Party Essentials

A custom "House Warming" celebration

I’ve always viewed party supplies as an investment, and for this purpose, I keep two cupboards above my fridge.  It sits brimming with materials, from platters to candles – and has become my go-to-zone for celebrating loved ones milestones throughout the year.

I tend to invest in a palette of white basics: plates, plastic cutlery, napkins, table clothes…since these items work with any season.  I have never felt the need to have my guests use hot-pink plates screaming “Girls Night Out” or reach for a vaguely cheerful “39 and Holding!” napkin.  The party supply market is flooded with a lot of these products, and while they can be festive, I haven’t found an occasion to use them.  I like things simple, unique – and somewhat reusable (when possible).   It ends up being less expensive, and because I am particular with what I buy, I think I am able to keep better quality products on hand.

Recently, a client commissioned me to make some party supplies for her upcoming house warming party.  She had already made and distributed her own invitations but wanted just a few decorations to complete her vision.  While the sky is the limit in terms of the types of products you can incorporate, I wanted to show you how just 2 products helped bring this client’s vision to life.  Its low on costs – but high on style!

1. Banners These can reinforce your theme and state what you are celebrating.  Nothing says”celebration” more than a banner!  Using premium materials including 80lb card stock
   

   "Welcome" Banner from Creative LMent

   and the highest quality grosgrain ribbon available on the market, we produced not one, but two banners for the guests of honour.  Taking the font from her original handmade invitations, we produced “welcome” for the fireplace (which was near her main entrance), and “friends” for above the kitchen table.  Our client later commented that she made the decision to keep them up long after the party up since they made beautiful accents to her decor.  And its true – due to their high quality, our paper banners can become seasonal decor or reusable decorations, especially if you have picked simple words or phrases (such as our client did).
2. Cupcake Toppers These days, everyone is CRAZY about cupcakes.  We all love these 
   

   Cupcake Topper from Creative LMent

   individually portioned, decorated and wrapped treats!  Stack them on a platter or rack them on tiered china – then, pop in a beautiful coordinating cupcake topper.  They’ll not only look beautiful, but your guests will be impressed by your thoughtfulness and attention to detail.  While you won’t be able to reuse them as cake toppers, you can do what my client did and save the ones which were not snapped up by her guests.  Snip the stick off with scissors and use the tops as embellishments for a scrap-booking project, or better yet, use them to decorate post party thank you cards!

With just two products, you too can create a classy, customized look to celebrate your next special occasion, whether it be designed from scratch or inspired by an existing item.  Contact Creative LMent for a quote today!  ~LM

Photography Credit: Rebecca Thomson (thanks Becks! ~ LM)