Working with Ice The Cake

Since Life's A Celebration was launched back in November 2011 we've had the honour of working with Ice The Cake, a leading UK wedding directory with hand picked credible UK wedding suppliers. 

Sue from Ice The Cake recently made a massive announcement! Ice the Cake has now found a home to call it's own. Sue excitedly announced the launch of the brand new ITC hub.

This is going to be a fabulous showroom of treats, especially for people planning a wedding or special event.

The hub is going to be based in the picturesque village of Edleborough, Buckinghamshire (not far from Whipsnade Zoo). Sue and her team will be converting a gorgeous little barn into something really special.

There is going to be loads of products on display - including our personalised wedding activity bags. So anybody visiting the hub will be able to get loads of inspiration for their special day.

Photography courtesy of Wendy Grant Photography

There's also going to be wedding industry experts running masterclasses on their specialist subjects and loads of wedding planning advice too. Sue will also be inviting craft experts to run craft workshops enabling you to learn new skills such as tiara making, wedding flowers, cake decorating, hair and make up, stationery, first dance rehearsals, singing and loads more.

Photo courtesy of Wendy Grant Photography

Photo courtesy of Wendy Grant Photography

Sue recently hosted an Ice the Cake hub launch to showcase just how fabulous it's going to look ahead of the big launch on 3rd August. If you're in the area and planning a special event I can totally recommend that you pop in. It's going to be fabulous and we know you'll find exactly what you're looking for.

Ice the Cake really is a fabulous resource for anybody planning a special event. If you can't pop along to the new and exciting hub then check them out at www.icethecake.co.uk. It really will be worth it!

Maxine
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We're looking forward to our grand studio launch

This Saturday the Silver Birch Studio will officially open it's doors with a big launch.

As you may or may not know Life's A Celebration has moved into brand spanking new premises with a collection of other lovely businesses also in the events industry.

Based at the studio are;  

• Silver Birch Designs, - designer wedding stationers
• Sara's Kitchen, - bespoke cake maker
• KittyBeth, - handmade button bouquets and chair cover hire
• The Larks, - wedding band
• Silhouette Photography, - wedding photographer

And obviously Life's A Celebration is in there too! We'll have our hen party goodies on display, our range of wedding activity bags for children and some of our other party boxes too.

So if you're a bride-to-be or if you just want a nosey then please pop along to us on Saturday 20th July between 12 and 4. We'll all be there for you to have a chat with us, we have drinks and nibbles and goodie bags to give away too! 

We're a great collection of businesses (well I'm bound to say that aren't I?) and we all look forward to seeing everybody coming through the door.

We're very proud of what we've managed to achieve with our studio and would love for you to pop across and see it for yourself. We're based down Wesley Street in Consett (DH8 5BJ) and you won't be able to miss us on the day!

Hope to see you Saturday!

Maxine

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Children's parties on a budget

Here at Life’s A Celebration we’re on a mission to make your next party as stress free as possible. If you have a child’s party coming up today we’re chatting about how to make them as affordable as possible. Here’s our top tips on how to make the party one to remember but one that won’t break the bank either. Don't forget to set your budget before you start!

1)      Invites – these don’t need to be anything fancy. You could even design them yourself and print them off.  There is a great tool online called Pic Monkey. This is a free tool that allows you to edit your own photos. It’s really straightforward to use with very effective end results. Give it a go!

Coming very soon we’re going to be offering free downloadable invites on our website too. I’ll let you know as soon as they’re ready.

2)      Venue – have a chat with other parents in the school yard and see where they have booked for their children’s party venue. Ring round the local church halls and see what prices they can do. For larger parties this can usually work out as a very cost effective way of doing it. If you are hosting a smaller party then stay at home and do this. Have you seen our blog post about hosting a party at home?

3)      Entertainment – this is normally the most expensive part of a party. However have you thought about doing this yourself? The idea of this fills most parents with dread but it shouldn’t. We were all children once and kids today still like to do the same things that you and I do when we were children. Children love traditional games. If you are struggling for games ideas drop me a line and I’ll send you a free party games pack. Have you also seen our blog post about entertaining the children yourself at aparty?

