{MICKEY MOUSE 1st BIRTHDAY} Hand-Painted Mickey Letters

Well, talk about a little cutie! This little guy recently turned the big ONE, and Mickey Mouse and all of his friends were there to help him celebrate.

Olivia had contacted us a while back on our Etsy shop about creating these letters for her son's birthday photos. What a cutie!

We can create these letters in a variety of colors, and we can even change up the letters and characters used. Check out the Etsy listing here.

A note from Olivia:

Just wanted to say thank you very much! They were perfect and the colors are beautiful. I used them for my sons birthday pictures and it just completed the image to perfection. Ive been getting so many compliments on them. His party is next weekend and I plan on making them the center piece! Once again, thanks. Your promptness and creativity are the reasons I love shopping on Etsy :) -Olivia

We really do have some of the sweetest customers! It's such a joy to create something that we love, but that our customers love too. Thank you!

Anna

{REAL WEDDINGS} Just Married in Fall Colors

Good afternoon, everyone! It has been a while since I have posted, but today I'm sharing something truly special.

Our friend Katie recently married Mikel, her high school sweetheart. They had such a touching ceremony, and we were delighted to have been able to witness it. {Let's just say I'm glad I had some tissues!}

We were happy to have created a couple of custom banners for their big day, including this "Just Married" banner, photographed by the very talented Steadfast Media located in Evansville, Indiana. Check out their website (http://steadfastmedia.net) or their Facebook page for more info.

Katie and Mikel, we wish you nothing but the best for your future together!

Thanks for looking!

Anna

{WEDDING BANNER} "Join Us" Banner in Invitation Photo

I have always loved black and white photos. They are so beautiful, and every detail just seems to pop. 

Now, I'm no photo expert by any means, but I knew I loved what I saw when our Etsy shop customer Nicole sent in this gorgeous photo!

She and her fiance, Jason, are getting married in March, and she had requested this special banner to be used for a photo to send out with their wedding invitations. We worked with Nicole to create this custom banner in their wedding colors of champagne and navy blue. 

From Nicole: "Thanks so much for the great banner and for all the great customer service while it was being made. I will definitely use you in the future and recommend to friends. Thanks again!!"

This photo was taken by Brian Wagoner in Atlanta.

Thank you, Nicole, for sharing this beautiful photo! Best wishes to you both!

Anna

{HOLIDAY BANNER} Merry Christmas and a Beach Honeymoon! And a Sale, too!

I'm so happy today to be sharing a photo from a great customer on Etsy!

Last year, Lance contacted us on Etsy wishing to buy one of our "Merry Christmas" banners. He and his fiance were planning to use the banner on their honeymoon in Maui last June!

I was beyond excited to hear about such a great idea! And Lance was kind enough to share the photo with us.

He said the banner worked out perfectly, and we couldn't agree more! What a wonderful way to wish friends and family a very Merry Christmas!

It just so happens that a similar banner is included right now in our friends Handmade Holidays sale on Facebook! The sale is hosted by Andrea at Snickerdoodle Kids Art. Go on over and check it out!

If you miss out on the Handmade Holidays sale but would still like to purchase a "Merry Christmas" banner, you can check it out on our Banana Lala Etsy shop.

Thanks for looking! And happy holidays!

Anna

{REAL LIFE PARTIES} Happy Halloween!

Happy {early} Halloween, everyone!

We know it's a tad early to wish ghoulish holiday greetings, but we wanted to share the setup Mikaelah prepared for her Halloween party last year in 2011.

The party's color scheme included orange, purple, lime green and black. I just love that little owl Mikaelah displayed along with the party's treats ... and tricks!

The banner was custom made by your's truly. What a fun backdrop for any Halloween party: "No tricks, just treats!"

The party treats included yummy cupcakes and an amazingly good caramel apple dip. {Linked to original source here}

Happy Halloween! And thanks for looking!

Anna

{Real Parties} Choo, choo! Bryson is TWO!

All aboard! ... Little Bryson recently celebrated the big T-W-O with a train themed birthday party! Here are a couple of the decorations we created to go along with the party theme:

Train Celebration Banner

(This one was all Mikaelah's idea, and I love the way she did it!)

Train Party Door Sign

"Choo, choo! Bryson is two!"

Happy birthday, Bryson! And thank you, Susan, for sharing these pictures from your little guy's party!

Anna

{Happy Birthday Etsy Shop!} One Year Later

One year ago today, my sister Mikaelah and I took a big leap and opened our Banana Lala shop on Etsy. 

