Scenes From A Party
My daughter just turned five…wow, five, I can hardly believe it. We decided to whoop it up big time by inviting friends and family from all over for the princess, mermaid, poolside taco bar mashup. Great fun was had by all and I’m highlighting a few of the DIY decorations used to ring in the Big 5:
Memory Board
My rental home came equipped with a large, I mean large, wood-framed memory board glued (yes, glued) to the dining room wall. I’ve been tacking important invites, notices etc. to it and they always look like lone cactuses in the desert. Thank goodness for memorable events and boxes of momentos I’ve done nothing with. Using a staple gun, two sided tape, tacks, and glue I mounted large format wrapping paper and added pictures, art, cards, school work, necklaces, etc. to create an homage to my daughter’s life ages 0-5. You don’t need a memory board on growth hormones for this, any piece of cardboard on a wall or easel will do the trick. I stapled old party hats to the top of the frame and made the mini ones by twisting and stapling colored card stock into a cone shape and topping off with tiny pom poms (ok, I blotted polka dots for extra impact). Party bags served as mats for pictures printed from my home computer. I also included her most memorable quotes, centered a card made from patterned construction paper for guests to sign, and pinned her one-year old birthday dress with flashback photo for that extra bit of weepy polka dot remembrance I will not soon forget.
Hanging Tassles
A big, big, thank you to Sarah Preston at TOMFO for a great post on tissue paper tassels. The minute I read it, I knew I had an answer to dressing up the pool area. Her easy tutorial made it fun for the whole family to fold, cut, and hang them everywhere in our yard and I do mean everywhere. If you buy the tissue from a big box retailer the pieces will be uniform and easy to cut in bulk, if you go to the dollar store (like I did) you will need to separate sheets into smaller piles as they are irregular – takes looooonnngggrrrrr. I experimented with a plastic tablecloth and created HUGE, long, elegant, tassels that would be fun for another event…my second wedding maybe? Either way, the tassels are striking, re-usable, and look awesome indoors or outdoors.
Balloon Chandelier
I lost my hearing had a blast making this. I used a handful of clear tacks, string, balloons, plastic table cloths (cut to desired width and length), foam or paper embellishments, and craft glue. Create an assortment of filled balloons in varying sizes – I went from small watermelon to grapefruit. Cut a long piece of string and tie off balloons in intervals of 8-10 inches apart – start with an exceptionally long piece of string for dangle room. Tack one end of balloon chain over your desired location (I sorta centered mine above our breakfast table). Losley gather your chain and tack to ceiling, filling in gaps with more balloons strung with smaller ties – think hanging laundry on a line with clips. Once balloons are secured use cut up tablecloths (make sure each piece is uniform) to create valances that fan out and are secured on both ends from the balloon center point – doesn’t have to be perfect as nobody can see the part closest to balloons the embellishments hide the other end. Cover the visible tips with butterflies, fake gems, flowers, christmas ornaments, toys, initials whatever…it’s a crowd pleaser setting off the table and room beautifully (I used about 3 tablecloths at a cost of $3 plus balloons).
Personal Touches
I’m a big fan of anything that has a signature (doesn’t have to be fancy pants). My friend, the artist, was kind enough to create last minute adult beverage signs under the Sangria and Margarita bowls. The cardboard initials purchased at Michael’s five years ago were re-glittered and mounted on a poolside palm tree. A glass orb was used to keep napkins in place adding a little whimsy to the snack table. My last words on party decor are use your stuff, it doesn’t have to be expensive, it just has to be fun 😉
