I have been so delinquent with my blog posts, I know! And we have a backlog of such great photos to share from our parties during the last quarter of 2011. :)

First up, let me share pictures from our “Construction 1st Birthday Party” for baby Marcus.

The party was done in one of my favorite venues — the Valle Verde 4 Clubhouse.  Mommy Maan had a very distinct idea of how she wanted her son’s birthday to look and feel like, and we were very happy to have done her vision some justice.  Fun road signs marked the entrance of the venue, as well as the significant activity and play areas inside.

Here’s how the inside looked like!

Chairs in a natural wood finish were used, and assorted toys and construction elements like traffic cones and construction hats became part of the centerpieces.

Marcus’ Dessert Table and Mini Gallery.

Time for some details… the cupcakes, cookies, and birthday cake were all done by Angela Colet of Swell Sweets. Personalized bubble water bottles were also added to the dessert table — such cute containers for refreshing H2O! 

TIP: Looking for toppers or other decorative elements for your cake? Take a trip to your toy store and see what small things you can put on your sweets! That’s what we did for Marcus’ birthday cake! That’s a toy bulldozer on top :)

Marcus’ Mini Gallery. 

WARNING: Expect Excessive Cuteness!

Awesome cookies in construction tool shapes by French Kiss (www.frenchkisspastries.com).  Look for Belle to place your orders through 0915-7010626 :)

Kids got to bring home toolboxes with fun toys courtesy of the Mom!

A simple way we dressed up the chairs — we used ordinary CAUTION tape from the local hardware to spruce up the seats :)

Happy Birthday Marcus!!!

When did first birthdays get too cute for words??? The credit for this fantastic theme goes to mom, Mia Cenzon, who had a complete mood board all prepared when we started to discuss Arie’s party! :)

Chinoiserie is actually a French word which describes a decorative style based on Chinese-inspired elements. And I was quite excited to translate the mom’s initial ideas into a fun and modern party set-up fit for the cute little birthday girl.

Again, special thanks to Karen Ilagan for allowing me to use her wonderful photos from that afternoon.

The piece de resistance of our setup — a metal tree filled with bright pink paper lanterns which we positioned at the center of the room.  The kids’ tables were placed directly under this structure to give them the impression of sitting underneath a larger-than-life cherry blossom tree.  Plus, the stark fuchsia colors proved to be very attractive even for the toddlers!

Ghost chairs supplied by my good friend, Florence Chan (of Olive Tree Philippines), gave the setup a very modern twist and kept it from feeling too “old-worldly”.  These chairs definitely added a real flair to the party :)  Versatile enough for any theme or occasion, these ghost chairs are available for rent through her.  E-mail her at olivetree.phil@yahoo.com or olivetree.philtrade@gmail.com for inquiries.

Centerpieces were composed of flowers in gilded birdcages and sakura branches in golden pots, complete with perched green birds which were 100% handmade by the Alice’s Wonderland team. I take pride in the fact that there’s almost always something handmade in each of our parties :)  DIY elements give our setups a very quaint edge to them, which I’m happy a lot of people appreciate and enjoy.

Arie’s Special Table — a buffet of sweets for the absolute sweetest guests! Plus Chinese take-out boxes with treats for the kids (courtesy of Arie’s grandmother).

Angela Colet of Swell Sweets wows us with another cake masterpiece.  I heard Arie’s dad even had to drive out of town to purchase the porcelain celadon birds that topped off Gel’s creation.  Mommy Mia shared that the gas and toll fees were even more expensive than the birds themselves.  Now, that’s what you call commitment to your little girl’s first birthday!  :)

Even supermarket wafer sticks looked awesome on the dessert table together with cookie lollipops made by Gel Colet of Swell Sweets.

More detail shots of our dessert table, plus mini cupcakes also by Gel Colet.

A sakura tree greeted the guests at the entrance, plus photos and special anecdotes from Arie’s first 12 months were displayed on the dessert table as well.  These “precious moments” were endearing reads for the guests during the party.

Mommy Mia got a Chinese calligrapher for the party as an added activity for the guests.  We printed Arie’s birthday logo on the parchment papers and displayed rows of them ala clothesline style :)

Each kid got a paper lantern as they arrived which they were free to decorate and stylize.  All strung up, this little corner showcased these little masterpieces by the children.   

So, are you feeling the whole Chinoiserie movement? :)

During my research for this party, I stumbled upon www.chinoiseriechic.blogspot.com — lovely ideas on how to incorporate a bit of this fancy, Asian vibe into your home and your life.  I also have this book called Domino: The Book of Decorating that features the most adorable Chinoiserie cover artwork.  I was actually drawn to the book because of the cover, and was happy to find that it was such a great read too! It’s one of my favorite design books to date and has helped me with my own little home makeover projects. You too can grab the most inspired ideas from its pages!

