Newspaper Headlines an 80th Birthday

Extra! Extra! Read all about it... It's more than an invitation, it's a mini newspaper to kick off an event that is sure to be "newsworthy"! Turning 80 just weeks apart, it made sense to have one big celebration for this delightful couple. A touch of vintage and a touch of whimsy went into this invitation so I'm sure these siblings that are throwing the party will have planned a little of both on the day of the shindig!

Brewing Up a Beer Themed Party

Hi Pinterest Friends! I have a very similar beer themed invitation in my Etsy shop. Head on over there and check it out. Need a special design? Send me an email and we can chat.

Beerfest! Designed after the Birthday Boy's favorite beer, these invitations welcome one and all to his 80th birthday party. Even the "half-pints", who will be drinking ROOT beer! Those who can't attend? I've made sure they can still send a card by including an attached drink tag with Darrell's address. I'll be putting together the decor for this party too and I'm really looking forward to playing around with all things, and words, that are beer related.

School Themed Wedding Invitation

The simpleness of a vintage schoolhouse and blending it with rich colors was my challenge. The kraft paper exterior wrapped with a purple twine hides the surprise of fuchsia, purple and lime inside.

This wedding will be held at an old Victorian schoolhouse so the theme was a no-brainer. But this bride and groom met at school and both now work at schools so it is perfectly appropriate for them. I posted their save-the-date school calendar a few months back. Heather and Nick came up with the cutest idea for the rsvp card - a passed back and forth note reminiscent of elementary school. They even wrote the text themselves. So cute! The wedding information card is a "Hall Pass" and a "Campus Map" is on the reverse. We have a couple cute paper goods things in store for at the wedding as well. I'll share that next month.

Oh, the Places You'll Go 80th Birthday Party!

Such a fun party to create! A playful theme taken from the Dr. Seuss book Oh, the Places You'll Go! was changed to Oh, the Places He's Been! I posted the invitation I created a couple months ago which looks almost exactly like the cover of the book that I wrote (with a little help from my family and friends!) that tells the story, so far, of the birthday boy Tom. I am not an illustrator so I'm sort of embarrassed to show you the inside of the book but a Dr. Seuss book is always a little goofy so I gave myself some grace and went for it.

And then creating the table decor. Ahhh, so fun! I went to my favorite flower greenhouse on the hunt for quirky flowers and filler in orange, yellow and white.  I wrapped the glass vases in a funky yellow and white lokta paper because I didn't want the stems to show and I wanted more yellow. Love yellow! The cylinder vases in groups were filled with blue water, because Tom served in the Navy, and topped with floating candles. Oranges were strewn throughout as a nod to Tom's early years in Redlands, California and the family's orange grove business. And the very playful airplanes represent the years that Tom had his private pilot's license.

A long table filled with meaning

Is this a Dr. Seuss flower or what?

Airplanes as place cards and party favors

The birthday boy tells a story

These airplanes were made of a Heath Bar for the wings, a roll of Mentos for the fuselage, two spearmint Life Savers for the tires and a rubber band to keep it all together. I saw something very similar on a fun party blog I visit regularly which you can check out here. I had to make these much bigger because they were for adults for goodness sake! Of course I made the labels too... the guest names on the wings and Tom's tail numbers of his plane on the roll of Mentos!   Good times!

Father of the Bride BBQ - The Real Thing

Can I generalize here? Men love barbecue. No wonder George Banks (played by Steve Martin) the father in "Father of the Bride" dreamed of a barbecue for his daughter's wedding reception. My husband settled for the night before event to be a barbecue at our daughter's destination wedding weekend at Sunriver Resort in Oregon. When I was in the planning stage of this event  I put up this post last summer.

The bride saw a yellow and white check tablecloth and the theme was set. I decided it would pop with black and we rolled with it. I think everyone had a ball playing ladder golf and cornhole, chatting it up about the day's activities, eating good food! I have a wonderful son in law who was thoughtful enough to wear black while I wore yellow and my daughter wore white. She is the bride after all!  My husband? Well, he just chose a shirt he feels good in!

All these photos are from our fabulous photographer Braedon Flynn

And the delightful twiggy basket florals are by Allison at Mint Floral

The buttons were a real hit so if you are considering doing something like that for a party of your own I say 'do it'!

 
This girlfriend worked with the bride, lived in the same cities in Idaho and Washington too.

And this guy was a college school friend from California.

I made the cornhole beanbags, stenciling the burlap with the bride and groom's initials.

The photographer caught the "B" beanbag in midair!

These lawn games were great because players can still hold a beverage and toss!

Graduation Cap Invitation

I have favorites. And this one I created is ranking up there. Two square papers that become a mortar board with a silk ribbon tassel and a little paper button on top. Too cute. And ya gotta do the square envelope!