How is my baby SEVEN? I cannot believe she is so grown! Okay on to the party! Back in 2020 I tried to convince Denver to do a Five Golden Rings party, but it didn’t stick, instead we did the 12 days of Christmas styled shoot with House Of Fete. Fast forward to this year, I have always has a Swan party in my head because Denver’s favorite cuddle and kind doll is the Princess Swan. Now that she was turning 7, Seven Swans a Swimming seemed like the perfect fit! However, I didn’t want to do the typical swan colors of white and blush, I of course wanted COLOR and tons of texture.

Denver’s Past Parties:

Let it Snow | Naughty + Nice | Rainbow Christmas | Land Of Sweets

The Mood Board

Where I always begin, I wanted funky swans, cozy swans, swans skiing and skating and swans in scarves. This is what I came up with and went from there.

The Overall Vibe

I wanted to keep it fairly condescend and focus on a main activity. I thought a cozy movie would be perfect with the theme. I actually started with the party favors, it was pretty easy- Cuddle + Kind swans. I wanted them popping out of stockings for each girl to cuddle while they were watching the movie. I turned the main wall into a fireplace backdrop that doubled as the favor wall. In front of that I set up blow up mattresses and used every blanket and pillow we owned to make it EXTRA Cozy.

The Back Drop

I used this amazing felt back drop from Felt Right- they are just felt tiles that just stick right to your wall. I started with a white mantle and had the felt go up into the ceiling. I then used the backdrop to make a huge mood board of all things SWAN. Handing on the mantle were knit stockings and all the stuffed swans.

I used push pins to hang all the things I had been collecting for her party. I found the coolest swan prints on Spoon Flower and ordered wallpaper samples of them. They really captured the funky swans I was going for. I then added things like her party invitation, glittered swans, stickers, greeting cards and a few holiday items. The rainbow ornament wreath was my favorite part!

Seating

This was WAY outside my comfort zone, its always hard for me not to do a table. Being that we were going for cozy the girls would sit on mattresses with blankets to snack and watch their movie! I made each girl and mini snack tray- I filled it with all the things like cheese, crackers, fruit, trail mix and a custom cookie that said their name. Each board had a little swan cup I had thrifted over the years.

Under each tray was a sweet napkin that read Swans-A-Snacking. I designed these with Suburban Soiree, we did a horizontal napkin and a silver foil. I LOVED the play on words and still added one of my favorite elements that would be on a table setting. Each board also got a cutie tinsel food pick to make them sparkle.

The Party Hutch

In an effort to do something a little different than I have done in the past Marissa suggested I feature some party items in my hutch, so that’s what we did! I filled the shelves with all the sweets, treats and of course movie theater candy. We were projecting Denver’s movie of choice so the kids had to have all the movie theater essentials. I rented a popcorn machine and Zazzy created custom Swimming pool popcorn boxes for the girls. For candy we had Red Vines, peanut M&Ms, snow caps and Denver’s special request of bubble gum. The candies were customized by the amazing Itsy Bitsy Parties. The licorice were scarves and Swans were wearing snow cap hats- it was all beyond genius and one of my favorite details.

I filled the rest of the hutch with platters of cookies, macarons and festive holiday things! I filled corners with cozy scarves and textured pom poms to make it extra cozy. On top of the hutch I added framed swan art work. I used two of the wallpaper samples, and my favorite piece. Emily Illustrates created this incredible Cream Puff swan that was absolutely PERFECT. And Yes we served actual cream puffs that looked like swans!

The Sweets

Once again my girls outdid themselves with their talents. Tara of Soiree Macarons created two tone macarons and mitten Macs. They all had this amazing pipped texture to looks knitted. They were absolutely perfect, I still cannot get over the colors. I actually had trouble coming up with what to do for the cake, so Tara and I decided to use some old inspiration we saw a few months ago. She created a giant pavlova cake. Layers of meringue, cream and fruit and decorates with colorful meringues, strawberries, black berries and sparkle. The texture made it feel cozy, it was perfect.

Tracy of the sugar bug, NEVER disappoints, but this time, my jaw was on the floor. Her hand painted cookies are insane but the designs she creates are out of this world. Mind you- all I give her is the deck and let her go for it. THE SWANS IN THE BATH TUB, are you kidding me. I’m gonna be honest- these were no kids aloud, they were too beautiful, I couldn’t spare a single one.

The Bar

The kids were already very sugared up, and this was my first non adult party so the bar was very simple. I put out some flavored sparkling water and straws for the girls. My favorite part of the bar were these stunning linen cocktail napkins by Madly Wish each reading Seven Swans -a- Sipping, CAN YOU EVEN. They were the perfect detail and I can’t wait to continue using them for the holiday season. I added all the florals to the bar with my favorite vases and a funky swan vase!

The Activity

Before we started the movie the girls each got an individual bead kit. Pretty Lit Girls custom created a mix of colors, swan charms and letters for each girls name. It was a perfect way to keep the girls busy and they each got to go home with a gorgeous bracelet or necklace. I tied each one up with festive ribbon and a swan tag and put them in the hutch for the girls to grab! I just love how they came out!

The Flatlay and Invitation

Of course my favorite part. Itsy Bitsy did a killer invitation creating seven connection swans each with something different and all the party information! It was actually inspired by an invite my mom made for me on my 7th birthday! I also featured an incredible Lolli pop by The sweet Story Line, vintage Swan Stamps and all the cozy details. It is colorful, chaotic and just perfect!

A few extra photos I love…

Last but not least, a huge THANK YOU to Renee for capturing these stunning moments and giving me more beautiful photos than I can handle. She takes away my stress on party day and leaves me with memories to last a life time. If you do anything for a party- hire a photographer.

XO

Kelsey

Concept + planning @house.of.fete 
Host + florals @kelseyklos 
Photographer @reneeshieldsphotography 
Invite and candy @itsybitsypartieskc 
Felt backdrop @feltrightproducts 
Cookies @thesugarbug 
Macs and cake @soireemacarons 
Cocktail napkins @madlywish 
Party hat + flag @winnieandhaze 
Cake Stand @joyeuxcompany 
Poms @sia__and__capri 
Tags @chalkdesignsbyme 
Acrylics @modernbirchco 
Swan wallpaper @spoonflower 
Swan art @emily_illustrates 
Stuffed animals @cuddleandkind 
Bracelet kits @prettylifegirls 
Confetti charms @laurenglassdesigns 
Garlands @maddoxandklaus + @pearlandjane 
Paper napkins @suburban_soiree 
Dresses @pinkchickenny 
Popcorn boxes @zazzymachines