Cupcake themes always bring a smile to my face, but this party is seriously too cute! Nicolle of Libby Lane Press had the perfect ingredients for cooking up this super sweet “Cute as a Cupcake” Baking Themed Party for her daughter. With beautiful desserts, decorative party aprons, “cupcake” manicures, and a ceramic cupcake decorating station, this birthday celebration is absolutely delicious! ;)

PARTY HIGHLIGHTS to look out for:

• Adorable DIY Twine Cupcakes (tutorial here) & hand delivered invitations
• Baking party themed cupcake toppers (Check out the tiny fondant oven mitt!)
• Mismatched fabric apron party favors (that doubled as a fun party “garland”)
• Sugar cookies shaped like cupcakes, patterned cookies & chefs hats
• Ceramic cupcake decorating station & nail painting “salon”

PARTY DETAILS, as told by Nicolle…

I am a planner at heart, always have been and always will, so I typically start brainstorming around Christmas time for my kids’ June parties. My daughter, Sophia, loves to bake and decorate cupcakes so her theme was easy and having her input was just as important as it was for me to create a one-of-a-kind celebration.

Inspiration

My initial inspiration came from the cover of a scrapbooking magazine that featured cupcakes made out of baker’s twine and styrofoam balls. At this point, the Cute as a Cupcake theme was born.

Invitations

Sophia and I created 12 little twine ‘cupcakes’ embellished with adhesive gems to act as sprinkles. We placed them in Martha Stewart treat boxes, tied with cupcake ribbon, and hand delivered to each of her friends with the invitation and coordinating wrap label {that she addressed herself}. It was heartwarming to make the cupcakes with her, but I must say the true joy was standing next to my own little girl and watching her face light up as she handed the striped box to each friend. For the guests that lived out of town we mailed their invitation and had their twine cupcake waiting for them at the party.

Sweet Treats

The first vendor I contacted for this little cupcake celebration was sweet Lynlee of Lynlee’s Petite Cakes. Lynlee designed baking themed fondant toppers to match the printables along with a topper that resembled Sophia. The custom cupcake marshmallows were the unbelievable work of Alejandra from The Marshmallow Studio. If you think marshmallows are just white and fluffy you will be sadly mistaken when you see the talent that Alejandra displays in her work. Amanda from Foxy Bakes created whimsical colored cupcake cake pops that were equally as delicious that she shipped in the June heat and they looked perfect. I worked with Hayley from HayleyCakes & Cookies and I must say that her cookies look like canvases of art. The girls decorated their own organic, dye-free cupcakes purchased from Whole Foods.

Party Decor

In my mind I envisioned a very specific dessert table with a canopy and a whimsical girly feel. I contacted my talented friend, Amy (think ruffled tablecloth from Honeybee table) and she and her husband took over from there. Amy and Craig designed and constructed the white dessert table, canopy stand and the fabric canopy adorned with bright pom-pom trim. On the dessert table I incorporated white vintage cake stands with domes that were found on zulily, a box that I covered in fabric to act as a dessert stand, and small pencil cups covered with patterned paper to house the cake pops.  Rather than using a banner I chose to string the girls custom made aprons by SookEe Designs to not only act as party favors but also table decor until the cupcake decorating began.

Beside the dessert table I stood the painted sweet shoppe tri-fold screen which also acted as a photo booth.  Watching the girls pose in their aprons in front of the screen was a highlight of the party.

Kids Table

The children’s table was decorated with a pale pink tablecloth and a custom made ruffled runner with grosgrain ribbon. Each place setting was set with a cupcake plate, hand stamped wooden spoons, tinted mason jars filled with pink lemonade, topped with a vintage daisy cut mason jar lid and finished off with a striped straw and coordinating straw flag with each girl’s name. The birthday girl had a custom made plate from Sweet Mady that was designed to coordinate perfectly with the invitation. The white chairs were tied with coordinating colored tulle. This is such an easy way to dress up children’s chairs rented from a party shop. The cupcake decorating supplies were on a Pottery Barn cake stand that was borrowed from my daughter’s play kitchen so it seemed like a perfect addition to the party.

Activities

I love getting creative when it comes to different activities that coordinate with a party theme.  Sophia’s guests were able to get a Cupcake Manicure at the ‘salon’, thanks to Pinterest. I fell in love with this sweet little cupcake manicure and my sister-in-law, Lisa, was the perfect technician honoring the many requests.

On the patio, we set up a craft table where the girls could paint ceramic cupcakes, decorate cupcake frames and color with glitter paint. Even on a warm summer day the craft table was still a hit.

After lunch, the main activity of the party was decorating the cupcakes. The girls put on their aprons and were given pastry bags and different frosting colors and were able create their own confectioner’s masterpiece and then top with everything from princess crown sprinkles to edible glitter.

Party Attire

Sophia requested a “4” shirt so I worked with Kristina from Modern Frills and she created the perfect coordinating shirt with a cupcake on a stand and a “4” and whimsy looking rosette.  Each party guest received a one of a kind ruffled apron created by Monica of SookEe Designs.  The birthday girl’s apron was embellished with her initial.

Favors

The girls went home with their ceramic cupcakes, an apron of their choice and a gift bag that contained a cupcake notepad, cupcake pencils, stickers, bracelets and a ring. As a little gift to the parents I included a travel toothbrush and toothpaste in a carrying case with a note that read:  “Cookies, cupcakes and cake pops galore, the party was great but Sophie’s friends need to brush, for sure! “

I had to find a way to make light of the sugar overload!