French Cafe- Party Inspirations

I've always had a love for French or Paris themed items. I've never been to France, so my ideas about the country or culture may be way off. But for now, I'll hold on to my idealistic dreams. A couple years ago I hosted a French Cafe themed party, and I've recently been thinking it would be a fun theme to play with again. The party I hosted was for my adult girlfriends, but I think this theme could be easily adapted for a fun and chic birthday for a girl of most any age (probably over 7). For me, the colors that always come to mind with a Parisian theme are pink and black.

With the theme and colors in mind, the first step for planning a party like this would be to search my house for items I already have that I may be able to use. Dishes, glasses, coffee cups, cake stands, vases, ribbon... anything pink, black, or white. From here I can better decide what items I may still need to buy.

French Cafe Party Ideas

Decorations~

-Make signs in french for your front door, the food, the bathroom, etc.

-Simple arrangements of pink flowers- I would suggest hydrangeas, roses, ranunculus, tulips, or gerbera daisies. A simple black ribbon around the vase could also be a nice accent.

Food~

-Croissant sandwiches

-A selection of cheeses

-Fresh fruit

-Coffee and/or sparkling pink lemonade

-A selection of pretty, bite sized dessert. A few simple suggestions would be madeleines or cream puffs (available at Costco), sugar cookies decorated with pink frosting or pink sprinkles.

Favors ~
-A beautifully decorated cookie with the guests initial (this could also serve as a place card).

-A small journal, or note cards with a beautiful design on the cover, in the party colors of pink or black.

-A small picture frame (Michael's craft store, and Aaron Brothers frame store both have a nice selection of small frames)

Below is the table setup for the party I hosted. You can see the way I used picture frames as both place cards and favors.

Photo details-

-Top of post- Bonjour door sign- Glory Albin

-Mosaic of pink sweets and black & white patterns (L to R)- Fleur de lis cookie- Glory Albin, Stripped napkin- platesandnapkins.com, Pink bow cupcake- Glory Albin, Damask pattern napkin- platesandnapkins.com, Pink and black initial cookie- Glory Albin

-Plate of sweets with Coffee- Photo and styling by Glory Albin, cookies made by my friend Lisa.

-French Cafe table setting- Glory Albin

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Real Parties: A Walk on the Wild Side

This wild baby shower was hosted by my friend, Paige (see her Cupcakes & Cocktails party!) for a close friend. I love the color combination she chose...leaf green, orange & white mixed with different animal prints.

Hayley Hardastle designed the invitation and other great paper products.

Guests signed their names on this keepsake paper as they walked into Paige's home. A similar sheet was used to record gifts as the mom-to-be opened presents.

The "beverage bar" which included 3 drinks with creative names.

Guests dined on chicken satays, mozzarella penne pasta salad, spinach artichoke dip, hummus & fruit salad.

Are these petit fours not the cutest?!

Paige got crafty and created the "BABY" sign that hung on the mantle.

The colors of the candy in this candy station really pop! This is a great example of how a small and simple candy table can still make a nice impact.

To see more pictures of this perfectly executed party, visit Paige's blog, HERE.

A few party details you might be interested in...

* Invitations & paper products were designed by Hayley Hardcastle.

* The plush giraffe is by Melissa and Doug via Amazon.

* The flowers and catering came from Central Market in Southlake.

* The Cakery in Southlake made the adorable monogrammed petit fours.

* The animal print ribbon and cardstock to make the "BABY" sign was purchased at Hobby Lobby.

Firetruck Baby Shower

Just got done Spring cleaning the fridge - isn't it weird how something so simple can bring you such joy when you open it and it's sparkling, lol

Anyway... a sweet Frosted Fan is hosting a Firetruck Baby Shower soon and was having trouble finding inspiration... hope this helps!

Dalmatian Diaper Cake - Diaper cakes are so much fun, try just simple decorations to fit it in to your theme
Fire Truck Plate - these were my fav out of all I found
Fire Truck cupcake toppers- an easy way to theme your cupcakes with no work!
Cardboard Firetruck - this would be perfect to stash the baby gifts or put a plastic bin inside and put ice and cold drinks!
Baby Shower Advice & Game  - I love advice cards! The are so fun for the mom to read later and put in a memory book!
Fire Truck food tray - this would be a fun way for guests to eat! Or at least put cups in and use to serve napkins and silverware
Fire Truck Lollipop - perfect favors!
Fire Truck Stool - you say, stool!?!? huh? Wouldn't that look great in the center of a table as a cupcake stand on each of the steps?!?!  only 24.99 too at Target! and the mom-to-be could use in the baby's room!

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