Well, Hello Kitty.

While this may not be part of the Imitation Series, it is a really cute reader-submitted party that you can recreate. THEN there can be a new series "Reader-Submitted Imitation Parties." Or not. That already has me confused.

This adorable Hello Kitty party was thrown for 4 year old Alexandra by her very resourceful mom, Christina. Just check out her creative, money-saving tips below.



"The cute as cupcake bags were the guests goodie bags...got them 75% off at Target after Valentine's day! (Her birthday is March 2 so I always try to hit the Valentine's sales to see if I can use anything for the birthday party!)

I ordered the party plates/napkins/tablecloth and it had a package of invitations included. I made my own invitations so I cut out the Hello Kitty's that were on the preprinted invitations and put them on the cupcake bags with pop dots!

The fruit picks were also Valentine's so I took the stickers off of them and put Hello Kitty stickers on instead."

She made the "oh my word those are cute" cupcakes from an idea she saw on Flickr and made Hello Kitty bows on pink headbands for the girls and made cat ears for the little boys. Pretty fun, right?

Thanks so much for sharing, Christina.

Time to hit those after Valentine's Day sales, anyone???

Hostess Treats

Not this kind of Hostess treat, silly. Okay, maybe I'm the only one who is ridiculously obsessed with cake like treats right now. For your benefit and to the delight of my pants, (my waistbands all shout out a collective, "THANK YOU!") I am referring to this kind of Hostess treat.



Where are those from and how can I get them, you ask? Well, let me do the honors.

Self Symmetry jewelry is the work of Katrina Rogers of Dallas, Texas. Katrina is the designer behind these handmade works of art, as well as a Yoga instructor and a friend from High School of yours truly. I recently reconnected with Katrina (thanks, Facebook!) and found out she just so happens to make what I think would make fabulous Hostess gifts. Few things make someone feel as special as a one-of-a-kind handmade item. Even better when it's jewelry, right?



I'm especially loving her BE Charmed gemstone charms. From Katrina, "Gemstone charms that can be attached to bags, purses, keys, etc. It's a reminder to take a deep breath and find your stillness. When you see your charm, take a moment to just BE: not doing, not judging, not thinking, just BE Charmed!"

Next time you're in need of a Hostess gift, birthday gift or a just treat for yourself stop by Self Symmetry and get something special...because you are all worth it.

Inspiration: Baby Gone Wild Style

I'm excited to share the first party that was inspired by one seen here on Stem. This one was inspired by my Baby Gone Wild Shower seen here on Stem and here on Hostess With The Mostess.



Jasmine of Love Sick Events did a fantastic job bringing together all of the zebra elements with bright blues and greens. What a fun baby shower for a little boy whose mom loves black and white. Just look at those adorable cakes, both real and diaper!

Thanks so much for sharing, Jasmine. Be sure and check out her blog to see other festive parties she's thrown and stay tuned for more reader submitted parties.

Next Week Sneak Peek

That is hard to type without typing "Sneek", but I digress.

Just a preview of a few posts to come next week as part of the Imitation Is The Sincerest Form of Blogging series. Thanks to those of you who have sent in photos so far! Those of you that haven't (I am dying to see some Oh Baby! shower photos, peeps) still have time.



I'd love to make this an ongoing feature here on Stem, so whenever you throw a party using any inspiration you've gained here, send them on in. (Or if you've just thrown a party you want to show off, that will work, too!)

I Love Award Season

Anyone that knows me knows that I'm an Award Season Junkie. The red carpet sucks me in every single time. Every. Single. Time.



You can imagine my excitement then when Laurie from TipJunkie emailed me to let me know that my Thing One and Thing Two shower had been nominated for a Tip Junkie Award! It's fate, I tell you. Be sure to check out all of the fun awards happening over on Tip Junkie and vote for your favorites.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go meet with Rachel Zoe to pick out my Awards ensemble.

Real Shindig

Just in case you haven't spent time with Natalie over at Little Shindigs I thought I'd share just one of her many adorable parties with you today. It's hard to pick just one, but something about the details of this one just really grabs me. Maybe it's because I'm still just a girl that loves to play dress up myself!

Natalie went all out for this Little Mermaid party for a group of 2-6 year olds. Take a look.



Centerpieces were Little Mermaid bubbles blowers made all the more magical with the addition of a large bubble blower to fill the area with plenty of bubbles while The Little Mermaid soundtrack played in the background.

The little guests were all treated to mermaid makeovers (which included mermaid costumes, pearls and flowers in their hair) and mini manicures with glitter nail polish and an assortment of shimmer body sprays. What girl doesn't love a little shimmer?

The menu consisted of fresh fruit, mini sandwiches and gold fish. They sipped on pink lemonade from fancy cups (or so they thought).

Activities also included the chance to make little shell necklaces to take home and lots of swimming. Just before the girls left the party they got ready for their closeup and got glammed up one last time!

Thanks for the all of the great party ideas, Natalie. Make sure and visit her blog for more inspiration.

Imitation Is The Sincerest Form Of Blogging

Or something like that.

Hey, you. Yes. YOU. I am talking to you. Keep reading.

A lot of you out there have been kind enough to email me about different parties that I've thrown and posted on the blog. So, I had an idea. It happens.

If you have been inspired by any of the parties that you've seen here on the blog and thrown your own version of one of them, now is your chance in the spotlight. Please send me your pictures and I'll post them on the blog! Don't be shy.

I know there are a lot of you that have emailed me about the Oh Baby! shower invitations/details alone. You know who you are. (I hope, because I've lost track). I'd love to see what you ended up doing with that or any other party you've seen here and share it with all the kind souls that stop by here daily.

How fun will it be to see everyone's variations on a theme in G minor? I don't even know what that last sentence means.

Soooo, check out my email over there on the right and send me your pics with any details you'd like to share with everyone and get your 15 minutes of fame.

Ready. Set. Go.