Author Archives: taniasdesignstudio

Time Flies : Niko is One

April 15, 2015

Wow did this year fly by! When I started thinking about the theme for my youngest son’s birthday, all that came to mind was “My oh my, how time flies!” It has been nothing but a pleasure watching this little man grow and I really wanted to make his first birthday special as I am pretty sure it will be my last 1st birthday celebration. Bittersweet, but mostly sweet :)

I love my boys and I can’t wait to show you how we celebrated this munchkin’s first birthday!!

The ‘propeller pops’ are marshmallows dipped in melted red chocolate wafers. I then rolled out some store bought fondant and stamped out some tear shaped ‘propellers’. Finishing them with some red m&m’s brought the treat to life!

The LIFE magazine cover was the first thing I designed in this party package and it was sent as a save the date to guests!

I purchased these adorable little brown suitcases on Amazon and then attached some cute luggage tags, which are included in the party package.

I had so much fun customizing every detail of this party and many of the “in service” food items were also sent home as party favors!

I used an IKEA rolling tray as the “In Service cart” which was filled with the many party favors; snack mix, sugar cookies by a sweet friend Shereen of The Sugar Tree, water bottles, chocolate bars and of course, napkin and utensils!

My little man even had his very own cockpit! I created the large propeller using a cake centerpiece printable and then cut out two large tear drop shapes from the patterned papers.

Every Captain need a proper hat!

There are many tutorials online on how to make scalloped pinatas, but to give a quick explanation: purchase a paper party lantern, hot glue paper tissue that you cut into circles, layer by layer. Then fill it with treats and seal the bottom with a large piece of the patterned paper. Pretty simple and cheap!

There were two games designed to keep the little party guests entertained throughout the afternoon. First was this is Airplane Toss; purchase white foam board, trace and cut out several sized circles with and exacto knife and added some pinwheels!

The second party games was Pin the Propeller. I sent the poster to print at Costco on their largest lustre photo print, the kids were then blindfolded and attempted to make the target.

Dream BIG, little ONE! These cute shoes were purchased at Zara.

Here is a large series of a photo banner I created to document all the months and milestone firsts that meant to such to us!

At the end of the day all the guests were sent to the “luggage claim” to pick up their favor bags!

Happy birthday my dear sweet little boy! You are loved!

Tania

Full party package is available in my Etsy shop, here

Vendors

Printables, photography and styling : Tania’s Design Studio

Sugar Cookies : The Sugar Tree

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Backyard Camp Out

March 30, 2015

We are that family that starts the weekend camp trips in early May and continues all through the summer and wraps up the season just before school starts in September. So it was really not surprising that my son Karlo decided on a camping theme for his sixth birthday! So many great memories have been made while out in the wilderness; sitting around the campfire, fishing with grandpa and dad, going on long ATV rides. Really, this is the magic of childhood :)

When I plan a party I always ask my sons what they want most, Karlo said he wanted to see, “all the animals in nature”. Well, I had already designed the printables so I incorporated some cute forest animals in the sweets I made.

These cute little owls were a combination of several Pinterest cupcakes I had pinned. I used the petal frosting technique for the belly and then frosted the wings and ears with a star tip. Fondant eyes really made them pop!

The cute little toadstools were purchased at a local cake baking supply store in Langley called Scoop-N-Save. They have all sorts of fun baking items for all party themes!

A scavenger hunt was a perfect party activity, too bad our Westcoast weather didn’t want to cooperate! I am sure that it will come in use sometime over the Spring or summer months.

Oh how I loved this sly little fox! I saw a tutorial on how to create this cutie on Handmade Charlotte and I knew we would be great be friends! It was actually a very simple to follow tutorial and turned out even better than I had hoped :)

My birthday boy was so happy with his party, he especially loved momma’s hedgehogs!

These cute little hedgehog critters were inspired by none other than the fabulous Martha Stewart. Just used a particular frosting tip, sliced almonds and the nose and eyes are fondant.

I hope you had S’more fun looking at the photos!

Full party package is available in my Etsy shop, click here.

Happy celebrating!

Tania

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Mod Outdoors Man Birthday Party

March 18, 2015

Choosing a party theme for a growing boy is always a challenge. It is the need to create something that the child likes and what the parents want! I got the inspiration for this design because 1. daddy hunts 2. little man likes to camp 3. I thought I could combine the outdoors man theme with some modern black and white graphics! A great recipe for a hip party for a cool lil guy!

