That’s just an idea, I’ll certainly steal! -for ma’ kid’s party. Thanks for sharing such a beautiful celebration & memories. P.S I love reading your articles and the fun-fact, is I am nutritionist myself!
When I first asked my daughter what she wanted to do for her 5th birthday, she said, “Have a butterfly tea party!” Then, when I asked her who we should invite, thinking she would rattle off a list of her pre-kindergarten buddies, she definitively exclaimed, “Gail!”—our dear 51-year-old neighbor. Suffice it to say, my daughter prefers hanging out with adults to playing with kids her own age (though she does have plenty of little friends). But a butterfly tea party it would be, we decided, with a mix of friends old and young. I have to say I kind of love the fact that when the big day came, we had every age group represented, with little girls, teenagers, thirty-somethings, fifty-somethings, and sixty-somethings, all specially invited by Christine to celebrate her happy day. I like to think it gives a panoramic of the community she is growing up in, with connections in lots of places.
Since I’ve had a break between my spring and summer nutrition internships the last few weeks, I had the chance to go totally overboard spend plenty of time planning and preparing for the party. My husband kept making fun of me, saying that I was doing the work more for myself than for our 5-year-old…which may partly be accurate, but really, I wanted to create an event that would be fun for both grown-ups and little girls, and I felt that took some serious design. In the end, I hope I succeeded!
Here are some details of the decorations, activities, and foods from this fun, girly party!
Decorations
Flowers in a teapot is fairly standard for prettying up a tea party, and this time, I found a butterfly on a stick (or more like a skewer, but that sounds rather unpleasant) at the dollar store and added it to the arrangement. As you will see, my local Dollar Tree played a major role in decorating for this party.
For a display that was large enough for my 8-foot dining room table, this “custom” table runner came together with craft paper and lace.
The dining table display.
So….about the dollar store…these sparkly butterfly wings from Dollar Tree were the perfect way to adorn dining chairs and doubled as a parting gift for each girl who attended the party. The only downside: it may be the next century before I get all the glitter out of my carpet.
Decorating my chandelier was possibly my favorite part of preparing for the tea party. Using some purple tulle, I wrapped the chandelier to resemble a butterfly net and added some butterflies held captive inside. No butterflies were harmed in the making of this display.
If there’s one thing you know you’ll see every time at a party at my house, it’s a banner. I would probably make a banner for a funeral. I may need a banner intervention. This one was fun to assemble with shabby chic craft paper.
More butterflies and flowers!
Annnnd…even more butterflies, this time clipped to a shabby chic birdhouse to make a centerpiece for the kids’ lunch table.
Activities
1. Greetings, Great One
As an icebreaker at the beginning of the party, we played something called “Greetings, Great One,” a guessing game that let Christine feel like the real Guest of Honor. She stood with her back to all her guests, and one by one, we approached her from behind and said in a disguised voice, “Greetings, great one! Happy Birthday!” She then had to guess the owner of each voice. It was surprisingly tough!
2. Coloring Pages
Another activity awaited guests after lunch and tea were served and we sat down to eat. At each table were various butterfly and tea cup coloring pages, with crayons in little china cups nearby.
3. Tea Bag Toss
Tea Bag Toss, as you may have guessed, is a variation of a classic toss/skeeball game. It was the result of my last-minute party planning panic that there might not be enough activities to fill the time, and I’m glad we had it as an option. The girls seemed to really enjoy trying to rack up points by tossing tea bags into the various receptacles. My niece was the big winner, beating even the adults with a whopping 200 points. I smell a college skeeball scholarship!
4. Pass the Parcel
Finally, before Christine opened her presents, the rest of us got to have some fun with a present of our own. Sitting in a circle while music played, we passed a gift around that had been wrapped with numerous layers of wrapping paper. When the music stopped, the person holding it got to unwrap one layer. Finally, the person to open the last layer got to keep the prize inside: a gift card to Target (where I figured a winner of any age could find something to like).
