The Brass Paperclip Project

Oh, The Places You'll Go - Party Time!

The time has finally come for the big reveal...I am excited to share some pics from the Oh, The Places You'll Go preschool graduation party that I've been talking about over my past several posts.  Sadly, my phone did not take the best photos, but I think you'll get a sense of the space and how cute the event was.

We started with a very cool space at our local community center.  The room we wanted was booked for our date and time, so we asked about using the downstairs lobby...an industrial chic, open-air space with huge windows, exposed brick and a balcony over-looking the whole room. It was available (and cheaper) than the room we originally wanted, plus it had it access to the outdoors...score!

Here's the back of my car loaded and ready to head over for set-up...

And hubby holding the balloons...

Here are some of the great details...lots of gorgeous art made by the students...including the streamer wall!  At school, each child made their own section of streamers by taping them to a piece of black paper.  At the party, all we had to do was hang them up side-by-side for a seamless look.  The handprint rainbow had been an ongoing project in the classroom all year, so it was brought to the party and hung behind a food table.  In keeping with the theme, the children also made hot air balloon decorations that featured quotes about their favorite preschool memories.

For the food, we ordered pizzas for the kids and had a potluck for the adults.  The tables weren't much to look at in the end, but it's worth noting the sustainability of the whole thing. I sourced a huge pile of colorful fabric yardage for tablecloths.  Each piece was a thrift store find and is totally reuseable. Even if I simply donated all the fabric back to the Goodwill after the party, it was still cheaper than buying disposable tablecloths and far better for the environment.  All of the plates, napkins and even utensils were compostable and we used mason jars for glasses.

In an effort to minimize waste, the drink table was set up with three huge drink dispensers full of TJ's organic lemonade, iced tea and tap water.  Turned out everyone who brought a drink dispenser had the same one, so it looked very put together.  I believe they are from Costco.  (Excuse the spill in the photo below...one of the drink dispensers was wide open when we started adding water, so it spilled everywhere.  Won't make that mistake again!) We also had a few bottles of sparkling water and some apple juice. 

The striped paper straws were a splurge from HeyYoYo.  The mason jars are mine.  I keep some for when I have parties at my house, some are for my canning projects and whatever I can't use will find good homes with other friends who will happily take a spare box of jars.  NO waste.  :)

We set up a long table for the graduates to eat their dinner...everyone else was able to stand and mingle while they ate.  The drink table was set up just outside the door, so the stickiest spills were contained outside. :)

After the feast, the children participated in the official graduation ceremony, during which I balled my eyes out as I read this little card I had designed for each of the teachers.  I hadn't expected to get so emotional...it's only preschool, afterall.  But then again, it IS preschool, afterall...LOL!  (UPDATE 5/3: I've posted a tutorial and printable PDF for the teacher appreciation cards.)

Dessert was a gorgeous cake made by a friend of a parent...

As the night came to an end, one of the mom's who runs a fitness boot camp set up an obstacle course outside.  It was hilarious to watch the graduates - all hopped up on sugar and adrenaline - racing around and having fun together.

Now that the party is over, I'm already setting my sights on high school...LOL.  JOKE!  But I do hope you enjoyed all the posts about this party including: the inspiration, invitations, food and decorations.   Please let me know if you have any questions or end up using any of the ideas...I'd love to see what you come up with!

Hope you'll keep in touch...here's where I am...

Facebook | Twitter | BlogLovin | Subscribe to this Blog

XOXO, Cindi

 

Oh, The Places You'll Go - DIY Decoupaged Globe Centerpiece

This globe was a last minute addition to my projects for the Oh, The Places You'll Go party I helped with for my daughter's preschool graduation. It was totally inspired by artist Wendy Gold who sells amazing decoupaged globes in her Etsy shop, ImagineNations.  As much as I would have loved to support her work, I had a very limited budget and was forced to make do on my own.  One of the moms on the party committe had this extra globe she no longer needed, so I hit it with some of the leftover paint from my cake plates and decoupaged images I had scanned, as well as a few I downloaded from an image search. 

To paint the globe, I took it apart and stuck it on a stick in the yard...like a giant cake pop.  I assumed that I would not be able to see the map images through the paint, but was pleasantly surprised when they were still visible after the first coat.

Cutting out the images took the most time...very fiddly work!  But decoupaging went quickly.  The ink in my images ran a little and gave them an almost hand-painted look that I really liked.  All in all, I thought it turned out really well.  We used it on the cake table and I gave it to the preschool director to keep after the party.

If you like this idea and want to try one on your own, I say go for it!  This is actually a fairly easy project and ImagineNations even has some DIY kits for sale if you don't want to mess with sourcing your own images.

