Halloween Styling

Good afternoon everyone! Yesterday I spent my day decorating this lovely mantle-piece in preparation for Halloween  next week, so I thought I would share it with you all to give you some ideas or inspiration for your own home. 

With a few props, some creepy cloth and a couple of candles it is very simple to create a spooky scene to get you in the mood for this holiday! 

Army Survival Party

This week the team planned and designed a fantastic army/survival party and sweetie table for a very lucky little boy and his friends and family.

We collected a lot of colour coordinated sweets, as well as some pretty nasty treats for the table including edible barbecued centipedes, chocolate covered crickets and some lollipops with a surprise ingredient.. 

We wanted to keep the table as natural and lifelike as possible, so on Wednesday I managed to track down some great logs from Epping Forest to make our tree trunk cake stands which I am completely in love with..

Wall Designs

Good Afternoon! 

I am in the middle of a little redecorating at the moment as I have recently moved house so I thought it might be a good idea to show you one of my favourite wall design ideas.

With so many different ideas available on the internet, and online tutorials to follow, it is incredibly easy and fun to do some DIY when it comes to redecorating. The following photographs all come from some of my favourite blogs; dearest someday, a Beautiful Mess, Ferm Living and April and May.

DIY Wall Stamps or Stickers

Beautiful polka dot wall by 'dearest someday'

DIY Party Hats

After last weeks 'madhatter tutorial' I felt inspired to do a little research on more party hat ideas and tutorials. I love designing tailored hats for our parties, not only do they add another design element to our tea tables, but they also look fantastic for the photographs afterwards. There is nothing sweeter than a long bespoke tea table filled with children wearing pom pom party hats or lace crowns whilst eating off their matching melamine plates and drinking from their stripy or polka-dot paper straws. The children become part of the design which really makes for some beautiful photography and lasting memories..

Below i have attached a few of my favourites with links to tutorials so that you can make your very own hats! Enjoy...

These beautiful pom pom hats would look really lovely at any party. These hats are available from American retailer 'Shop Sweet Lulu' (link) however, I urge you to try and make your own- its great fun!

I absolutely love this 'sock monkey' hat. Would be brilliant for a first birthday...
Tutorial

Pretty, pretty, pretty, A beautiful design for a summer garden party, (especially now as summer appears to be on its way at last!)
Tutorial 

I love these lace crown designs. I recently made 30 for a 'Once Upon a Time' party and loved how they looked on the table and on the heads of all the little princesses
Tutorial 

A really lovely design for a cowboy and indian party, or peter pan and the lost boys!
Tutorial

These hats will make any little girl feel like a princess. An 'enchanted fairytale' theme party would be perfect ..
Tutorial

I hope you have enjoyed this post and have a lovely week!

Talk soon,

Zahra xxx

Mad Hatter Tea Party Hat Tutorial

After making a pom pom party hat for my little dog this weekend (it was his 9th birthday, I promise I don't dress him up normally!) I started to research different party hat ideas to make at home. This one was my favourite by far, so I have decided to share this with you, enjoy!

(For the full instructions, please click here)

I hope you have a lovely day, 

Zahra x

Perfect Party Favours...

When deciding on the best gifts to give your guests, there are so many different possibilities it can be difficult to choose the ideal favour. This blog entry will focus on some of my favourites to show you a few ideas that are slightly different to hopefully give you some ideas to use for your next party...

These beautiful cake pop boxes come in a variety of colours and could be an incredibly pretty memento of your party

I love these DIY bubble gifts!  The stickers can easily be personalised for your own unique message, meaning they can be used for just about any party theme!

A different but very beautiful idea in my opinion. Fresh strawberries and scones with clotted cream, these would be perfect for a garden party!

if you have your perfect gift in mind, and just looking for a pretty party bag then why not copy this beautiful design?  You can either make your own or simply decorate a plain bag using ribbon and natural twine. Would be great for a 'shabby-chic' theme.

I love these ballerina party bags made using tulle netting. Such a pretty idea, and a bag that i'm sure your little guests will want to re-use over again and again.

A different idea again could be these 'cupcakes or cookies in a jar'. This particular idea has become fairly popular in the last year, and with the possibility to use any recipe it can be different every time. From my own experience, children simply love baking and will no doubt leave your party very excited to get cracking on with these homemade treats.

