{Fabulous Friday Giveaway} TomKat Studio Party Girl Swag Bag from Dreamers Event in NYC!

UPDATE!!!

Wow!  What a response to this giveaway!!  We'll have to keep that in mind for the future!

And we have a winner....and that lucky girl is....

COMMENT #1776 - Carie!

She said "I am a fb fan! I love the whippy cake head band!

I bought one for my baby at a boutique and love it. Now mommy needs one!"

Carie, please contact me at toni@thetomkatstudio.com to claim your wonderful prize!

We were so lucky to have a few fabulous sponsors for our trip to NYC for the Martha Stewart Dreamers into Doers Event! So many of our favorite party girls attended the event, so we decided to put a little "swag bag" together for them! We all went out to dinner Monday night and gave them out to the girls! The bag included a Whippy Cake headband, a sweet Lisa Leonard necklace, a cupcake cookie made by The Cookie Jar and a pocket mirror with our new TomKat Studio logo on it! {launching soon!}

We saved a bag for one of our LUCKY readers to WIN!

Not only will our winner win the contents of the Party Girl swag bag, but also a Rose Bag in Raspberry by our other fabulous sponsor, Jo Totes! Also included...a DOZEN fresh cookies from The Cookie Jar! WOW!

Here's how to enter:{Please leave a separate entry for each comment!}

1) Please leave a comment below telling us your favorite item in the swag bag!
2) Become a fan of The TomKat Studio on Facebook, come back and let us know you are a fan!
3) Follow The TomKat Studio on Twitter, come back and let us know you follow!

Winner will be chosen on Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at 11:00pm (MST). Any entries received after this time will not be considered. Open to US residents only. Winner will be chosen using random.org. This is a sponsored post. The TomKat Studio may have received product and/or payment from sponsors.

Here's a peek at some of the fabulous party girls who attended! It was so nice to meet many of the wonderful women I interact with on a daily basis! Such a talented, creative group of dreamers! Many more photos to come!

{Free Printables} Gingerbread Men Cookie Recipe & Sweet Treats Tags!

I simply can't believe that nearly two years ago, on a whim I started this blog. What an amazing experience it has been. Never did I think it would turn into what it is. I couldn't be happier sharing my ideas and designs!
My very first post was about the Gingerbread Men Cookies that my mom & I made at Christmas time. It's crazy, but I have had so many readers asking for the recipe from that 2008 post! The recipe was from Food Network and I thought I would create a printable page for it, along with some free printable tags for your sweet treats this season! Below are the cookies from that post two years ago! Little did I know that creating tags similar to these would turn into a successful business!

My mom & I will be making these again this week...and I can't wait because I have been craving them!
If you make them, I would love to see and share your photos!

Click here to download the RECIPE PAGE

Click here to download SWEET TREATS TAGS

Enjoy!

PS. We just hit 14,000 fans on Facebook!
Thank you for sharing The TomKat Studio with your friends!

{New Collection} Wizard of Oz Party & Surprise Giveaway with Kate Landers Events!

This is a very exciting day for us! Kate of Kate Landers Events and I recently collaborated on this fabulous Wizard of Oz inspired party! We have been talking about this project for months and it is so rewarding to see it all come together beautifully courtesy of Kate's styling talent. Kate & I had the opportunity to meet in September at the Martha Stewart Blogger's Night Out in NYC. She is an absolute doll. I'm so glad to have gotten to know her while we worked closely on this project together. I can tell you she is nothing sort of perfection. Always sweet as can be and so detailed in everything she does, she is a truly a class act. We are both so thrilled that the photos debuted yesterday on Sweet Designs by Amy Atlas! Today, Kate & I are both sharing more photos and details, along with surprise giveaways!

Kate & I discussed ideas for the paper goods designs. She loves the silhouette collections that I have done in the past and asked about including a Dorothy silhouette. Of course, I loved that idea and enlisted my friend, Jessica of Pen 'N Paper Flowers to work on the silhouette for me. I sent her the two costume photos for inspiration and she blended them perfectly to create our own signature Dorothy for the party!

Then the fun really began! I created a full collection of items using Dorothy along with her famous blue gingham pattern. Cupcake toppers, favor tags, cake topper, welcome sign, banner, fancy labels...everything you need to embellish this party! One of the first things that Kate mentioned was getting sparkly ruby red slippers for each of the girls. I used hints of red throughout the designs, and hand-glittered Dorothy's shoes and accents! Look at the glitter on these cupcake toppers!


Kate & I discussed fabulous vendors that we wanted to have involved in the shoot! One of the most fun parts of this business is discovering talented women creating amazing products. You'll notice both some of my preferred vendors along with Kate's favorite vendors in the photos! (full list at end of post)



Kate took it from there! She planned and executed the party perfectly! She styled a gorgeous dessert table filled with goodies, including many variations of cookies, cupcakes, cake pops & cake!

Kate also styled a sitting table for the girls! Complete with aprons for each girl (with personalized tags!), fabric bunting, ruffled table runner & hats, custom place cards and cupcake centerpieces!

