someone was hungry

Loving these plates by Merry Design Studio found via Apartment Therapy.

These would add a ton of whimsy to your next dinner party table.

a diy dinner party table

I just saw this great DIY table today and now want to do the same thing for my own home. Kate over at Mi Piace Kate Design found this plain table cheap on Craigslist.

With some sanding (read her post to find out how she got her hands on a sander - brilliant!) and a few coats of primer and chalkboard paint...

She created this great table - love it!

It's perfect for daily use or for some fun, interactive dinner parties.  I know my party guests would love sitting around this table.

tom selleck, i love you

Mustaches are every where - I seem to see stache related stuff on most of the blogs/sites I visit. I definitely want to plan a party where these hairy lip worms come into play.  I'll have to research all the stache stuff floating the www and combine it all in one post but for now enjoy these cute chalkboard napkin rings.

once upon a time

My family reads - we read a lot!  

My oldest daughter dreams of working at Borders just so she can smell the books - weird, huh?  But really she loves the smell of new books.  You should see her face light up when she steps into a book store and takes a deep breath. The other indicator of her love of reading  is that she was supposed to read 900 pages this semester in her advanced high school English class but instead she read nearly 2000 pages for the semester (that's not counting the required books she had to read - the 2000 pages were her free reading)

The husband just got a Kindle for Father's Day (yes, I gave it to him early) so that he could have 1000's of books at his fingertips.

We all spend time each day reading and loving it so imagine my thrill when I saw this table top design today on Once Wed.  The table was designed by the creative folks at Flush Designs. 

The book pages vase has me grinning from ear to ear.  It reminds me of the lamps I saw in an Anthropologie display a few months back that I have been wanting to recreate.

I love all those pages of words displayed so beautifully.

Back to the table...this idea can work not only for a wedding but would also be great for a book club dinner, a book release party, a book lovers birthday, teacher appreciation luncheon, graduation party - do you see the possibilities?!?!?

Now I'm off to snuggle on the couch with a good book.

DIY...under the sea

I found this DIY napkin ring today and I love it.  The red coral would add just the right punch of color to a beautiful neutral colored beach themed table.  You can find directions at Craftstylish.

can i be invited

to this lovely outdoor party?

via Wide Open Spaces

fathers day

Wouldn't this be a cute way to fold your napkins for a Fathers Day feast?  Find the directions here.  You could also hit up Goodwill, The Salvation army or other thrift stores in search of old ties and incorporate them into your table decor.

ahoy thar me matey

I had a friend dig up these pictures from a party we did 5 or 6 years ago (excuse the poor quality) so that I could share them with someone that was throwing a pirate party.  I decided to share them here as well because these centerpieces are one of my favorite ideas.

The centerpieces are simple with great visual impact.  All you  need to do is take black PVC or spray paint white PVC and make your mast (a simple cross design).  Add some tattered fabric for your sail and tie it all off with some rope.  The final touch a pirate flag centered on top. The whole thing is so sea worthy simple!

We used rental tables and tablecloths with holes in the center normally used for umbrellas. To add some more piratey goodness to the table we placed sand around the mast and added shells, candles and wooden treasure chests full of gold and  jewels.

Ye best be thinking about these tables me hardie for yer next pirate party!

i think i'm in love

I have an obsession - I love fonts, type, letters, words.  Now I can bring my love of type and parties together with these personalized creations from Shapeways.  

Imagine how great this napkin rings or candles would look on your party table.  I seriously want these!

You can jet on over to Head of the Table where a giveaway is going on to win a napkin ring design from Shapeway - what an amazing prize to win.  I have to admit though that my selfish self hopes that none of you enter so that I can win this typography goodness.  My kind giving self hopes that all of you win - such inner conflict :)

it'll just look like you spent hours

I found this buttery goodness at the grocery store this week (actually Mr. B - the husband found it and pointed it out because he knew I would love it)

No need to spend hours molding your own butter turkey - set this gobbler on a plate and just let your guests think you are amazing.

a must have for me this year

My heart swelled when I saw this tablecloth in light of my friend Susan's death.  Now more than ever I am thankful for my friends and family.  What a great DIY project for the Thanksgiving table.  I'm adding it to my to do list in hopes that I can get it done before the big meal.

the hostess does it again

I love everything that Jenn over at Hostess with the Mostess does. She is beyond creative!  I know most of my readers probably read HWTM too so forgive me if you have seen this idea but I just had to post it.