Following on from the jar idea... Popcorn is an incredibly healthy treat (with the right topping ofcourse) and is also great fun to make. Ofcourse you can add any topping you like.. melted chocolate and raisins, parmesan, sugar and cinnamon...I make popcorn almost every night drizzled with honey and a touch of salt.. messy but delicious! 

I found this photo about a year ago and have been dying to recreate these party bags.. however no one as of yet has had a party theme that I could use them for... I just really like them, such a fun a different idea! My little cousin Noah (he is 3) recently decided to attempt to leave home (he was grounded I think and in a huff..) and made himself one of these before asking my uncle to give him a lift to the train station, fortunately he changed his mind when realising he had no money but it gave me the idea of using these for a vintage train party.. I think the possibility of someone having a hobo-themed party in Central London is a little farfetched.. 

simply but lovely idea for an arts and craft party.

And finally these fantastic 'Neverland/Lost Boys' party bags. Such a simple idea that would look fantastic on any table. Ofcourse this idea can be tailored to any type of party just by simply choosing a different felt shape.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post, as always if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me on zahra@lesenfants.co.uk.

Speak soon!

Zahra x

Pom Poms, Streamers (and everything in between!)

Good morning everyone! Here in the office, when it comes to decorating our parties, we are always on the look out for new and exciting ideas. The post today will focus on a few of my personal favourite decorations to hang up, as well as a couple of links to online tutorials to help you make your own. 

Pom Poms

Pom poms are a very popular choice when it comes to styling our parties. With so many different varieties  of colours, materials and styles, these can look very effective regardless of theming, age or gender. The trick is to be patient with them, and take the time to 'fluff' them out properly for their full effect.

Tulle (or netting) pom poms are probably my favourite, because of their delicate appearance. These decorations would be perfect for a garden party or little girls 'princess' or 'ballerina' themed party.

Tissue pom poms are the most commonly used and are incredibly easy to make. For detailed instructions please click here.

I have yet to use wool pom poms to decorate a party (these are usually slightly smaller so for a party would be best in a garland), however I have just finished making some for my home and thought it would be a shame not to include them!

Bunting

Bunting is another great way to add something extra to your party with very little cost involved. Bunting can easily be transformed into a banner for a personalised backdrop, or simply hung to give your party a pretty, vintage feel.

Whether you are after a country style garden party..

..a shabby-chic birthday or a simple backdrop.

Japanese washi tape is also great to use to create mini bunting.

Balloons

When thinking about ceiling decorations, balloons will not be the first thing that pops (ha!) into your mind- however if you are looking for a cheaper option to a hanging lantern, or just something different, this could be it.

 Simply place a marble inside a balloon and attach some ribbon or string and you have yourself a very pretty decoration! With so many different options of balloons available, it would be a shame not to experiment.

Lace Lanterns

I recently bought myself a whole load of vintage lace doilies with the idea to make this next suggestion for my living room, however- if you have a little time on your hands it could also be used as a very pretty party prop. 

 Once assembled, simply place a battery light candle inside from a lovely warm atmosphere at your next party. (Full instructions here)

Streamers

Although sceptical at first (I thought they were a little tacky...) with so many different possibilities, if done properly, streamers are an excellent and beautiful way of decorating your party. 

Whether your using as a backdrop,

creating a chandelier 

or hanging from the ceiling

streamers have the ability to be that 'wow' factor that your looking for.

I hope you have enjoyed this post, please continue to send me questions or suggestions for my next post,

speak soon!

Zahra xxx

Love is in the art...

Valentine Crafts

Valentines day is finally upon us. If you have been following my previous posts your house will be decorated and your party food will be prepared (perhaps..) and now your wondering how to entertain the kids, keeping in mind the traditional game of 'spin the bottle' may not be best appropriate.

Valentines day, for me anyway, is always associated with craft projects. Theres nothing like saying 'I Love You' by creating something unique and personal for your loved ones, something that money can't buy. Below I have explained a few projects for children to enjoy, and then a couple more tricky ones for you...

Beautiful, handmade, valentines bunting. With a little help from a grown up, this could make a fun Valentines day activity. Extremely cheap to create, and easy to do and once finished, your child will be extremely proud to hang this in their bedroom.
The simple instructions

Cookie Decorating.  A great party activity for your children to get creative. A sprinkle of Icing sugar,  a dash of food colouring and some small sweeties such as jelly tots, millions or chocolate drops work best on top for small children. Of course you can cut a few corners and buy plain heart cookies from any of the leading supermarket stores or you can bake your own using a heart cookie cutter.
Delicious sugar cookie recipe

Button cards. So easy to create, but really effective. Have a raid through your old sewing box and collect as many unusual buttons as possible. 

