Month: July 2018

Outdoor Party Decor

I’m a big fan of outdoor parties, but living in Minnesota, outdoor anything is a “for-a-limited-time” kind of thing.  You can bet if I can be outside (without getting eaten alive), I’m all over it.

Besides enjoying the great outdoors, hosting your party outside has other perks as well.  Not only does it give you extra room, that you may not have in your home, but it also keeps the mess outside too.

This particular outdoor event was for my daughter’s graduation party.  We were so lucky to have a gorgeous weather day and great helpers to make this go off without a hitch.  Did you know that you don’t have to decorate with the school colors when hosting such a party?  She picked pink and grey (versus red and white).

Our outdoor patio is pretty plain but is surrounded by some nice trees that offered some great shade – an important thing to have for your guests.  In order to spruce it up a bit, we hung garlands in various pinks, white and grey.  My sister strung the felted wool balls (from Wooly Sheep Dots) along with mini pompoms (made by me) – which gave the garlands some nice texture and another pop of color – and we hung them across the patio from the house to the trees.

I love having a few pub tables, for those who don’t like to sit, and it also creates a casual gathering place for a group of people.  I sewed up some very basic table squares, in a pretty pink fabric, to top the white table cloths and anchored them with a very simple glass jar from the Target dollar spot filled with  some basic flowers and accents from my yard shrubbery.  For an extra pop of color and to tie the garlands in, I added more Wooly Sheet Dots felted wool balls to wire and added them to the jars for felt flowers that never wilt.


For this party, the food was in the house, but you could certainly set it up outside too – just make sure you have shade to help keep it fresh.

You’ll definitely want to have plenty of beverages (especially water) to offer and don’t forget your garbage and recycling bins – hey, why not let your guests help with the party clean up?

This was my last graduation party but you can bet I’ll find another reason to plan a party to decorate for.  That might just be my favorite part!

Creating a Collage Wall

We renovated our home a few years ago and just like when you move into a brand new home, it’s a little scary putting that first nail in the unblemished wall.  I struggled not only with the nail holes, but with the worry that what I hung up wouldn’t be good enough or I wouldn’t like it.  Yes, the background is fantastic, but it wasn’t personal.  Call it fear. Call it self-doubt. Call it what you will.  The reality is I was so worried about making a mistake, I did nothing.

But hosting a birthday party is a great way to get a kick in the behind and now I have a new outlook!  I’ve spent about a week adding those personal touches and feeling good about it.  I shopped my basement and I shopped my local stores and now, this girl is on fire (as is my wallet).  I’ve put my fear aside and put nail holes in the walls (and subsequently, patched a few) and love the result.

This wall stands at the top of my stairs on the 2nd floor of my house and is visible from the front door.  It all started with this blue frame.  I picked up for less than half of it’s marked price.  It was pretty beat up but the frame itself was interesting and virtually unscathed.  I brought it home and went to work removing everything in the middle, relocated the hangers on the back and it now serves as art on its own accord, rather than a frame for something else.

Many of the items I added to this wall were already owned by me.  I picked up a few items, on sale, at Hobby Lobby (orange frame, white framed picture, wire heart and wooden arrow) and I cut some small paper flags from my stash and sewed them into a bunting for an added and inexpensive pop of color as well as some dimension.  This was a perfect place to showcase some of my favorite photos of the kids, too.

I love the pops of color in an otherwise, grey palette.

When I asked my college boy what he thought about it, he replied “Looks pretty girly”.

Good thing I’m a girl.