Today’s Real Party features a lovely lavender theme and was dreamed up by the ultra-creative Ilenia of Simply Nabiki for her mother’s birthday celebration.

Color parties always offer lots of versatility, and this one is full of chic, stylish ideas (and mouth-watering treats!) that would also be perfect for occasions like Mother’s Day or spring bridal showers!

Read on for lots more images and the party details, as told by Ilenia…

“I was really happy with how this party turned out – and one of the best things was that for the first time my mother didn’t have to tire herself out with all the preparation. Since she didn’t have to worry about doing anything during the party, she was actually able to really enjoy it! At the contrary, I was completely exhausted, but still happy!

The buffet included both salty and sweet food (as always!).

I made some lavender paper cones to use as creative holders for the forks & napkins and served pistachio meringues (see image #2, above) in a provenzal basket.

I also made chocolate cake balls rolled in lilac nonpareils (see image #1, at top) and some little french hat cookies. Hats and shoes are two of my mother passions, so I thought it would be fun to incorporate both of them into the food!

Meat balls were served in unique containers: paper shoes covered with parchment paper! (I followed this template to make the paper shoes.)

I also made some some lilac & green party picks to decorate the mini sandwiches.

More sweet treats: vanilla cupcakes with lilac icing & violet flowers and iced cookies in the shape of shoes…

Violet marshmallow pops for the little ones:

Healthier options included veggie baguettes and individual servings of yogurt topped with blackberries:

The signature cocktail featured pink grapefruit with blueberry drink stirrers:

Cheese balls prepared with three different kinds of cheese:

Last but not least… a salty “cake” for mom!

Party favors included perfumed drawer sachets, lavender soaps, and gift baskets for my mother’s girlfriends.”