Catch you next time as I share with you more works by Alice’s Wonderland! :)

We’ve done a red version, and now here’s a PINK one! There’s no denying how popular Hello Kitty is among kids and parents.  Here are some snapshots of our setup that will hopefully tickle you pink and ignite dreams of frilly fantasies.

Kiddie umbrellas were used as part of the centerpieces, with cute polka dot and floral prints in our linens.

Our dessert table in the background for Baby Luise on her first birthday.

SWEETS FOR THE SWEET! Cupcakes by Olive Chan of All Caked Up, and Cookie Lollipops by Joanna Romero of Cuppy Puppy Bakehouse.

Let them eat cake too! I can hear everyone say “KAWAII!” :)  Cake by Olive Chan.

Here are some fun facts about Hello Kitty that I read on the internet:

a. Her original name was supposed to be “White Kitty” (from one of the cats that Alice kept in the book Through the Looking Glass).

b. Hello Kitty is not single. Her boyfriend’s name is “Dear Daniel”. :)

c. She has 2 pets:  a little cat named “Charmmy Kitty” (yes, with a double “m”) and a hamster named “Sugar”.  Charmmy Kitty was given to her by her grandfather, George White, while Sugar came from Dear Daniel.

d. Hello Kitty is a girl of substance too! She’s not just all about being cute and pretty.  Since 1983, she has held the position as the U.S. Children’s Ambassador for UNICEF. :)

Christopher Robin, Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Rabbit, Piglet, Tigger, Kanga & Roo, and Wol celebrated Baby Haru’s first birthday with him in their classic and original versions.

Welcome to our own Hundred Acre Wood! :)  

We made a special name cutout for Haru with a collage of his baby photos.

Cake and cupcakes by Olive Chan of All Caked Up.

Daddy, Mommy, and the cutie Baby Haru!

Alice’s Wonderland’s wacky trio, Be-an, Lovely, and Lou-Anne striking poses after our setup. :)

Glamomama Amanda Griffin-Jacob contacted me to do an “airplane-themed” 1st birthday party for her Baby Kieran at the beginning of this year. During our earlier meetings, she proudly shared with me how aviation has long been a part of her family’s history.  Her dad founded a small English fleet in the 1970s that specialized in flying for other airlines around the world who needed additional aircrafts, while her mother was the Chief Purser of that airline.  She wanted the significance and magic of the world of aviation to be carried on as her son turned one.

I’ve always thought that home parties were the best because the space is so much more personal and warmer than any commercial venue.  And I was happy to find out that she was planning to have their celebration in their residence!

With passengers all buckled-up in smiles and ready for an afternoon filled with aviation delights, come and see what we did as KIERAN AIR took to the skies :)

Our sweets and giveaway table…the kids got personalized bag tags as their souvenirs.

For centerpieces, we revived our knowledge of paper plane folding :) Simple and nostalgic, and something that can even be done with your kids and family members as a bonding project at home!

Baby Kieran and his adorable curls! Incidentally, he also had his first haircut that afternoon which brought the mom to tears… :)

Kids got in-flight care bags as they entered the house.

How we dressed up their garden — 3ft. tall cutout letters spelling the baby’s name.

It rained heavily that afternoon, causing a great deal of stress for the mom.  Good thing we came prepared with tenting contingency!  Just remember that when you have any portion of your party outdoors, it’s always always better to be safe than sorry.  A tent doesn’t cost a lot and could probably spell the difference between a successful party and a disastrous one.  So when in doubt, JUST SET IT UP :)

Designs of the kids’ bag tags and the Kieran Air logo :)

MEOW! 

The classic red and blue Hello Kitty was the theme for baby girl Olivia’s 1st birthday.  Her mom picked that theme since she said Olivia looked like Hello Kitty whenever she would smile, and I had to agree with her after meeting the sweet angel! 

The old-school illustrations of this popular Sanrio character were refreshing to see again, especially nowadays when Hello Kitty seems to have shed the reds and the blues, and donned everything pink in its myriad shades.

Come and see how Hello Kitty brought Olivia and her guests to a “happy picnic land” for a fun birthday afternoon :)

Red and white checkered table linens really “picni-fied” the space.  The white foldable garden chairs added so much appeal too.

See the kiddie stools below which were the party giveaways for the kids featuring Hello Kitty and her cute boyfriend :) I love the bow-tie detail! So adorable.

We also gave out picnic baskets to the kiddies with bottled water, milk, cookies, and a red apple.

Red paper pompom centerpieces with daisies in a basket! Plus, care for some fresh milk and cookies? YUM! Mommy provided these afternoon treats.

Here’s our dessert table :)

I don’t really use much balloons when I decorate, but I can’t deny how appealing they are to kids :)  They are happiness on sticks (or strings)!