admitting you need help is the first step...
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I stumbled across these photographs I took at a Cooking Club hosted by my pal, Robbie, in December of last year. I forgot to share them with you last year, so I decided to do it now! I loved her stick Christmas tree with the origami swans. |
| I did some interior styling for Robbie a couple of years back, and we did a lot of cool things in her home – like some fun wall groupings of her daughter’s art and this tangy green wall color in her dining room. |  |
This was by the far the grooviest wedding shower I’ve ever hosted! The bride-to-be was a cool girl, and a great respecter of retro. So when I proposed we do a 70′s themed shower, she gave me the green light. Or should I say, the avocado green light . . . Now I’ve seen some cheesy 1970′s party fare – disco balls, peace signs and “have a nice day” smiley faces. But I wasn’t looking to do a drugged-out, fakey kind of 70′s party. Instead I’m thinking, what would Carol Brady do if she were giving a wedding shower? I started with the invitations. I found a photo online of a Charlie’s Angels-era model, complete with the floppy hat, aviator sunglasses, and peasant dress. I then found a font that supported the 70′s vibe – moderna.
| My oldest daughter has been a huge fan of Laura Ingalls Wilder and the Little House on the Prairie book series since kindergarten. When she turned 7, it was only fitting to have a pioneer party for my little Half-Pint. |  |
Let’s start with her outfit. My sweet mother-in-law helped me make Audrey’s prairie bonnet from a pattern I found at the fabric store. She actually helped me make 9 bonnets so that all the guests at the party would have a bonnet to take home with them! I’m no seamstress, so this is NOT something I could have done on my own. The shirt and skirt were found at Gymboree and totally had a prairie look. And don’t forget the 2 braids or “plaits.”
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For invitations, I scanned a small illustration by Garth Williams in one of Audrey’s Little House books. I added a sweet border and printed them on cream card stock from Michaels. Click the invitation to download the editable file for your own party. |
My youngest daughter was an American Indian last Halloween. So we already had the beginnings of a great birthday party theme.
| Her costume came from a large authentic-looking Native American shirt I bought at an estate sale for $3. The shirt hung down to the ground on her like a dress, and I simply had to cut the sleeves down. I bought mocassins on ebay for $8. The headdress came from a yard sale for $1 that I found 2 weeks before the party. I love those racoon tails hanging down around her ears! |  |
I love staging a party. And I love staging an hor d’oeuvres table. Rather than serving lunch or dinner, schedule your party for a time that assumes lunch or dinner has already been eaten. Then you are free to choose an assortment of prepackaged frozen appetizers from Costco or Sam’s Club, easy grocery goodies like chips and dips or cheese and crackers, and simple favorite recipes like shortbread cookies and cheese krispies (see recipes below).
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My inspiration for this birthday party was the amazing artwork of Joan Walsh Anglund. Her artwork is immediately identifiable – she always draws children without noses and mouths. You can find biographical information about this wonderful artist at http://members.shaw.ca/jwamail/. |
I found these never-opened paper plates and napkins in an attic of a friend of my mother’s. I kept them for 8 years until I was inspired to use them for my younger daughter’s third birthday. I also had a few small books of JWA art and poetry that I had picked up over the years. Her illustrations of little children have always touched me and aroused that nostalgia within me for anything from my own childhood.
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Ok, my daughter loves reading like you would not believe, so I had to find a way to take that love of books and create a birthday party to suit her perfectly. The main theme was books, supported by owls – wise old cartoon owls are always reading a book, right? If you preferred, you could do books with worms (bookworms, of course). |
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I am fortunate to be in a fantastic Cooking Club with 10 other ladies, and one of my favorite things to do is come up with a unique “theme” when it’s my turn to host. So in this case, I tried to come up with any and every way I could think of to incorporate one of my favorite decorating themes – all things avian. I called it “Birds of a Feather Flock Together.” |
I went through my seasonal ornaments and pulled out doves, owls, bird’s nests, bird’s eggs. I chose a blue and white color palette, found recipes with bird-related names and ingredients, and had each guest draw a paper fortune with surprising results (everyone truly felt that the quotation they chose suited them perfectly!). The pink paper balls hanging from the ceiling are Martha Stewart from Michaels. I really love those and her tissue paper ones – more interesting than balloons and infinitely reusable! I have also included the menu, recipes, and bird quotations/fortunes at the end of the post.
Birds of a Feather recipes – Use these delicious recipes for your own bird-themed dinner party.
Bird Quotations - Print out these bird-related fortunes, cut them into strips, curl with scissor-blade, and place in small bowl for your guests to choose.
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