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customer love – American theme party!

customer love – American theme party!

Sometimes your custom order requests are just the little extra “push” we need to create a new product, and sometimes we end up loving the new thing so much that we carry it full time in our shop.

This a story of one of those things. :) We started offering our Hanging Paper Stars {see them here} about 3 years ago, and found that many of you really enjoy using them for your events and in your homes! However, because they are large and a bit fragile, they have been a total bear to ship, and the shipping fees can be a bit high. So, John and I have talked on and off about creating a DIY Kit version of the stars with the idea that you would be able to purchase all of the materials needed, all of them pre-folded so that you would only need to assemble them {meaning, very little skill required!}. But life was busy, the shop was growing quickly, and it was something that kept getting set aside for “when things slow down”. Until – someone in Australia emailed to ask about possibly getting 12-20 of the white stars!

American themed party decor | the Path Less TraveledShe was in charge of her corporate Christmas party, and they wanted to have an American theme to it – and have a bunch of our stars hanging from the ceiling! We knew that shipping that many of the stars to Australia {a location where shipping fees from the US were already high} would cost an enormous amount, and realized that this was the push we needed to finally get the kits made.

American themed party star garlands and decor | the Path Less TraveledThe gal sent us these photos to share after the event, and it looks like it was a terrific party! She also used our Red, White and Blue Stars Garlands in custom 60 foot lengths to string across the space, bunches of our Red, White and Blue Star Dessert Toppers in little glass vases as centerpieces on the tables and our Star Cupcake Picks in Patriotic Colors to top the desserts – it all came together so well!
Servers in costume at a Vintage America theme party | the Path Less TraveledSo there you have it! An idea that was stuck in the concept phase for far too long was brought to life {and now is a top seller! you can find them here} by a customer’s special request. You guys really are what keep our little shop going, in so many ways!

Do you have photos that you’d like to share? If so, you can either email them to me at elizabeth@pltmarket.com or tag them with #thepathlesstraveledmarket on Instagram – we’d all love to see your ideas! Also, I often send “thank you” coupons to the lovelies who let me share their photos with you – so if you’re looking for a coupon for your next order, sharing photos is a great way to get a discount!

 

<3

Items featured:

Large Folded Hanging Paper Stars

DIY Hanging Origami Star Kits

Red, White and Blue Stars Garlands

Red, White and Blue Large Stars Garlands

Red, White and Blue Star Dessert Toppers

Star Cupcake Picks in Patriotic Colors

a Labor Day sale!

a Labor Day sale!


Labor Day decor Happy Labor Day! I’ve been planning on sharing our summer decor for … all summer {best intentions, eh?} and realized that if I was ever going to, now was the time! red, white and blue decor After Ian’s Car themed birthday, I was loving the “Americana” feel of all the party decorations, and decided to go with it as a summer theme. :) After I took down the cars and birthday banner, I added a few more things from years past and from the shop, moving them around a bit over the course of the summer. red, white and blue patriotic decor The Large Book Star Garland is surprisingly durable! I’ve had it draped on our shelf for 3 months now, and there’s only been one incident with a tear {and that one was my fault – not the kids ;)}. It eases nicely into Autumn, too! And the Red, White and Blue Star Cake Garland has been a fun pop of color in my little pot of dried boxwood, and looked sweet with the patriotic colored candles.
red, white and blue patriotic decor red, white and blue patriotic decorI made the embellished lanterns from a Martha Stewart tutorial a few years ago, and was happy to see that they had survived the time in storage {a.k.a. a file box in the closet that I had forgotten about}. To finish off our “dining room” area, I draped a Red, White and Blue Large Star Garland over the top of our curtains and hung a large Navy Star on either end.red, white and blue patriotic decorStar dessert toppers aren’t just for desserts! They add such a fun touch to just about anything, and I’ve really been enjoying having a cluster of red, white and blue stars in a pewter vase on the shelf by our front door. {“love” print from Recipe For Crazy}

Do you have any plans for the long weekend? My husband actually gets Labor Day off this year {perhaps the first time since we’ve been married – yay!} and we’re hoping to get a few house projects done. Growing up, my dad used to remind us that one of the best ways to celebrate the American worker was to be an American worker – and then tell us what the project for the day was! :) It didn’t used to be too much fun {except we always had a wonderful barbecue at then end of the day – mmm!}, but now that there’s the possibility that I could have a freshly painted bedroom? It sounds great!

