Well, we launched our business on May 5th 2018. As we were preparing to do our launch (which we did in less than 40 days), Amy and I asked each other….”wow, how did we get here?” So here is a post to reflect back on all of the event that led us up to making the decision to start our own small business.
The obsession to create began before our mom’s 50th birthday. We wanted to do something special for her and decided to throw a surprise party at a local fire hall. It was a large space and looked pretty bare, so we wanted to decorate it as much as possible. But before that, we needed a theme.
After going back and forth for a while, we decided on a Willy Wonka theme, and got right to work. Along with our other two sisters, we created backdrops with scenes from the movie, created cardboard cutouts of Willy Wonka and the Oompa Loompas, and put finishing touches throughout the party.
Everyone had the best time and we received a lot of compliments on our set up. People even fought over who would take home the Oompa Loompas. Haha.
The next big event…..Amy getting married. The first one of the four sisters to get married, so we kind of made a big deal….a really big deal. I worked with my sisters and mom to set up an engagement party along with a bridal shower (luau party). Those were more party planning instead of crafting but they both ended up being amazing parties.
For Amy’s wedding we did a lot of DIY projects: battery operated votives as table place cards, card box in the shape of a 3 tiered wedding cake, ceremony agenda that were fans to help keep cool on a steamy August evening, framed engagement photo as the guest sign in, amusing guest bags for family and friends staying at the local hotel, and a few more items that escape me right now. The wedding theme was nature so it was very fun to help create something that was so beautiful.
After marriage came the next big event….baby Emma was on her way <3 Amy decided that the theme for Emma’s nursery would be owls. At the time, there were zero owl-themed nursery bedding collections or decorations, so Amy ended up creating the nursery idea on her own. With the owl theme locked, we did decided to throw her an owl-themed baby shower.
We were all so busy enjoying little Emma’s company, time flew by and she was already turning 1! For her first birthday we stuck with the owl theme. Lots of DIY for her 1st first birthday party. This is when we realized that we really loved to craft…and that we really loved Pinterest.
Well, once we started the DIY…we really couldn’t stop. We continued to make every one of Emma’s birthday parties: 2- Super hero, 3- Little Mermaid, 4- My Little Pony, 5-Trolls
In between the 4th and 5th birthday parties, Amy and her husband decided to have another awesome kiddo….and just like that, Henry was on his way. Of course, we were all excited again and we needed to have another baby shower….Adventure Awaits.
The baby shower was such a hit that we were asked to assist with two other events: Graduation Party and 60th Surprise Birthday. But not before we helped out with our best friend’s bridal shower. It was Mary Poppins themed and we made the center pieces and some penguins! We picked the flowers as they matched Mary Poppins hat and we had to include the funny penguins.
Candy bar
Back to the other events. The graduation party was held at a really cute rustic cafe that specialized in grilled cheese sandwiches! The rustic surroundings made for a great setting for the rest of the decorations.
The 60th birthday party was after Henry was born so Amy was up for more crafting for the party….my PIC was back! This party was for a very close family friend. He was an extremely talented athlete in high school (just recently inducted into his alma mater Hall of Fame), so we decided to go with a sports theme.
After some requests to create other people’s party, Amy and I thought “why not?” We love what we do and love seeing other people enjoy our work. That is when we decided to go forward with the business and Two Peas in a Party Pod was born, but we had to figure out what would people really want. We did some research and noticed that a lot of decorations out there all looked the same and were pretty expensive. That’s when we came up with the custom-made party packs. Original designs, custom per order, and affordable. Once we started on this path, we hit the ground running. We opened our shop in 40 days with over 10 themes to choose from, and at least 10 more in the works.
Less than a month after launch, we still can’t believe we started this business. It feels like a dream, something we have been wanting to do for quite some time…and we did it! It’s a lot of work but it’s worth it. After all of these events and crafts we have completed, there is one thing that always stays with us….how much we love the work. We put a lot of love in everything we create, and we hope you enjoy the items as much as we enjoy making them.
One of my favorite themes we prepped for a birthday was for my nephew’s first birthday…Camping! It was so much fun to bring nature and outdoor living to the home.
First thing first…we start with creating the decorations:
Then we put everything together:
Then….it was time to make the desserts and dessert table (which is the most fun part!):
Marshmallow Smash Cake
Gluten Free Smores Cake
Smores to take home
Campfire cookies
Treat tray from Ronda’s Sweet Treats
And the overall look of the dessert table:
Great event to craft for…fun and very versatile.
The chocolate covered pretzels, Oreos and marshmallow treats were
In terms of themes, I don’t think you can get more whimsical than Alice In Wonderland, and Via Blossom took that terminology to a whole other level. The decor was inspired by the book and the movie. The bright flowers and large cutouts really brought the magic out in this wonderful fairy tale tea party. The gorgeous party supplies were created by Via Blossom and can be purchased from their online shop. These pictures have provided great inspiration for my next party!
So, this morning I completed my very first full sheet cake. A friend of the family wanted a one-layer beach-themed cake for her wife’s 60th birthday party today. Needless to say, I was very nervous about getting it done, being that I’ve never done anything this large before.
I baked the cakes last night and put them in the refrigerator until this morning. I had to use 4 boxes of cake mix for each flavor to fill the pan (thanks for the sale, ShopRite!).
I used a bread knife to even out the two halves, and then created a crumb coat with a butter cream recipe from Betty Crocker (Link to Recipe).
I added more frosting and used my spatula to create texture between the two halves. The left side was wavy (for the water) and the right side was smooth (for the sand). I then added blue food coloring to clear piping gel and applied it to the left side and used a mixture of ground up Nilla Wafers and Keebler’s Graham Cracker Crumbs for the right side.
I then decorated the cake with items I bought on Amazon.com:
I used my Cricut machine to cut out the 60 and attached it to toothpicks. The couple also likes to collect sea glass, so I purchased rock candy and laid some on the “sea foam” and in a thimble by the chairs.
All-in-all, it wasn’t a crazy project. There weren’t as many hiccups as I usually have when doing something for the first time. But now I must go and clean my kitchen!