We have been so blessed to be able to create custom party decorations for those memorable moments in life. Weddings. Birthdays. Baby showers. Anniversaries. It is such an honor to create for these special celebrations.

It's still hard to believe that people want to purchase the items that we are creating. {Really! You want to buy our decorations!?} That was one of the things I kept thinking about when we took the leap a year ago. It was weird to think about how people outside of our close friends and family would want us to create something for them. 

One year and 170 Etsy sales later, we are loving every minute of our Banana Lala work and couldn't be more thankful. This business has allowed my sister and I to use our creativity to help others, and it has allowed me work as a stay-at-home mom to my little girl.

Thank you, everyone, for your support this past year! Being able to do this means the world to us!

Anna and Mikaelah

{Birthday Party} Monster Party for 1-year-old Kyle

Little Kyle recently turned the big O-N-E! We've talked before about just how special a child's first birthday is. That first year flies by incredibly fast. {Faster than most of us would like!}

So we were so happy when Betsy contacted us to create custom decorations for her little guy. He was having a monster party in the colors of royal blue and orange. These little monster decals and and themed card stock complete the party theme.

Here is a look at what we created for Kyle:

Party Door Sign

"ONE" High Chair Banner

"Kyle is One" Birthday Banner

We hope you had a great birthday, Kyle! And thank you, Betsy, for letting us create these items for you!

Anna

{Bridal Banners} Mauve, Silver, Black, White and GLITTER

GLITTER and PINK are two words that describe bride-to-be Lynsey pretty well! She came to us to create a few custom banners and a sign for her upcoming wedding in October. She and her groom Jason are having a color scheme consisting of mauve, silver, white and black. {And since she loves glitter, she got LOTS of glitter!} Here is a look at the custom items we made for Lynsey.

"Thank You" banner, a style that can be found here on our Etsy shop

Custom "Happily Ever After" Banner for the Head Table at the Reception

"Here Comes the Bride" sign for her flower girl to carry down the aisle

We loved making each of these items for Lynsey and Jason's big day! And if you're looking for something similar, we would love to create for you, too!

Thanks for looking! And best wishes to the happy couple =)

Anna

{REAL PARTIES} Rainbow Happy Birthdays

There is nothing quite like seeing photos from customers' parties! We recently had two lovely submission photos from two great customers on our Etsy shop. Both hosted Rainbow/Candyland birthday parties, both accented with our handmade banners.

Heather shared this photo of the birthday display she set up using our Rainbow Happy Birthday Banner. 

Loving all the candy she displayed ... check out that lollipop! What a fun party! 

Evelia submitted the above photo of her daughter Ellie's first birthday party. I love how she styled it all, especially with the rainbow colored streamers as a backdrop. LOVE it!

You can check out these banners and so much more on our Etsy shop! http://www.etsy.com/shop/BananaLala

Thanks for looking! And thank you, gals, for sharing these great party photos!

Anna

{Bridal Shower} Pink, Black and White Polka Dots for Natalie

We recently created several decorations for Natalie's bridal shower! We have to admit that we LOVED the theme and color combination: Pink, Black and White and polka dots!

Part of the shower theme also included purses. So you can imagine how excited I became when I found this patterned paper that had purses and high heels. {Oh, yes!}



These banners pretty much sum up the shower: Girlie, Fun and PINK. Here is what we created for Natalie:

"Future Mrs." Banner

Here is how her bridesmaids used the banner as decoration at the shower:

Ribbon Topiary Centerpieces 

Party Door Sign: "Natalie's Bridal Shower"

"Bridal Shower" Banner in Pink, Black and White

"She Said Yes!" Banner in Coordinating Polka Dots and Purse Theme

Love how it all came together for a fabulous shower for the bride-to-be!

Thanks for looking!

Anna

{Photo Props and More!} Little Mr. Mustache Bash for Jack's 2nd Birthday

Green and blue argyle and mustaches EVERYWHERE!

That's what little Jack was in store when it came to his 2nd birthday party recently. Along with the mustaches came the neckties and bow ties, of course, because Jack was have a Little Mr. Mustache Bash!

We couldn't have been more excited when Rachel, Jack's mother, contacted us about creating custom items  for this party. Jack's 1st birthday party last year was actually the very first party we made decorations for! Check out the blog post from his Lil' Firecracker Party in last year's blog post.

Here are the items we created:

Mustache Bash Door Sign

Jack Mustache and Necktie Door Sign 

Cupcake Toppers 

Mustaches, bow ties and neckties

Small Labels for Food Table

"Wet Your Whiskers," "Man-wiches" and "Cigars"

Necktie "Happy Birthday Jack" Banner

Photo Props for Photo Booths

Mustaches, bow ties, top hats, eyeglasses, smoking pipe, and lips

Photo Booth Sign

"Ladies pucker your lips. Gents comb your mustache.
Strike a pose."

