"Love is Brewing" Coffee Themed Bachelorette Party

  I am one of five sisters, just in case you are new here. Back in the early "oughts" when my oldest sister had her wedding, and then a couple years later when I was married, blogging was practically non-existent, and Pinterest and Instagram hadn't even been thought of, so things were much simpler. 

    Fast forward to 2013. The third-in-line sister started planning her wedding. With blogs. And Pinterest. And Instagram. And a million "how-to-have-the-perfect-wedding" websites. I had already started decorating for parties for friends and family by then, so she recruited me to help out. I ended up throwing her a little bachelorette party, and doing much of the decor for her wedding and reception. 

   And the precedent was set. I threw a donut-themed bridal shower for the next sister, and did decor for her shabby chic pearls-and-lace themed wedding. (Which I realized somehow never made it on the blog, perhaps due to lack of photos, as being both a bridesmaid and coordinating reception set-up and decor can be pretty intense, and not leave much time for photography!)

    That just left the last of the sisters. We kind of had a "wedding-every-two-years" thing going, so why stop now? The youngest got married last week, and I helped put together a little bachelorette party for her. She *adores* coffee, so the sisters agreed (we just work better together!) that her love for the caffeine bean would make a cute theme.

 We debated a myriad of color schemes, ranging from hot pink (this sister loves bright colors, and it seemed "party" like) to dark brown and turquoise (she already had a bridal shower with those colors). We talked about using the wedding colors, but we finally settled on a neutrals color scheme, with a little black and gold thrown in. The wedding preparations had been hectic, and we thought having a soothing little laid back get-together was perfect.

   I loved the idea of using natural coffee filters in as many places as possible, and that ended up working so well. I put together the decor for this party in about six hours, the day before and the day of, so I needed it to be quick and easy. I needed to keep things on the frugal side, too, because if you've ever been in a wedding party, it's not cheap! I wanted to save without being stingy. The coffee filters were less than $2, and I have enough left I could do three more parties if I wanted! Score.

   I didn't have any particular idea in mind when I pulled out these white pom-poms I had bought at the Dollar Tree and not used for a different event. I decided to make five mini pom-poms out of the coffee filters. If anyone is interested I could post a little tutorial later on, but they were so simple. I decided to group all the poms together. Then I remembered seeing a cool chandelier of empty coffee cups in a shop in our mall, and I pulled out some to-go cups I had on hand.

     This is a better photo I took afterwards. I simply attached the lids with glue dots (I doubt they would have fallen off without it, but I wanted to be sure) after I poked a hole in the bottom and threaded twine through and tied a knot to keep the cup on. I used nine cups total, and I decided that hanging them from the center of the pom grouping would give me the look I wanted. I loved it! Having such a big centerpiece really pulled everything together. I hung it from a 3M hook I attached to my ceiling, and it really looked  cool. It's hard not to notice a chandelier of coffee cups!

  I also used the coffee filter to make this stupidly easy garland. I flattened filters and folded them in half and stapled them over a piece of twine. I placed this garland across the front of my table. I used a white plastic tablecloth from the Dollar Tree. I used brown kraft paper (also from the Dollar Tree) as a "runner" and to add some texture.

      I also made "flowers" out of the filters. I just twisted the filters in the center and attached them to lollipop sticks with scotch tape. This only took a couple of minutes and looked super cute! I added a coffee candle, some coffee beans, a mug with chocolate-covered espresso beans and a gold container to finish off the top of the microwave. The little owl is a passive speaker, but he looks artsy and matched the colors so he earned his spot. I put together the "first I drink the coffee" printable, after seeing that saying in a number of other places. I love it!

   I made another garland with the filters, but changed it up by crushing them in the center and tied them with ribbon to look like bows. I put that across the front of the kitchen counter that extends into my dining area. I topped that off with my chalkboard sandwich sign (my art isn't the best, but it's free!) and a little dish filled with coffee beans and a hazelnut candle.

      I used coffee beans as "confetti" to scatter across the table top. I put together  the "perfect blend" printable with the bride and groom's names. I loved this color scheme because I could print things in black and white so easily! We served coffee, of course, so I put out more cups, and filled pitchers with cold brew coffee and half-and-half. I offered guests a variety of k-cups to suit, and I also had several different Torani syrups to flavor them with. I thought that was more "coffee house" style than having flavored creamers, but that would work in a pinch. I bought white hydrangeas from Trader Joe's  and put them in a Dollar Tree vase that I wrapped with polka dot burlap ribbon, also from Dollar Tree.