A would like to give a huge THANK YOU to Kate for dreaming up this wonderful collaboration!
It was a pleasure working with you and I can't wait to do it again soon!

I would also love to thank all of the fabulous vendors involved in this project!

Kate Landers Events, LLC : party design & styling, ruffle fabric party hats, custom aprons
The TomKat Studio : printable party designs
Queen of Tarts Cakes : custom dorothy cookies with TomKat graphics
Sweeties By Kim : custom white chocolate covered oreos
Hope's Pantry : strawberry pineapple jam in mini jam jars as favors
Two Sugar Babies : fondant toto and rainbow cupcake toppers
The Cookie Jar : yellow brick, badge of courage, lollipop, hot air balloon & basket cookies
Sweets On A Stick: ruby cake pops
Sweet De Ja Vu: poppy cupcake toppers

Jaime Mancilla: custom fabric bunting
Banner Boutique: custom silk flower & other glam hair accessories
Uncommon Fabrics: custom ruffle trim gingham table runner
Dream Spun Kids: custom pettiskirts {4}
Strawberrie Rose: custom posh petti tutu {1}
Pen N Paper Flowers: collaboration on silhouette
Hailey Rose {brydferth}: custom gingham & other fabric flower hair accessories
Open Shade Studios: photography & studio

The DOROTHY Printable Party Collection
will be available in THE SHOP soon!

ONE MORE THING....

We're hosting a SURPRISE GIVEAWAY sponsored by Kate Landers Events!
Kate is offering our winner a Custom Party Design Consultation! ($150 value)

Kate will work with you to develop a perfect plan for the party theme you are dreaming of!

Here is how to enter:

1) Leave a comment with what your favorite detail is from the party!
2) Become a fan of Kate Landers Events on Facebook! Come back and let us know you are a fan.
3) Become a fan of The TomKat Studio on Facebook! Let us know if you are.

Make sure you leave a separate comment for each entry!

Winner will be chosen on Monday, November 15, 2010 at 11:00pm (MST). Any entries received after this time will not be considered. Winner will be chosen using random.org.

Be sure to visit Kate's blog post to hear about all of the details in her words and ENTER TO WIN a $50 shop credit to The TomKat Studio!

UPDATE:

The winner is..........

COMMENT #36 Cortnieb

She said "How can I possibly pick one favorite detail?? I loved every teeny tiny detail!!!! From the bails of straw on the dessert table to the ruby slippers on the girls!!! If I had to pick one it would be honestly.....The dessert table in it's entirety (is that a word or how it's spelled??!!) I LOVE how every detail of the movie is spelled out in cookie or cupcake form...like LOVE!!!!! AMAZING job ladies!!!!! You inspire me to go forward with my dream of being a party planner...THANK YOU!!!! :)"

Congrats and best of luck to you! Please contact toni@thetomkatstudio.com to claim your fabulous prize!

{Fabulous Friday Giveaway} Win $50 to The Cookie Jar & $50 to Polka Dot Market!

UPDATE!!

We have a winner!
The winner is....
COMMENT #201 - Stacy @ She's {Kinda} Crafty
She said...."Those ladybug cookies would have been perfect for my daughter's first birthday!"
Well Stacy, I'm sure you can find something fabulous for her next birthday! 
Please email me at toni@thetomkatstudio.com to claim your prize!

photos courtesy of kathy scoffield

Happy Friday, TomKat readers!
It's Toni again bringing you our lastest Fabulous Giveaway!
Do you have a party in the works? Maybe you are planning a fantastic Halloween Party using all of the fun items from our new Halloween Collection? Well, you are in luck! Our giveaway this week will help make your party even more fabulous!

This week, we have TWO items to give to a lucky reader! First up, is a $50 shop credit to The Cookie Jar! We have worked with The Cookie Jar on two recent parties - Isabelle's Bubble Gum Party & my twins' Surf Party! Lisa at The Cookie Jar is very talented and even creates her own cookie cutters! You dream it, she can make it! Head on over to her shop and take a look at all of her wonderful creations!

photo courtesy of kate bogot photography

Next up is a $50 credit to Polka Dot Market! Polka Dot Market is a name you have a few times here on The TomKat Studio! Sally is the sweet mom behind the company and we love working with her! We used her gorgeous Organza Polka Dot Lanterns at our recent Surf party and you may remember them from our Alice in Wonderland photo shoot with Laura Winslow! Polka Dot Market was also a big contributor to Kate McRae's Birthday last December.

photo courtesy of laura winslow

Who wants to WIN? Here is how to enter:

1) Head over to The Cookie Jar and tell us your favorite cookie she has on display OR tell us what fun cookie you would like for your event!

2) Check out Polka Dot Market and tell us what item would make your party perfect!

3) Become fans of BOTH The Cookie Jar and Polka Dot Market on Facebook. Leave them some TomKat love!

Please leave a separate comment for each entry. And, remember, if you are commenting as anonymous, please leave your contact info!

