Elizabeth's Piggy Party

One month from today I'll be back at my "real job". I kind of laugh at that term. Reality is kind of setting in today. =( I am going to miss being home with my kids like mad.

After seeing my little friend Olivia's piggy party, this mom knew she wanted some invitations just like Olivia's. She decided to purchase some stickers and a banner as well .

She had seen some paper I had used on another project that she loved, so i changed the colors in the invitations to match the paper we decided on.

For the banner, Sue decided to leave the pig off and purchase both her daughter's names so that she can change it out for each of them and use it from year to year.

Her last request was some stickers to put on the favors that she was sending home with guests...

My nephew's super hero party is the weekend, so pics of that coming on Monday! Have a great weekend.

30th Birthday Barbeque

Okay...last load of laundry in the dryer, only 38 more emails to respond to from when I was gone, and hubs is home from work....we're getting there!

It is so funny...I swear the only adult birthday parties I have done are for people turning 30...which I guess makes sense because people find me because they have young children celebrating birthdays and it leads to thinking about what you can do for other parties as well! It would make sense that a lot of parents of little ones are all the same age.

A past client enlisted me to make a banner for her husband's 30th birthday barbeque. She wanted to incorporate a picnic-y looking theme without making it to "hokey" and using the colors red and blue.

I found the red gingham paper she wanted and paired it with red and blue subtle dots and a fun font.

Happy birthday to all us 30 year olds this year! =)

We now return...

to our regularly scheduled programming, already in progress.

Thanks for your patience with lack of posts for the past two weeks! With our ice cream party, trying to finish orders, and packing for vacation I didn't get as many posts ready for when I was gone as I had planned.

But we're back from up North...a little more rested, probably a little fatter, and feeling a whole lot more ready to tackle the Fall that we have coming for our family.

I promise to get a real post in today somewhere in between unpacking and washing 10 days worth of laundry. =) Promise.

Kamree's Ice Cream

After I throw a party I usually offer the banner that I used at a discount and I just reprint it to fit the customers needs. That way I don't have a million of my kids banners sitting around here and a customer gets a great deal on a banner.

The ice cream party banner was no exception...worked out wonderfully, actually! A reader of mine happened to email me and tell me her daughter was having an ice cream themed 3rd birthday party in August. I mentioned that I was having an ice cream party and the rest is history. I repurposed the banner and made some matching cupcake toppers inspired by these that she saw on Creative Parties and Showers that she loved.

Should be there soon, Jodee!

Featured on CP & S

I decided to submit my Babycakes Shower that I threw in January to a few party sites because it is any easy and fun theme to throw together so I thought it might be worth sharing. Today my girl Shannon over at Creative Parties and Showers featured the shower. Thanks Shannon!

I've featured CP & S on this blog before, but it is worth retelling that if you have a fabulous party you'd like to share with others or if you are just looking for party inspiration, it is a party must. Shannon has used a lot of my pictures for the buttons on her site, which I just love! You might see a few cuties that might look familiar. =)

One of my favorite (and very repeat) clients Beth submitted the baby shower she threw for her friends...now she's thinking of becoming a party planner herself! Beckett's lil' monkey party was also featured a while back. If you are a PD&P reader and gave me a shout out on something you made yourself that was inspired by PD&P a big thank you to you as well!

Head on over to Creative Parties and Showers and check out hundreds of ideas for your next party!

Bedtime for Baby

One of my previous clients enlisted me to make some invitations and a banner for a baby shower she is cohosting using the bedtime story theme from Hostess with the Mostess.

Rebecca sent me a picture of the bedding Dana was using for her baby girl to be to use as inspiration for colors and style. They are planning the shower around the bedding...

So to match the theme, I tried several different ideas for the invitations, but decided I liked the one of Baby Millie's bed the best, and Rebecca loved it too.

Then designed the banner to match...

Sweet dreams...heading to bed!