Lately I have been all about the DIY projects that are easy and don't cost much.  Let's face it - parties can be expensive (just ask my husband who foots the party bills at our house)  Many people are facing tough economic times right now but we shouldn't let a lack of funds stop the party.  If anything, we need some good shindigs to keep us going in the tough times.

So look at what Jenn came up with...

How wonderfully spooktacular are these candle holders?  You love them, don't you?!?!?  Well check out how easy it is to make your own.  

They are made from nylons - yes nylons and some ribbon.  I always have Halloween type nylons left each year that someone wore for a costume and they never get worn again. Problem solved now.  Those old nylons will make a great little cover for my glass cylinders
No nylons?  How about using some inexpensive tulle - Halloween glamour!
Now get your mind going...how can you move this idea beyond Halloween?  I have seen brightly colored striped nylons - circus table anyone?  How about the colorful swirly pattern nylons I've seen at costumes store - I can see a groovy 60's table.  Or go basic - a simple white or cream nylon (patterned or not) would work for a wedding.  

The ideas are endless with this DIY idea.  Thanks Jenn for yet again providing so much party inspiration!

thanks to the ex boyfriend for the mix tape of love songs

I came across this idea over at Apartment Therapy's Re-Nest.  I love the graphic look of this closet and thought for a minute..."how can I turn this idea into a party?"

A while back I posted a brief little post about an 80's party - one day I'm going to throw this party. This cassette tape idea would translate perfectly into a party idea for a totally tubular 80's theme.  I am picturing cassette tapes covering a square or rectangle table with a piece of glass over top to keep it all steady and smooth.  Admit it, it would look cool.

So now I'm off to dig through the boxes containing my most precious high school possessions and hopefully I'll find all those love song mix tapes from my multitude of admirers (all three of them)  Maybe I won't be finding quite enough tapes to cover a table - perhaps I better hit Goodwill.

ghostly table

Time is short but I just had to post this table that Marcie put together.  I love it and just wanted to share it with all of my party loving readers.

Marcie got the idea of a glowing table after seeing some illuminated lucite boxes.  She wanted the same effect and came up with her own DIY version - lamps under the table.  Easy and cheap with huge impact - you go Marcie!  

I love the ghostly effect of this glowing table.  Although I'm not having my annual Halloween party this year (moment of silence please) I'm thinking about trying out this ghostly table on Halloween night.  What a great place to have our treats set up for trick or treaters.

Marcie is in the midst of planning her own Halloween bash so if you are interested in seeing what else Marcie is cooking up in her cauldron of creativity go visit her at her blog A Life Made by Marcie. Tell her I said hi!

back to school or centerpieces with a purpose

Do you need some ideas for a back to school bash or maybe for a teacher appreciation luncheon or how about a graduation party?

Here is what we (myself and a few great friends) put together for a church dinner for 350 women held on Saturday.  We had 35 tables and a very small (let me repeat - very small) budget that needed to include table decorations as well as all the paper goods.  

The theme was Back to School and so our centerpieces reflected that theme but also served double duty.  Once the dinner was over the centerpieces were taken apart and packaged up so that they could be sent to school children in Tijuana, Mexico.  It was thrilling to know that everything would be put to good use and now I want to try to incorporate this idea into more of my centerpieces.  

Pencils, notebooks, composition books, rulers and chalkboards all used for the evenings festivities and then off to kids that need them.

Pencils found for $1.00 per 24.  We simply took canned food from our pantries and wrapped the pencils around, securing them with rubber bands.  

The original idea called for tissue paper in the "vases" but I didn't have any when I was doing the mock up so I used notebook paper as a stand-in and realized that the notebook paper was much more appropriate and cheaper.

Vintage flash cards, thanks to a friend were used inside the vases. Hit up ebay, Craigslist or antique stores to find a box of cards.
Like I said the budget was small so I tried to find little accents that would add some panache but still be inexpensive.  For the plain plastic cups I added alphabet stickers to help them tie into the theme.  The font was School Script Dashed and can be found here. With 350 people in attendance we put random letters at each place setting but for a more intimate party I would suggest using the initial of each guest.
No school theme is complete with out cafeteria trays and a friend found these great foam ones online for me.  The cost per tray was much less then regular paper plates and added much more to our theme.

