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Ahoy there! Jen Carver of Banner Events<\/a><\/strong> here to share a party theme perfect “from sea to shining sea”.\u00a0 We invited our family & a couple of friends to join our “Carver Crew” for a sailin’ good time at a nautical inspired 4th of July party! Living near the Pacific Ocean, I have always had an obsession for all things nautical, & when Maureen of Anders Ruff Custom Designs<\/strong><\/a> introduced me to their festive Nautical 4th of July invitation<\/strong><\/a> and coordinating printable collection<\/strong><\/a>, I couldn’t wait to style an event around their designs.<\/p>\n

<\/a> Because nautical parties are a popular party trend right now\u00a0and can be adapted for just about any season & any occasion– weddings, bon voyage parties, birthdays, retirement celebrations, baby showers\u00a0\u00a0& so on–finding fun props, d\u00e9cor & coordinating treats was a breeze.\u00a0\u00a0I hope you will enjoy\u00a0our land & sea adventure, beautifully captured by photographer, Rochelle Pettingill<\/a>. <\/a> Design Inspiration & Color Palette:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I long for the day when I can visit the beautiful coastal New England towns, famous for their\u00a0gorgeous harbors and quaint living.\u00a0 I wanted the overall\u00a0design & d\u00e9cor\u00a0of our event\u00a0to celebrate & mimic what\u00a0you’d find in a New England ocean front vacation home, but with a patriotic twist– nautical flags, wooden ships, lanterns, anchors, life preservers, rope handled baskets, shells,\u00a0metal pails, glass bottles, buoys, wooden crates & fish nets.\u00a0Much of the design inspiration and color palette of cherry red, white\u00a0and various shades of blue came from Ander’s Ruff’s nautical printables<\/strong><\/a> themselves, but my\u00a0styling was\u00a0also inspired by some of the colorful nautical products I already had around my house & some fun products sent from companies I was privileged to work with for this event.<\/p>\n

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The Dessert Table:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

If you have been following my party styling for a while, you know by now that one of my favorite parts of any event is coming up with the concept for the dessert table.\u00a0 It’s probably related to my own sweet tooth, but I love making the dessert table a focal point of my events.\u00a0 One of the ways I like to achieve this is by creating interest with my dessert table backdrop.\u00a0 Having a center statement piece that captures the attention of party goers is a must in my styling.<\/p>\n

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For this event, I\u00a0was fortunate to work\u00a0with the amazing Lauren of Ten23Designs<\/strong><\/a> .\u00a0 Lauren is one of those people that can take a design concept straight from my head and make it a reality.\u00a0(That is such a gift!) \u00a0I commissioned her to custom craft several laser cut wood designs, including the large AHOY letters and the wood garland on the front of my table (anchors, paddles, captain’s wheels).\u00a0 They came ready to paint (no sanding needed) and were so easy to transform into something impressive.\u00a0 Using coordinating colors of DecoArt acrylic paints<\/strong><\/a>, I was quickly able to assemble these design elements for my table and backdrop.\u00a0 I also used the DecoArt<\/strong><\/a> paint on the boat shelf that housed my cupcakes so everything would coordinate.\u00a0 Paint is a simple, inexpensive way to quickly transform things you already have at home to\u00a0perfectly match\u00a0your current party color palette.<\/p>\n

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To add some color and interest, I\u00a0printed, cut & strung two sets of Anders Ruff’s<\/strong><\/a> nautical pennant flags (included in their\u00a0printable package)\u00a0onto some twine and criss-crossed them on my bead board background.\u00a0 (TIP:\u00a0<\/strong> You can purchase 8′ x 4′ bead board from Home Depot inexpensively and reuse it time and again.\u00a0 They will even cut it down to size for you.\u00a0 Mine was cut down to 6′ x 4′.)\u00a0 I hung the AHOY signs with some fishing line that I taped to the back of my bead board.\u00a0 Our backdrop was flanked on each side with festive star balloons from Party On! Designs<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Displaying the variety of delicious desserts was paramount, but a close second, was displaying them creatively<\/em> with our theme in mind. One of my favorite “go to”sources for party d\u00e9cor and inspiration is Oriental Trading Company<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 Not only are their prices fantastic, but they offer such a broad range of products to fit a variety of party themes.\u00a0 When their patriotic catalog arrived in the mail and included some fun nautical items, I was so excited!\u00a0\u00a0 I knew their products were a perfect fit for our event!\u00a0 You’ll notice I used many of their signature party basics throughout my styling,\u00a0 in addition to some of their nautical themed offerings.<\/p>\n