   Fortunately, the color scheme lent itself well to coordinating munchies. I wanted things that were easy, and since the maid of honor was bringing a homemade cheesecake (it was absolutely delicious!) I didn't feel compelled to go overboard in the snacks department. We had crackers and pretzel thins, with Babybel goudas, and there was also Laughing Cow wedges for those. I picked up mini biscotti from Trader Joe's and delicious Caramel Toffee scones from WinCo. I made these amazing coffee truffles-ganache with espresso added? Yes, please! I will add, perhaps because my house was warm (It was HOT that day, over 95 degrees!) that I needed to pop them in the freezer to firm up for about 30 minutes after I scooped them and before I rolled them cocoa, but they were a big hit and very delicious.

   I put together the "My cup overflows" printable, and I really love the way it turned out. Incorporating Scripture into any event I do is not only part of my "signature" but in my mind, a necessity. The Word is appropriate in every situation and season, and I am always thrilled when the Lord brings the perfect verse to mind for something. This print is extra-special, as it will grace my sister's new kitchen.

   Wrapped coffee chocolates from Trader Joe's and espresso beans in two flavors from Walmart finished off the food. I picked up white plates and napkins from Dollar Tree and black plastic cutlery from Walmart. Putting it in a little gold basket upped the cute a little. I really like to buy plain paper goods when I can as they are more versatile, as I often have leftovers. It makes it easier to use up the remainder for a different event.

    I followed my own advice when setting up the display on my Expedit. I pulled things from around my house that coordinated with the color scheme and theme and put them together. I "borrowed" this cute ribbon garland in advance of its use at the wedding reception, I like to make these, but I actually bought this one from Michael's, because with a sale and coupon it was pretty much cheaper than I could have purchased the supplies. I gathered all the white coffee cups I had (I had more than I realized, I must I admit!) along with some brown books, a gorgeous sepia photograph one of my talented sisters took and a cool vintage voting district map that was a gift from another sister.. I also used this as an opportunity to play with my new felt letter board. I hope to get a lot of use from that!

   Stacking the cups inside one another gave the kind of casual feel that I wanted, I used the trick of stacking a small container inside some of them to elevate the second cup. I put coffee scented candles around the room, too.

   I would say I was pretty pleased with how it all came together. My oldest sister was a huge help with the food, that isn't my strong suite, and she really handled most of that. My mom came over to help me clean, so don't think that I just threw up decorations in my already immaculate apartment! Haha, NO! Truly, after all these years, I still follow my own tips and tricks from my "31 Days of Perfect Party Planning": I found my buddy, I did it for someone I loved, I kept my theme tight, and made a bunch of garlands!
 
     In some ways, putting a little event like this together is cathartic for me, especially since I was in the throes of planning for the reception. Huge events like that *still* overwhelm me, and I know it sounds counterproductive, but doing a small party like this helped me to gather my focus, and was a "win" that reminded me that I could push through and manage to pull the reception decor together. That may make the blog someday, we shall see-it was a lovely autumn boho/barn wedding, and it came together SO much better than I could have hoped.

   But seriously, I cannot say this enough: I don't do anything that anybody can't do. Creativity isn't innate for some of us, but just like a muscle it gets stronger the more you use it. Don't be afraid to make mistakes, just keep changing things until it feels right. It gets easier!

Willy Wonka Birthday Party

 
     It has been a little while since I have posted about a party I've planned, but it isn't because I haven't done any events, I have just been too busy to post about them. I did a "Cupcake Wars" party for my daughter in November and a meet-and-greet with a gorgeous white-and-gold fall theme. I also did one of the simplest events I have ever done, a Christmas carol sing with childlike craft/nativity decor in December. I did enjoy all those things, but the birthday party we threw for my dad last week was definitely the most fun, so since I'm the boss around here that's where we're going today!

    My mom wanted to throw a surprise party for my dad and, as is my entire family's M.O., it came together at the last minute. Literally, we planned this party in a week. I followed lots of my own "rules" (I wrote about them here.) and they really do work. All credit goes to my sister, Lisa Dawn, for suggesting the fantastic theme: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The old seventies version with Gene Wilder is one of my dad's favorite movies and truly screams for an over-the-top birthday reincarnation.

  I was happy to oblige! We coordinated ideas via Pinterest (Lisa Dawn and I don't live in the same town) and she came in the day before and we worked for 6 hours the day before and 8 hours the day of to pull it all together. And it was totally worth it!

