Birthday Weekend!!!

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Hello Friends!

I am a pitiful two weeks late in posting this, but better late than never!

I wanted to share a bit about the blast that was my birthday weekend with my Fab Five!

We, being the crazy hooligans that we are, gathered at one of the girl's cribs for a couple of days. We had planned on attempting our own photo shoot! It was hilarious!

First we piled into a car and set out for Goodwill to find the most exciting and crazy outfits we could. Among the stylishness was a dress that looked like it was made out of a mermaid, a pink sweatshirt your own grandmother wouldn't be caught dead in, a child's halloween costume, a hot pink 80's blazer, and a bleach blonde wig, just to name a few. The more hideous, the better.

Then it was back home, where we pinned a large white sheet to the wall, pointed a few lamps, turned up the jamz and cut loose! We piled on the costumes, the hair, the makeup, and of course, the giggles! Being with friends is always the best part!

Then we busted out our cameras, expensive and cheap alike, and just started snapping away. Single photos, group photos, posed pictures, candid shots. You name it, we did it.

It was probably the most epic night we had had together in a long time. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for an easy, very cheap, very fun party idea.

Enjoy!

Black Friday Bash

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Hello Friends!

I didn't get a chance to prep ideas for a party ahead of time this week for you. But I didn't want to leave you hanging another week. So here we go on a wing and a prayer, pretty much how my life and personality go anyway. ^_^

So how about a Black Friday Bash? Thanksgiving's over, I'm sure you've already cooked enough food for a bajillion people to feed your family of ten, so you're sure to have food leftover. You've probably got cute little pumpkins left over from Halloween. And lastly, you're probably with some crazy fun friends or family shopping like crazy people. So you've got the people, the food, the decor: get your laugh on and party it up! ;)

I know, really lame.  >_<
But you came to read it.
^_^ Have a great weekend!

Thank You!

Thank you so much, sweet readers, for your patience! I started a new job this week and have had zero time to put together a party for you. I apologize profusely! Please check back next week and I will (hopefully) have a new one for you!

Have a great weekend!

Take a Bow!

Hello Friends!

I'm very excited to link you up to a fabulous party post by Sobrina at Quiet Like Horses. She and her cousins were the brilliant minds behind a bow-themed birthday party.

It was quirky and unexpected and absolutely fun to read. Please enjoy! I encourage you to become a regular reader of Quiet Like Horses, and follow all her delights!

Party Between the Pages

from Pretty World

Hello Friends!

I'm super excited for today's party theme! It's books! I love books, to read them, shop for them, shuffle through them in the library, smell the old ones! Ahh! Wonderful! So of course I had to imagine what a party centered around them would be like.

I was pleasantly surprised to find so many amazing ideas around the web. So please forgive me in advance, as many of these ideas are not original. (Although I do have to say I would have come up with SOMETHING had the world not been at my fingertips ^_^)

Invitations
When I got to this particular party planning item, I knew exactly what I wanted to share with you. These fabulous invites from Amelie's House are absolutely adorable. While she goes the extra mile to write a story to place inside the "gasp" hole she cut out of the inside, I don't think I could bear to chop up a book and would probably just steal the idea to attach a cute invite to the outside.

from Amelie's House

Costumes

from Small Review

If you're going to wear costumes, I think a librarian would be precious, but only if you go all out with the stereo-typical glasses, bun, and high-necked dress. Also coming decked out as a character from your favorite story would be a delight. I'm thinking prizes for categories like best-dressed, most original, most authentic, etc. would be a must here.

Decorations

Well this one's going to be easy! Books! Lots of them, a few of them, stack them, spread them out, use your imagination! I've also seen a few lovely bunting banners around the web made from old book covers and pages. I really hate to cut books, but perhaps scanning a few covers and cutting from copies wouldn't be so bad. ;)

Food/Drink

While you can absolutely throw a book party or book swap during the summer, I just have to go with a wintry menu here. I take "cozy up with a good book" to heart and envision a blanket and a mug of hot cocoa when I picture the ideal reading setting. So for a party I'd love warm soups served with grilled cheese sandwiches served like the picture below. Both are simple to put together (a party host's dream) and of course delicious! Later on, be sure to serve some hot cocoa or coffee to warm up your guests.

from Creative Inspiration

Music

This party element was tricky to me because of the quiet/library/bookish atmosphere and I almost skipped it. But while your guests are arriving or eating or just hanging out, you may like to put on a little soft background music like classical instrumental or some jazz. It's up to you and I think your party would be fine with or without it.