And, not to leave you without a special sale for the Labor Day weekend {maybe a perfect time to stock up on decor and dessert toppers for fall celebrations?}, I have a coupon code for you! Use code LABORDAY20 for 20% off of any order in between now and midnight Monday!

I hope you all have a blessed, relaxing weekend <3

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Cars themed birthday party on the Path Less Traveled
the Cars party

the Cars party

Ah, the last installment of the Cars party – and the last one of {what turned into being} the series!

Cars themed birthday party on the Path Less TraveledCars themed birthday party on the Path Less TraveledCars themed birthday party on the Path Less TraveledCars themed birthday party on the Path Less TraveledCars themed birthday party on the Path Less TraveledCars themed birthday party on the Path Less TraveledCars themed birthday party on the Path Less TraveledCars themed birthday party on the Path Less TraveledCars themed birthday party on the Path Less Traveled

It was such a fun, relaxed type of party. We kept it pretty low key {as far as three-year-old’s parties go} and kept the guests to just family. Ian loved showing his cousin how to use the car track that John made and “do racin’!” We listened to the Beach Boys channel on Pandora, and the younger guests played “pass the Parcel” and had a small water fight {it happened to be raining during part of the party, so why not get wetter, right?}. Ian absolutely adored the Cars cake, and it was the sweetest thing ever to see how excited he was to stand in the middle of us all, soaking up the love and attention as we sang “Happy Birthday” to him! :)

He received some of the sweetest things – and even got his very first tool bag {with real tools!}. Isn’t it amazing how much delight kids can get out of a simple gift?

Here’s the sneak peek, part one and part two of the party {since I have apparently made it into a mini series :)} The balloon garland tutorial is here, and the party supplies that I didn’t already have, make or use from my shop are from the Dollar Tree.

And that wraps up Ian’s Cars themed birthday! There are so many other things that I could add, but I think I might have said enough :) Do you have any tips for throwing a kid’s birthday party? What are some of your favorite games?

I’m hoping to have a sweet party-themed How Tuesday for you tomorrow. In other news … the Facebook fan page is getting close to 200 fans!  As soon as we reach 200 I’ll have a giveaway {hint: the prize is going to be sparkly!} for a brand new, yet to be released shop item. Share the fun with your friends to get us there even faster :D

 

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Cars themed party on the Path Less Traveled
the Cars party! {part two}

the Cars party! {part two}

Ah, the best laid plans! I started out the week planning to share all sorts of birthday ideas with you lovelies, and then … a {most precious and adorable} teething baby {who wanted to be held all night}, kids with colds who needed their mama and somehow my {sleep deprived, foggy and semi incoherent} thoughts just didn’t make onto the blog. But now, the little are better, I’m more rested and ready to share!

Anyone ready for part two of the Cars party? {looking for part one? or the sneak peek? You can find them here and here}

Cars themed party on the Path Less Traveled I had seen a super fun pool-noodle turned car race track on Pinterest, and picked up a noodle at the Dollar store when I was getting the a few other things for the party {side note – the Dollar Tree is an excellent source for streamers, cake plates, napkins, mylar balloons and plastic tables cloths!}, and it turned out to be a bit too small for the cars {but perfect for marbles}. John improvised and made a track using a large piece of cardboard, and it turned out even better for Ian, since most of cars are bigger than Matchbox size :) The kiddos loved hurling the cars down the “track”, racing to catch them at the bottom and then running back to the top to do it again.Cars themed party on the Path Less Traveled Ian was soooo tickled with his Cars cake from Sam’s Club! And with the stickers and temporary tattoos that we used as party favors :)Cars themed party on the Path Less Traveledthe indoor eating area – at lunch time {the birthday boy requested corn dogs for lunch}