FOOD!
The best part! I think I could eat tea party food everyday and not get tired of it for a veeeeery long time. All those little finger foods give you the beautiful illusion that you can try a bit of everything and not overeat.
The lunch:
Dilled Cucumber Cream Cheese Tea Sandwiches
Roast Beef with Lemon-Rosemary Aioli Tea Sandwiches
Apple-Almond Chicken Salad Puffs
Individual Fruit Trifles
Arugula Salad with Figs, Pecans, Chèvre, and Blackberries Smoked Salmon Spread with Butter Crackers
The drinks:
Vanilla Cinnamon Black Tea
Jasmine Green Tea
Peach Passion Herbal Tea
Strawberry Cupcakes with Lemon Frosting and Sugar Paper Butterflies
Last year for Mother’s Day, my mom got me a package of edible butterflies she found on Etsy. I used some for my own birthday cake back in September, but what better opportunity to use them than a butterfly tea party? I love the way they rest so delicately on the side of each cupcake, just like if a real butterfly stopped by to enjoy the party. Except then you eat it, which I personally would not do with a real butterfly, but if you would, that’s cool. You’re probably lots of fun at parties.
Christine watching over her cupcakes–she had her eye on the purple one.
The girls’ table:
The grown-ups table:
When all the guests had gone home full of tea and wearing their glittery wings, Christine and I did what any sensible girls would do after a long day of tea partying: watched The Little Mermaid in our underwear while one of us drank a sizable glass of wine. It’s good to be a girl.
If you use Pinterest, do you ever think of your brain as a conglomeration of Pinterest boards? And if so, what would they be? Mine would include a ’70s music board, a Things I’m Probably Forgetting to Do board, and a Parties I Want to Host board. For a long time an Oscar Night sat forlornly on this “board” in my brain. It had always sounded like a blast to me to get dressed up with a group of friends (Grown-up Prom is also on the Parties I Want to Host board–oh yeah, it’s still gonna happen) and enjoy the glitz and glamor of the Academy Awards together. Recently, when I realized that the Oscars were rolling around and I had no plans, I decided this was the year to make it a reality! I invited a group of girlfriends over (husbands not included because, let’s be real, are husbands into getting formal to sip champagne and watch the Oscars? They are NOT.) for food, drinks, Oscar-themed activities, and of course, watching the awards themselves. We had a lovely time, and it reminded me of just how grateful I am to have such awesome girlfriends. Here are the details of our evening for anyone who wants to start planning for next year!
THE FOOD:
And the Biggest Themed Menu Planning Nerd award goes to….Sarah of A Love Letter to Food! I seriously geeked out planning this Oscar-themed menu:
Who doesn’t love pigs in blankets? I am here to tell you that the Trader Joe’s variety were a big hit with my friends, and not just because of the pun I worked into their name on the menu (wink). Served with ketchup and mustard, they were a delightful morsel that added to the spread.
A second savory item were these star-shaped roast beef and rosemary-garlic aioli tea sandwiches. See, I knew that star-shaped cookie cutter would come in handy sometime other than the 4th of July!
Next up, these tuxedo-themed olive and brie crackers were gone in a flash:
For a little something healthy, I served a “Celebrity Detox” kale salad, also known as kale with cranberries, pecans, and poppyseed dressing. Detox results not guaranteed. 😉
Finally, for dessert, there were Red Velvet Carpet cupcakes topped with gold sprinkles for some extra shimmer.
The spread in its entirety:
THE DECOR:
The possibilities for fun, classy, and even kitschy Oscar decorations are endless. I had a ton of fun prepping several such items for this party. To set the stage for the evening, I made a quick door sign to greet guests when they arrived: as easy as downloading a PDF of a film clapper and filling in the party details.
If there’s one thing an Oscar party needs, it’s got to be a red carpet. I found this sparkly red material at Michael’s for a good price, so it served as the walkway for guests to enter on.
