80's Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Sneak Peek

I turned 29 again!! I did it in style with my girls for an 80's girls just wanna have fun party. I absolutely loved the 80's - who knew that it was back! I had no idea until I went shopping for an outfit in a "young" store. Everything I wore as a teenager and clothes I wanted to wear but was not aloud to wear I found in the stores - NEON and all!!

For my party I wanted NEON, NEON, NEON but I didn't want it to look tacky! I did everything by using items from Dollar Tree, discount online sites, and Goodwill. I am preparing for a class that I am teaching at The Special Event in New Orleans. The title of my class is Parties for Pennies. You can make anything look good with a little imagination, creativity and your craft skills.

Here is a picture of my centerpieces. The glass vases and flowers came from Dollar Tree. I used neon acrylic paint to color the water. I think it turned out great! So each centerpiece cost about $3.09. (I figure I used about 9 cents worth of a 59 cents tube of paint)

Here are some more pictures from the party. The photographs and collage are from my talented photographer Mary Jordan. Check out her website . She has such an eye...the holidays are coming up - if you live in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area - schedule your session now her calendar books up FAST!

Don't you love the Rubix cube cake? It was done by the most talented Jenna Jensen from Sugar Coated Bakery.

More details regarding this party to come in a later post.

Carnival Cupcakes

Carnival parties are really the rage now for children's parties. I found the cutest cupcakes that would be perfect for the carnival theme. I found these on Cupcakes Take the cake but were made from House of Sweets.

They are adorable and they look pretty easy to make. I totally love the popcorn and cotton candy cupcakes. So if you book a custom carnvial party with me don't be surprised if you see these!

Steal of the Day

I was in Ikea today. I love Ikea for inspiration and cool stuff to repurpose for parties. Well, I was down in the marketplace and was getting ready to leave and I took a wrong turn. If you been in Ikea, you know how easy that is to do. Anyway, I ended up in rugs and I'm so glad that I did because I spotted this genuine cowhide rug that was originally $250 for $29!! I couldn't believe it! I have no idea what I'm going to do with it yet but stay tuned....it will be fabulous and obviously for a party not used as a rug!!

When your in IKEA always check out the Last Chance signs ~ you never know what you may score!

Easy Embellishment

You can customize practically anything by using contact paper. You can get it from any home improvement store and you get tons of it for next to nothing in price. Contact paper comes in all kinds of colors and even textures! The best part is that it's self-adhesive just cut out your shape or letters and peel and stick ~ no glue! That simple. Once the party is over ~ just peel off and you haven't permanenatly marked your vases or dishes!

In this picture, I simply used black contact paper on a plastic cup for a kid's Halloween party. Just added rhinestones for eyes. If you have a Cricut, it will make your life even easier than tracing and cutting out pattern! But either way a quick and easy way to spruce up something plain!

Diva Halloween

I love to think outside the box and never have the norm. Here is a quick table setting I put together to show how to use something unexpected for a girls Halloween party such as a Diva Halloween or Witches party.

The skull came from Dollar Tree and I painted it bright pink and added rhinestones for eyes. You could fill it with treats for an easy favor. I also used the same paint on the pumpkin. Just add some feather boas and small tiara. I got the pumpkin last year at Michael's after Halloween sale at 70% off. I totally love after holiday sales. It is the best time to stock up!

Welcome to Maddycakes Muse

I own a company called Maddycakes which I started after planning my daughter's first birthday. I couldn't find anyone in my area who specialized in upscale children's parties so I decided that I should! I get inspiration from everywhere and would love to share ideas and tips with you. I hope that you get some inspiration for your important events of your life.