Pow! Diego's 5th Birthday Bash

I can't lie... I am pretty much mortified that I have a backlog of awesome events from nearly a YEAR ago.  I can make excuses (busiest year ever! sold my house! new business projects in development! launching an industry charity!) but there really is no excuse except that I haven't carved out the time. I'm trying to change my ways... really.

So, here it goes! Let's turn back the clock to last August when I did yet another spectacular party for one of my long-standing clients.  You've seen Ines and Augusto's wedding, Ines' birthday party, Diego's 4th birthday, and now... his 5th!  Diego had not lost his love for all things superhero, so my challenge was to do a superhero party, but one that looks totally different than the one we did the year before. Spiderman was the star for birthday number 4, so I thought I'd mix it up a little bit by going retro. We didn't focus on any one particular superhero, but instead channeled a little bit of my inner Lichtenstein for a funky comic book inspired look.

There aren't too many instances in which a polka dot tablecloth and yellow chairs will do the trick, but this hot summer day was the one!  The combo made the party feel youthful and fun and it was engaging for kids and adults alike. Colorful, funky flowers in lime green vases were accented with comic book exclamations for added whimsy.

We did a killer dessert/favor station at Diego's 4th birthday, so we had to top ourselves with this one while not repeating the same components. So, I created a lollipop tree display with the birthday cake as the centerpiece.  I used a Martha Stewart tutorial to create the ribbon covered cones (kinda harder than it looks!) and inserted all sorts of pops (cake, lolli, cookie, etc.) into each of the cones on the table.  I once again called upon Cakes by Mona to create the world's cutest birthday cake for the world's luckiest kid.

There was tons to do to keep busy on this gorgeous summer day... swimming, bounce house, climbing wall - you name it! While the guests enjoyed the activities, they munched on popcorn and cheese puffs from these cute customized bags. Below: you can't go wrong with a pinata - and my favorite part of the day - a craft station at which the kids could make their own superhero capes and masks!

All photos by Sharon Schuster

I'm looking forward to more great celebrations with this wonderful family.  What else can we do for birthday number 6??

Thanks for reading!

A Spectacular Summer Spiderman Soiree

I almost said no when my wonderful former clients Ines and Augusto asked if I would design a Spiderman-themed birthday celebration for their 4 year old son Diego. The truth is, that beside planning relatively low-key parties for my own kids, I really don't generally work on children's parties. But, when Ines told me that she wanted something as fabulous as their wedding was 5 years ago (one of my very favorites!), I couldn't turn it down. Needless to say, I am so thrilled that I was able to reunite with this family for a beautiful, warm and absolutely adorable party. Bring on the birthdays!

Diego is a major Spiderman fan, but as you probably already know, I am not much for over-theming any sort of party (even for a 4 year old - sorry folks), so I used Spiderman as my inspiration for this laid-back, red and blue bash. I found a gem of a location in the Planting Fields Arboretum on Long Island. We used the lawn of a beautiful mansion and erected a dining tent and two small activity tents. Since it was a gorgeous August Day, guests didn't even use the mansion except for the restrooms! My favorite part of the whole design was the styled dessert and favor table, but it wouldn't be a great kids' party without the requisite bounce house, face painting, build-a-bear station, and of course, the web-slinger himself... Spidey!


Guests were welcomed to the party by a pair of skywalkers.


The sweets and favor table featured all red and blue candies and treats along with thematic toys like Spiderman bouncy balls, bubbles and custom-made pinwheels.


I used lucite trays flipped upside down as well as styrofoam boxes wrapped in white paper to give some dimension to the surface.


What could be more perfect than red velvet cupcakes?


Kids could take these gable boxes to store all of the loot they collected throughout the party.


The birthday boy undergoes his transformation with the real Spidey looking on!


Imperfections in the tent ceiling were disguised with inexpensive paper lanterns in the theme colors.


Simple summery centerpieces were perfect for a kids' party with a lot of adult guests.


All great parties have great cakes - and this one was done by Cakes by Mona.

All photos by Sharon Schuster.

This party was nothing but fun and I look forward to my next kidtastic celebration! Wonder Woman, perhaps?