Vintage Train Birthday Party

hip hooray for train birthdays!

     The party was a huge success, and the guests all had such a great time.
here are my favorite pics from the day.

Many thanks to the fantastic team at Hostess With the Mostess for the grand feature!

party details are below.

party inspiration:

• invitations were punched to look like real train tickets
• table backdrop is a simple duck cloth hung from a portable backdrop kit
• juice boxes were served in little muslin sacks, and customized using inkjet iron on transfers
   and did you know the standard juice box hole is the perfect size to fit a retro paper straw!!?!
• cupcakes were baked into candy cups
• wooden utensils were gussied up using a strip of washi tape on their handles
• yogurt parfaits are served in mason jars with burlap squares and bakers twine holding it all together
• loot bags were customized using the same design from the juice box, but printed on ink jet labels
• mini hot dogs were just standard franks cut in half. here's how we got the look:
      thaw frozen dinner roll dough and let rise per package instructions
      reshape dough to hot dog shape & rise again
      brush with a thin egg wash and sprinkle with poppy seeds, then bake per package instructions
      cut mini dill pickles into spears and serve with desired condiments
      nestle each mini dog into a standard-sized cupcake liner
• we have loads of cardboard at our house, so we upcycled all our boxes to create a station master's
    office for the guests to decorate. what fun!!!


vendor credits:

invitation suite by kellyallison photography
table design by may boury styling
sweet treats by frost cake & cupcake design
paper goods & party sundry from fort & field and paper source


enjoy!

photo booth: behind the scenes

the photo booth experience created by kellyallison photography brings an exciting, engaging and highly interactive addition to your reception, engagement party, or other grand celebration.

combining great design, vintage appeal, and a wide variety of sassy props,
     this photo booth is unlike any other.

     the open air setting encourages audience participation, and accomodates groups of all sizes.

     the beautifully styled backdrops are custom designed to match the look and feel of your event.

     even the prop selection can be tailored to fit a specific theme.

     and for those interested in paper ephemera, vintage polaroid services can be added.

 

each photobooth experience includes a stop-motion video and a keepsake flip book, ensuring all of your guest's antics are captured and preserved for hours of endless future entertainment.


click here to see some of our recent favorites.


availability is limited, so book your photo booth experience today!




enjoy!


kellyallison photography is a chicago area photo studio passionate about the visual documentation of love, life and all things beautiful. 

Happy Birthday!

happy birthday boy, happy family, happy day.

party pics coming soon!




enjoy!


kellyallison photography is a chicago area photo studio passionate about the visual documentation of love, life and all things beautiful.

rainbow butterfly birthday cake - how to

in case you're interested, here are some pics of how to make all those many layers & such, and some helpful tips to go along.

rainbow cake:

any cake recipe will do, but white works best to let the color shine through. pick your favorite, and double the batch.

for the layers, you must, must, must buy a set of these. they are some crazy cloth & metal band that wraps around the outside of your pan and works magic on your layers to keep them level. without them, your cake will be domed (& doomed).

a kitchen scale is most helpful in determining the batter into equal portions, but in its absence, divide your layers using a measuring cup. as a reference, this cake uses about 1.5 cups of batter for each of eight layers baked in an 8" pan.

once your layers are divided, color each using soft gel paste food coloring. this is the only way to get vibrant results. very little is needed, so start with just a couple drops. and don't attempt to mix colors--they just get muddy.

bake each layer at your recipe's recommended temperature until the top bounces when touched. my layers baked up in only 8 minutes, so be sure to watch your clock.

once cooled, flash freeze each layer (preferably on cake boards), then wrap in cellophane until you're ready to assemble. be sure to plan in advance and don't skip this freezing step. it is the key to successful cake decoration. cake layers (when well wrapped) can live in the freezer for up to a month without sacrificing flavor or texture. if you're planning on freezing for more than a day, brush each layer with a light simple syrup to keep the cake moist.

assembly:

I prefer a basic american buttercream--butter, vanilla, confectioner's sugar. but feel free to use whatever favorite icing recipe you have on hand. you'll need quite a bit of icing to fill all those layers, so make sure to have plenty of ingredients on hand. for this cake, I multiplied my recipe by four.

to get started, lay out your bottom layer on your display stand, or you can always decorate on a cake board wrapped in foil. if you're working straight on the display, tuck strips of parchment paper below the cake on all sides to keep the plate clean.

spread icing between each layer, making sure the cake is level after each layer addition. once it's all stacked, apply a thin crumb coat to make sure your white icing isn't tainted by a confetti of rainbow crumbs. let the cake rest in the refrigerator for 20 minutes or so, until the crumb coat is set.

once set, apply a smooth even layer of white icing to the entire cake, and decorate as desired. I had loads of tinted white chocolate left over after making the butterflies, so I decided to create polka dots to adorn the cake sides. you can also use sprinkles, or just leave it a simple & lovely white (yielding even greater surprise when the layers are revealed).

good luck, and have fun!

enjoy!




kellyallison photography is a chicago area photo studio passionate about the visual documentation of love, life and all things beautiful.

rainbow butterfly birthday party

we're in the midst of planning our next birthday shindig, so I figure it's a good time to share some parties from last year.

what better way to start than with our rainbow butterfly birthday party from last summer:

INVITATIONS: designed and printed by kellyallison photography using materials from Paper Source and photos pulled from my instagram stream
PARTY FAVORS: everyone received hand tied tutus, and were invited to decorate butterfly crowns (inspired by these, but designed in house and cut from a silhouette cutting machine)

SWEET TREATS: thanks to whisk kid & bakerella, I was empowered to try my hand at the many layer cake and the ever intimidating cake pops. The butterfly chocolate idea is an adaptation on the incredible monarch butterfly from hello cupcake.

PAPER GOODS: mostly sourced from the good people of fort & field (I've said it before, but best party sundries ever!)

DECOR: great ideas from Design*Sponge & Style Me Pretty lead to the cupcake liner pom-poms and the streamer kites.


enjoy!


kellyallison photography is a chicago area photo studio passionate about the visual documentation of love, life and all things beautiful.