To carry the cafeteria theme a bit further we added pre packaged silverware complete with napkin and salt and pepper packets. Another inexpensive touch was adding the back to school sticker to each package of silverware.
The most expensive (although still reasonable) addition to the centerpieces was the chalkboards.  A friend that owns a wood working business ordered sheets of mdf (at $15 a sheet - I believe) and cut them into 24x24 in squares (8 per sheet)  I bought chalkboard paint for $20 and painted them all up.  The addition of the chalkboards helped ground the centerpiece and served as a fun interactive activity for the dinner guests.  It was quite enjoyable reading all the things that had been written as we cleaned up after the dinner.

This idea can be done easily and inexpensively (especially if you are not planning for 350 people)  If you want to try this theme for yourself and have any questions leave me a comment - I'd be happy to help you out.

get your spook on - somebody set the table

I just finished setting our table for the holiday season (no, not Christmas - the other holiday season) and I think it is one of the easiest ways to add some fun to your decor.  

I must throw in this disclaimer...this is a much nicer idea when you have a dining room separate from your everyday eating area.  We do not have that luxury (cut me some slack, real estate is pricey in Orange County) This tablescape gets pushed around more than any bullied kid I know to make room for homework and dining.  

Yes, I said it - dining.  We move the beautifully set table so we can eat on our everyday, sturdy white Ikea plates. Crazy?  Probably, but my husband loves me in spite of it all so all is right with the world.

The "trees" down the middle of the table are from Ikea - seriously love that store!  I purchased them forever ago on sale for like 25 or 50 cents a piece.  I'm not sure why they were marked down so low since they still carry them (current price is just around $5) but I'm not arguing. I originally bought them thinking they would be cute with family pictures tied to them as a family reunion centerpiece.  When I needed something not too big for this table I decided that these would work as a modern take on spooky dead trees.

The place settings consist of orange wooden chargers bought on clearance at Z Gallerie.  Keep an eye on the clearance area of all your favorite stores - you can decorate an expensive looking table for little money if you just shop for bargains.  Want to mimic the look but can't find a good deal on chargers - cut some mdf board or wood from the local home improvement store into the size you want and paint it. Better yet find an orange stain and stain the wood allowing the wood grain to show through.

The silver boney hands also came from Z Gallerie (I think)  I believe I paid full price for these because "I just had to have them" - you know how that goes.  I think that these could be reproduced cheaper with plastic skull hands and silver metallic spray paint.  If anyone tries it let me know how it turns out.

The orange napkins can be found anywhere and then just add your own silverware.  A big pat on the back to anyone that can tell me what movie our silverware has been seen in.
The orange soda bottles I found at Cost Plus (another favorite party store).  I'm not sure of the brand.  You could use Jones or some other orange soda.  I chose this one because it had  plain orange cap with no writing.  The label I made on the computer using s clip art skull and Dead Secretary as my font.
I may add some candles at some point but for now it's good.  I love seeing the traditional orange and black table set up every day and the bonus...it helps with house cleaning since we can't pile bills, papers and other garbage on top of it.

Make some plans to decorate your dining room table for this Halloween.  I even give you permission to wait until it's a bit closer to the 31st so you don't have to push around the place settings you big bully.

TIME to celebrate

 was at IKEA last Saturday and I saw this clock for $2.99.  I picked up a few because I wanted to try using them as plate chargers.  I didn't have a particular party in mind so the plan was to just store them away until I came up with an excuse to use them.

Last Sunday I noticed in our church bulletin that one of my friends had a birthday coming up and I instantly knew I had my excuse to use the clocks - I just had to figure out how to incorporate them into a theme.  I ended up with "TIME to celebrate" You could really use the clock/time theme for anything...school time, it's about time, free time, time after time (thank you very much Cyndi Lauper)

So today I had 7 friends over for a birthday brunch.  Here is the finished table.  Please excuse the bad pictures.  These were taken sometime after midnight - the lights horrible and I was too tired to deal with settings.

The original clocks were clear plastic which I thought was rather boring so I grabbed some spray paint and spiffed them up.
Instead of making a birthday cake or bringing out cupcakes at the end of the meal I incorporated them into the centerpiece - cheap and easy.
I picked up a few watches at Forever 21 on sale for $6 and hung them from colorful block pictures holders that I also found at IKEA for $2
This was a simple party to put together that didn't demand a ton of time on my part or a lot of money.
It was nice to have an excuse to plan a small get together but it was even nicer to have an excuse to get together with friends to laugh and to talk.