party theme

Tablescaping for Gnomes and Fairies

September 5, 2011 By Kristie Barnett 19 Comments

Last week I hosted my Cooking Club in my home. I am “up” to host once a year, and this year I chose an Enchanted Forest theme. I always choose the theme based on decor first, then plan a menu around my decor – which is completely backwards for most of my Cooking Club friends. Cooking is NOT my forte and decorating is, so there you go!

Enchanted Forest

This is where I started with my tablescape: I scavenged my backyard for the right size tree limb and luckily found one with some grapevine wrapped around it. I started adding in some owls, some small mounted antlers, and a few Tom Clark gnomes my father used to collect.

Basis for Enchanted Forest Tablescape

Actually, the only thing I had to purchase for this tablescape was a bag of moss from Michael’s. It made a bit of a mess, and I was glad I decided to go without a tablecloth for this one.

Nature is Messy

Party Proposals: Butterfly Birthday Party

March 8, 2010 By Kristie Barnett 9 Comments

I think children’s birthdays are magical. A simple theme can be developed into something truly special that you and your child will never forget. For my daughter’s 4th birthday, we decided to make it all about butterflies. And what little girl doesn’t love butterflies?

DSC 41481 Party Proposals: Butterfly Birthday Party

Little House on the Prairie Party

November 16, 2009 By Kristie Barnett 9 Comments

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.

Little House Party 141 Little House on the Prairie Party

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.”

Little House Birthday Invitation Little House on the Prairie Party

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.

Vintage Baby Shower

August 11, 2009 By Kristie Barnett 2 Comments

Baby showers are joyous occasions and don’t have to be generic or boring. I always like to think about the honoree’s taste and style, as well as the baby’s room decor. The honoree of this shower had an older son who was just moving out of the vintage western-themed nursery to make way for baby sister. So I went with a vintage shower theme that heaped on some old-fashioned girliness.

Of course, I love all things vintage. So hosting a vintage baby shower is the most natural thing in the world for me to do. I already have so many of the props, it’s simply about styling it imaginatively and adding some flowers and food.

Rainbow Birthday Party (Joan Walsh Anglund)

July 28, 2009 By Kristie Barnett 18 Comments

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.