Winner will be chosen on Wednesday, September 15, 2010 at 11:00pm (MST). Any entries received after this time will not be considered. Open to US residents only. Winner will be chosen using random.org

Good luck!
Have a wonderful weekend!

{Real Parties} Toni's Twins' Surf Birthday Party!

I am so excited to share this party with you today! My assistant, Toni went ALL out for her twins' 13th birthday party this year! I can't tell you how proud I am of her party planning skills! I recently designed this new surf collection for another fabulous customer with twins, and it was perfect for this twin party, too! I am so impressed with all of the details of this party! Absolutely amazing job, Toni! The gorgeous photos by Kathy Scoffield capture everything beautifully!

Hi all! It's Toni here with all of the details......

Backyard Decor:

I was lucky enough that I had a dear friend who owns all of these tables, chairs and linens that happened to match perfectly with the colors of the party! She also let me borrow the adorable monkeys that I used as centerpieces. I was also able to get some great deals on luau decor from several stores as they were clearing out all of their Summer items! Lucky me! These beautiful lanterns were courtesy of Polka Dot Market! They were perfect!

Cool idea:
We rented a Slushie Machine, and gave the kids each two "drink tickets" that were in their cups waiting for them on the tables!

The Food:

Corndogs, fresh fruit kabobs and individual size snack bags were easy and perfect for the kids! The snack bags contained Beach Bunny Bites (caramel popcorn), Bahama Mama Mix (Munchies Snack Mix) and The Big Cheese Daddy (cheese puffs)! All topped with custom labels from The TomKat Studio, of course! The cute scalloped bags are from Walmart and it was perfect that the kids could just pick out their favorite snack. I got this idea from here. (We had a lot of grown-ups here as well, so we had "grown up" food inside the house!)

Yummy Cupcakes:

What else could I possible serve other than cupcakes?! Courtney & I spent all week baking 5 different varieties...two of which were actually from scratch, thanks to Bakerella and Barefoot Contessa! Courtney and my friend, Wendy spent time together frosting all of these babies on Saturday afternoon! I think Courtney has a real knack for baking! The cupcakes were adorned with TomKat Studio Party Circles and drink umbrellas. So cute!

Fabulous Favors:

Oh...the cookies! They were simply beautiful! Beach balls, beach umbrellas, flip flops and sunglasses! All in bright colors to match the party! The guests - adults and kids alike - could not stop talking about how adorable they were. A big thank you to The Cookie Jar for your creativity! Of course, they were wrapped with a bow and a TomKat Studio favor tag!

My two beautiful children who came into this world 13 years ago.

Happy Birthday Courtney & Connor!

Toni, you did an exceptional job on this party! I know your children are the most important thing in the world to you and I am sure they enjoyed every minute! Absolutely beautiful job! XOXO, Kim

Sources:

Printable Party Supplies: The TomKat Studio
Fabric Polka Dot Lanterns: Polka Dot Market
Custom Cookies: The Cookie Jar

{Cupcake Monday} Halloween Sneak Peek!

photo courtesy of Glory Albin

Glory from Glorious Treats and I have been chatting about doing a project together! We first "met" online last year when I asked permission to use her gorgeous Snowflake Cupcake photo in an inspiration post for a snowflake birthday party! We recently tossed around some ideas and decided to work together on one of my new HALLOWEEN printable collections! I sent Glory all of the files and she worked her magic with baking cupcakes and treats to showcase my designs! Stay tuned for the full post tomorrow!

This collection will be available in the shop later this week, with an introductory sale as usual!

On Friday, I am shooting an additional Halloween collection with a fabulous photographer, and it will be perfect for your adult or girls' night out Halloween events! Are you excited? I sure am!

photo courtesy of Glory Albin

{Alice in Wonderland Photo Shoot} Welcome to Our Wonderland!

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of collaborating on a creative photo shoot with Laura Winslow Photography. I was asked to style an Alice in Wonderland tablescape and surroundings. Giddy with excitement, I rolled out of bed at 4:15am to load up the car and head to the shoot. It was held at the estate of a well known family in our area. It couldn't have been more gorgeous! What an experience! The entire shoot went off without a glitch, thanks to Laura's organization and fabulous attitude. The girls (and one boy!) showed off gorgeous clothing and accessories. The flowers and baked goods topped off the table perfectly!

I never imagined it would turn out quite this beautiful.....

Thank you to all of the fabulous vendors involved in the styling portion of the shoot!

Photographer :: Laura Winslow (Gilbert)
Tablescape Styling/Accessories & Party Goods :: The TomKat Studio (Chandler)
Cupcakes & Cookies :: Decadent Delights (Gilbert)
Poms, Lanterns, Napkins, Cups & Paper Plates :: Polka Dot Market
Flowers :: Zuzu's Petals (Mesa)
Hair Accessories :: Dolce Vita Mia (Gilbert)
Tutus :: Tiny Belles Boutique

To view MORE PHOTOS and a complete list of clothing & additional sources,
please visit Laura's full post HERE!

The Alice in Wonderland Party Collection is now available in The TomKat Studio SHOP!