Accents of gold were incorporated, one being the spray painted forest animals like this full grown moose!

These chocolate acorns were a huge hit and very simple to make! Hershey Kisses were attached to mini cookies with frosting and then a butterscotch chip on top.

Wide open spaces, that what little boys need, room to roam and explore!

I love making this style of cake, I have a step by step tutorial in my ‘Pretty Party Basics’ section so if you are interested in trying this frosting technique, that is a great place to start!

Chocolate bar wrappers were used to cover the smarties boxes!

I loved designing the different party signs! I decided to make a gallery of the different prints so I cut them out into different shapes and sizes and attached them to black foam board. Mate actually has several of these hanging in his bedroom today!

I hope you enjoyed this modern take on the outdoors man party theme! I have the full party package in shop, click here…

Vendor credits:

Printables: Tania’s Design Studio

Cake Pops: Carmen’s Sweet Creations

Cake Stands: Shop Sweet Lulu

This party was featured on Kara’s Party Ideas, click here to the see the party feature!

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Burlap and Lace Styled Bridal Shoot

February 19, 2015

How fun it was to be part of this beautiful styled wedding shoot. I was approached by Nina of Lilly Ann Photography to help put her vision of a rustic and pretty county bridal shoot together. She asked for lace, burlap and hints of turquoise and the end result was nothing short of pure sweetness!

It is always nice to work with friends and it was my pleasure to be in this with Carmen of Carmen’s Sweet Creations. We have really become quite a duo :) She is not only my go to cake pop girl, she can really wow with her other baking talents as you will see with these beautiful gold trimmed fondant flowers!

I put together ‘I do’ flag cupcake toppers by first designing the printable. Then after cutting them out, I used a hot glue gun to attach it to a wooden toothpick. I chose a toothpick over a lollipop stick because I think it looks more rustic. The little gold ball at the top is actually a larger circular sprinkle that I dipped in in gold sparkle. Lasted I tied a cute jute twine bow and glue gunned that to the paper flag. A bit tedious, but soooo cute!

This cupcake was wrapped in a bit of lace to add a bit more cuteness :)

Blue mason jars hung from the tree branches and were were filled with babies breath and candles.

This adorable blue ruffle cake by Carmen got just a bit more love with some cream burlap flowers I put together. They are so simple, just cut out various sizes of circles and glue gun them together. then I added the wooden button to the front, which hides the goopy glue job :) Lastly, I hot glue gunned a toothpick to the back so that it could be added to the cake. You place the flower face down and drop a good amount of hot glue in the center and then hold the toothpick vertical until the glue hardens. all done!

Hope you enjoyed this styled shoot and got a few tips on some of my party secrets :)

Tania

Vendor Credits:

Printables & Styling : Tania’s Design Studio

Cupcakes, Cakes, Cake Pops : Carmen’s Sweet Creations

Photography : Lilly Ann Photography

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Beer Can Valentine

February 15, 2015

My husband is always very thoughtful and sweet, but this Valentine’s Day morning was over the top in cuteness! As I got ready for the morning, I heard that he had made his way downstairs to start breakfast. Such a nice gesture as we had a busy day of hockey and other activities planned.

When I finally made it to the kitchen with our three boys in tow, I found that he had been busy making us all some delicious cinnamon French toast. However, what was most sweet…they were all cut into heart shapes which just put big smiles on the boy’s faces and mine too! What I didn’t know was that the night before he had spent a good amount of time looking for my heart shaped cookie cutter to no avail! So he decided to improvise and got really creative, he made it out of a beer can and some tape :)

No flowers, jewelry or other cliché gifts could have brought me more happiness. It was such a sweet little touch that really shows he cares!

We finished off breakfast with some of my yummy homemade chocolate dipped strawberries. It was a Valentine’s Day from our hearts, ten years married and three kids to boot…we are blessed and lucky in love!

I hope you spent your Valentine’s Day with those you love!

Tania

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Calling All Superheroes

February 9, 2015

Calling all Superheroes! Amy of A Dazzle Day used her super party momma powers again to create this really fun and craft filled party for her Super Lucas! Enjoy the inspiration to follow!