Games/Activities/Crafts

I'm all about simple planning and the less you as the host have to worry about buying or getting together, the better. So stay true to the simple here. Maybe design some bookmarks. Read some childhood books aloud to reminisce. Give someone a pen and notebook and throw around ideas to write a short story together. Whatever you do, just enjoy each other's company (and the fact that you all love books ;).

Goodie Bags

After the fabulous party you have just thrown, no one will want to forget it. Make sure they don't by sending them home with cute bookmarks and journals or perhaps some bookplates to personalize their library at home. I love these picks from Etsy:

from ZielonaOliwka

from BookFiend

from Trafalgarsquare

from Paperandtwine

Also, please check out these amazing book parties by Design*Sponge, Reid Girls Handmade, and Amelie's House! It was all I could do to not just copy every little thing they did! ^_^

Have a "novel" good time friends! ^_^

Oops!

So sorry friends!

I just realized that yesterday should have been a Fais-Do-Do Friday! No excuse here! It just completely slipped my mind! Please come back next Friday when I shall surely (hopefully) remember and will post new ideas for a "party between the pages."

Fais-Do-Do Fridays...Let's Get It Started, Cher!

Sweet Readers!

I'm so excited for the kick-off of this series! And I figured for the first day, homage must be paid to the inspiration. So without further ado, The Cajun Party!

As I started thinking about parties I had been to, themed and non-themed, I realized there were several elements that were important to their success (at least to me ;) ). So here we go!

Invitations
I'm going to go ahead and assume you know who you're inviting. ;) But whether it's a hundred people or you and two or three buddies, invitations are always a sweet touch. I remember throwing a Girlz Nite in college with a few friends. It wasn't big or anything just us hanging out. But we sent invitations that we picked up at Walmart, and just having something tangible in our hands ahead of time made the upcoming party that much more exciting. Plus, it was a helpful reminder to have around that we were busy that night and didn't want to make other plans. And while emails can be personalized and made to be very cute, nothing beats a super cute printed invite or perhaps something a little more out of the box.

If you are able to personally hand out invitations, spice them up! For a fun Cajun twist, hand out little plastic crawfish tied to the invite. Or print out invites onto sticker paper and use them as labels on bottles of Tabasco. Go creative and use that imagination!

Costumes
It may just be me, but I love dressing up for a themed party! Invite your guests to come in their favorite worn out overalls and handkerchiefs. Bonus points if they show up in waders or "Delcambre Reeboks."

Decorations

Food and music is what we're all about, so use those elements in your party decor. Your grandmama's old washboard, your uncles crab traps, your mama's red and white checked tablecloth, your cousin's accordion. Even moss off the tree can be a great addition. Also more Tabasco bottles and burlap can easily decorate a table. Cajuns are a very laid back brood, so don't wear yourself out with too many details. Use pretty much whatever's lying around.

Food/Drink
If you've ever been to Louisiana and had our food, I mean real Cajun food cooked by a true Cajun, you know that this is our favorite part of parties. There's a reason we're not all size 2 supermodels. ;) Not too much detail needs to go into this either as all of our best dishes are cooked in one pot and served family style. Whip up a batch of jambalaya, etouffee, or red beans and rice. If it's cold enough, bust out the gumbo pot. If they're in season, a crawfish boil is a must.


Music
While your guests are hanging out, have some zydeco or swamp pop playing. If accordion playing and Cajun French is in the mix, there is sure to be some foot tappin.

Games/Activities

Wow your guests with some Cajun history. See who can come up with the right answers to some trivia. Swap your best accent. Get them laughing with some classic Boudreaux and Thibodeaux jokes. Pretty much just hang out. Read these books to the kids:

Goodie Bags
Send your guests home with some treats. There's sure to be some leftovers, so pack them up with that. Add a brown paper bag filled with a Cajun Survival Kit and a copy of the Cajun Ten Commandments. Don't forget hugs! You're all family now!

Well my friends, I hope you have a great party. And remember, no matter what...

Laissez le bon temps rouler!

Get This Party Started

Inspiration has descended! From the brilliant minds of many of my favorite bloggers has come "themed days"(i.e. Joanna's Motherhood Mondays and Sobrina's new series on her (Mildly) Roaring 20s)

Enter "Fais-Do-Do Fridays"! (What's a fais-do-do?) I'm a proud Cajun with a love of parties. I could spend hours looking at party ideas for get-togethers big and small. Combine the heritage with the interest and voila! a new series!

Be sure to come back this Friday for the maiden voyage, cher! Here's hoping it doesn't sink like that big pirogue...