 Happy 2nd Birthday, Jack! We were so happy to be able to create items for your party!

Thanks for looking!

Anna

{Q&A} Getting to Know Banana Lala

We recently had the privilege of being featured in the Vendor Spotlight on a local photographer's blog. It's a great feeling when people want to know more about you. But us?!? It's still hard to believe!


I'm reposting our Q&A here, but you can also check it out here on Ashley W Photography's blog. She is in the Evansville, Ind., area, and she does some amazing work! Thanks for featuring us, Ashley!

Q.    What does your company do? What is your company name? Who are you?

A.     Banana Lala Party Designs & More. We are two sisters, Anna Prather and Mikaelah Becher, who run this small business based in Evansville, Ind. Anna also is a stay-at-home mom and freelance writer for the Evansville Courier & Press, Evansville Business Journal and Ewoman Magazine. Mikaelah is a full-time hairdresser with 14 years of experience. She works at a style salon on Evansville’s West Side.

We are called Banana Lala because of our longtime nicknames. Anna is “Banana,” and Mikaelah is “Lala.”

Banana Lala creates custom, handmade party decorations. We specialize in handmade banners for birthdays, weddings and celebrations of all kinds. We also create handmade ribbon topiary centerpieces, wreaths and more.

Q.    How long have you been in business?

A.    We started our Banana Lala blog in April of 2011 as a way to showcase party decorations we were making for friends and family. People started to really take notice of what we were creating, which was wonderful and very exciting! The orders kept rolling in, and that’s when we started thinking about the possibility of opening a shop on Etsy. It was weird thinking of how people OUTSIDE of our friends and family actually would want to buy things we were creating! After a lot of thought, we finally opened our shop in late August of 2011. Since then, it has been such as blessing as we have already had more than 110 sales on the Etsy site alone!

Q.    What products or services do you offer?

A.     We specialize in handmade banners, ribbon topiaries, party door signs and wreaths. The things we sell most often are wedding banners, including “Thank You” and “Just Married” banners for a bride and groom to pose with for wedding day photography. They can then use those photos to create and send out as or with their thank you cards.We also sell a lot of “Happy Birthday” banners. We can typically match or coordinate with any party theme or wedding colors!

Q.    Do you do any custom orders?

A.    We absolutely love working on custom orders! That’s actually a very large portion of our business. We have ready-to-ship banners and standard birthday banners on our Etsy shop, but a lot of what we sell is based on a bride or a couple’s request for a banner to coordinate with their wedding colors. Or a mother working on putting together a party theme for her child’s birthday party. That’s the kind of thing we love doing, is working with someone to create exactly what they are looking for regarding colors, theme and style.

Q.    Do you have a website?

A.     Yes, we have a blog and an Etsy shop.http://www.BananaLalas.blogspot.com and http://www.etsy.com/shop/BananaLala 

Q.    Do you have a facebook page?

A.     Of course! We update often with various designs we have created such as custom orders. And our Facebook page is also where we update our fans on our listings on the Etsy shop.  We also host seasonal giveaways for those who “Like” our page.http://www.facebook.com/BananaLalaPartyDesigns

Q.    How else can I get a hold of you?

A.     There are several ways! You can email us at BananaLalas@yahoo.com or send us a message through our Facebook page or our Etsy shop.

Q.    Where do you get your inspiration?

A.     Inspiration from our creations really comes from within, mostly. For as long as we both can remember, Mikaelah and I have been doing all things creative. We love doing anything that really allows us to “make” something. We used to both be heavily into scrapbooking and creative things like that. Anna enjoys photography, and Mikaelah is very creative by nature with her profession as a hairstylist.

As far as outside inspiration, a lot of that comes with each order we receive. We love hearing about party themes and colors from a customer and then be able to brainstorm and come up with a really great styles for a custom banner, or a really great combination of ribbons for a topiary centerpiece.

Q.    What got you started in this business?

A.     It all kind of goes back to our love of parties! Mikaelah is very talented at party styling, the first of which she ever styled was her niece Avery’s first birthday party in March of 2010. (Avery is Anna’s daughter). For that birthday party, Mikaelah created her very first birthday banner. She remembers someone at the party telling her, “You should really do this as a business.” After that, she styled her niece Brylee’s first birthday as well. Over the years, she has also styled Anna and husband Josh’s wedding in 2007, and her brother Jonah and wife Chaddie’s wedding in 2008.