Please let me know if you make a globe.  I'd love to see your photos and will be happy to link to your blog if you decide to share your experiences making one.  If you want to keep in touch...here's where I am...

Facebook | Twitter | BlogLovin | Subscribe to this Blog

Check back soon for the final post about the actual party and then I'm switching gears to a travel post and a girly outer-space themed birthday party.  XOXO, Cindi

 

Oh, The Places You'll Go - DIY Cake Plates and a Dr. Seuss Inspired Veggie Tower

Time sure does fly...seems like just yesterday I was prepping for preschool graduation, and now here we are 3 weeks later and I still haven't had time to recap the whole affair.  In my defense, it's been a busy three weeks with graduation, Father's Day, a trip to Maine and 4th of July.  (Yah, yah...excuses, excuses.)

But back to the party....  I whipped up some cake plates just for the fun of it.  They were inspired by two tutorials I found on Pinterest....this one for colorful dessert stands and this one for colorful tiered trays.  Unfortunately, both of these tutorials used spray-painted plates which are not food safe and I didn't want to mess around with using doilies on my plates.

My solution was to find colorful plastic dishware that did not need to be painted...this also saved me a step by not having to paint them. I had fun shopping the thrift store for interesting (and cheap) brass candlesticks and plastic dishes.  Then I had even more fun mixing and matching the sticks with the dishes.  My total cost for all of the plates, bowls and candlesticks was about $11 which breaks down to less than $2 per cake plate.

After washing, I primed all of the brass candlesticks with primer paint and then hit them with various colors of enamel to match my color scheme.  To finish them off, I applied clear bathroom caulk to each candlestick and firmly pressed it in to place on a plate or bowl, then let them dry overnight.  I had read in one of the tutorials that this would make them washable in the sink.  Sadly, this did not work!  I had two cake plates break on the way to the party.  Wah!  So, if you make these, beware of caulk.  Just go with whatever crazy glue option you like best and call it good.  They are easy enough to wipe off when you're done, so they don't really need to be waterproof for soaking in the sink or dishwasher.

And here are my finished plates....ta da!

I used the big pink bowl for a "potato chip salad" which was basically all kinds of root vegetable chips (sweet potato, beet, etc.) with pretzel chips all tossed together.  The blue plate held my world famous spinach dip in a bread bowl and the tower became my Dr. Seuss inspired veggie centerpiece. (You can see the globe I also made peeking out from the back - I'll share the scoop on that in the next post.)

For the veggie tower, I wanted fresh, local veggies to match my color scheme...yes, I obsess about these details.  I picked carrots, radishes and fresh green veggies to work with...most of this came from the farmer's market, but the snow peas were from my garden. I piled on the carrots because they were the most cost effective and used the radishes for color and drama.  A couple of cucumbers went a long way when thinly sliced and the broccoli was blanched to brighten the color and make it easier to chew. 

Radish flowers and carrot curls added an element of whimsy and are super easy to make.  Check out these videos for the how-to:

 

 

The carrots that didn't get curled got sliced into chips...I've never been a fan of carrot sticks and I refuse to buy those little carrot stubs in a bag that are really just big carrots that have been ground down and rinsed in bleach.  Bleh.  So, carrot chips it is...just slice them on a sharp angle and they are perfect for dipping.

Then it came down to arranging on the plates. 

So, that's the project...way easier than it looks. I hope you're feeling inspired and empowered to try some fancy veggies for your next party or potluck...your friends will be astounded by carrot curls and radish flowers, I promise!  If you make a wild platter and you blog about it, send me a photo and I'll link to your blog at the end of this post.  :)

If you are just tuning in to my Oh, The Places You'll Go party posts, you may also be interested in the inspiration  and my DIY balloon invitations.  Next up, I'll be sharing a tutorial for a fun globe decoration, so I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!  If you want to keep in touch...here's where I am...

Facebook | Twitter | BlogLovin | Subscribe to this Blog

 

XOXO, Cindi

Oh, The Places You'll Go: DIY Balloon Invitations

Oh, how I love a good invitation.  I truly believe it sets the stage for your event.  A good invitation will let people know what to expect and will get them excited for your party!  Ironically, even though I design custom wedding invitations for my business, I rarely make invitations for my own parties.  I hate wasting the paper...LOL! (Freak!)  That said, I did enjoy putting these invites together for my daughter's preschool graduation. 

I shared some "Oh, The Places You'll Go" party inspiration in my last post, which included using real balloons for the invitations.  The invites were going to be given to the children at school to take home at the end of the day, so there were several ways to approach it...

1. The balloon is packaged in a box to float out when the box opens...invite is somehow integrated...it's the "shock and awe" of invites....totally cute, but boxes can get expensive and the extra packaging bothers me.