This is one of the most elaborate photo booths I have seen. Amy made the cityscape and the hand drawn chalk board. Many of the signs are part of the party package, but all the masks and capes were handmade by this craftonista!

Another super awesome cake and the cake toppers are all designed and in the party package to resemble a comic design.

These popcorn boxes are a new party items that was added first in this party package. I think they look really great and are so cute and ready for little party guests!

Checkout the many party favors that Amy sent home with these lucky little superheroes. That is some seriously super loot!

The full party package is available in my Etsy shop…

www.taniasdesignstudio.etsy.com

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Mad Science Party

February 4, 2015

Amy of A Dazzle Day was looking for a mad science party theme for her oldest, which would be full of fun experiments! The science party package was designed for Amy, but as I was working on it, my son too asked for a science party! It was really neat to see how she and I came at this party from different perspectives. Amazing how each of us can start with the same party package theme and then the resulting parties are so unique and personal. Here is the link to my sons Luka’s science party here.

This is what Amy had to say about the package and working with me :)

“I have the honor again to work with my favorite designer, Tania from Tania’s Design Studio @ www.taniasdesignstudio.etsy.com. She inspired me with her printable as I incorporate my design and ideas together. She’s always a breeze to work with. Thank you, Tania!”

I just loved the ribbon bow ties that she made for the party guests! Each attendee received a lad coat, goggles, bow tie and name tag.

Amy always finds interesting ways to use the party items, for instance, hanging here are party signs, cupcake toppers as well as the “Thank you for participating in my Birthday Experiment” chocolate bar wrappers. She never limits herself to the uses of the printables and because f that, her parties are so unique and ingenuous.

Another example of Amy thinking outside the box is her use of the mini chocolate bar wrapper designs which were punched out to make those super cute straw decals! Those beakers used to glasses, well that is just plain awesome!

Amy designs a special birthday hat and cake for every birthday celebration. So much care and thought go into each of her kids parties.

thanks again for sharing!

Tania

The full party package is available in my Etsy shop…

www.taniasdesignstudio.etsy.com

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Little Mister Party

February 3, 2015

One of my all time favourite party tables…this one is both simple and super sweet! My love for stripes and mustaches came together and created one special party for one very special birthday boy! There is quite a ‘stache of ideas to inspire your next party…a cute photo booth and handsome whisker embellished treats on a DIY decorated dessert table!

This frosting technique is an absolute favourite of mine because it is fool proof. I added the mustache by adding a lollipop stick to the back with a glue gun. I then inserted the stick into the cake and it wasn’t going anywhere! And there was a colorful cake design inside!

The photo booth was a really fun element to this party for the kids and parents alike!

The full party package is available in my Etsy shop…

www.taniasdesignstudio.etsy.com

Tania

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Pink Kitty Cat Party

February 3, 2015

Another year and another super sweet party for Amy of A Dazzle Day‘s daughter Mia. Amy is always so creative and uses all sorts or craft elements ~ lace, ribbons, glitters, yarns, fur and tulle. It is always a such a treat to see what she pulls together for her kids birthday parties!

Amy put together a really great tutorial on her blog on how to make that adorable yarn ball number sign. Click here for the step by step tutorial!

These kitty cat headbands and bell collars were crafted by hand as well!

Having three boys myself, this dose of girly girl pink eye candy is so uplifting! I loved all the detail and love that goes into Amy’s parties! Thank you again for sharing!

Tania

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Gone Fishing Party

October 2, 2014

My son Karlo is all about the outdoors, so he was all ready to cast off and have some ‘reel’ fun with his Gone Fishin’ 5th birthday party!

The main party table was styled around the printable party package I designed especially for my son’s birthday. I searched all over town to find fishing items to add a little bit of rustic to the cute printables. Lots of wood grain, burlap and natural looking grasses along with the fun pops of color made this themed table fun and festive!

I like to design cake centerpieces that can help a mom transform an inexpensive homemade cake into something special and this gone fishing cake turned out just as I had imagined. I frosted the cake with the petal design technique to resemble waves. Then using the printables, I strung a line of colored fish on bakers twine and bamboo sticks and lastly, the gone fishing inspired sign let everyone know my birthday boy`s age!

The party bait shop was stocked full of edible treats like the reels and worms. The reels where created using two chocolate covered cookies and sandwiched a large marshmallow. My husband was clever to have me add the mini marshmallows for further detail which really made them look reels!