The balloon garland was so fun – and easy! – to make! You can find the tutorial that I made for it here. And do you see the “road” style table cloth? It was another thing that I had found on Pinterest, and super simple to make happen. Just cut a black plastic cloth in half the long way and then attach 1″ x 6″ strips of yellow construction paper down the middle using double sided tape.Cars themed party on the Path Less Traveledview of our dining room from the front of our house – I love the added dimension and pop of color that the red and blue paper stars added!Cars themed party on the Path Less TraveledCars themed party on the Path Less Traveledfrom the kitchen toward the dining room – there were fire engines on the shelf under the photo wall and presents on the piano
Cars themed party on the Path Less Traveledanother one of the Lightning McQueen printouts Cars themed party on the Path Less Traveled

The outdoor eating area, with another “road” style table cloth. I used a bunch of red and white streamers and red and white paper stars to bring a party feel to the tent, and they were so lovely as they swayed in the evening breeze :)

So there you have part two – I’ll be sharing the rest of the party soon!

xoxo

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the Cars party on the Path Less Traveled
the Cars party!

the Cars party!

Part one of the Cars party, here we come! Do you remember the sneak peak of Ian’s party that I shared? Here’s the {beginning of} the rest of it :)

If you remember, here’s the Pinterest board that I used to brainstorm party ideas for the Cars/fire engine/mechanic/Americana birthday that Ian asked for. There were sooo many amazing ideas that would have been fun to make happen, and John and I managed to pull off a few … and Ian was more than thrilled with the result!

the Cars party on the Path Less Traveleda pre-party shot of the snack/dessert table that was one of the focal points of our indoor decor {note the absence of the drinks and other cold items :)}
the Cars party on the Path Less TraveledI used a piece of burlap from my fabric stash {stashes of goodies like this come in super handy when pulling together parties on a budget!} to cover the table and rounded up all the galvanized bins that I could find to hold snacks and add some height to the spread.the Cars party on the Path Less TraveledThe wall signs were inspired by this Radiator Springs party and this “Route 3” party – all done free hand by moi while the birthday boy was taking his pre-party nap :)the Cars party on the Path Less TraveledThe Red, White and Blue Stars Garland added the perfect bit of color and texture to the front of the table, don’t you think?the Cars party on the Path Less Traveledthe snacks and goodies included watermelon, nuts, chips and salsa, pretzels, carrot sticks and dip, Chex mix, S’mores {the vintage blue Ball jars are perfect for serving and displaying goodies like this!}, and a variety of cold drinks {including this punch which is delicious and really easy!}.the Cars party on the Path Less TraveledDo you see the little cars and tools scattered across the table? Ian got quite a kick when he realized that I had used some of his favorite toys for his party decorations {he’s such a sweetheart!!!}
the Cars party on the Path Less Traveledthe Tow Mater sign – Ian is still holding onto this! He has it in his room now next to his bed. From a distance you can hardly tell that I whipped it out using a sheet of cardboard, a foam brush and some white acrylic paint. ;)the Cars party on the Path Less TraveledI made the Lightning McQueen sign using a free printable that I found here and some red construction paper – it turned out so cute that I ended up making several to scatter around the party!

So, there you have it – part one of the Cars party!

 

This is going to be a birthday themed week here on the blog! Today the world is welcoming a new royal baby {congratulations, William and Kate! And blessings upon the newest successor the British throne! <3 } and later this week my husband and three of his brothers will be having birthdays. Imagine the amount of cake that we’ll be eating! {not that I’m complaining at all!} How do you and your family celebrate birthdays? Do you have any special traditions?

<3

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a darling, starry nursery for a baby boy
customer love – nursery edition

customer love – nursery edition

Each time a customer leaves a comment saying how much they love their purchase, it makes my day. I especially love it when they tell their friends and send me photos of how they have used the things that they have bought!