Ryan's First Year

About the same time I was working on the picture banner for my little sister's graduation, I was asked to make a picture banner that matched my Polkadot Collection for little Ryan, who is having his first birthday party this weekend.

His mom sent me pictures from when he was three days old all the way to his 11 month picture, and plans to add the 12 month picture herself.

Ryan's mom knew she wanted something like this for his birthday, so she took a pic of him in a diaper each month sitting on the same chair with the same stuffed animal so you can really see how he changed over the months...such a great idea!

I really love these banners and plan to add them as a regular item to my list!

We all scream for ice cream!!

Wednesday we held our annual ice cream party in our backyard for all our neighborhood kiddos and friends. I made these invitations and we hand delivered them all (except for the people who don't live in Shakopee, of course!)

I had a master plan of where I would set up all the goodies and how I would decorate...but of course no one can plan for the weather! The actual temperature and conditions were wonderful...it was the wind that was not so friendly. I had to scale down decorations and move the entire ice cream table to the one spot on the side yard where the wind was relatively calm.

So first the set-up...

Gotta love plastic and metal tubs. You can reuse them and reuse them...they're easy to clean and really brighten up a space as well as being functional. Start collecting a supply. I promise you won't regret it! A lot of these I've picked up a long the way and used over and over in different ways. I also used shepherd's hooks...the ones you usually hang plants or bird feeders from...to hang the banner. Makes hanging banners outside a cinch!

Before we let them get into lines to get cones, I got our annual pic on the steps of all the kids. 6 of the kids who ended up coming later are missing, but here are 22 of our attendees!

So then it was on to to ice cream...thanks Stacy and Jen for helping scoop and all the other moms and dads for organizing them into strawberry, chocolate, and mint chip lines and helping "sprinkle". As you can see from the pics, everyone enjoyed their ice cream...Beckett and Grant definitely were both fighting for the title of messiest with chocolate ice cream (not to mention the sand from the sand box they mixed into it!)...

I was going to buy cute napkins to match the ice cream theme, but realized that they would all be more than a little

so I stuck a tub of baby wipes in one of my colored buckets...worked so well!

Then it was time to play in the water, on the swingset, and in the sandbox. The line for the Slip N Slide was always long and there were lots of giggles coming from over in that corner of the yard...

Even our smallest guest who couldn't eat ice cream or go on the Slip N Slide enjoyed the party!

When the cones were all gone no one wanted the party to end...Beckett resorted to eating spilled sprinkles off of the patio after I put all of the ice cream away...

Each family took home a goody bag of "cones to go" for their entire family...just add ice cream!

Thanks to all our little friends who came to play. We had such a good time and feel so blessed that our kids have such nice friends...can't wait 'til next year!

Almost ready...

More ready for some things than others...

The kids' ice cream party starts in 2 1/2 hours. I'm pretty much ready for that, just need to do some setting up, but since we have 30 MPH winds right now I will wait for the last second. Just a taste for you...

Now just waiting for 33 excited kiddos to arrive!

NOT so ready to leave on a 10 day vacation on Sunday. I mean mentally...YES...way overdue. But this is the list of things to still make and ship before I leave...not to mention I haven't started packing yet...

Some of you Moms would enjoy this: My husband hands me a list of things to pack. My list seems very short compared to his. But my list goes something like this... 1. Pack the kids 2. Pack the food. His list goes something like this... 1. Golf Clubs 2. Slalom Ski 3. Fishing Poles 4. Tackle Boxes 5. Baseball Mitts 6. Baseballs 7. Frisbee 8. Bean Bags 9. Tow Ropes 10. Tube 11. Air Pump 12. Water Toys 13. Goggles etc etc etc. See the problem here? 10 days worth of everything a kid needs to survive vs. man toys. I think I wanna trade lists. =)

Happy 4th of July??

I had saved this banner so that I could post it on July 3rd so it would be up all weekend of the 4th. Oops! Totally slipped my mind and I found it when I was going through some pictures last night. I guess today will have to do...its at least still July!

