Meet a Mom: Meet Nicole and Kelly, Founders of Bash Boxx (a.k.a. Party in a Box)!

Introducing to the Chicago North Shore Moms community Nicole Buttron and Kelly Hart, the dynomite sister duo behind Bash Boxx, a curated “party in a box” concept designed to make celebrating your child’s birthday effortless and beautiful without the waste!

As North Shore moms raising six children between them in Lake Forest and Lake Bluff, their inspiration begins at home. With backgrounds in event planning, retail merchandising, and a lifelong love of hosting, they’ve transformed their creative talents into a streamlined, sustainable solution for busy families. Bash Boxx blends thoughtful design, convenience, and an eco-conscious twist — proving you don’t have to sacrifice style for the special celebrations in your life.

Get to know Nicole and Kelly, their unique and creative personalization that goes into party decor themes, a few local favorite spots, mantras they live by, and the deeply personal paths that led to their unbreakable zest for entrepreneurship. Welcome, Nicole and Kelly!

Nicole and Kelly

Hi Ladies. Please introduce yourselves. Where are you from originally? What city do you live in now? What brought you here?

Nicole: I was born in New Jersey and spent part of my childhood in Maryland, but we moved to Lake Forest when I was in second grade, and it truly feels like home. I lived in Lincoln Park for a while with my husband before we had kids, but we have now been back in Lake Forest for eight years with our three girls and our 8-year-old Golden Retriever.

Kelly: My husband and I met at Bradley University. We spent our 20’s in downtown Chicago, loving city life, and our 30’s in Minneapolis, starting our family where we had our three children. We had the option to move to be closer to family. When returning to Illinois, we chose Lake Bluff and absolutely love the close-knit community and small-town feel.

Tell us about your children and do brag away.

Nicole: I have three girls. They are 7, 5, and 10 months old. My girls are my world. I love how different their personalities are and how clearly their strengths shine through. My oldest is the most loving and empathetic soul I know. She is an animal lover with such high emotional intelligence, and her curiosity and spark for learning amaze me.

My middle is our goofball and keeps us laughing nonstop. She has a heart of gold and is a friend to everyone.
Our baby had a rough start to life, spending over a month in the NICU due to medical complications. She is the strongest, most resilient, and happiest baby we could have dreamed of.

If I am being completely honest, when we found out during pregnancy that she would have medical complications, she was the one who gave me the nudge to talk to Kelly and finally start Bash Boxx. It had always been a passion project, but fear held me back. Walking through a complicated pregnancy made me realize I can do anything.

My girls are my why. They are strong, loving little ladies and inspire me every day.

Kelly: I have three kids. A 15- and 13-year-old boy and a 10-year-old daughter. They are growing so fast; in this stage of life I most value quality family time with them. My oldest is very independent; he loves the outdoors, fishing, soccer and golf. My middle child is a classic middle child peacekeeper and keeps us laughing with his lighthearted humor. He loves baseball and any pick up sport with friends.

My youngest is a free spirit who loves art, sports, hanging with her besties and most importantly dogs. Sadly we don’t have one.

What are one or two fun or interesting things to know about you?

Nicole: I have been throwing parties for as long as I can remember. Some of my most vivid childhood memories are planning full celebrations for my American Girl dolls — and I didn’t miss a single detail. I was always looking for a reason to decorate or celebrate something. We definitely got that from our mom. She made every holiday feel magical and special, no matter how big or small.

As I got older and started hosting more for friends and family, people would always ask for tips — or say, “I wish you could just do this for me.” That was really how I originally stepped into event planning. I did a lot of planning in my previous corporate role, but those were large symposiums and formal events. This is so much more fun. There’s something about celebrating childhood, milestones, and creating memories that just feels different.

Kelly: My background is in retail merchandising. I have always loved fashion, design and creating. Over the years I have channeled that creativity in crafting meaningful moments with my children at home and with the preschool children I work with, and most recently bringing thoughtfully designed celebrations to life with Bash Boxx.

I also have always loved hosting and bringing people together. For me, the magic is in the beautiful decor and the thoughtful food served, which I love cooking. Creating these special memories with the people I care about is so important to me. We feel fortunate in creating that same magic for our clients when they host their special events.

What are your favorite North Shore places, spaces and eats?

Nicole: We frequent Hometown for lunch, and the girls always get a donut. The Deerpath Inn is one of our favorite family spots. The food is always great, and it is such a cozy place. If you asked my kids, they would probably say Buffo’s or Tacos El Norte.

Kelly: For take-out we love Koya Sushi or Yummy Bowl; it’s hard to please everyone in the family but these two are always a win. We also love bagels, especially salt bagels, at Once Upon a Bagel. My kids can be regularly found at the Other Door and Bluffington’s Cafe in Lake Bluff.

Any good reads or TV shows you have binged lately?

Nicole: I am a total Bravoholic, especially anything Real Housewives or Southern Charm. My husband and I are currently binging The Pitt and we are completely hooked. It is so good.

As for books, I have been really into Gabby Bernstein, especially Super Attractor. When I am going through stressful seasons or need perspective, I turn to her books. They help me reconnect with faith, hope and a positive mindset.