Once inside, guests had the opportunity to pose for photos in front of this snazzy backdrop, a la a junior high dance circa 1995, thankyouverymuch.
To grace the food display, I went with these hanging metallic paper fans, a bouquet of gold branches in a tall vase, and some Oscar statuettes made by mounting prints of the real thing on cardboard backing. My husband even said how surprisingly accurate they came out!
Annnnd finally, the bathroom. We celebrities just can’t get any privacy anywhere, can we?
THE ACTIVITIES:
Actor On My Back
When guests arrived, we played a variation on the classic icebreaker “Animal on my Back”: this time, Actor on my Back. Everyone had a famous actor/actress pinned to her back and had to figure out where identity from yes-or-no questions.
Photo Taking
At the end of the red carpet, your photo op! (Holding your well-deserved Oscar, of course.)
Oscar Bingo
I found these fantastic printables of an Oscar Bingo game on the HGTV website. The game’s squares included items like “Actress Wears a Red Dress” or “Recipient Thanks His Mom.” It added some interest to watching the slower parts of the awards.
In the end, it was an evening to remember–and to cross off the bucket list (or Pinterest board, depending on how you look at it) of “Parties to Host.” Thanks to the fabulous ladies who made Oscar Night 2016 great!
Years ago when my kids were younger, I must have been complaining to an older mom about my lack of close friends, because I remember her saying, “Don’t worry. When your kids get to be school age, they’ll start to make friends for you.” I mainly remember this statement because I totally didn’t believe it. Like, what? I had no confidence that I would want to be friends with my kids’ friends’ parents. Hey, I love my kids and I believe they mostly choose good friends, but it doesn’t mean I’m gonna jive with the parental units. But lo and behold, my seasoned mom friend was right: now that my kids are older, I have begun establishing friendships with their friends’ parents.
It started several months ago, when my friend Sally, whose son goes to school with my son, suggested some of us first grade moms should get together for a monthly ladies’ night. Since September, the six of us have gone to a couple of wine bars and even tried line dancing at a place called Bourbon Jack’s (which was actually not as campy as it sounds–we made it out without getting hit on by any cowboys or ridiculed for not wearing snakeskin boots). This month it was my turn to plan our monthly get-together. I decided to deviate a little from our norm and suggested an event I’ve hosted in the past and have wanted to repeat ever since: an in-home yoga night. My friend Joy is an instructor at a local yoga studio (Naam Yoga in Mesa, AZ) and graciously agreed to come to my house to lead an hour of in-home restorative yoga for us. With her guidance, we enjoyed a really fantastic evening. For anyone looking for a relaxing experience for a party, a birthday, a ladies’ night, or other group event, I say give an in-home yoga session a try! If you have the space for a few mats–even if you have to move some furniture–it’s totally worthwhile. Here are some highlights from our evening!
The Yoga:
Setting the scene with a relaxing ambience was the goal for this yoga night. Candles and tea lights provided soft lighting in the living room. Pulling some furniture out of my living room gave us enough space to practice comfortably.
Since several of the ladies don’t have much experience with yoga, Joy offered us a gentle, restorative practice. As part of the session, she also provided her own speakers to play a chill soundtrack for our stretches, mats for those who didn’t have their own, blankets, and lavender-scented eye masks. (So nice!) If you don’t personally know anyone who teaches yoga, contact any local yoga studio and I guarantee they would be happy to give you a rate for an in-home session, or direct you to someone who could.
The Food:
You didn’t think we were going to get through this post without any mention of food, did you?
After our yoga session, I wanted to serve a relatively light dessert. With the constraint of two of the ladies in our group being gluten-free, a pavlova (a sweet treat made primarily with beaten egg whites and sugar) seemed like a good choice. Topped with whipped cream and berries, it was like one big crunchy-on-the-outside, fluffy-on-the-inside marshmallow. Definitely a winner I will use again when serving gluten free friends.
To drink, I thought I’d give a little nod to the spa experience by making some cucumber water…and of course some dessert wines.