2. The invitation is rolled up and stuffed inside the balloon...which then needs to be popped to get the invite out. We'll call this the "audience participation" invite...super fun idea, but we're talking about asking 5 year-olds to pop their balloons...probably not gonna work.

3. The invitation is actually printed on the balloon, which is then presented either fully blown up or attached to a card for the guest to blow up upon receipt...another adorable variation of the "audience participation" invite if the guest has to blow it up...requires more lead-time and $$ for this approach.

So, what's a balloon-challenged designer to do?  After much deliberation, I went back to my retail roots and decided a layered hang-tag on the end of the balloon's string would be the way to go.  No need to pop the balloon and the invitation could still be snipped off and stuck in a scrapbook.  I combined the simplicity of a flat card with the drama of a helium balloon and tied it all together with a cute graphic.  Oh, and did I mention the transparencies??  (Yes, I actually had a box on-hand. Can you tell I used to be a scrapbooker??)  I loved the idea of having a see-through top layer with the invite peeking out from behind.

Here's how you do it...

Step 1: Scan an image that you like.  I chose an illustration from "Oh, The Places You'll Go" to go with the theme of the party.

STEP 2: Adjust your image as needed in a photo editing program.  I brightened my colors and cropped the image to a size that I liked.  My current go-to online photo editing program is PicMonkey. It is totally free and has tons of fun, simple tools...so easy a monkey could do it. ;)

STEP 3: Open a new word document and insert your image...squeezing it onto the page as many times as it will fit.  Mine were arranged four per page on an 8.5 x 11" sheet. (If you are a more advanced graphics person, feel free to use whatever program you like.  I just figured that everyone has a word program.)

STEP 4: Print your document on transparency paper per the manufacturer's directions.  You may need to reverse the image in your printer to have it print correctly.  (Consult your manual if you don't know how to do this - there is usually an option in your printer settings.)

STEP 5: Cut out your images.  I have an Exacto paper cutter with a laser beam that helps me line up my cuts exactly where I want them. (I know!  How cool is that??) If you don't have one of these, you can easily use scissors or a ruler and box cutter.

STEP 6: Create the text portion of your invitation in word by creating a text box the same size as your transparency image.  I found this great free Dr. Soos Font from FontSpace and used it to add authenticity to my design. When you've got the text formatted just the way you want it, copy the box as many times as you need to fill the page.  Then print on cardstock and cut out your cards.

STEP 7: To assemble your tags, you will need to stack the two layers and punch a hole in the top.  I found that my traditional hole punch would not punch through the transparency, so I used my trusty old scrapbooking "anywhere punch"...it worked perfectly. You could also use a nail or awl and hammer (or shoe, which is what I used with my punch!)

STEP 8: Add a ribbon tie and loop the balloon string through the back.  Trim any wild ends.
And, there you have it...super cool, custom invites that are sure to delight the 5-year-old in anyone. 

I would love to hear what you think of these invites, so please feel free to leave some comments!  If you end up making balloon invites or anything related to "Oh, The Places You'll Go" feel free to send me links to photos and I'll be happy to share what you're doing at the end of this post.  Next week I'll share some of the decorations I'm working on and a more detailed party food post.

If you're not already following me somewhere, here's how you can stay in touch so you don't miss a thing...

Facebook | Twitter | BlogLovin | Subscribe to this Blog

 XOXO, Cindi

Oh, The Places You'll Go: Graduation Party Inspiration

June already?  How is that possible?  My sweet baby girl is graduating from preschool in just two short weeks and preparations for the cutest preschool graduation party are well underway.  When her teacher asked for volunteers to organize, I was like this...Ooh! Ooh! Pick me! Pick me!  (Big surprise, right?)  So, I joined my first school "committee" with two other moms and we had a good time picking a venue (the community center) and planning a theme.

After tossing a few ideas around, we chose a theme based on Dr. Seuss' book, "Oh, The Places You'll Go".  I love this theme and can't think of anything more perfect for a preschool graduation. It's whimsical, timeless, inspiring and the colors are wonderful.  Game on!

The first thing I did was geek out on Pinterest for a few nights collecting ideas and inspiration.  In my fantasy party world, this is what I'd want the party to look like.  (I'll share what we actually put together in another post.)

 

COLORS:

Picking up the palette of the book's cover...shades of pink, tangerine, yellow, sage, aqua and lavender

INVITATIONS:

Balloon inspired...loving the idea of having a real balloon attached. 

DECORATIONS:

Picking up the tones and images from the book...balloons being a big focus.  The streamers, tissue poms and colorful tableware are perfectly whimsical and child-like.

