Oompa Loompas and Bad Eggs

So much time and so little to do! Strike that - reverse it! We're busy preparing for our Willy Wonka themed party this weekend. Stay tuned for snaps from the night and a great how to post coming soon!


XO Elody Events

A Kitchen Themed Shower for Your Bride-to-be

With all the weddings going on at the moment we thought we'd lend a hand to those planning a bridal shower with this fun kitchen theme!

If the bride-to-be is addicted to the Food Network and has a pile of Gourmet magazines sitting by the door, a kitchen-themed bridal shower might be right up her alley.

Some ideas to get you going:
The invitations:
Use a cooking themed invitation or modify recipe cards with the time, address, and instructions. See below for gift theme suggestions you can include with the invitations.

The gifts:
How about giving your guests a theme for their gifts? Ask groups of guests to bring a favourite recipe and create a collection of them for the bride. Just make sure that if you are asking for themed gifts, you make it clear on the invitations.

The food:
In keeping with the theme, we think that providing appetisers and desserts that require a bit of interaction are interesting (and keeps you out of the kitchen all day!). Try fondue, a hamburger slider bar or decorate-your-own sugar cookies.

Here's the colour palette we would use to bring this theme to life:

What do you think of this theme? Will you be using it for your bride-to-be's shower? If you do, upload the pictures to our Facebook page we'd love to see how yours turns out!

XO Elody Events




Photo Credits:
Newlywed cookbook: PaperFoxling
Utensil tabletop: Hostess with the Mostess
Invitation: Lashina
Gadgets and gifts: Schmiford
Towel cake with kitchen gadgets: Ninjanna

Party Planning: Arabian Nights

Arabian Nights themes parties are rare compared to more common themes like a generic beauty and the geek party. That means there's a great opportunity to create a truly memorable night with a smart decoration scheme. The best part about Arabian themes is that they're flexible thanks to a plethora of options: you can pull it off with almost any budget.



Invitations
Invitations are always a good place to start when planning your party. Within your invitations you can set the mood and colour scheme for the night, they give you a guide line to stick to for the rest of your planning. For a simple option cut your invitations in the shape of a lamp. For a more elaborate option check out the scrolls we used below - back your written invitations onto some rich luxe fabric to gear up your guests for the night.






Decor
The most important decor component to pulling off this theme is to stock up on fabric that you can hang from the ceiling or drape in doorways. Sheer fabric looks best for this theme but you can use silks as well. If your budget doesn't give you much wiggle room opt for a cheap poplin in rich hues of deep reds and oranges.

Beyond fabric, tents and marquees are worth looking into, or if you're having the party at home and you have a gazebo outside, use this as the focal point for the night. Scatter as many throw rugs and cushions around the party space as you can find, if your budget doesn't permit buying them ask your friends to round some up - just remember your colour palette.



Atmospherics

To enhance the Arabian mood, there are two big guns you could pull out, depending on your budget and the mess you're willing to clean up. The first is sand, sprinkled liberally throughout your party space and the second is a smoke machine. Combines with your rugs, cushions and drapery it creates the perfect atmosphere your night. A much easier trick is to play a middle eastern soundtrack which you can find on iTunes.

Props
Rich coloured fabric and decor and golden props or fake rubies are great accents. Dig some old tacky jewellery or buy some from a costume shop. A really cheap but effective option is is to buy the chocolate coins that come on gold foil and scatter them throughout your food and drinks tables.

Oil lamps, incense, and hookahs can get expensive but look authentic. Empty wine bottles or teapots sprayed gold are a cheaper option.


Entertainment
If your budget permits it hire a belly dancer to come in and do a performance and then finish up by teaching your guests a thing or two. For a cheaper option buy some henna paint and let your guests give each other tattoos.



Food & Drinks
Stick to Moroccan food to serve for your guests if that isn't enough range branch into some Mediterranean foods for more variety that will still keep your theme alive.
Serve Moroccan teas in vintage teapots for a fun addition to the party.






Here are some pictures from our Arabian themed party... and all with a budget of $500!

What do you think of this theme? If you decide to throw an Arabian nights themed party post your pictures on our Facebook page, we'd love to see how it turns out.

XO Elody Events

Birthday Beauty

Lady van Wyk… It’s shortly after midnight which means it’s officially your birthday! Happy Birthday, Fancy Pants!! We hope this year is filled with lots of ruffles, bows, sequins & twinkle lights. You are an amazing inspiration to us and to so many other people and we’re so happy to celebrate YOU today! Thank you for being the most fun. Here’s to another year of on-site shinanigans and the photos to prove it.

We love you!

XO Elody Events

Weekend Scenery - Yolanda's 40th

We'll be putting photos up of the weekend's events so you guys can jump onto the blog and see if you got snapped up this weekend!

This week we celebrated Yolanda's 40th birthday with an Arabian Nights theme at her house. 

Have a look below to see if you were snapped.

A big thank you to our very own Daniela for these fabulous shots!

Stay tuned for an Arabian Nights how to post coming your way!

P.S if you have any of your own shots from the night post them on our Facebook page, we'd love to see them!

XO Elody Events

The Big Game

Even though our Packers' season ended in the divisional playoffs we're still getting excited for the Superbowl this weekend!

In Australia we get the game early Monday morning - it's hard to have people over so early so we suggest recording the game and screening it later in the day.

Whether you're a Giants fan or a Patriots fan, any Superbowl party is all about the game...and the FOOD! Add some creativity to you big game bash with these easy tips and menu ideas:

Football Field Table Cover

Make a bold statement by covering your main buffet area with inexpensive artificial grass in order to mimic the look of a football field. Artificial turf is available at Bunnings and they can cut it down to size for you. Dark green felt or fabric will also work as an alternative option. Use white ribbon or masking tape to add yard lines, or paint them of you're feeling arty!

Crowd Pleasing Menu

When it comes to the menu, keep things easy and approachable by serving up a variety of crowd-pleasing finger foods. Think chicken wings, chips and dips. (Last year we got a 6 foot sub from Subway - we would suggest NOT to do this for your party - it was severely disappointing!)

Cheese & Cracker Football Stackers

Use a circle shaped cookie cutter to cut slices of cheese and salami into football shapes, then stack them on top of oval shaped cracker. Last but not least use a zip lock bag to pipe mustard or ranch dressing laces on top.

Football Devilled Eggs

Whip up you favourite devilled egg recipe then add some chive laces to instantly transform them into little footballs!

Goal Post Centrepiece

Create a striking themed centrepiece for you table from wooden rods, yellow paint, and hot glue. Paint the unfinished rods, let them dry, then hot glue into a goal post shape. Once they're dry stick the goal post into some styrofoam and cover it with whatever you made your table cloth with.

Print & Customise

As always, the design is in the details - and printable paper elements are on the easiest ways to transform any buffet into a unique party display! Check out this complete set of football themes printables from Hostess with the Mostess to use at your big game bash - including buffet labels, embellishments, cupcake toppers, food flags, football player silhouettes, and patterned paper that can be utilised in a variety of creative ways.
Use the following links to download individual design files in PDF format:

Buffet Labels - Pre Filled
Buffet Labels Blank
Cupcake Toppers
Party Circles
Pennant Food Flags
Embellishments
Football Guy Silhouettes

Happy Australia Day!

Hope you all had a great day yesterday! 

Here's a little bit of bogan to keep that Aussie spirit alive a little longer!

XO Elody Events