The Parting Gift:
Finally, after our hour of yoga, our dessert, and a riveting discussion of the MTV series Teen Wolf, it was time to wrap up. I know I always like getting presents, so I thought it would be fun to send everyone home with a small parting gift…just a little something to say thank you for coming to our first get-together of 2016, and to remind us of the choice to keep doing right by our bodies. Hence the Kind Bars piggybacked onto Fiji water bottles: a little refuel snack for a future workout.
I’m so glad things worked out for our little group to share an evening of yoga. Whether you consider yourself an advanced yogi or your only association with yoga involves enjoying the stretchiness of yoga pants, a private, in-home session with friends could be a comfortable, fun new way to experience the practice.
If you read the news (or at least glance at the “trending” section of your Facebook feed), you probably know that Pope Francis is in the U.S. this week. Like many others around the world, Catholic and non-Catholic, I am drawn to this pope who lives as simply as is pontifically possible and preaches a message of acceptance, grace, and care for the poor. As a Catholic, I believe it is part of my Christian mission to serve the poor, and it’s been inspiring to see the pope here advocating for us Americans to do so. I certainly wish I did so more often. As a Catholic Christian, I also believe in having an across-the-board pro-life platform–meaning that if I’m going to oppose abortion, I need to extend that position into reality by helping those who choose life for their unborn children.
Yesterday I had the opportunity, in a small way with a group of friends, to take up both of these challenges.
Save the Family, a local non-profit where I do some volunteering, offers a program that that helps homeless families get back on their feet. Save the Family provides their clients with housing, classes for job readiness, interviewing skills, or getting a GED, as well as many other resources. One way volunteers can get involved in the process is by hosting baby showers for clients who have recently had a baby. To me, it seems like a wonderful way to bless a fellow mom who is in great need, and promote a culture that welcomes new life even when circumstances are difficult. Having attended some of these showers in the past, I decided to host one myself. It was a really special evening I was honored to share with a group of treasured friends. The client went home with a van-load of baby necessities, and hopefully with a sense of support and love from our little group.
Some of the gifts
I thought I’d share some of the decorating, game, and food ideas from the shower–which could of course be used for any baby shower! However, if you agree that throwing a shower for a mother in need is a great idea, and you live in the Phoenix area, check out Save the Family and throw one for one of their clients!
Getting ready for the shower
Decor:
My main intent in planning decor for this shower was that almost every decoration would be something the mom could keep and use for her baby boy. Except for a few incidentals, this worked out really well.
Diaper Trees
I’ve seen diaper cakes, diaper wreaths, and even diaper owls (wha?) used at showers and touted on Pinterest. Here’s my take on the theme of using diapers as decorations: the diaper tree. Or diaper flower pot, maybe? Pretty simple–rolled up diapers held in place with ribbon around a Mason jar. I popped some floral foam in the jar and stuck a large silk hydrangea in it. Boom! Diaper tree.
Baby Sock Banner
Well, talk about easy baby shower decor. Easy and giftable. Ribbon, clothespins, baby socks, annnnnd done.
Baby Name Monogram Centerpiece
Our little guest of honor’s name at the shower started with ‘K,’ so (hoping the mom could use this in his room, perhaps?) I went with a monogram centerpiece. Naturally, this only works if you know the baby’s name….or maybe if you’re trying to drop a subtle suggestion of what you want the baby’s name to be.
Table decor all put together:
Wooden Door Hanger
For a door hanger, I made this little “Welcome Baby” sign with a small section of beadboard, ribbon, wooden stars, and sticker letters. (Translation: I went a little craft-crazy at Michael’s.) Again, re-usable as nursery decor.
Tissue Paper Pom Poms
Okay, not typically giftable, but dang if these things aren’t festive! And actually, in this case, these ended up getting gifted to the client. She said she could re-use them for another child’s birthday party. Yay!
Lastly, for one of the tablecloths, I used a baby blanket, which the client got to keep as a gift, too.
