that with the help of everyone involved; the beautiful children who enjoyed their day frolicking in the nature-loving fairy atmosphere, Gina Weathersby from Kiwi Street Studios who takes photos to steal your breath away, and of course April who is such a charming and talented performer, all our efforts were rewarded! The food was light and wholesome but not without some sugary cupcakes! The cupcake toppers were made from colored fondant cut out with beautiful butterfly and flower shapes. I added some edible glitter and dusting sugar to make them more magical. We also served "fairy puffed corn" (aka popcorn) in colorful paper cones, "berries and sticks" (a mixture of dried fruits, berries and pretzels) and harvest apple cider. The music...well, I'm obviously a fan so I'll give you my unbiased opinion. April's songs are light-hearted, lyrical stories about fairies going to ice skating balls, goblins dancing, and finding the magic in everything around us. April's genuine love for musical entertainment and delighting children is a joy to watch. A good craft idea to keep kids engaged in the party was the making of "badges". Again, I pulled out all my ribbons, felt scraps, buttons, sequins, feathers and papers to let the kids go wild. Every one is more special and beautiful than the next. We attached a clothespin to the back so they could pin them anywhere...on their clothes, in their hair or just holding them as they ran through the yard to see the streamers float in the breeze. Charming! The photo booth area for the party was created with burlap for the swag, with lots of fantastical flowers made from tissue poms and adorned with papers, felt, ribbons sequins and everything else I had in my craft box. They were VERY fun to make. The kids joined in and had a ball. They were attached to the swag with clothespins, which also made them easy to move around or give away at the end as party favors. Lastly, do not miss that adorable oversized mushroom that April made. Seriously, we thought it was the best decoration of the whole gig! 

Event Styling, Invitations + Graphics: Margot Madison Creative
Entertainment: April Eight
Photography: Kiwi Street Studios

3 ways to Monogram your Thanksgiving

I recently received some alphabet diecuts from Lifestyle Crafts to try out on my Epic. I've used them to design three unique ways to dress up your Thanksgiving table. If you enjoy them, which I hope you will, the stationary templates are available for download below.

Note: I intended to use gold glitter sticker paper for these projects, which turned out to be a total fail. The paper was much too thick and tacky for the dies to handle, so keep that in mind and use traditional stationary or scrapbook paper for the best cuts. The paper below is a metallic bronze and all monograms were applied with glue dots.

1. Seating Assignments. Add monograms to seasonal fruit for a pop of color that marks each place setting.  I used pomegranates but pears, mini pumpkins or persimmons would be lovely options as well.

2. Give thanks. The outside of these cards contain a monogram for each guest.  The inside holds the message 'thanks for...'.  Make sure everyone is given a pen at their place setting and after dinner, pass cards around the table clockwise so that everyone may write a simple note of thanks to each guest at the table. 

3. Send home a favor.  Pomegranates are again used here, but depending on the size of your gathering, favors can vary from a boxed-up slice of pumpkin pie to a bottle of wine.  This tag was blind embossed using the Epic which gives it extra texture and elegance.

 

photos + styling © cake. 2011

Download templates HERE.

The dielines will be available on the Lifestyle Crafts website after Nov 15th. If you're interested in trying these or other products for yourself, enter the promo code 'CAKE' at checkout for a 20% discount. (PS: these dies work with all manual die-cutting machines, not just the Epic).

This is a sponsored post, but the above review is my honest opinion.  If you have a shop that you think would be a good fit for Cake. we'd love to hear from you.