Kelly: I just started the new season of Bridgerton, and I’m loving it so far. I also really enjoyed Nobody Wants This — I wish there were more, feel-good romantic comedies like that. Honestly, it’s hard for me to carve out time to sit down and read, but audiobooks have become part of my nightly routine. They really help quiet my mind at the end of the day. Most recently, I listened to The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult and really enjoyed it. I tend to gravitate toward historical fiction — there’s something about being immersed in another time period that I find especially compelling.

Your mantra?

Nicole: I have two. The first is, “Today is a good day to have a good day.” I say it every morning and now my kids say it too. For me, it is about choosing perspective. The second is, “What is the best that can happen?” I used to naturally lean toward worst case scenarios. This reminds me to focus on the best possible outcome instead.

Kelly: “You Do You!” Focus on being yourself and do what makes you happy. It can be hard but try not to worry too much about what other people think.

Congratulations on the launch of Bash Boxx. Tell us about this unique event decor business model.

Bash Boxx is a curated party in a box concept. We have a catalog of themed boxxes ready to go, which include paper products, table coverings, themed decor, cake plates, dessert table decor and cupcake toppers. Everything comes in one boxx that can be set up in 10 minutes or less.

We also offer professional setup for an additional fee.

Many of our clients love our custom packages. We start with a design board so they can approve the vibe, then we source and curate everything. The boxx is delivered two days before the event with clear setup instructions, or we handle it for you.

We also partner with We Rise Balloons and offer backdrops and props to create a full event setup.

What moment inspired you to turn this passion into a full-fledged business?

One of the biggest things we noticed when planning events, even our own, was panic purchasing, especially from Amazon. That one-click overnight shipping makes it so easy to overbuy because you are worried you do not have enough.

With Bash Boxx, everything is already styled and photographed, so you can see exactly what you are getting. There is no overbuying and no guesswork.

Another pain point is buying themed decor that ends up in your basement collecting dust. It is expensive and not environmentally friendly. The upcycle element of our decor and boxxes is a huge part of our concept.

What has been your favorite boxx or theme to curate so far?

This is such a tough question because we pour so much thought into each box.

Nicole: I think my favorite original boxx we created is the Mermaid. I love the colors and textures and how girly and magical it feels. I could picture wanting that boxx if I were a little girl since The Little Mermaid was my favorite movie growing up.

Kelly: I have to agree with Nicole, I love the colors and details of the Mermaid Boxx, especially the elements of special treasures that every kid loves. I also love the classic timeless elements of the Ballet Boxx.

One of my favorite custom boxxes was our “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” boxx. I loved how it had all of the Toy Story movie elements woven throughout it. From the classic colors to small character details, it truly felt like you were stepping into the movie. It was so creative and thoughtful.

For the custom boxxes, my favorite part is the little details that unfold in the final design process, whether it is the headbands we add to Bluey to create a Boho Chic look or the perfect mini haystack for the farm animals for a Little Blue Truck themed party.

Our Football Taylor Swift boxx was also such a fun and unique request. The football centerpiece turned out so cute and fun.

Did the idea come from your experience as a mom and your former career?

Yes, both. When we were doing full event planning, we noticed a shift. Clients did not always want full planning fees, but they still wanted something curated and beautiful. After purchasing themed decor, many would say, “I do not want this Thomas the Train stuff, you keep it.” We started accumulating so much random decor.
We began thinking about how to scale our event business in a way that felt approachable and easy for busy parents. That is really how Bash Boxx evolved. We are constantly brainstorming ways to make it even more efficient.

Do you build from scratch with your client’s vision?

Yes. Clients usually send inspiration photos and we pull from our inventory where we can. For anything fully custom, we start with a design board so they can see the vibe. Once approved, we provide a full list of everything included in their boxx.

Tell us about your seasonal offerings.

During the holidays, we love offering Mini Boxxes. This past season, we launched the 12 Boxxes of the Holiday Season, including a curated hot cocoa bar setup with everything needed to create the cutest cocoa station.

Right now we are rolling out our Mini St. Patrick’s Day Bash Boxx. It includes a make-your-own leprechaun trap, a scavenger hunt with prizes and festive table decor all in one magical package.

What is the best way to start planning with you? How do we connect?

The best way to begin is simply to reach out. Visit us at www.bash-boxx.com, email us at [email protected], or send us a DM on Instagram at @bashboxxbynb. Tell us your theme, venue, and vision — and we’ll guide you through the rest.

For our in-stock and seasonal boxes, you can also reserve directly through our website. Just click your favorite box and add it to your wishlist, and we’ll follow up by email to finalize the details.

We can’t wait to celebrate with you!

About Our Meet a Mom Sponsor

Chicago North Shore Moms is supported in part by Mary Gregory Gifford, a Lake Forest mom of three and owner of Gifford Law, a solo Estate Planning Firm (wills and trusts). Mary, we appreciate your support of local moms in our North Shore communities! Learn more about Mary by visiting her Meet a Mom spotlight here! Contact Mary directly here: [email protected].