Food:
The shower menu was a collaboration between several of the invitees and myself. It came together for a nice well-rounded meal that pleased this nutritionist-in-training.
Cheese Straws
Veggies and Dip
Pita and Hummus
Strawberries and Cream Cheese Dip
Cupcakes
For dessert, I knew I wasn’t in the market for a splurge on custom cupcakes, so I tried for the next-best thing: cupcakes with a custom topper. Some craft paper, double-stick tape, and toothpicks whipped up these little blue cupcake flags. They day of the shower, I picked up two dozen grocery store cupcakes and topped them with the flags. A little pop on top for instant festivity.
Games
Shower games: you either love them or hate them, right? Hoping to keep guests happy, I aimed to go with games that were more lovable than hate-able. No one had to eat chocolate out of a diaper or waddle through an obstacle course with a watermelon between their thighs, so I’d call that a success right there. I personally love word games, and sheets of paper with word games on them sure are easy to transport, which is a major benefit when throwing a shower somewhere other than your home.
We started off with an icebreaker of Baby Mad Gab–just a little something fun for people to try to work out as we got our food and sat down. If you’ve never played Mad Gab, the basic idea is that what looks like random words strung together can really sound like another phrase. “Dirt Deed Hyper”? Dirty diaper! “Bundt Uh Loaf Joey”? Bundle of joy! Once you figure it out, you can’t un-hear it. Below is a printable I made with an answer key.
Next up we had another word game called It’s Also a Baby Name. You know how a lot of names are also nouns, like Faith, Hope, and Charity? And Dump Truck and Tadpole and whatever else people are naming their kids these days? This game is based off that idea. Printable and answer key below!
Lastly, everyone got to enjoy a round of Play-Doh Baby, which is as simple as it sounds. Make your best baby out of Play-Doh and the guest of honor gets to choose the winner. We had some pretty adorable (and some pretty freaky) babies. I think my favorite part of this game was when I asked my friend Bekah, “Hey, are you still working on making a baby other there?” Ummm, that came out wrong.
Play Doh babies at restPacifier baby!
So there you have it. I would absolutely do this event again! It truly blessed my heart to see this momma in need drive away with so many wonderful gifts for her sweet little guy, and to see my group of friends come together to make it happen. Thank you so much to all of you ladies, and for anyone else reading, be sure to check out Save the Family!
When I told people we were going to host a Beatles Singalong Party, several of them politely asked something along the lines of, “Oh…huh….um…what made you want to do something like that?” It’s a valid question. A Beatles Singalong Party sounds like kind of a random event. It wasn’t anyone’s birthday. It wasn’t the anniversary of the Beatles coming to America, or of John Lennon’s death or the release of Revolver (that I know of). I just wanted to have a party. I seem to experience a party life cycle that goes like this:
1. Plan and plan and spend money and plan and stress myself out a little too much over having a party.
2. Have the party, enjoy it, bask in the glow of giving people a good time in our home.
3. Rest for about 24 hours, think to myself, “Wow, that was crazy. Let’s not do that again for awhile.”
4. Immediately start thinking about the next party.
It had been a couple of months since we had had a party, so I was getting the itch. To answer the question of why a Beatles party–I mean, why not have a Taylor Swift-rainbow-unicorn party like normal people?–my husband Anthony and I have always enjoyed singing together, and it seems like we always end up singing Beatles songs. There’s no arguing with how singable they are, and how universal. They’re burned into the hindbrain of anyone who grew up in the U.S. or the U.K. from the 1960s until now. So since we always have so much fun singing Beatles songs together, maybe it would be fun to have our friends join in, too. And I knew there would be innumerable food and party decorating ideas to choose from, which always helps.
I have to say I think everyone had a blast. The party started at 7:00 and people didn’t leave until after midnight. Even friends who I never knew enjoyed singing said they loved the singalong. It’s got to be a Truth of Humankind that people coming together to make music intrinsically brings good vibes.