4)      Take a CD of music to the venue and play music to dance to. Think of ‘action’ songs that the children can dance along to. Songs that are really popular are things like;

• Superman – Black Lace·        
• The Fast Food Song (you know the one……. A Pizza hut, a Pizza hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken  and a Pizza Hut)
• Agadoo – Black Lace
• YMCA
• Gangnam Style (obviously)
• Cha Cha Slide
• Macarena

Stand in front of the kids and do the actions for them. Children love to see grown ups making a fool of themselves. Go on - dance in front of the kids. They’ll love you for it and it’s only 2 hours out of your life!

5)      Craft activities for the children to do. This is a relatively inexpensive way of keeping the children occupied for a long time. Go to your local discount store and buy all kinds of craft materials and paper and get the children gluing, sticking, cutting, colouring. If you’re a parent you’ll know that children will sit and do this for a long time. If you have a party theme then you’ll probably be able to find pictures on line for them to colour in. For example if it’s a princess and pirate party then find some princess and pirate templates online – I guarantee the children will really enjoy this.

6)      Keep the food easy. Children don’t need fancy food. The older the children are the less time they want to sit eating at a party anyway.

7)      Party bags – these don’t have to be expensive. Try and be a bit creative with these too! If you’re going to do craft activities with the children then why not hand out paper bags for the children to decorate themselves then fill them with sweets and a toy before they leave. If you need some help with the party bags then why not give me a shout. We have party bags starting from £1.50 each. We can work any theme and any budget. Why not drop me an email and we’ll have a chat.



Enjoy the tips. And don't forget for all your party supplies all you need to do is get in touch with me.

Maxine
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Children at your wedding

Children at a Wedding

So he’s got down on bended knee, you’re all excited and busy planning your big day and then somebody asks the dreaded question “will you be having children at the wedding?”

There’s no denying that this can sometimes be a bit of a contentious issue; some think it’s an absolute necessity and that weddings are a celebration for all to enjoy whereas others think that having small people running around creating noise and leaving a trail of destruction in their wake doesn’t bear thinking about. The important thing to remember is that neither opinion is right and neither opinion is wrong.

Lots of people are choosing to marry later in life and as such their friends and family may already have children and this can potentially make things more difficult if you feel obliged to invite their children to the Big Day (especially if you don’t want to!). My advice would be to make the decision early and then if you do decide that children are not invited I would make this quite clear on the invites to avoid any confusion. You might even hear a collective cheer from the parents as they have a child free day and can completely enjoy themselves without having tired, bored & grumpy children in tow.

If you decide that children are invited then it might be a good idea to have a think about how you can keep them entertained on the day so they feel included in the celebrations. You’ll find that most children migrate to each other over the course of a day even if they don’t know each other at the beginning of the day and it might be good to provide them with games that they can play together.

All in all my advice would be that your wedding is just that – yours! So you must make the decision that you feel is right for you. If you want children there then invite them if you don’t want children there then don’t. As long as things are dealt with sensitively then most people understand and just want you to have a fantastic day that you will both cherish and remember for the rest of your life.

If you’re looking for things to keep the children at your wedding entertained then why not drop me a line. Here at Life’s A Celebration we have some gorgeous wedding activity bags filled with loads of things for the children to make and do.

If you want to meet with me directly to discuss this then why not pop by my studio at 2-4 Wesley Street, Consett. Drop me an email on maxine@lifesacelebration.co.uk and we’ll pop some time in the diary for you to drop in and chat.

If you’re not local, we work with brides all over the UK. We can work to your colour scheme, budget and how many children will be at your wedding. So why not drop me a line on maxine@lifesacelebration.co.uk and we’ll chat.

Speak to you soon.