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Our dessert display included\u00a0scalloped navy treat boxes from Oriental Trading<\/strong><\/a> with vinyl accents from Ten23Designs<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 We filled ours with butter & caramel popcorn and\u00a0accessorized them with cute glittered swizzle sticks from Party On! Designs<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>topped off with printable flags from the nautical printable package\u00a0by Anders Ruff<\/strong><\/a>. Who doesn’t love popcorn, right?<\/p>\n

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Delicious cupcakes made by Designs by SK<\/strong><\/a> were adorned with adorable custom fondant nautical flag\u00a0toppers by the talented 4 Kids Cakes<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0 I loved displaying them in striped cupcake wrappers from Pick Your Plum<\/strong><\/a> on the shelves of our wooden boat.<\/p>\n

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One of my personal dessert favorites\u00a0is pie.\u00a0 Aren’t these mini pies cute?\u00a0 We spruced up these peach, cherry, apple & blueberry pies with some more Anders Ruff<\/strong><\/a> party flags attached to wooden toothpicks.\u00a0 What’s more “American” than pie?<\/p>\n

<\/a> Speaking of pie, my very favorite pie is this strawberry tart made especially by my mom.\u00a0 (It’s more of a sugar cookie crust vs. the traditional pastry crust.)\u00a0 Isn’t it cute with its little nautical flags?<\/a><\/p>\n

Rice Krispy treats are another dessert staple that is so easy to embellish with something like these festive sparkle sticks by Made by a Princess<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0 They are no fuss, and kids love them! <\/a> If you love macarons, like I do, then red, white and blue macarons (made by 4 Kids Cakes<\/strong><\/a>) are a must!\u00a0 Christina never spares on the details, and her added star accents and shimmer were a hit!\u00a0 We added a few other store bought cookie options displayed on classic white trays.<\/p>\n

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In addition to baked goods, candy & sweets are always a party favorite. We added some cute crab suckers from Oriental Trading<\/strong><\/a> to our table & some cute treat boxes filled with some salt water taffy . (Tip:\u00a0 Need custom treat boxes? We repurposed fry boxes from Party On! Designs<\/strong><\/a>, added some cute nautical labels & made paper rosettes from some great sturdy textured cardstock from American Crafts<\/strong><\/a>. You will also see these same boxes used\u00a0as chip containers on our food table!\u00a0 Double threat!\u00a0)<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/a> The kids loved our\u00a0firecracker gumball favor tubes too.\u00a0 (Thank you for the inspiration Giggles Galore<\/strong><\/a>.) These were a quick DIY, with gumballs & favor tubes from Katarina’s Paperie<\/strong><\/a>, 4th of July ribbon from \u00a0 Ribbon Revelry<\/a> & some red, white & blue sparkle garland from Party City. A few cuts with the scissors & a couple of dabs of hot glue and our firecracker gumballs\u00a0were ready to party!<\/p>\n

<\/a> The Food & Beverage Tables:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, man cannot live by dessert alone (I may have to “test” this…), so we also\u00a0set up\u00a0colorful nautical themed food and beverage tables.<\/p>\n

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A big thank you to Wholesale Event Solutions<\/strong> <\/a>for\u00a0our gorgeous white linens.<\/p>\n

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I spruced\u00a0up our beverage table with a printable nautical banner included in the coordinating printable collection<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0by Anders Ruff.\u00a0\u00a0The addition\u00a0of\u00a0a red\u00a0fish net from Oriental Trading Company, some DIY wood stands for displaying different beverages & dressing up the various bottles of soda & water with printable beverage wraps from Anders Ruff easily transformed our beverage area for thirsty sailors. <\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n