The kids can get stuck in stirring, and pouring  this sweet-smelling mixture and with just a few simple ingredients, they make a lovely little gifts for classmates!
Handmade soap recipe 

A few crafty ideas for the grown ups...

These beautiful ribbon-laced cards from Martha Stewart would make a beautiful card, or display if framed for around your home. Slightly more tricky, so I would keep this one for the grown ups.

Transfer your favourite photo onto a block of wood for a different take on popular canvas hangings. It does take a little while to do, however i managed to reduce a 6ft 6 man to tears with mine last year so I know from experience it is a great present! (see mine below)

There are plenty of written instructions on how to do this, but the easiest one is in the form of a video tutorial, 

I hope you enjoy!

Video tutorial 

I hope this entry has inspired you to get creative this Valentines day! No matter how you choose to spend it, I hope you all have a wonderful day and please let me know if you try any of my suggestions, I would love to see them! 

Lots of love and speak soon, 

Zahra xxx

Love is in the air...

Valentines day is just two short weeks away, giving us enough time to decide how we want to spend the day. No matter what you decide, there are plenty of ideas out there to inspire even the busiest of people.

Whether you choose to decorate your house, hold a party, create a special card for a loved one or just rustle up some tasty treats with the kids, I hope the following entries will be of some help to you. I have searched the internet for the best ideas and will have great pleasure in sharing these with you over the next couple of days.

Valentines Party Ideas

Decoration  

With some pink streamers, a couple of balloons and some paper fans a room can be transformed into a beautiful and classic Valentines setting

This Valentines tea table is perfect, i especially love the poms poms attached to the wall!

I simple love these love heart balloons, (see link below)
http://www.partydecorate.co.uk/product-catalogue/Heart_Shaped_Balloons

With some hessian, paint, string and a glue gun you can easily make this lovely bunting which could make a lovely addition to your Valentines party, whats more the kids will have a great time painting personalised designs

However, if you feel more capable these felt heart garlands  may take a bit more time to create, but are incredibly pretty!

This beautiful valentines table has such a simple yet, beautifully effective backdrop that is incredible easy to replicate with a few envelopes, a ruler and some masking tape

 I love this idea for a photo-booth during your party, of course this requires a bit more DIY but the photos at the end will surely be worth it (once hung they can also be used for future Valentines decorations!)

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us via facebook or email (stylist@lesenfants.co.uk) for further suggestions. Over the following days I will be suggesting delicious valentines treats ( both healthy and not so much...) as well as drinks, valentines party games and ideas for homemade cards, 

in the mean time I hope you all have a lovely weekend and I will speak to you soon, 

Zahra xxx

A New Beginning

Good afternoon! Here at 'Les Enfants' we have been a tad slow in our blog updates- the Christmas period was extremely busy and kept us all on our toes.

Before I let you all have a sneak peak of our Christmas events I would like to introduce myself. My name is Zahra Noble, I am 23 and the newest member to the 'Les Enfants' team.

I am originally from Edinburgh, but moved to London in order to study 'Events Management' at Greenwich University. I have been decorating shop windows within my families company for many years and love coming up with new and original ideas. Previous to working with 'Les Enfants' I styled and decorated many friends and families themed parties. One example of this could be my own 21^st enchanted forest theme party which was held in a large, empty barnyard in the Scottish countryside ( photos below). I spent weeks creating tables out of tree trunks I found in the forest, covered the longer tables in turf (which turned out to be a very messy job!) managed to some how build a swing inside and covered the entire ceiling in cherry blossom and lanterns. It is creativity and design that I really enjoy, and I love the idea of taking a blank canvas and completely transforming a space to create something unique and personal.

When I joined 'Les Enfants' after completing my degree I was immediately attracted to the original and personalised styling that appears in every one of their parties. However, I happened to join at the most hectic time of the year, Christmas! so my stamina was definitely tested!

We had a brilliant Christmas period, but I have to admit I am very happy to wave goodbye to the holiday season and begin planning new and exciting 

parties in 2013.

Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions or queries, and please look out for our next instalment! 

Speak soon! 

Zahra xxx