Q.    What is your favorite item ever made?

A.     I’m not sure if either of us really has a favorite item, but we each have items that we specialize in. For example, Mikaelah is the one who usually handles creation of ribbon topiaries and wreaths, whereas Anna creates the banners. But it’s really a neat thing to be able to see one of our creations come together from start to finish. Each item we make is so different from everything else, so each custom item is special to us.

** We love giving back and doing what we can to help out charitable organizations. One of our biggest passions is the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. Mikaelah has been active with the American Cancer Society for many years and is very passionate about the cause. Everybody is affected by cancer, and we love being able to take part in fundraising activities and events. We’re actually participating in the Ultimate Cake Challenge cake contest tomorrow! (Friday) We’ll have two cake entries for judging at Old National Bank Downtown. We participated last year as well, and it’s just something fun to do and also for a great cause as well.

{Real Life Parties} Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for 1-year-old CJ

This little cutie just turned the big ONE! And he celebrated in style with a Mickey Mouse themed birthday party!



Meet Mr. Clayton. He's one, he's cute, and he knows it. Did I mention just how cute he is?!?

We were happy to create some custom decorations for his big birthday blowout. Pictured above with the little cutie is the high chair banner we created for him. {Later he made a mess with a giant, chocolatey Mickey ear cake that his aunt made! So cute!}

Here are some Mickey themed ribbon topiaries Mikaelah created. 

A small, decorative number 1, of course, with Mickey ears!

Hand painted O N E letters with Mickey and the gang.

The happy birthday banner

Fireplace mantel turned into Mickey Mouse Clubhouse display

A fun sign to welcome all the party guests: Come inside! It's fun inside! It's Clayton's Clubhouse!

Door sign to greet guests on their way out: Oh, boy! Thanks for stopping by!

Happy birthday, CJ! We loved creating these decorations for your big party!

Thanks for looking!

Anna

{Wedding Banner} "Thank You" in White, Light Green and Pale Yellow for Bride in Japan

We love creating custom and personalized banners for every one of our customers, but I have to admit, I was SUPER excited about being able to create for our first international customer!

Bride-to-be Yumi from Japan was looking for a custom banner to coordinate with her wedding. It was a pleasure working with her and her translator, and we were able to come up with a great design that she loves!

I can't believe  how quickly it got to Yumi! It took only about 7 to 8 days for it to reach her. {All the way across the world!} She received it in plenty of time before her upcoming wedding next weekend. Just the way we like it!

Thanks for looking!

Anna

{Eggplant Wedding} Twine Monogram Letter and Just Married Banner

We recently created some handmade and purple items for the beautiful bride, Melissa. It was extra special for me because Melissa and I were great friends growing up in middle school!

We were so happy to create her custom twine wrapped "M" in her colors of eggplant and violet. I love the contrast between the twine and the flowers! And we even tried out a new style of felt flower, different from the one I first made for my sister, Mikaelah, on her birthday. You can see her twine "M" in this blog post.

We also created a custom "Just Married" banner in her colors, also incorporating a heart in between.

Best wishes to the happy couple!

Anna

{Celebrate Summer} Some Really Sweet Ice Cream Sundae Party Decorations

Let me tell you, Ethan is one lucky boy! His mother and our cousin, Lisa, recently contacted us about creating some decorations for a party celebrating the end of the school year. Wow! Awesome! The end of the year really is a fun time for kids. School is out and it's time for summer to begin!

Oh, yeah, and there will be an ice cream sundae station, too. How cool is that?! I love me some ice cream, so this totally sounds like my kind of party.

Here is what we created for Ethan's party. The color scheme is much like our "Candyland" banner from our Etsy shop. Bold shades of blue green, pink, orange and yellow. We incorporated not only the colors, but also the ice cream theme in a ribbon and tulle wreath.

We also created two banners, "Welcome Summer" and "I Scream You Scream," to help celebrate the ice cream sundae party. The ice cream banner even has little ice cream embellishment stickers. Ice cream trucks, popcicles, toppings, oh my!

We loved making these decorations for Ethan's party! What a fun way to let the kids celebrate the start of summer. Thanks, Lisa, for letting us make these items for you!

Thanks for looking!

Anna

{Seasonal Ribbon Topiary} Saluting the Red, White and Blue

Filled with stars and stripes, this topiary is covered in red, white and blue. It's a custom creation for a great customer, Nina, and it's a perfect decoration to leave out from Memorial Day through the Fourth of July.

I can almost hear the Fourth of July fireworks now!

Thanks for looking!

Anna