A few weeks ago a mama in Australia ordered our Red, White and Brown Stars Garland to accent the room she was preparing for her baby boy, and she was kind enough to share a photo of how the room is coming together:

a darling, starry nursery for a baby boyIsn’t it too sweet?! I love how the red stars tie in with the hearts and the cars, and the brown is the same shade as the cars in the wall hanging! She’s definitely pouring love into this room for her wee man, and it shows :)

Do you have photos that you’d like to share? If so, you can either email them to me at elizabeth@pltmarket.com or tag them with #thepathlesstraveledmarket on Instagram – we’d all love to see your ideas!

{by the way, did I mention that I often send “thank you” coupons to the lovelies who let me share their photos with you? Yep, I do :)}

Happy Friday! Are you thinking about placing an order this weekend? Don’t forget to use the FREE shipping coupon code of JULY4TH when you do! It’s good on any order of $5 or more and

XO

Cars themed party from the Path Less Traveled
a little boy Cars party {sneak peek}

a little boy Cars party {sneak peek}

Well, as you’ve heard, our little boy had a birthday {he’s 3!} which, of course, means that we had a party :)

Emma Grace loves parties, and being the awesome big sister that she is, she took on helping Ian “plan” his party months in advance – “So, Ian, you like cars? Hm, you want a Cars party?!” To which he {of course} replied, “YES!!!” So we’ve been talking about the Cars party for months.

For planning purposes I had been putting the ideas I’d found all over the interwebs onto a Pinterest board, and then {just like for Em’s party} closer to the day I narrowed down what might be feasible. Here is a quick peek at how it turned out!

Cars themed party from the Path Less Traveled some DIY signage over the snack/dessert table – and lots of cars and stars!Cars themed party from the Path Less Traveleda view from the front room to the back of the house: we chose to have an evening party for family, so the kiddos needed to have a light dinner before everyone arrived – they really enjoyed waking up from their nap to a decorated home and eating dinner at the “road” table!Cars themed party from the Path Less Traveled

the back yard – we had a few showers, but all in all in was a beautiful evening for a party. I’ll be showing you a full tutorial tomorrow on how I made the balloon garland over the inside table – be sure to check back!

All in all, not too shabby for a 3rd birthday party! Especially considering that the mama had rolled in late the night before from the Hobnob Summer Market, and most of the prep happened on the morning of the party. :) I love it when a plan comes together!

Have you had a chance to enter the Red, White and Blue Giveaway yet? I hope your Monday has been lovely, and I’ll see you here tomorrow,

 

<3

time for a giveaway!

time for a giveaway!

Yippee – it’s time for a giveaway! This time I have a sweet set of 4th of July themed goodies for one of you darling readers!

This awesome prize packet includes one of my newest garlands – the Large Red, White and Blue Star Garland! – and a dozen of our classic {for good reason – they’re so darling!} Red, White and Blue Star Cupcake Toppers. Wouldn’t these be the perfect ouch for your 4th {and pretty much any Summer party}?

Extra Large Red, White and Blue Star Garland from the Path Less Traveled

To enter, use the Rafflecopter widget in this post {email subscribers will need to click over to the blog} and follow the prompts.

giveawayPretty simple! I’ll announce the winner on Monday, July 1, 2013 and mail the prize as soon as they confirm their address.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

note – this giveaway is open to readers in the United States only

Chair Garland Decor Ideas {a continuing series}

Chair Garland Decor Ideas {a continuing series}

Have you heard? The chair garlands in the shop aren’t just for decorating chairs!
When it comes to using these petite garlands, there are so many options that chairs are only the the start! This is a continuing series {see more posts here} where I’ll share some of my ideas with you {and, if you’d like to share some of yours, I’ll post them as well!}

DSC_0076 For the Summer holidays – Memorial Day, Ian’s birthday, Flag Day, the 4th of July, etc. – I am decorating with lots of red, white and blue. {those balloon in the reflection? they’re left over from Ian’s party :)}

This vintage mirror lightens a corner in our dining area downstairs, and as I was decorating for our little guy’s birthday I decided to see if one of the Red, White and Blue Chair Banners would fit across it to add an additional pop of color – and look at that, it fit perfectly!

DSC_0080

How about you? Have you tried using one of these sweet, short lengths of garland in an unexpected spot? Share your ideas in the comments!

 

<3