Blog Reveal, Etsy Launch and $500 Giveaway... Oh My!!!

I am so extremely excited for today's post and announcement!!! It's been a little over a year since Lynlee's Petite Cakes was founded (my first blog post was 8/23/10) and here we are now with a blossoming business, a new look, a new shop and a giveaway worth $500 to celebrate!

Before I go into the details of the fabulous prizes that were more-than-generously contributed to the giveaway, I have to take a moment to feign giving an acceptance speech and thank a few people! I would like to thank Michele at Intrigue Design Studio for the gorgeous re-design of this blog, adorable graphics for our new Etsy shop and being ever so gracious when dealing with my pickiness! Michele is truly a sweetheart and so incredibly talented! I cannot thank her enough for all the hard work she has put into this project. I'd like to thank my family and friends for their undying support as I began on this journey and have helped me in so many different ways, while often putting up with my late nights and subsequent crabiness due to fatigue or lack of sleep! It's their encouragement and my four-year-old daughter telling me I'm "the best cupcake lady ever" that keeps me going! And finally, I would like to thank all my followers, fans and facebook "likers" (a.k.a. FFF's), including my party peeps and colleagues, who have all welcomed me into the party world. I say this all the time, but I am genuinely humbled by all the sweetness and kindness I receive on a daily basis and it inspires me to continue living out my dreams. How lucky am I?! And definitely most grateful.

So, without further ado, the following are the vendors and details of the contributions that comprise our celebratory giveaway, amounting to a total of $500 worth of prizes:

A $20 gift card to Party Box Design good towards the most adorable invites and party supplies available on the website! Merci beaucoup to Jessica for her constant support and generosity... and the most adorable 2010 holiday cards!

A party package of the winner's choice worth $40 to Squared Party Printables, including DIY printables for cupcake toppers, favor tags, stickers, party labels, flags and banners. Merci beaucoup to Zoila for offering a choice of such beautiful collections from Vintage Carnival to Alice in Wonderland to the adorable Apple Orchard and for her sweetness and ceaseless support!

An amazing $100 party package from Southern Belle's Charm, inclusive of 12 cupcake toppers, 12 favor tags, two chandelier signs, one banner, six food tents and one cake topper! Merci beaucoup to Natalie, my fellow Las Vegas party girl with such beauty, talent and charm, for participating and for her never-ending endorsement and kindness!

An incomparable design package worth $250 to the fabulous Soiree Event Designs, including 12 invitations (5x7), table signage (four 5x7 signs, Happy Birthday, gift bar, candy bar), 12 cupcake Lolli-tags, two Lolli-tag bouquets, 12 favor paper bags w/ labels, 12 circle labels, 12 candy bag toppers w/ cello bags! Merci beaucoup to Tonya for such an amazingly generous contribution, as well as her constant support and beautiful spirit! And be sure to check out her wonderful and brand spankin' new website and blog as well!!!

And finally... two dozen custom fondant cupcake toppers ($90 value) to Lynlee's Petite Cakes!!!

The giveaway begins today, Monday 9/26, and ends in one week on Monday 10/3. US residents only may enter and please keep in mind that the participating vendors require at least 2-4 week lead times to produce the above prizes!

To enter the giveaway, become a follower of this blog and leave a comment here that you did.

For additional entries:

*"like" Lynlee's Petite Cakes Facebook page and leave a comment here that you've done so

*"like" Party Box Design Facebook page and leave a comment here that you've done so

*"like" Squared Party Printables Facebook page and leave a comment here that you've done so

*"like" Southern Belle's Charm Facebook page and leave a comment here that you've done so

*"like" Soiree Event Design Facebook page and leave a comment here that you've done so

*"like" Intrigue Design Studio Facebook page and leave a comment here that you've done so

*share this post on Facebook and leave a comment here that you've done so

*tweet about this giveaway on Twitter and leave a comment here that you've done so

*blog about this giveaway on your site and leave a comment here with the link

Please ensure to include your e-mail address when commenting to be notified if you win!

The winner of the $500 party package will be selected via Random.org and announced back here on the blog next Monday!

Thank you so much once again for celebrating with me and for participating! Good luck to everyone!!!

GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED AND THE WINNER IS...

Kelly M (comment #116)!!!

Congratulations to Kelly for winning $500 worth of goods and services to plan her next party! You will be receiving an e-mail shortly!

Thank you so very much to everyone for all the support and well wishes, to all the amazing vendors who contributed to the giveaway and to all who participated!!! So excited for what's to come!

Come Fly Away!

While growing up in Sao Paulo, Brazil, I was lucky that my mother worked at the iconic Pan Am airlines, which was not only a job that she loved, but also provided us with the opportunity to travel the world! Though the airline is no longer in operation, we still have many fond memories of it and I decided to surprise her with a Pan Am-inspired party to celebrate her birthday and take us all back to the "good 'ole days"! My excitement soared to new heights when the party was featured on the prestigious and inspiring Amy Atlas Events blog! Today I am sharing some additional pictures and details of our trip. So make sure your seat belts are securely fastened, and sit back, relax and enjoy the flight!

The dessert table reflected retro Pan Am and airline motifs with a "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" flight status sign as the background. I also designed the tags and signs with adorable pilot graphics from Print Candee. The table was anchored by cupcakes adorned with a variety of Pan Am white and blue bags in different shapes and sizes with the traditional logo and luggage tags. I found these adorable plastic display picks from the fabulous Cupkate's Event Design, which I utilized to hold fondant airplanes to resemble Pan Am model planes. The table was decorated with metal and plastic luggage, globes and tins resembling airplane windows from the outside.

I made Oreo pops by dipping them in chocolate and adding a fondant logo with a ribbon tied to resemble flight attendant scarves. I think they turned out super cute!

With the popular push pops (also from Cupkate's Event Design), I added blue cotton candy from The Dollar Tree and white marshmallows to make "Blue Skies Cotton Candy". I made the mistake of preparing these the night before, but the following day the cotton candy had crystalized! Luckily I had extra and waited until about an hour before the party began to put them together... again. For the clouds, I purchased some ghost-shaped marshmallow Peeps (available for Halloween!) and cut them out with little flower metal cutters.

Inside plastic travel accessories, I stored blue and white candy-covered chocolates and coins in soap carriers for "Currency Exchange Chocolates".

As the guest of honor arrived, my daughter stood outside awaiting her arrival with a sky balloon and a sign with her name as if she were waiting for her at the airport!

Guests were greeted by the front door with boarding passes (you can download the Pan Am font on-line), airplane wings and the chance to "declare" a note to the birthday girl in Customs.

I gathered some props, such as aviator sunglasses and a pilot's cap for guests to take their Passport photos. 

When it was time for dinner to be served, the guests found their seats in First Class, which carried an airline pillow for comfort.

I stacked crates to resemble an airplane dining cart along with all the accessories for the "In Flight Meal" at their tray tables, including peanut bags, small bottles of faux candy liquor, "Now Boarding" striped straws (from Green Party Goods) and an "Air Sweetness Bag" (instead of sickness!) to house their sweets and candy upon their departure.

As we started our descent, the guests stopped by "Baggage Claim" to retrieve their favors, including logo tote bags and luggage tags. They were also offered "Amenity Kits" inclusive of travel accessories, such as sewing kits, toothbrush holders and lint removers. I used iron-on decals that I printed out for the different tote bags and airline pillows.

It was a wonderful flight and brought back memories in us all of when flying was a special experience and the destinations seemed magical and endless! Needless to say, we are so very excited for the new Pan Am show! We'll definitely be prepared for take off when it debuts on ABC this Sunday 9/25!