Welcome to Party Tip Tuesday! Today I’m excited to introduce you to Holly with Mimi’s Dollhouse. Her party printables have been featured on Moms & Munchkins a few times so you may already be familiar with her work. If her name sounds familiar, it could be because her Pretty Penguin Party was recently featured on Kara’s Party Ideas, Catch My Party and others. She has such creative ideas for party printables, decor, food and more. Today she’ll tell us a bit more about herself, Mimi’s Dollhouse and provide tips for bringing out your own creative side. We have a lot to share today so let’s jump right in to our interview with Holly!
1) What is Mimi’s Dollhouse?
Mimi’s Dollhouse is a printable party shop devoted to inspiring unique and stylish parties. I try to keep my party packages affordable and easy to use so that anyone, regardless of their level of comfort with do-it-yourself and crafting, can throw an amazing party. While I often do graphic design for businesses, corporate events, weddings and bridal showers…I specialize in children’s parties and baby showers.
2) How long have you been designing parties?
I started designing parties about 8 years ago, but only for myself and close friends. I began to branch out after my oldest daughter was born to help other people with their parties. It wasn’t until my younger daughter was born and I decided that I wanted to stay home with my girls, that I really made it a business. Best. Decision. Ever.
3) When did you know you had a passion for designing parties?
When I was planning my daughter’s second birthday party. It was Mickey Mouse Clubhouse themed and I hand made EVERYTHING from the cupcakes to the party hats. It was all the little details that really got me. How you could take a party from good to WOW with those little details..like what you label the food you serve. Why have just regular pb&j when you can have starfish sandwiches, or plain goldfish when you can have penguin food, or lemonade when you can have Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy?
4) What party theme has been the most fun to design and why?
Honestly, I have enjoyed designing most of my parties. The designs I have especially enjoyed, though, are probably Game Night, Rock-a-bye Baby, Vintage Beach and Pretty Penguin.
Game Night was fun because it incorporated a lot of old board games. I really enjoyed finding ways to work the games into the design. I get a kick out of the challenge.
Rock-a-bye Baby was fun because it was so bright and I loved the rock and roll tie-ins.Vintage Beach and Pretty Penguin I loved doing because they were both inspired by my daughters and had so much of their personalities built into them. It’s hard not to love a design when your 2 year old is pointing at the computer screen shouting “my penguin, my penguin!!”.
5) What tips would you give to a mom who was trying to decide on a party theme for her child?
Think about what your child loves, or what suits them at that particular age and really make it personal. If your son loves NASCAR, do a race car party. If your daughter is super girly, maybe a spa party or a dress-up party. If you have a budding artist, get some art supplies and let the kids have an art show. I think the best parties are those that really highlight what makes the birthday boy or girl special.
6) Do you have any tips for easy & creative party decorations?
Printable are awesome (and not just because I sell them)!! There are so many ways you can use printables. Cupcake Toppers, for example, are not just cupcake toppers. They can be used on cups, bottles, glass jars, napkin rings, favors, and much more.
The other printable secret weapon is the water bottle label. You can wrap a water bottle label around favor boxes, jars, silverware rolls and many other items. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box when using them.
The other party tip I have is to think about your party background. This is especially important if you plan to photograph your party. Be aware of wall decorations, windows, and televisions when setting up a party spread. A simple white sheet can go a long way if hung behind the party table to disguise whatever you have hanging on your wall. I see a lot of party photos that would be great if that television wasn’t on in the background!
7) Do you have any tips on how to brainstorm creative ideas for a party?
The internet has a wealth of information. You can Google just about any party theme and get a crazy amount of ideas and of course, there is Pinterest. I’ve lost many an hour looking at ideas on Pinterest.
When I settle on a theme for a party, I like to sit down a make a list of all the phrases and words that I can think of that go with that theme. This often helps me when I start coming up with food and activity ideas. Maybe its the teacher in me…but bubble maps are GREAT tools and super useful for organizing yourself. I’m a list maker too, so I always have party checklists to help make sure I don’t forget anything.
Photos for Game Night and Rock-a-bye Baby Parties courtesy of Bridgey Widgey.
Photos for Vintage Beach and Pretty Penguin Party courtesy of Rachel K Photography.
All other photos courtesy of Holly with Mimi’s Dollhouse.
We’d like to send a big Thank You to Holly for being featured in this Party Tip Tuesday! Be sure to check out the links to her social media accounts (top right hand side of the Mimi’s Dollhouse website) to keep updated on all of the fabulous ideas & printables.
Do you have party related questions that you’d like me to ask an expert? Do you have a favorite expert that you’d love to see featured? Please contact me to let me know!
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this is totally inspiring, love the photos of the fun parties!
Those are amazing!! I’m definitely checking that out for my DD’s birthday in March!
I am in awe of people who are so creative this way. Her parties look fantastic!
My daughter turns three this year and it will be here first party with any real “theme”. I think at 1 and 2 she really wouldn’t have cared so I couldn’t justify the work and expense of doing anything elaborate just for myself (except for the cakes, those I put hours into). However, she now has very specific ideas about what she wants so I’m looking forward to trying to make her birthday party vision a reality. She’s all about the princess (Cinderella to be exact). Lucky for me she has picked an easy theme!
Love, love, love these ideas!! I’m pretty crafty and I can totally see myself doing some of these parties! Thanks for sharing… I’m bookmarking her site!
Yes, Holly has beautiful ideas! She’s always sharing creative content on Facebook as well. She really has a special talent for tracking down fabulous ideas. 🙂