Diamonds and Pearls...

The party on Friday turned out so great! Everyone had a really good time and the rain let up enough all day and night, we only lost 1 luminaria to the rain and I had to keep relighting the candles outside, but other than that is was a perfect evening! Couldn't have asked for anything more, especially a very happy guest of honor (who had NO idea what we had been planning)!

The party was a collaboration between my friend's husband and myself. I threw some party "themes" out to him and he chose navy and white with pearl, diamond and ice accents. I ran with it from there! He did most of the shopping, took care of the rentals, etc. and I did the decorating.

Thought I would share with you a few of the very scary "before" pictures at about 11:00am!

And this was at 6:00pm...

The chocolate fountain I borrowed from a friend and we had biscotti, pretzels, pineapple, peanut butter rice krispie treats (which are really easy just add peanut butter at the end -- I cannot believe I have lived this long without them!), homemade marshmellows, again easy once you have made them a couple times, recipe from here

Centerpieces with hydrangeas, sweetheart roses, mums, lisianthis, tulips, orchids and curly willow. I used hanging crystals that I had to hang onto the curly willow...

I used some iceicle branches I had left over from Christmas in a niche in the entry along with ALOT of candles...loose ice and pearls were also with alot of the decor...

I wanted to set up the favor table right at the front door so I cleared off their entry table, made 2 boards with bulletin boards that I had, covered them in navy fabric, taped them to the mirror with a bow and pinned the favors on so they could be easily removed.

The favors were little bags of assorted chocolates from Trader Joes. I purchased little bags from Michaels and some pearl white cardstock for the tops of the bags. I strung 5 pearls on regular white thread, taped it onto the back of the cardstock and hot glued it to the top of the bags. I used regular sewing pins with the pearl tips to hang on the bulletin boards...

I used 3 cake stands that I had to add some height in between the 2 boards and it also gave me an opportunity to use up the leftover candy I had from filling up the bags. I printed out letters on my computer and cut them out on the pearl cardstock and taped them to the edge of the cake plates. I found this favor concept on Amy Atlas Events. She has some great party ideas, alot of the candy buffets!

The cake was from Cathy's Rum Cake and it was outstanding!

I brought all of my glass containers, silver trays, pearl necklaces, anything that was glass, pearl or silver! They added alot of sparkle, especially with the candles!

The centerpieces on the dining tables are what gave me high blood pressure. I had been making ice vases all week and I was so paranoid that they would not make it to the night of the party. All was good! If you would like to see how to make them, look here.

Their family room (sectional and tables removed) turned into a dining room with 5 dinner tables...

The outdoor space decorated with $1.99 sheets from IKEA

More ice vases and luminaria bags at the entry...

Me and the guest of honor....

Under the Sea and Under the Weather

Lily's birthday party started off with a bang! She got sick :( on the way to the party :( We had to inform our guests, take many precautions and move most of the party outside so she wouldnt touch anyone or anything! But it turned out to be a very nice party and she is a very lucky girl for having such understanding friends and family.

For our Little Mermaid party we dined on fish and chips, don't worry it wasn't Flounder it was talapia, which makes really great fish tacos for the adults and the kids had fish sticks and seashells and cheese macaroni. We also had "fish on a log" aka peanut butter and celery with pretzel goldfish crackers,
And blue and green Knox blox, yes they make blue jello! but my green jello turned out more like seaweed color ;/ which also doesn't photograph well...

Starfish cheese sandwiches made with crescent rolls...

Chips and dips...

And the star of the show ~ the fish ~ the kids loved them, but unfortunetely when I got them the guy at the store told me they had "ICK". I told him I didn't care, give them to me anyway I just needed them for a couple hours. He was very confused and told me at least 4 times that they were going to die. He was right, the next morning all dead. And yes he still charged me for them. Something about that just isn't right ?! But they sure do look pretty cool!

For some reason I don't really like writing on a cake. I don't know why, just don't. When I picked up her cake 2 different people asked me if I was sure I didn't want writing on it. yep, I'm sure. After the 2nd time I just said no, she knows its her birthday, lol.

Since the cake was white with strawberry filling I figured I'd better make some chocolate cupcakes to satisfy her brother...

Arial welcomes everyone to the party. I scored this Ariel doll at Goodwill for $1.99! and the rest of the stuff I already had!

The birthday girl loved seeing this when she walked in!

Of course I don't like to leave the adults out so I made some tasty treat bags for them too! I found these seashell chocolates at Walmart...

One of the games we didn't get to play...Pin the Fin on the Shark - available at Michaels for $14.99 and its really nice fabric and embroidery!

The kids loved the treasure hunting game. We started from the youngest and did groups of kids refilling the pool with treasures and burying them as we went....

The kids also enjoyed the face painting. I printed out several clip art pictures they could choose from. I think Lily picked them all! Look how pasty white the poor girl is!

Lots of wonderful Arial gifts...

Grandma and Grandpa made her a dollhouse! and her Nana made her some comfy jammies too!

This was the inspiration for her birthday banner, from here

And here is Lily's underwater version with shells and sand...

And the kids party favor idea was from Martha Stewart...

And here is ours...oops I just now realized I forgot the eyeball!

This is the first time in awhile I have had back to back parties. I'm working on one for a friend for tomorrow! Hopefully she will let me post pictures, so until next time! Happy Treasure Hunting!

The "Lil" Mermaid Preparations

The festivity preparations have begun around here for Miss Lil's birthday party on Sunday. The less I save for the last minute the better. Her constant encouragment telling me that she "loves it" is also helpful and motivating!

Since our party will be at home (one of these days we may venture out of the house for one of our kids parties, but then again maybe not!) I tend to try and decorate here and there around the house to fit the party theme. So now we are a little "under the sea".

Transforming the mantle....I scored this silver beading at my favorite Sedona shop called The Hummingbird House, it was an after Christmas deal at 75% off, which meant $10! I picked up the antique key at the same Sedona shop and the netting I blogged about a while back and its actually a wine bottle holder, now serving as a vase cozy.

I tore a picture out of a book we had lying around and framed it with one of our frames. Presto! It also helps that I have a large collection of shells that I have been putting here, there and everywhere...

The Hummingbird House has the most amazing dried lavender, which I usually buy (its actually purple and not gray and falling apart like alot of other places) but this time she had this beautiful purple blooming dried oregano!

I picked up these favor bags at Michaels in the clearance section and listen very closely because I am about to share with you a very BIG secret....If you shop in the clearance section at Michaels and the item is tagged with a "WAS $whatever price, NOW $whatever price" you can STILL use a coupon on it. The logic behind it is that the "NOW" price is now the regular price and not a sale price at all, hence you can use your coupon because techinally the "regular" price has just been reduced and its not "really" on sale. got it. good....and this does not apply to the "Clearance signs where it takes a certain percentage off of an item". Just thought I would clarify. got it. good.

Anywho these are Martha Stewart treat bags and the regular price was $19.99 and they were marked down to $5.99 and I used my 40% off coupon on them which made them like $4.00 or something I don't do math I do crafts.

Adding a few pearls to a few shells...

Stringing some sanddollars - which my son says sealife uses to pay for things. lol.

Tying bows here and there...

Hoping everyone got the message in the bottle invitation...

A sneak peak at the birthday banner whose inspiration I got from here....

There just might be some real fish in here on Sunday, but don't tell the birthday girl!

Must turn these into something magical....

They're fish, they're candy, they fit right in!

And a surprise with bubbles....

Happy Treasure Hunting!