Photos from the WWP Party

A big THANK YOU to Stephanie from Stephanie Wagenborg Photography for shooting the Wizards of Waverly Place party.  You can find her on Facebook HERE and at her website HERE.  If you live in West Michigan, she is available for a variety of occasions, including children's portraits, weddings, family photos and more.

The WWP party is a great theme for tween girls.  What tween doesn't love Selena Gomez right now?  It turned out really cool and I think that the girls really enjoyed the wizard costumes and the lotion potion activity. 

I created the invitation using elements and colors that coordinate with WWP merchandise and Alex Russo's style.  She tends to have a boho vibe, with turquoise, dark pink, dark purple, lime, and a golden color to most of the WWP clothing.  There is always a swirling, doodle-like quality to the designs.  Another element always present is a peacock or peacock feathers.  I used a mis-mash of sets from MyGrafico to create the invite shown above. 

1. Paisley Doodle Paper Pack - Mujka Design
2. Peacock Ornaments - Sarah Paris
3. Monogram Chic Tags in White - Cupcake Cuties

The first thing that we did was have all the girls get dressed up in their Wizards gear.  If you are a fan of the show, then you know that Alex, Justin and Max attended Wiz Tech, a Harry Potter-esque academy where the uniform was a black hooded cape and circled lens glasses.  They were then photographed in our photo booth.  I am taking each girl's photo and creating a Wiz Tech diploma that will go with their thank you notes.

After every child's photo was taken, we ate lunch.  We set the food table up to look like the deli counter at the Waverly Sub Station, the restaurant that the Russo's own and run on the show.  A cash register, chip stand, ketchup and mustard bottles and chalkboard were added with the sub platter from Subway, a Selena Gomez cake, and pink lemonade in a witch's cauldron (complete with dry ice smoke effects!)

The table was created using turquoise and purple.  Not only are these prevalent in the WWP merchandise, they are also a favorite of the birthday girl's!  I used a white tablecloth with a turquoise organza runner.  Turquoise and purple plates were stacked on top of each other, with turquoise napkins and purple cutlery.  An tower vase with turquoise and purple feathers was at the center of the table with a "crystal ball" on each side.  (I turned some lighting fixtures upside down to create the crystal ball - thanks, Home Depot!)

After the girls ate, it was time for the activities.  We made "Lotion Potion," using different cosmetic colors, fragrances, and glitter.  Each girl used unscented lotion and stirred in their choice of glitter, color, and smell, and then it was transferred to a 4 oz. plastic cosmetic bottle.  A custom circle sticker was placed on the bottle, and the girls got to bring them home. 

Another activity was created their own magic wands.  They used pencils as the "base" and then wrapped the wand in glittery scrapbook paper.  Jeweled stickers were used to add some bling to the wands.  After the wands were complete, we had our "Spell Casting" lesson.  I compiled a list of WWP spells used in the show, typed them up and rolled them into scrolls.  Each guest chose a scroll and performed the spell.  The other girls got to guess what the spell did/meant. 

If you think that your daughter would be interested in holding a WWP Party, check out my website at http://www.princessprettys.com/ to learn about the available party packages.  

Wizards of Waverly Place Party - Complete!

Whew!  Entertaining eleven 8 year old girls is exhausting!  Today was the first time setting up the Wizards of Waverly Place theme, and I think that it went really well.  We recreated the "Waverly Sub Station" and had Subway subs, a "Witch's Brew" served out of a black cauldron with dry ice creating a cool smoky effect, chips and cake.  I painted the Wizards of Waverly Place logo onto foam core board, and we used a pink and purple tie dye fabric for a backdrop.

Here is a picture of the sign in progress:

All the guests wore black hooded capes, Harry Potter-esque glasses, and carried wizard wands.  We wanted to create the uniform for Wiz Tech, the Wizard Academy seen in the show. 

We had the creative talents of Stephanie Wagenborg Photography taking photos, so those will be posted soon once their are back. 

If you are interested in holding your own Wizards of Waverly Place theme party, contact Corey at 616-901-1625 or email geboraco@princessprettys.com

New Studio/Office for Clients

I recently started leasing a small space in the East Hills district of Grand Rapids to meet with clients and hold sales.  I am sharing the space with the lovely Karin of K Bella Bambino, a children's boutique clothing designer.  She is working on a new concept for kids to design their own shirt or skirt called iDesign  (Stay tuned for details!).  I am in the process of deciding on studio hours and would like some input on when you moms are most likely to be able to drop by.  Appointments can be made at all days and times, but I do want to have a set schedule for walk-in appointments.  What days work best for you?  Is 10 am to 1 pm satisfactory? 

As far as location, the studio is housed INSIDE the Blackport Building, home to galleries, dance and music classes, Snap Fitness, Clothing Matters and Global Infusions.  The address is 959 Lake Drive, just west of Marie Catrib's.  I find parking is easiest by using the entrance on Diamond.  Follow the signs inside to get to our studio.  If there is ever any questions, feel free to call my cell phone at 901-1625.   

Tristan B Photography

Did you happen to take a look at the awesome photos from my post on the Hoyle Baby Shower?  The woman behind the lens is a local photographer named Bailey Hanrahan.  A true testament to the power of Facebook, I found her (and was able to utilize her talent) because she is now the wife of my old high school boyfriend.  How funny is that?!  Add to that the fact that she went to the same highschool as the mother-to-be, and *my* husband as well (though he was quite a few years ahead of her) - talk about a small world.


Bailey shoots a variety of types of photography- from newborns, to children, family portraits, maternity and engagement photos.  The Hoyle Baby Shower was her first foray into party photography, and I think that she did a fabulous job at capturing all the details.  If you live in the West Michigan area, and are thinking about getting photos done, check out her blog at http://tristanbphotography.wordpress.com/ .  You can also find her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Tristan-B-Photography/137930456248238. 


Thanks again Bailey for sharing your artistic talent with me!     

It took a month for me to actually post about this baby shower, but better late than never.   I styled a baby shower  in early December for a friend of mine.  She had her "family" shower, hosted by her sister and sister-in-law.

 

Megan is lucky enough to have a brother-in-law that is a chef, so the food was yummy.  They served chicken florentine, hot crab dip and spinach and artichoke dip with bagel crisps, a cheese and cracker platter, fruit and vegetable trays and cupcakes.

We also had a hot chocolate bar for guests with different liqueurs, crushed Andes mints, crushed Heath bar, mini marshmallows, and candy cane stir sticks.  

For an activity, we had clear glass ornaments for guests to decorate for baby Sadie.  A To/From tag lets the mom-to-be know who  it is from, while the back side gives a wish for the baby.  Glitter poms, snowflakes, and silver paint pens were used to embellishment the ornaments.

This was my first baby shower styling.  I liked that I could focus on the food setup instead of place settings.  This is because there were 30+ people at a home, so people ate while they wandered.  I got a lot of positive feedback, and I hope that I get to do many more in the future.