Maxine

Friday Fun - 80s pop quiz

Let's have a bit of Friday Fun with our 80s pop quiz. C'mon pull on your leg warmer, grab your stilettos and answer our questions. Email your answers to me and I'll let you know if you're correct! All emails received will get 10% off their next order at Life's A Celebration.

 

1.       Who had a hit in 1986 with `Heartache`?

a.       Pepsi & Shirley 

b.      Tears For Fears

c.       T’Pau

2.       When was Terence Trent Darby’s first album “Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby” released?
a.       February 1987

b.      July 1987

c.       December 1987

3.       Which song contains these lyrics “Clock strikes upon the hour and the sun begins to fade. Still enough time to figure out how to chase my blues away”

a.       Call Me – Spagna

b.      Manic Monday – The Bangles

c .       I Wanna Dance With Somebody – Whitney Houston

 

4. Which female group had their 13th hit in 1987?

a.       The Bangles

b.      Bananarama 

c.       The Pointer Sisters

 

5.       What was the record label set up by The Specials? 

a.       Ghost Town

b.      Coventry

 

c.       2 Tone 

 

6.   What was the bestselling single in 1983?

a.       True – Spandau Ballet

b.      Karma Chamelon - Culture Club 

c.       Save your Love – Renee & Renato

 

7.       What was the bestselling album of the decade?

a.       Thriller – Michael Jackson

b.      Hearts & Bones – Paul Simon

 

c.       Brothers in Arms - Dire Straits  

8.       Which song contains these lyrics “Buying bread from a man in Brussels. He was six foot four and full of muscles. I said 'do you speak-a my language?' He just smiled and gave me a vegemite sandwich.”

a.       Down Under 

b.      The Safety Dance

c.       Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go

 
9.       Which song was the 1st UK number 1 to be written, produced, arranged and all instruments played, by the same person?

a.       Paul Young – Love of the Common People

b.      Alison Moyet – Is this Love

c.       George Michael – A Different Corner  

10.       Which song contains these lyrics “I gotta take a little time, a little time to think things over. I better read between the lines. In case I need it when I'm older.”

a.       I Want to Know What Love is - Foreigner 

b.      What’s Love Got To Do With It? – Tina Turner

c.       Rain or Shine – Five Star

Hope you've enjoyed our Friday Fun Quiz!
Maxine
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Planning for the North East Baby and Toddler Show

Our studio is a hive of activity and I am excited! On 16th March I will be taking myself off to The North East Baby and Toddler show. This event starts the beginning of a new year for Life's A Celebration and I'm really looking forward to meeting all the parents, parents-to-be, grandparents and other exhibitors.

We will be offering loads of freebies and special discounts on the day!

I am busy putting together 100 party bags for the first 100 people that sign up to our mailing list, organising organza bags filled with mini eggs for those people that purchase or pre-book a party box on the day.

We've got a giant baby bottle filled with Jelly Babies and whoever gets the number of Jelly Babies correct will receive a special prize!

We're also going to be offering loads of special discounts for products bought on the day too.

All in all, loads of freebies up for grabs and loads of money off too!

 

It's also been a scurry of activity getting our new business address onto our flyers. My daughter has been roped into this task! Payment will be mini eggs!

The stand that I've taken is 1m x 3m and I've also been busy designing posters to put on the booth behind me.

Here are a few of the designs. What do you think?

 

They will be sent to the printers (hopefully) today.

There are going to be loads of exhibitors at the event including my friends The Cool Rule Company and Magic Mummies.

I will be there all day and will have plenty of baby shower party boxes and birthday party boxes for the little ones. I will also be taking orders for our other products so if anybody is getting married and needs something to entertain the children on the day or if anybody has a grown up birthday party coming up.

 

I will also be personalising party bags for the kids on the day!

If you have a special event coming up and needs some friendly hints and tips then pop across and have a chat. I'm always happy to give you party ideas and will help you wherever I can.
 

I really love events like this that give businesses a chance to get out and meet some lovely families.

 

Massive thanks to my friend Carrie Dennison from Press for Design. She has worked tirelessly with me designing the stand and will be there with me for setting up the booth.

