Re-purposing for drama

If you want to make your event look dramatic and flashy but you don't want to put the money into it, just add dimension to your buffet table. By this I mean display your foods at different heights, and maybe even add a piece of decor or two (maybe a short vase for a single flower, a wicker ball, or even just a pretty tea light). You don't have to buy new platters, just use some things you have around the house. If you can't find what you need, check out your local goodwill or garage sales.

I decided to re-purpose some candle holders... for the second time actually. The first time they were used in centerpieces at my sisters wedding, in their second use I hot glued them together to form higher candle towers, and this time around, I'm using them in an entirely new way by hot gluing plates to them. And it really is that simple. I found a candle holder I liked, found a quirky plate (from my own garage sale items!) and hot glued the plate to the candle holder. I also tried this with other items such as a large decorative goblet and a wine glass. Anything with a sturdy base that can balance a plate on top will work fine.

Note: If you have an bulbous container such as this one, give it some added flair by filling it with tissue paper, fruit, ornaments, feathers, goldfish or whatever else you'd like. I just wouldn't recommend gluing it together so you can retrieve the items later

Set your buffet with the different level serving platters and you instantly have a great dramatic look! The more random and mismatched the better! Happy hunting!: )

Project Baby Shower: Invitations Part 1

The first ideas your guests have about your event come from your invitation. By looking at it, they should be able to determine if it's going to be a casual or formal affair without having to ask the host/hostess. Either way, invitations can be expensive. Here is my first attempt at cost-efficient, fabulous invitations!
My first step was to choose contrasting papers. I used an elegant floral print for the background with a teal for the accent. I printed my invitation information on the teal sheet with a butterfly outline in the corner. I was able to print four invitations on one 8.5x11 sheet of cardstock. I cut both the floral paper and the teal cardstock into quarters using a paper cutter to ensure straight edges. (Don't have a paper cutter? Head on down to your local library or Staples store and use theirs!) Next, I added dimension by cutting out a butterfly in the upper left corner. My original intent was to buy a butterfly shaped punch but was not willing to pay $25 for one, so I took the hard way and printed the butterfly outline on the paper and cut it out with an exacto knife. Using glue dots, which may be one of the greatest inventions in crafting, I fastened the two pieces of paper together, centering the teal on top of the floral. At $0.15 per invitation, this project is well worth the exacto knife pain! Here is my finished product:

Floral background with a teal accent fixed to each other via glue dots

Butterfly cut out

Finished Product

Can you guess the style of this party? Formal, Casual, or somewhere in between?

Girls night in

Feeling like having a good time with the girls but don't have a clue what to do? If you have a video game system  at home, there are great options for having a night in with the ladies! There seem to be a plethora of interactive games on the market that require little or no gaming skills! Using the Kinect for Xbox 360, it's easy to have a group dance party in the comfort of your own home (where no one will point and laugh!) Check out games like Dance Central, Zumba,  The Michael Jackson Experience, and The Black Eyed Peas Experience. You can purchase them used at your local game store for around $35 and they provide hours and hours of fun! 

Add to the fun by making it a themed party. For Zumba, Latin inspired attire a required- include a Latin inspired dinner menu and shake those hips! Michael Jackson on your mind? Ask your guests to wear a black fedora or sequined gloves and have food with witty names after his hit songs. 

 

Even if you only play the game once, $35 isn't too bad for a great night of entertainment! Most of these games are also available on the Wii, however, you are limited to 4 controllers. Your other guests can still join in the fun, they just won't have their skills just won't be judged (which may not be a bad thing!)

Don't have a game system at home? Check out www.zumba.com to find a local instructor. They will have varying rates but many are willing to teach private classes at your home!

Project Baby Shower: Part 1

Next big event on my agenda, a baby shower! This will be a first for me so you'll be seeing the inner workings of my mind in the rawest form. The theme: Garden. The mama-to-be: a bookworm.... It will be interesting to see how this all comes together! My first task was easy, the May 19th party date leaves me with plenty of time to get my creative juices flowing.
After checking out my grandmas Better Homes and Gardens magazine, I was inspired to snag one of their Valentines day ideas and make it my own. (By the way, bhg.com/valsbonus has lots of great ideas that can be converted from Valentines theme to whatever you want it to be!)

