{we love} australia day!

image found here

Happy Australia Day! We hope you have a lovely day with family and friends celebrating this amazing country we are so very lucky to call home! x

{real parties} pink kitchen tea

Hello!! We've had a fabulous first few days back at The Candy Tree!!

Firstly, some very exciting news...We've hit 1000 likers over at our facebook page! So to celebrate we are offering each of you $20 off your next party hire package!! To receive your voucher simply pop over to our facebook page and comment on the celebration post, and join our mailing list before 25th January!

I also wanted to share some sweet images from a kitchen tea I attended over the weekend for my cousin, Vernita. Her three gorgeous sisters and mum put together this beautiful pink kitchen tea to celebrate her upcoming wedding! Delicious food, fabulous company, fun games and scrumptious sweets...a very lovely afternoon was had by all! 

 

party dots designed just for my cousin

lots of gifts for the bride to be!

 tissue pompoms floated above us, in beautiful soft pink & white

profiteroles served individually in sweet polkadot baking pans

how adorable are these? from a patisserie in Kardinya...will add details when I get them! 

a big delicious bowl of chocolates wrapped in pink

favors were pink and white m&m's in little pink organza bags, finished with party dots

 

Tanya x

{happy new year} hello 2011!

(image from lokal 54, spotted on pizzazzerie)

Couldn't resist popping in to wish you a Happy New Year!! We hope 2011 brings you everything you wish for and more!

2010 was an amazing year for us, watching The Candy Tree blossom from a few likers on facebook into what it is today! We now have our website featuring our party hire packages, an online shop full of lovely party stationery & decor, 85 blog followers/subscribers and almost 1000 facebook friends! We have discovered so many wonderful and inspiring party people, both in person, and in the virtual world of blogs & facebook and have been privileged to have a number of our parties & designs featured around the world!

So, a huge thank you for your support, encouragement and inspiration!

In 2011, we will continue to share with you lovely ideas and beautiful inspiration for childrens parties.  We also plan to bring you more giveaways, party tips, real party features, guest posts from experts in the industry to give you tips on how to plan & execute the perfect party,  and we will be introducing you some of our very favourite places & people from Perth! Plus, we have three new themes so very close to being launched and a few more in the working (more on that later)!!

Our Christmas/New Year break has allowed us to enjoy time with our families, make plans for the year ahead, and the opportunity to refresh and renergise! We'll be back on Monday January 17, can't wait to see what 2011 has in store for us!!

Tanya & Aimee x

{create} tissue snowflake tutorial

Thank you all so much for taking the time to comment on and share our red, white & silver christmas dessert table!! 

Here is the tutorial I promised for creating tissue snowflakes!

I hope I have described everything clearly enough for you!! Might be a good idea to look through all the instructions before you start! Any problems please let me know!! x

These instructions are for creating a small tissue snowflake, finished size approx 24cm.  You can create 4 of these small snowflakes from just one sheet of tissue!!

1. Take a single sheet of tissue paper

2. Cut into quarters (set three pieces aside, you just need one piece to create your snowflake) 

3 & 4. Working with the tissue paper in a portrait orientation, create an acordian fold approx 2cm thick. 

5. Collapse folds

6. Take one end and fold in half (width-wise), ready for cutting.  (You will be cutting both ends with an identical pattern, so keep the cuts for the first end in top half of length.)

7. Start with a rounded cut on the folded edge, then snip out a 'v'

8. Cut a long curved shape from the open edge.

 9. Now cut a longer curved shape from the folded edge
10. And finally a small curved shape from the open egde
11. Repeat these cuts at the other end (to make them the same at both ends, fold in half and trace your cuts from the first end)
12. Open flat, so that you can see the pattern you have created

13. Fold and create a crease in the centre
14. Open flat, and place a staple across the centre
15. Take a single layer from each half, and meet them up
16. Staple together at top and closer to the centre, then repeat for other side, so that you have a round fan shape.

Hang with transparent line.

Try changing the pattern to create different designs!  The one above has a simple rounded end, with just two curved shapes trimmed from each side.

Have fun...and as always we would love to see your creations!!

Tanya x

{real parties} christmas dessert table

One of my best friends, Heidi, recently asked me to help out with a dessert table for a Christmas quiz night she was planning for the local junior tee-ball club...how could I resist??

Working with a very limited budget (& timeframe), we created this gorgeous red, white and silver dessert table!!  

Guests enjoyed a delicious chocolate fountain with marshmallow snowmen, wafer sticks and strawberries...plus sweet treats; jaffas, cool mints, chocolate santas and sour straps!! ...You will notice the chocolate fountain missing from the images...unfortunately I only had a few moments to snap a couple of shots after it had been added and they are all a little blurry...needless to say, it was delicious!!

I hope you enjoy taking a look and maybe even get some ideas for a christmas function you have coming up!!

I love the simplicity of the red, white and silver...the twinkle of the glass and baubles, the shimmer of the silver and the texture of the tissue snowflakes...

Heidi set the guests tables with a white tablecloth, silver wire tinsel running down the length, a tinsel christmas tree for the centrepiece, and place settings of glittered bonbons & santa chocolates... clean, simple & stylish!

JOY ...I think this beautiful little three letter word sums up the festive season perfectly...full of lovely, joyful moments spent with family and friends!

Baubles and glass add a gorgeous Christmassy sparkle!!

The sweet tissue snowflakes & daisies in the background were inspired by a gorgeous dessert table by The Party Dress, (spotted over at Mon Tresor) ...when I saw them I thought they would be perfect over the silver backdrop ... so naturally (with very little time to spare) I thought "oooh I can make those"...hmmm not quite so easy!! The smaller ones turned out the best, and I think if created with a double layer of tissue the large ones would work much better!!

Would anyone like a tutorial on these??
(UPDATE: snowflake tutorial now posted!)

Tanya x

{free printables} colour-in christmas collection

Part three of our thank you gift to you!

Colour-in collection
Our colour-in collection is great fun for the kids!  Simply print, colour and create!!

Includes christmas decor, paper chain, christmas dots, thank you note, gift tags & placecards!

click here to download the Christmas Colour-in Collection

Tanya & Aimee x

{free printables} vintage christmas collection

Part two of our christmas gift for you!!

Vintage Collection

Our vintage collection features a pastel blue and green colour palette...soft and stylish, perfect for a grown up tablescape!

create napkin bands using a paper chain strip and a christmas dot

sweet little favor boxes, no glue or tape required!

(inspired by favor boxes found here on wedlog)

co-ordinating hanging decorations...ideal for the christmas tree!

paper chain...just lovely in these soft colours

gift tags, tied with twine adds to the vintage feel!

click here to download the Christmas Vintage Collection

We'd love to see your creations...please email them or add them to our facebook page!

Tanya & Aimee x