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Tuesday, January 4, 2011

salt water taffy & cotton candy

we have a lot of things in common. this little pumpkin that transformed my life and bestowed upon me the sweetest four letter word: mama.

among those things...a love of taffy and cotton candy. yes, sweet tooths. but don't worry, we can appreciate salty too. after all we all know pretzel m&m's are the best ;)

baking & crafting rank pretty high on our priority list. pink, glitter, gloss, wellies and birthdays are up there too.

so after weeks of serious conversations about a certain upcoming birthday, during which pinkalicious, unicorn, hello kitty, and littlest pet shop all had a fair audition, a winner was announced.

may I present you with the inspiration:


yes, my little pony ice cream ferris wheel. thank you bridgette! you rocked it out of the park with that gift!

and after a particularly insightful bedtime giggle-fest brainstorming session (say that 3x fast), we had a theme.

they say a picture is worth a 1000 words so...
yes, think old-school...
Atlantic City Boardwalk!

think kitchy, candy-colored, coney-eating, slushy lemonade-sipping, arcade game-playing, silly cutout photo-taking, balloon art-crafting fun for boys + girls of all ages on a {hopefully} sunny saturday in march...march 12 for all you family & friends who share my planning bug ;)

of course, there will be plenty of taffy and cotton candy and a my little pony or two *wink*

and in the end I hope she remembers this: that her mama embraced the creative talents God gave her and used them to do little things to make her loved ones feel special.

I love you little pumpkin and I can't wait to celebrate your 4th birthday with you!
~Mama

P.S. In my giddy inspiration board-making frenzy I didn't save all the links for the photos. None of the photos are original to me...except that sweet little pumpkin on the carousel, circa 17 monts. Please forgive ~J.

12 comments:

Teresa said...

Oh I love it Jessica! I can hardly wait to see the end result! The lady (Sharnel Dollar) that made Amelie's birthday cake last year styled a party with a carnival theme which featured on Hostess with the Mostess' blog - may give you some more ideas
http://www.hostessblog.com/2010/10/real-parties-carnival-caper-birthday/

Louley's Belles said...

Cant wait to see this one. Love it! I know it will be fab. I ordered my blog book yesterday. Cant wait to see it in print. Thanks for the tips!!!

Amber said...

Another great party idea!!! I am still thinking a ice cream social for Reese's (so I might need to barrow the spoons I sent you) but that could change, of course :) I am determined to keep it simple this year for my sanity though! Can't wait to see all the fun details you will come up with!

It's the "Little" Things.... said...

I can't wait to see this birthday party! I know it will be amazing like all your "little's" birthdays! (Wink) I am a huge fan if you can't already tell! I decided to do Lily's birthday in a "Pink Theme" she will be 1 and I thought just keep this year simple because she will never remember when she turned 1! It will be really cute though! Thank you for all your ideas and inspiration!

It's the "Little" Things.... said...

I can't wait to see this birthday party! I know it will be amazing like all your "little's" birthdays! (Wink) I am a huge fan if you can't already tell! I decided to do Lily's birthday in a "Pink Theme" she will be 1 and I thought just keep this year simple because she will never remember when she turned 1! It will be really cute though! Thank you for all your ideas and inspiration!

Amy Hightower Murphy said...

What a cute idea! Can't wait to see what you come up with! :)

Heather L. said...

Love the theme! Can't wait to hear and see all the details!

Queen of Good Intentions said...

I think I am just as giddy to see what you come up with!! I wish we were invited. I am glad that you will share lots of pictures. I am so encouraged by your words: "that her mama embraced the creative talents God gave her and used them to do little things to make her loved ones feel special"-- My extended family is not supportive of all my creative craziness-- but your words are just what I want my girls to know!! THANKS!! I also wanted to say I am so excited that your idea is "new" and not something that has been done 100 times.

TaDa! Creations said...

Everything sounds delightful. Can't wait to see it all come together.

Jessica said...

Thanks you guys!!

Teresa~ thanks for the party link! I love Sharnel's style & shop!

Amber~ "Simple"...I say that to myself every year! HA!

Eileen~ I can't wait to see her super sweet Pink Party!!! FUN!

Andrea~ I'm sorry your fam is not supportive. I think a lot of people misinterpret the motives of those of us that like to do very creative and fun parties. Some of the comments used to bother me but I've learned that if your heart is in the right place and you're doing it because you enjoy it and want to celebrate your loved ones then that's all that matters and you can let the negative comments slide.

I say, DO IT! And if you're going to do it, DO IT BIG!
he he he
((Hugs))

Craft Snob said...

Oh I can't wait to see pictures!

Cupcakes and Lemonade said...

LOVE your blog! So crazy cute. I just last weekend did a vintage circus party for my twin daughter's and my baby girl. (4, 4, and 2yo). Thought you might like to see the pics. www.shopcupcakesandlemonade.blogspot.com

Good luck with the planning, can't wait to see all the cute details. Such a fun theme!!