     Lisa Dawn and I each had different ideas for major decor areas, so we each worked on our own space with input from the other. I wanted to pull from the scene where the ticket holders walk into the "Paradise" area. I made a "chocolate river" out of plastic tablecloths, and supplemented it with plenty of fake plants and pillars. I made giant "mushrooms" out of cups and bowls painted with white dots (Most of them are from the Dollar Tree-I thought the scalloped-edged ones were particularly charming!) I incorporated daffodils (That is what Willy Wonka drinks out of in that scene.), as well as some Christmas candy cane lights, as those are also prominent. The scene opens with a staircase decorated with urns of giant candy balls, so I duplicated those with a planter filled with ball pit balls.

 I made giant "lollipops" out of Dollar Tree pool noodles wrapped in cellophane, and some smaller ones out of styrofoam circles with dowel rods as sticks. We threaded marshmallows as garland for this tree.

This tree was my favorite. We looped fishing line around larger-than-normal gummy bears. These Trolli Big Bold Bears aren't nearly the size of those in the film, but they were still cute and colorful. We got them at Walmart for a little more than $1 per bag and I was thrilled with them.

 I duplicated these edible cups from a photo on Pinterest. I sawed off the bottom of a cake cone, and glued it to a peach gummy ring with icing, and then to a Dollar Tree butter cookie. I cut a peach ring in half for the handle and attached it with icing. I filled them with candy, and they paid homage to the edible daffodil cup that WW bites into in the film.

 WW is chock full of WONDERFUL quotes. I could have done 50 without batting an eyelash! However, I was limited by time, so I snagged a few printable ones from the Web and typed up three of my own that I couldn't find versions of to suit. I plan on offering the ones I did later on, but I am hoping to try a new PDF style for printing, and I need to upload some things before it will work. This one I pulled from a Google search and I cannot find it again! I try to pin all those things so I will have the link, but I was pretty short on time-working at 11 pm!

 We decorated the wall with these oversized candies. They were definitely bang for our buck! They were styrofoam disks from the Dollar Tree and came two to a package. We covered them with colored cellophane from DT and Walmart, each roll was about $1. We stuck pre-cut dowel rods from Walmart's craft section in some of them to make lollipops. They really helped the ugly walls of our church basement!

    The Oompa Loompa "topiary" heads are completely Lisa Dawn's handiwork. She painstakingly put them together out of jelly beans. I supplied the printable, which I designed. I think that quote is hilarious, because if children disappearing in every act doesn't constitute dangerous, I don't know what does! I picked up the fabric for $1/yard at Walmart and we used it for the centerpieces for the tables, also. I threaded candy from the Dollar Tree that was the perfect colors (brown, white and green are all on the Oompa Loompas) onto fishing wire to make a garland and filled the containers with more.

   We kept the centerpieces simple. We stuck three pipe-cleaner lollipops into a bowl filled with regular and mini fruity marshmallows and then scattered Rolos and colorful hard candies onto a piece of the fabric. We covered the tables with orange plastic clothes for easy clean-up.

  Of course we had to design a contract! I used brown kraft paper and a sharpie. If I had had more time I would have made it much more ornate, but I still think it turned out well. That is one long contract!

 For the food table we kept the decor to a minimum so there would be plenty of space for my mom's tasty offerings. I filled a few glass containers with candy and added a printable I designed. Another WW quote that I love!

 I loved these giant suckers out of balloons! They were so easy to make, just balloons, dowel rods and cellophane. We popped them in a jar filled with gumballs. The printable is a freebie I got from here.

With our time crunch the backdrop wall wasn't exactly what I pictured but it turned out well. The accent wall was amusingly already brown, which was perfect for our color scheme. We added purple, lime and orange streamers and then criss-crossed it with garlands of lollipops, colorful mini candy canes and hard candies.

  Lisa Dawn's focal area was our interpretation of "Bill's Candy Shop". We put a spin on the candy buffet concept by using a nine cubby organizer. It made it look more like the tall shelves in the movie. We made "Wonka Bars" by covering Hershey Bars with these wrappers. Of *course* Nestle is phasing out using Willy Wonka on its packaging, but we were fortunate to find Everlasting Gobstoppers (must have!), Nerds and Laffy Taffy (That's in the giant jar on the side.). We filled it in with colorful gumdrops, suckers, gummy bears, licorice ropes and gumballs. Working with candy is so.much.fun!

 I was thrilled to find these giant suckers for $1 each at Dollar Tree. We pulled the ugly wrappers off and re-covered them. Lisa Dawn put together the adorable candy button chain from supplies from Party City.

      I specifically designed this quote for the Bill's Candy Shop area, since it is a line from the song he sings. My sister Lisa Dawn loved it so much she took it home to hang.

  Lisa Dawn tweaked this sign from the movie, in the original it is Store Room 54, but since it was my Dad's 55th we changed it. She loves this quote so she handlettered the sign.