Adding different layers to our food table allowed us to accommodate all of the different sides, salads and condiments that go along with a great BBQ!\u00a0 We used more of our DIY wooden stands to house\u00a0rope handled baskets filled to the brim with individual chip containers & buns.\u00a0 Our galvanized 3 tiered stand from Pick Your Plum<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0reminded me of the crow’s nest on a ship and was perfect for displaying a beautiful variety of summer salads.\u00a0 We loved displaying our baked beans in individual lidded cups with twine and Anders Ruff circle toppers.\u00a0 Functional can still be festive!<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/a> The Dining Tables:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We lucked out with the<\/em> perfect summer day for our party and were fortunate to be able to set-up outdoors.\u00a0 (Rain isn’t uncommon in Seattle on the 4th.)<\/p>\n

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Tables were dressed with beautiful tablecloths from Wholesale Event Solutions<\/strong><\/a>, rustic remnants of burlap, and blue mason jars filled with vibrant red & white flowers.<\/p>\n

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I wanted each table setting to be colorful and fun.\u00a0 I paired red placemats with colorful layered partyware from Oriental Trading Company<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and red patriotic napkins from Petite Party Studio<\/strong><\/a>. Gorgeous farm stand milk bottles from Red\u00a0Hill\u00a0General Store<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0were adorned with beverage wraps and accented with a cute striped party straw (Petite Party Studio<\/strong><\/a>) and printable party flag.\u00a0 Mini treat cups (Petite Party Studio<\/a><\/strong>) filled with colorful gummy treats & taffy sat at each place to hold off each guests sweet tooth.\u00a0 Each place setting was flanked on the right by an embellished set of sparklers and on the left with a tin pail (Oriental Trading Company<\/strong><\/a>) filled to the brim with snaps, treats, and wooden utensils (Katarina’s Paperie<\/strong><\/a>). The pails were decorated with cute Anders Ruff<\/strong><\/a> printable labels & tags, a wood anchor (Ten23Designs<\/strong><\/a>) and topped off with coordinating ribbon and jute from American Crafts<\/strong><\/a>! <\/a><\/a><\/p>\n

Even our patio set & umbrella got a little makeover with these darling red and white lanterns from Katarina’s Paperie<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 It’s all in the details! <\/a> Activities:<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n

The adults and kids enjoyed participating in water balloons, lawn games, a bike parade & the traditional S’mores roast to end the night!\u00a0 We loved having these S’mores kits already assembled for our party.\u00a0 Anders Ruff’s S’mores labels were the perfect touch!<\/p>\n

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A big thank you to Great Stitch<\/a><\/strong> and Make it Mine Couture<\/strong><\/a> for the custom 4th of July shirts, Cupcake Wishes & Birthday Dreams<\/strong><\/a> for the pom pom sparkler wands\u00a0& Designs by SK<\/strong><\/a> for the coordinating hairbows!<\/p>\n

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I absolute adore the wonderful companies who contributed to our nautical celebration & hope you will refer to the vendor list often for your upcoming party needs!<\/p>\n

VENDOR CREDITS: <\/strong><\/p>\n

Event Concept & Styling:\u00a0 Jen Carver, Banner Events<\/a><\/p>\n

Photographer:\u00a0 Rochelle Pettingill<\/a><\/p>\n

PRINTABLE PAPER GOODS: <\/strong><\/p>\n

Graphic Design Suite & Invitation:\u00a0 Anders Ruff Custom Designs <\/a><\/p>\n

Invitation:\u00a0 here<\/a><\/p>\n

Coordinating printable suite : here <\/a><\/p>\n

DESSERTS: <\/strong><\/p>\n

Custom fondant cupcake toppers & macarons:\u00a0 4 Kids Cakes<\/a><\/p>\n

Cupcakes:\u00a0 Designs by SK<\/a><\/p>\n

Crab character suckers:\u00a0 Oriental Trading Company<\/a><\/p>\n

Sugar star pops:\u00a0 Tikkido<\/a><\/p>\n

PARTY GOODS\/DECOR:<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong> Nautical napkins & plates, nautical pennant garland, nautical table garland, life preservers, popcorn boxes, anchor stir sticks, rope handle baskets, lanterns, starfish:\u00a0 Oriental Trading Company<\/a><\/p>\n