Their idea: a Journal and a library card with a list of things you love about the recipient. My twist: Baby books with the a library card list of wishes for the baby. I modified a template from the BHG website to fit my needs and started my search for the rest of the pieces. Unfortunately for me, no one locally sells library card pockets and I didn't want to pay $5 for shipping from Amazon or any other site I came across so I decided to trek on over to my local library and see if they had any to spare. Luckily, libraries are catching up to the 21st century and use computers to check out books nowadays. They were more than willing to give me, yes GIVE me the item I was after. After a quick stop to the hobby store to pick up some scrapbook paper, I was ready to complete my project.

To start, I printed my "Wishes for Baby" on white cardstock- 4 to a page.
Next, I folded the card pockets over 1/3 of the way to mask the "Due Date" printed on the back. Using glue dots, I secured the flap to the bottom portion of the pocket.
To give the pocket a classy feel, I chose a 12X12 piece of scrapbook paper to cut and paste. I freehanded my paper rectangles to give the pocket more character. (Perfection is no fun!) Glue dots secured the paper to the pocket and VOILA! The pocket is complete. Simply slide in cardstock list and your pockets are ready for distribution!

Guests for my event will be asked to bring their favorite children's book and complete a list of 10 wished for the baby. I will then attach the list to the inside of each book for mom and baby to enjoy!

Total cost for 35 cards: $2. Inexpensive and sentimental :)

The beginning! 

my FREE Library card pockets in their original form

Fold over the top to mask the "Due Date" section

Free-hand cut a rectangle of paper to adorn the pocket

Finished project

Fancy Flower Alternatives

Sticking with the theme of saving money on weddings, lets take a look at some alternatives to the ever-expensive and quickly perishing flower bouquets. As seen in my previous post, I decided to forego the large quantity of flowers as table centerpieces. Similarly, I recently participated in a "trash the dress" session where I created a bouquet out of feathers and a few sparkly, floral Christmas tree picks. I simply arranged the feathers and flower picks to seem somewhat symmetrical yet edgy, then finished off the handle by wrapping it with a ribbon and fastening it with floral pins. For a more elegant look, rhinestone and pearl-head pins are available. I used small pins that were virtually invisible. After months of sitting on display, my bouquet looks just as good as it did the day I created it, and best of all, at 40% off at our local JoAnn Fabrics store, the entire bouquet cost me $7. I'd say that's substantially better than the $100 fee for the brides flower bouquet. A traditional flower bouquet has a much shorter shelf-life. Even when dried, they don't seem to hold the same aesthetic appeal.

Here is the feather bouquet I created for my photo-shoot (Courtesy of Dana Du Jour Photography)

If you don't feel particularly crafty or prefer to have a professional masterpiece in your hands on your big day, there are many artists who would love to make one for you, still less expensive than a florist! Check out some of these edgy flower bouquet alternatives!

Dual duty: Centerpieces

A wedding will likely be the most expensive party you ever throw. Between outfits and food, flowers and music, your budget dwindles quickly. Why not give your cake double duty on your wedding day? Rather than a massive cake in the front of your venue, consider using individual cakes, or a cake alternative, to dress up your guests tables? They will appreciate not having to rush the crowd to get a piece of the masterpiece up front, and when there are different flavors on each table, your guests will meet new friends while searching for their favorite! At my wedding, we used individual bundt cakes that we baked and froze ahead of time, then my aunt  glazed and garnished them for the tables the morning of the wedding. They were displayed on iron topiary pieces purchased at half price from a local hobby store. The topiaries were spray painted ivory and embellished with a dangling jewel on top to give it a more elegant feel. Along the bottom, we have a ring of eucalyptus to tie in our wedding colors. We used white cake plates, cut to size and inserted them to give 2 layers of space to place the cakes. My husband and I still had our own cake to cut (no smashing was involved) and everyone was able to serve themselves at their convenience. I heard no complaints about the quality either! Total cost for cakes for 150 guests: $50 (including the small cake that was professionally baked and decorated for my husband and I)

Here are some other double duty centerpieces I found via google:

Party favors as table decor- more inspiration here! 

Not a cake person? How about elegant jars with candy for the centerpiece? 

                 Or how about this cute diaper cake for a baby shower centerpiece?