  Of course we had to have the troublesome "Fizzy Lifting Drinks"! We added these labels to bottles of Mountain Dewshine. My sister Kelly helpfully resized them on the computer to the perfect fit. We used white balloons to simulate bubbles.

 I pulled the "Bubbles Everywhere" quote from the Web, again I forgot to pin it! I'll have to hunt down the links. This one didn't copy super well, it was fainter than I wanted it to be. We piled it onto a white cake plate with the drinks.

We set up a scale from the "Egg Room" scene, complete with golden eggs, which fortunately are easy to find this time of the year! We got ours for $0.50 each from Walmart. I handlettered the chalkboard sign based on one that I saw on Pinterest. One of my sisters was surprised that it added up to 105%! Ha!

 We couldn't pass up the opportunity to let the movie inspire our outfits. Can you guess who each of us is? My sister said we reminded her of those "inspired-by" Polyvore boards on Pinterest-not exact duplicates, but more of a nod to the original.

  We played a peanut-shelling game. For true fans of the film, you will remember that Veruca's father owns a peanut factory, and during the giveaway, the workers switch from shelling peanuts to shelling chocolate bars. We timed the contestants to see who could get the most peanuts in a minute. We also did a fab movie quiz my sister Katy put together. My mom handed out envelopes to those with correct answers and at the end of the game we opened them to see who had won "golden tickets" which entitled the winners to prizes. Unfortunately I didn't get a photo of those!

 My talented teenage cousin free-handed this AMAZING Oompa Loompa photo prop. It made for an adorable photo area.

    It was such a fun party, and really goes to show that you don't have to start planning six months in advance to throw a great event. My dad was really pleased, and all the guests were delighted with the tiny details. It does help that I have my own tribe of party "minions"-both Joel and Jordan, Lisa Dawn's husband, were great and Kelly was amazing as always. My mom supplied all the funds, and thoughtful opinions. I am so thankful to have such a great family that helps bring my visions, as crazy as they are sometimes, to life and allows me to flex my creative muscles!

   So which one do you prefer? Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? Or the crazy drug-trip of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory? I'm old-school all the way-I haven't even seen the Johnny Depp version! ;)

Linked at:
"Motivation Monday" at Written Reality

No-Sew Fabric Strip Garland

    I plan to post about the "Sunshine" baby shower soon, but first I wanted to show you the garland that I made for the shower. I love the "shabby chic" look it has, and it was so easy to make. My mom and I first saw this type of garland at an adorable craft boutique and it was definitely one of those "I could make that!" moments. I love to work with fabric, even though I don't sew, mostly because I love to mix colors and prints. This garland combines both, and it adds a great textural element, too.

This garland isn't just easy to make, it is pretty inexpensive, too! You shouldn't need much that you don't already have. 

I used:

-6 coordinating fabrics, 1/4 yard each. They were all cut from the bolt, except one, and cost $0.66 each because calico was on sale at Joann's, yay! The yellow chevron is a "fat quarter" which you buy pre-cut in little squares for quilting, usually. It was $0.99, so still pretty cheap. 

-heavy string. You can buy this in a spool fairly inexpensively.

The total cost for this project was right around $5, and it is definitely a decoration you can store and reuse. That makes it worth a lot more in my mind!

   First, if you buy your fabric off the bolt you will want to check for "selvage"- that is the unprinted edges of the fabric. See the white line on the piece above? You will want to remove it, because it won't look nice. Cut those off before you get started, you can even tear them off so that you can start more easily.

     Decide which edge of your yardage you want to start with. I had mine cut to 1/4 yard, so I tore down the "long" side (think of it as a rectangle" so that my strips would have more length. I simply used the width of a ruler to determine the width of each strip, but this project is super forgiving, you don't need to aim for perfection!

     Start each strip by snipping an approximately half-inch cut into the fabric.

     And pull the cut portion firmly away from the fabric. It will give you the "torn" edge. Don't pull too quickly or you will end up with decidedly uneven pieces. You don't want it to measure 3/4 of an inch shorter at the top than the bottom!  Finish tearing all your pieces. It took me approximately an hour (Measured by two half-hour TV shows! Love projects I can do while catching up on my shows.) You will have a giant, messy pile of pieces. Pull off any decidedly hanging strings, and the hard part is done!

      I folded each strip in half, and stuck the bottom pieces through the loop formed by the top, catching the string in the center and pulling down on the pieces to tie it on. To achieve an intentionally mismatched but not messy look, I followed a pattern of gray, yellow and orange, but didn't pay attention what print.

