Featured Party {French Cooking Party}

Today's featured party was sent to me by Julie of A Reason to Get Together.  I featured her daughter's 1st birthday a while back.  You can read that post here.  Julie is a fan of Julia Childs & after reading her book, she wanted to throw a Mastering the Art of French Cooking dinner party where she prepared foods from Julia's cookbook.  Each guest was also asked to bring a dish made from her cookbook as well as bring some wine to accompany their dish!  What a great idea!!!

One of the best things about this party, other than the fact that it was GORGEOUS, was that Julie had a party budget under $50.  Here are some of the things she did that were stylish AND frugal...

used existing decorations from previous parties

-used a vintage sheet from a yard sale (free) for table & chair coverings

-filled old spaghetti jars with split peas & rice to hold votive candles

-used wine corks & mini topiaries for name card holders

-used scrapbook paper for placemats, straw flags, paper centerpieces, & rosettes

-Used spray-painted branches from her yard to make centerpiece "trees"

-Used extra fabric to make fabric roses (tutorial HERE)

Take a look at the photos of Julie's beautiful party.

{the beverage station ~ i love how she used Julia's books, the crate & birdcage (so warm & inviting)}

{framed inspirational Julia quote} 

{fabric flower centerpiece tree}

{paper eiffel tower & rosette centerpiece {very shabby chic ~ SWOON}

{hanging decor looks so magical} 

 {votive holders & wine cork place card holder}

{2nd place card holder (too cute!)}

{the tablescape ~ one word BEAUTY}

{This photo reminds me of an outdoor cafe on an evening in Paris!}

Wonderful job, Julie!  Thank you so much for sharing your amazing party with me!

{Party Inspiration} Swap Parties

Hello friends!  I've seen several Swap Parties lately & I think it's a fantastic idea!  After the madness of Halloween is over, maybe that can be my next party theme!  I have LOTS of stylish friends who I'm sure would have some awesome stuff to swap!

One idea comes from Christi at P is for Party.  She hosted a "Swap Till' You Drop" party with a bunch of girlfriends at her house.  Her two beautiful pink and purple damask ottomans served as the inspiration for the party decor.  It was glam, fabulous, & looked like a lot of fun!  

invite & shopping bag

Guests were asked to take a card off the tree that contained a number for their turn to shop.

yummy goodies

the shopping "boutique" area

going swapping

the meringue favors

Another amazing Swap Party idea comes from Save the Date for Cupcakes.  A stunning peach and gray color scheme was used to create the fab decor.  I love the addition of clear crystals to make everything look extra sparkly!

the fancy "Swap" sign

The girls drew oh-so-pretty straws to see who shopped first.

i heart these cookies!

the glam "swap boutique"

the cupcake favors

In both parties, the left over clothes and accessories were donated to a charity of their choice.  Now, go therefore & have your own Swap Party ~ I know there are things in your closet just waiting to be swapped!


Don't forget...one more day to get my Halloween printables at 50% off & tomorrow starts the first day of my Open Haunted House Linky Party, so get ready to link up all those amazing fall/Halloween crafts, decor, & party ideas!  See you tomorrow!  :)

Nifty Fifty Party

Today is my Aunt Tanya's 50th birthday! My family celebrated at my Memaw's house with a delicious Chicken 'n Dumpling Dinner, a Blackberry Pie, & cookies.

For her party, I created my "Shabby Nifty Fifty" party pack. Like me, Aunt Tanya is a shabby chic fan, so it is pink & black with toile and polka dots. I made napkin rings, drink cup labels, a birthday banner, door sign, and a customized birthday party hat for the birthday girl! Check out the photos below of our nifty fifty party!

the tablescape

I used my Rachel Ashwell shabby chic tablecloth to set the tone. Then, we got square pink paper plates, black plastic cups with my "50" cup labels, black napkins with my pink toile napkin rings, and the new cool plastic silverware that looks like sterling silver (i love those)!

the Birthday Girl's chair

I decorated Aunt Tanya's chair with a pink tulle bow with a pink fabric flower in the middle. I also made her a party hat. I learned how from a tutorial on the "Such Pretty Things" blog here.

the hat

I used pink polka-dot scrapbook paper, a black craft boa for the trim, and a black curly ribbon for the top. I replaced the elastic with cute black polka-dot ribbon.

the door sign

My Mom & I went at 11:00 pm to put this on my aunt's front door along with some balloons, and some signs along the road (we're so mean :)

the delicious Blackberry pie that my Memaw made

I made cake toppers using my slogan for the party. I attached the punches to bright pink straws instead of lollipop sticks.

Make a wish!

The printable "Shabby Nifty Fifty" party pack is available HERE

Happy Birthday, Aunt Tanya! I hope it was a memorable one!! ;)