I made some invitations for Addison a while back. She was having her party at the lake on the 4th of July along with her cousin Cale.

And since the party already took place, might as well include a picture of the birthday cutie!

Happy birthday Addie!

I Scream, You Scream...

Lots going on over here at the Newman household...my sister moved into a new house yesterday and we painted almost every room on the inside of her house yesterday. I am also busy getting ready for our annual ice cream party.

Ice Cream Party 07

Because none of my kids have summer birthdays two years ago I had a party for all my kids little neighbor friends to come over and have ice cream and run through the sprinkler. Then last year I was so busy starting my business that it just didn't happen. So this will be the second of our annual minus one year ice cream party.

Lots to do before next Wednesday!

Hudson's Monkey

I've done quite a few monkey banners in my day, but mostly with the same monkey. This time my husband's cousin Dana already had a certain monkey that she used for her invitations she made so she sent him on over! She was so helpful because she actually sent me samples of the paper she used for the invites and I was able to find a bunch of them to use for the banner as well as a few other coordinating ones.

I am actually putting this in the mail tomorrow, so I am not sure if it is a good idea to put it on here as it is ALWAYS better to have the client see it in person first, but since I know her so well I think it is pretty safe. Hope you like it, Dana!

SUPERJACK!!

First, I need to clear up a couple things that I made confusing last week...

1) I AM NOT QUITTING. =)
The funny thing is that for ME, nothing changed in the past few months as far as business plan, its just that a lot of you hadn't looked at my schedule and realized I was booked out as far as I am. Again, I apologize (I mean, kind of...it is a blessing, too!) that I am booked so far out and can't accommodate more people.

2) YES, EVEN IF YOU ARE A PAST CLIENT YOU SHOULD GET ON THE WAITING LIST FOR 2010 IF YOU THINK YOU'LL WANT TO ORDER.
I wish I could take on everyone, but honestly, I KNOW I won't be able to. So come November 1st I am going to decide how many projects I will take on, make a calendar, and start at the top of my list until all spots are filled. That is the only fair and sane way to work it.

Thanks so much for all the emails I got last week. It was fun to hear from some of you I haven't heard from in a while! :)

Now, on to SUPERJACK. You may remember my nephew from his baseball party last summer. Jack is a fun little busy guy who I happen to adore (as do my kids, unless they are trying to kill each other, of course.) Jackson is classic for climbing on anything and everything in sight and has some impressive jumping skills as well. I suggested to my sister a few months ago that he have a superhero party since they are kind of the thing to do these days and he was always pretending to be one superhero or another anyway.

After finding some fun paper, I designed a logo that is Superman-ish only with an adjustment in color and style which my sister made into a tshirt. My mom has made all of our kids capes as well. Rachel ordered all the kids masks from someone on Etsy (I'll get the name and link it when I recap the party...not sure what seller it is at the moment). Put it all together and I had one fun night of picture taking with little Jacks.

I have to admit that I returned to my house and told my sister "There are a few cute ones, but I am not sure I got it." Then sometimes when you aren't expecting it (like standing in the driveway telling someone that you DIDN'T get it), you might get what you were looking for.

Isn't that funny? Man he cracks me up. So I took that pic and made these...

Lots more of Jacks party coming soon!

{Happy Customers} : Caiden

This was such a fun circus set to work on because it was for the nephew of Adam...a photographer I got to know through my friend Darcie. He is so fun and was a huge help during our Made to Match shoot.

Little Caiden has the cutest grin ever! I mean, really, you should check out the pics that Adam took of him for his one year session and the pics he took at the party.

To read more and see the pictures closer up (and a whole lot of other cuties!) head on over to {happy customers}.

Have a happy and safe holiday weekend!

How perfect is this?

It is no secret to anyone who knows me that I kind of adore Em Tanner and all of her designs. She even has my kids on her site (wanna see?) But just recently she came up with a line called "Me 2 a Tee" in which you can make a character look just like you right down to the accessories! She has one product that I thought all of you just might adore as much as I do...