     Once you have threaded all the pieces on, you are done! My finished garland is roughly six feet long- a terrific length for decorating. I was thrilled with how it turned out! My mom also loved it, she gave it a home on her entry way shelf. She has a similar one in her laundry room. And after the shower, a friend was inspired to make one for her outdoor patio area. It is great for so many spaces-I think it would be precious in a baby's room, too!

  
Linked up:
"Craft Frenzy Friday" at Craft Dictator
"Motivation Monday" at A Life in Balance

Simple and Unexpected Valentine's Decor (and a Five Minute Garland!)

     Anyone who knows me will tell you: I love a little something out of the ordinary. I love things that make you say, "oh, that isn't the norm!". But in a good way. It is becoming more and more common to use varying colors schemes for seasonal decorations (I use cream, gray and yellow for my fall decor and red and turquoise for Christmas) so, of course, I couldn't let Valentine's Day feel left out! It is one of my favorite holidays (I think because it is so close to my birthday!).

This year, I was inspired by book pages. I know those have been popular for a long time now, and I think it is because there is something so interesting and curious about all those little words. The patterns and colors are soothing and work well with so many palettes.

Since I was using old book pages (that same volume of Shakespeare I have been milking since this wreath! Talk about getting your money's worth.) I decided that black and creamy yellow were a must. I also included silver and gold- the two complementary metallics for those colors.

 The little garland could not have been any simpler. Using my tried and true formula, I put it together in about five minutes.

I used:
-one sheet of metallic silver
-one sheet of metallic gold
-one sheet of metallic dark silver
-one page of cream/black font
-one page of black/white cursive
I bought all these at Hobby Lobby, paper is 50% off this week so my grand total (5x $0.59 x .5= $1.48)
-my own book pages (free!)
-part of a spool of black satin ribbon from the Dollar Store (we will say $0.25)
-staples, use what you have! Mine are purple, but you can't really tell.:) (free!)
-scalloped heart punch, I have this one from Micheal's and I use it *all* the time. I am not including it in the cost because it is like scissors in my mind, you use it constantly! If you buy it, be sure to use a coupon.

Grand total: less than $2

 I didn't include a picture of punching out the hearts, I have enough of those! I cut out four hearts out of each of my 6 papers. I left a little space between each one, and I alternated placing them right side up and upside down. I just laid the heart on top of the ribbon and punched right through both! Easy peasy, as my kids would say. In a little less than five minutes I had over six feet of garland, including the ribbon I left hanging on both ends.

I battle my perfectionism by refusing to measure spaces or use a pattern. It is good for me to be a little less obsessive, and I am always happy with how it turns out. I love how the heart shape is so Valentine but the colors are decidedly less so. It makes for a good combination.

The only other thing I did was to whip up this little printable in Word. I used "Traveling Typewriter" from dafonts.com and wrote "Oh how He loves us all" in all caps justified to the left. I printed it on cream cardstock (I keep white and cream cardstock on hand all the time) and checked "two pages to a sheet" in the printing instructions box. That made it the perfect size to cut out for a 5x7 frame. I love how simple but powerful it is. In my mind, Valentine's Day, being about love, is not completely about romance, but about the One who is Love. Maybe *that's* why it is my favorite!

Anyway, I dragged out items from around the house, I didn't purchase anything new for this. That is the best way to decorate! Whatever your color scheme is, ask yourself: "What do I already have that matches?" It doesn't have to be "holiday"- the only things I have that says Valentine's day in this display are hearts and the printable- they are both easily switched out and cost almost nothing. Look at your things through fresh eyes and borrow from other rooms to decorate. I love to "steal" my own stuff, it makes it feel brand new!

The old-fashioned school bell was a gift from my mom, she had one I coveted, so she bought me one so I wouldn't steal her's! I had a Glade candle that I dressed up with a little washi tape, and I added the little wooden "Trust in the Lord" (also a gift from my mom!). On the other side, I used a copy of "Pride and Prejudice" and a leather bound journal I use to write my husband love letters in- a little nod to romance (you have to have a little!) topped with a mirrored frame (Target clearance) holding one of my favorite pictures of my honey and me. It was taken by the talented Beverly Bender! The "lion dog" as my kids refer to it, is a little ceramic statue from Target that is just the kind of whimsical, eccentric decor I love.

And I couldn't forget the gorgeous shelf! It was handmade by my aunt and uncle, and it works perfectly as a faux mantle. 

And, of course, because I am famous for re-using, I ripped the watches off my New Year's wreath and added three paper hearts. I couldn't resist, it was perfect for this color scheme!

The whole set-up is right above my desk, and I am loving it. It looks fresh and festive and it didn't cost much. It reminds me of things I love, and that is just right for Valentine's Day, isn't it?