So listen…if you want to know a secret…about throwing a Beatles Singalong Party. Here’s the lowdown in Food, Decor, and Activity categories.
FOOD:
I have a weakness for themed food, so making a Beatles-themed dessert menu was a little slice of food geek heaven for me. As you can see, the menu included:
“Savoy” Truffles. I actually don’t know what Savoy truffles are, but these easy Oreo truffles fit the bill and were amaaaaazing (looking forward to posting this recipe soon!).
Baby, You Can Drive my Car-amel Brownies. Yuk, yuk. These were a box mix with a layer of melted caramels inside.
Salted Honey Pie. This may have been the most popular dessert on the menu. A unique sweet-and-salty combo I’m pretty sure I’m taking to Thanksgiving this year.
For drinks, we offered “Yellow Submarine Lemonade” (not pictured) and this delightful, tropical-tasting Golden Slumbers Rum Punch–a mix of rum, pineapple juice, fresh orange and lemon juice, and ginger ale. Some generous friends brought additional alcohol, so everyone was sufficiently libation-ed to sing unselfconsciously.
DECOR:
Decorating for a Beatles party was super fun–and significantly easier than decorating for our Nacho Libre party, I must say. Once you start looking, you realize that Beatles paraphernalia is everywhere, even 45 years after the band’s breakup. In our entryway, I made four “portraits” of John, Paul, George, and Ringo with the photo inserts from my White Album CD and basic black 12 x 12 craft paper.
I happened to find a 16-month Beatles calendar while out shopping one day, which was a gold mine of 16 album covers and other photos. Again using 12 x 12 craft paper for backing, I put together a little display in our bookshelf.
When it comes to party decor, I’m of the opinion that a custom banner is always a good choice. I made this “Come Together” banner (as well as the “Let It Be” one in the top picture in this post) out of pre-cut chalkboard paper.
To decorate above the food table, I ordered a super cheapo British flag on Amazon and made some DIY White Album records by printing the record labels off of Google Images and adhering them to some old vinyl records I happened to have. From a distance, they were pretty convincing.
Lastly, I printed out some Beatles trivia facts and hung them in the guest bathroom for people to read while, you know, occupied in there. For example, did you know that the Beatles almost bought a Greek island in 1967 with plans to turn it into a utopian community for their families and friends? You would have if you’d used our bathroom!
ACTIVITIES:
Yellow submarine nose picking! Who knew it could be so much fun? Just kidding. My artistic, long-suffering husband was kind enough to indulge an idea I had seen on Pinterest of making a carnival-style Yellow Submarine board out of a giant cardboard box. (Just looked up what these things are called, since I couldn’t think of an appropriate term. They’re called “Head in the Hole Boards.” Well, that about sums it up.) Anthony covered the cardboard with yellow butcher paper and colored the submarine’s details in with marker.
Some of the Head-in-the Hole Hijinks:
In the invitation, we asked guests to dress in their ’60s best for a costume contest. Several people participated.
And now, finally, for the singalong! Anthony borrowed a projector and screen from work, so we were able to project lyrics from his laptop so everyone could participate. He played chords on the guitar and we took requests. (He purchased the entire Beatles catalog on Kindle awhile back.)
At one point, I had to leave the room to go to another part of the house. I couldn’t believe how loudly everyone was singing, and how well–even in harmony! From my daughter’s bedroom, it sounded like a choir in the living room. Our priest always says that if for no other reason, people should go to church for the opportunity to sing with others. I agree. I really believe singing together will always bring people joy…especially if they’re singing Beatles songs.
Bravo mama…B R A V O!
Thanks, Joy! It was lots of fun!
Thanks for the memories of a beautiful day! I haven’t had that much girly fun in a long time!
Love,
Mom/Grammy
Thanks, Mom!
That’s just an idea, I’ll certainly steal! -for ma’ kid’s party. Thanks for sharing such a beautiful celebration & memories. P.S I love reading your articles and the fun-fact, is I am nutritionist myself!