Perfect for a bday or what?

I just may have this shirt sitting here waiting for Ave's flower bday party (in December!)



(Never hurts to order early, you know. :)

And if that isn't enough...here are a few of my other gift giving or bday faves from EmT!

1. My new FAV gift to give Me 2 a Tee! Water Bottle
(my friend Kelley just told me that this was her 5 year old's favorite gift from his party!)

2. Ahoy MA-TEE! Tshirt (wish this one had been available before T's pirate party)
3. How cute is this Me 2 a Tee! Lunchbox?
4. So many options to personalize your Me 2 a Tee! Tshirt...need one for your princess?
5. Show everyone her age with the Quirky Circle Clip
6. Or how about just an initial she can wear everyday? Ave may need a Scalloped Quirky Circle Clip to match her tshirt!

I was going to link all these, but really, its more fun to just click around on Em's site. There is waaaay more than I could ever show you here.

Looking for the perfect gift to give yourself?? After I bought this for myself for Mother's Day, a bunch of my friends wanted one for themselves, too! It has been a lifesaver with schedules (now that my 30 year old brain doesn't work as well) and spices up the kitchen, too!



Funky Bubbles Calendar

If you want to become Em's Fan on Facebook, she has a coupon code she listed this morning. Plus, this girl will crack you up with her updates. While you're on there, become a fan of Polkadots & Pirates, too! I know there is also an EmT coupon on Tot Trends Weekly, another great site you should check out. Happy shopping!

Happy Birthday PD & P!

One year.

One year ago today my dreams of a little shop on Etsy came true. I wrote this post, only the second ever I had written on this blog. I honestly had NO IDEA at the time what this would turn into.

This little company took on a life of its own. In fact, at times it has taken over the life that was my own. There have been moments when I was ready to hire an army and make this big. Then there have been moments when I have a reality check (also known as Eric Newman:) and I have pulled back a bit.

After 6 months of doing mostly custom work...all of which I loved, but that was eating into my life for practically no pay...I wrote this post. I stopped doing customs on Etsy, but continued to do them for friends and family. I launched 3 product lines. I launched a clothing line with some pretty amazing girls. I got to take a really fun trip. I have "met" a ton of wonderful moms, aunts, and grandmas who wanted to make their little one's birthday special. I have also "met" a lot of other really cool party girls in the business. I have had SO. MUCH. FUN.

So what's next?

Well...as I did at the six month mark E and I have had discussions about how things are going...both family AND business wise...and where we want things to go from here. Out of necessity I will be returning to my job teaching third grade (I really do LOVE teaching) this fall. I will miss days home with my kiddos, but I know they will probably adjust better than I.

As many of you have noticed on my schedule, I am currently booked through the end of 2009 for outside orders. My Etsy shop is currently closed...and in all reality I don't know if it will ever reopen. I have developed a little following here on this blog (THANK YOU ALL MY LOYAL READERS) and for quite some time I think I can stay busy by word of mouth...that is until the day I am ready to GO BIG on a huge website of my own. Please don't read this as I'm closing altogether, just closing Etsy!

I have a waiting list of sorts started for people to contact after November 1st when I decide how much work I will take on next year and whether or not I will hire help. If you want to get on that list, email me at polkadotsandpirates@gmail.com. It does not require any payment at this time.

In the meantime...I will be here. Blogging. Working my tail off after my kiddos are asleep. Twittering (follow me!). Answering your emails. And working on something that you may be interested in...especially all you DIYers...

I have a HUGE new project in the works. From the topics of emails I get almost daily I am guessing you're going to like it. I need a little more time to iron out all the details of a all out announcement, but I'll give you a hint...

Interested? More details coming soon. Promise.

Thank you to all of you for your continued support of this party girl. Sorry for the super long and maybe boring post. I promise back to the party tomorrow.

One year.

One stinkin' awesome year.

Gonna go throw some confetti at myself now. :)

XOXO,

Jess