Acrylic craft paint:\u00a0 DecoArt Inc.<\/a><\/p>\n

Custom laser cut wood letters & nautical d\u00e9cor (anchors, captain’s wheel, paddles, etc…) & vinyl:\u00a0 Ten23 Designs<\/a><\/p>\n

Textured cardstock, colored jute, grosgrain ribbon & This to That adhesive:\u00a0 American Crafts<\/a><\/p>\n

Farm stand milk bottles:\u00a0 Red Hill General Store<\/a><\/p>\n

Wooden utensils, red paper lanterns, red, white & blue gumball tubes:\u00a0 Katarina’s Paperie<\/a><\/p>\n

Star balloons, fry boxes, glittered swizzle sticks:\u00a0 Party On! Designs<\/a><\/p>\n

Red, silver & blue Sparkle Sticks:\u00a0 Made by a Princess<\/a><\/p>\n

White tablecloths:\u00a0 Wholesale Event Solutions<\/a><\/p>\n

Striped treat cups, napkins & paper straws:\u00a0 Petite Party Studio<\/a><\/p>\n

CLOTHING\/ACCESSORY ITEMS:<\/strong><\/p>\n

4th of July ribbon:\u00a0 Ribbon Revelry<\/a><\/p>\n

Custom hair bows:\u00a0 Designs by SK<\/a><\/p>\n

Custom nautical shirts:\u00a0 Make it Mine Couture<\/a><\/p>\n

Custom 4th of July firework shirts:\u00a0 Great Stitch<\/a><\/p>\n

Custom pom wands:\u00a0 Cupcake Wishes & Birthday Dreams<\/a><\/p>\n

SOURCES for products to help you create your own Nautical Bash:<\/strong><\/p>\n

– 3 Tiered Galvanized Metal Stand<\/strong><\/a>
\n– Red Striped Paper Straws<\/strong><\/a>
\n– Navy Striped Paper Straws<\/strong><\/a>
\n– Unfinished Natural Wood Boat<\/strong><\/a>
\n– Captains Wheel<\/strong><\/a>
\n– Decorative Fish Net<\/strong><\/a>
\n– Life Preserver Wall Decoration<\/strong><\/a>
\n– Nautical Table Garland<\/strong><\/a>
\n– Shining Sea Dessert Plates<\/strong><\/a>
\n– Shining Sea Napkins<\/strong><\/a>
\n– Crab Suckers<\/strong><\/a>
\n– Lighthouse D\u00e9cor<\/strong><\/a>
\n– Lighthouse Lantern Red<\/strong><\/a>
\n– Patriotic Paper Lanterns, Pack of 6<\/strong><\/a>
\n– Kate Aspen Rope Lantern<\/strong><\/a>
\n– Starfish<\/strong><\/a>
\n– Kate Aspen “Voyages” Anchor Muslin Favor Bag, Set of 12<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/a>
\n– Nautical Flag Banner<\/strong><\/a>
\n– Nautical Sea Cupcake Topper Picks<\/strong><\/a>
\n– Nautical Print Latex Balloons<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ahoy there! Jen Carver of Banner Events here to share a party theme perfect “from sea to shining sea”.\u00a0 We invited our family & a couple of friends to join our “Carver Crew” for a sailin’ good time at a nautical inspired 4th of July party! Living near the Pacific Ocean, I have always had […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":22868,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[39,69,209],"tags":[868,1394,152],"class_list":["post-22656","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-4th-of-july","category-holiday","category-parties","tag-4th-of-july-2","tag-nautical","tag-party"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/andersruff.com\/custom-printable-parties\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22656","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/andersruff.com\/custom-printable-parties\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/andersruff.com\/custom-printable-parties\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andersruff.com\/custom-printable-parties\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andersruff.com\/custom-printable-parties\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22656"}],"version-history":[{"count":60,"href":"https:\/\/andersruff.com\/custom-printable-parties\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22656\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31707,"href":"https:\/\/andersruff.com\/custom-printable-parties\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22656\/revisions\/31707"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andersruff.com\/custom-printable-parties\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22868"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/andersruff.com\/custom-printable-parties\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22656"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andersruff.com\/custom-printable-parties\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22656"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andersruff.com\/custom-printable-parties\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22656"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}