 

So if you're in the North East on 16th March then pop along to the North East Baby and Toddler Show at Newcastle Falcons, NE13 8AF and say hi!

See you there.

 

Maxine

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Mother's Day Guest Blogger - Fran from Perspective

We're still celebrating all the mums in business out there. Mother's Day is rapidly approaching and we have our fabulous Mother's Day Bags available to buy for only £9.99. These colourable bags come with a pack of fabric pens so the kids can make a totally unique present for mum. Just click on the buy now tab above.

Today we're chatting to my good friend Fran from Perspective Business Centres. Have a read about what she has to say about The Joys of Working from Home. 
 

"I'm Fran Williams and, for my sins, I'm MD of 2 local businesses; a wife and a mum to a teenage daughter, 4 dogs, 3 cats and an alpaca! 

Having done the 'career woman' bit, I took stock of my life 10 years ago and, as a newly single mum, decided that something had to change.  I'd spent the first 6 years of my daughter's life working full-time.  Now it was time to redress the balance …

I decided it would be lovely to work from home, and I set up a payroll and bookkeeping business.  It was a perfect scenario.  I got to do the school runs, and to go to sports days and nativity plays and never got that guilt thing that working mums get.  Most of my clients were local, so I simply worked between 9.00 am – 3.00 pm, so I could be a perfect mum to my little girl.  It also meant that I could be there if Jennifer was poorly.

My clients were lovely, and I had a great time working from their premises or homes.  Always well look after by my clients, it was back to a stark reality on those days I was working from my own office (when I say office, I mean the room between the living room and the 'lean-to' kitchen – I think the proper term is dining room, but that's just semantics).  Don't get me wrong, my office was lovely and the view of the back garden was super.  The view into the kitchen of my Cavalier King Charles spaniel fast asleep in the sink was a small distraction.  It wasn't all bad, as the dog didn't always sleep in the sink.  Sometimes he slept on my desk, keeping my papers tidy and performing other office junior type roles.

Bored with only a dim spaniel for company during the day, and needing some intelligent conversation, I decided I needed to get out of the house more and found a part-time job.  Perfect.

Except now I couldn't fit my clients' work into 6 hours a day.  Never mind, there was always the weekends and evenings, and clients could drop their books off at my home.  Fantastic.  But did I really want clients visiting my home, particularly when I had a small child in the house?  Not ideal, but ok. 

Fast-forward 10 years.

Hubby and I have just launched a new business centre in Consett.  One of the main markets we are reaching out to is people who don't want (or can't afford) a full-time office of their own.  They maybe want a hot desk for a day, or an office one day a week.

I wish I'd been able to hot desk 10 years ago!

During Consett's snowmageddon in January 2013, I conducted an experiment and worked from home for a day.

I started work in my office at 7.00 am (ok, dining room) and all was fantastic for at least 2 hours until the dog fell asleep on my work papers.  Said dog then decided to search my briefcase and found some goodies, which he sat on and distracted me by glowering all morning.  Lunchtime came and went.  At 2 pm, I went into the living room to work on some social media – horizontal social media, on the sofa.  At 5 pm, hubby returned home and somehow I was still on a horizontal plane.

Yes, working for yourself is fantastic and working from home can work amazingly well.  What I have learnt is that sometimes it is nice to have some professional space, where your dog can't be a paperweight or a distraction!  For anyone curious enough, Barbilla the alpaca is on livery.  Just as well because she is so adorable, I would never get any work done."

 

The Perspective team in the break-out zone - no spaniels in sight!

                                    (l-r Simon Williams, Joy Williams, Fran Williams)

Fran Williams, Perspective Business Centres Ltd

www.perspectivebusinesscentres.com  info@perspectivebusinesscentres.com 

Tel:    01207 585843

Thanks for your words Fran. I was honoured to get an invite to the launch of the Perspective Business Centre and I can honestly say it is fantastic. The team are so welcoming and have created a lovely environment in which you could work.

Speak to you soon my friends.

Maxine
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