FOOD:

Colorful, kid-friendly food with a sophisticated twist for the parents...thinking upscale veggie bar, rainbow pasta salad, sweet potato chips, flavored popcorn and of course, plenty of Seuss-like sweets including lots of swirls, sprinkles and maybe some cotton candy.



DRINKS:

For a large party, a help-yourself drink bar seems like the way to go.  Mason jar glasses with striped paper straws (my fav!) and drink flags to pick up the flag images in the book.  If I could find enough tiny elephants, they would totally be holding flags to identify things on the food tables!

 

DETAILS:

There are so many cute DIY projects out there that I'd love to try.  Here are a few that would enhance the overall look and feel of this party...custom cake plates, painted table cloths and fancy toothpicks and card holders.

So, that's my plan and I'm sticking to it.  You can find all of the sources for these photos and more on my "Oh, The Places You'll Go" Pinterest board.  I'll be posting an invitation tutorial and some other behind the scenes party scoop next week, so be sure to check back.

If you're not already following me somewhere, here's how you can stay in touch so you don't miss a thing...

Facebook | Twitter | BlogLovin | Subscribe to this Blog

 XOXO, Cindi

Preston Bailey Blog Feature

Preston Bailey recently put out a call looking for personal parties to feature on his entertaining blog.  I submitted the Old Fashioned Backyard Carnival that I hosted for my daughter's birthday and am so excited that it was featured!  I hope you'll head over to Preston Bailey Entertaining to check it out!

For more behind-the-scenes scoop about the party, check out my carnival inspiration and post-party re-cap with how-to's and printables.    XOXO Cindi

Old Fashioned Backyard Carnival - Recap & How-To's

A few weeks ago I blogged about an old fashioned backyard carnival party I was planning for my daughter's 4th birthday...thought you might all like to see the final results...

 

DECORATIONS:
 

• handmade flag bunting set the scene...I cut and sewed a LOT of flags and stitched them to yards of vintage grosgrain ribbon that I already had in my stash

• vintage mason jars from the thrift store held pink garden roses in abundance

• thrift-store tablecloth tied my colors together on the table

• thrift-store apothecary jars filled with circus animal cookies and taffy added height and color to the table
• drinks banner inspired by this post from A Field Journal

FOOD:

• corn dogs standing at attention in recycled styrofoam blocks that I taped together and covered with paper and fabric scraps.

• BBQ chicken sliders with Asian slaw

• shoestring and sweet potato fries in handmade paper cones (see video below for how to make paper cones)

• buttery grilled sweet corn

• mini strawberry shortcakes with farm stand berries and homemade scones

• fresh lemonade with lemon slices and striped paper straws  - I originally wanted to serve lemonade in individual mason jars but ran out of time to thrift them.  (STRAWS! I featured these straws in my previous post about this party and when I went to buy some they were sold out.  I contacted the seller to find out if she had more and when I mentioned that I had featured them on my blog she was so sweet she sent me these straws and another set at no charge!  Many thanks to Carrie at CDK Designs for being such a sweetheart!! Be sure to visit her Etsy shop for LOTS of cute party supplies!)

• Not shown: a large metal chest full of iced beer and old fashioned sodas (vanilla cream, black cherry and orange creme)

 

GAMES:
 

• rings for the ring toss were made with discarded silk flower stems from my bridal business that I stripped of leaves, bent into rings, secured with duct tape and then wrapped with scraps of fabric and ribbon leftover from my flag bunting.

• the can toss was 6 recycled cans and a ball we had on hand.

• the sacks for the races were vintage pillowcases from my stash...easy to find at thrift stores.

• tickets were "awarded" to the kids just for playing...they redeemed them at the end for their goody bags.  I saved them as a PDF, so you can print your own on 8.5 x 11" sheets...just cut them into strips and then use your zig-zag scissors on the ends.  :)

Click here to Download a PDF of the Prize Tickets

 

All in all, it was a wonderful party...the flag bunting is still up over the deck...too cute to take down, but when it does come down, I will be hanging some of it in my daughter's bedroom.   I am also happy to say that I was able to pull this off with almost 100% recycled/compostable waste.  I intentionally served food that did not need plates.  The napkins, paper cones and food waste were compostable.  Beer & soda bottles, plastic cups & spoons for the shortcake were recycled. Hope you enjoyed the party too and found some inspiration for your next event.   You can see larger photos and more description in this Flickr set.

XOXO, Cindi

 

Old Fashioned Backyard Carnival - Inspiration

Waaaay back when I first started my blog I posted a link to a short animated film called "Moongirl."  A friend had bought the movie for my daughter and after watching it, I was smitten.  I thought it would make a unique theme for a wedding and had loads of ideas for a truly dark and romantic soiree.

The film is full of amazing iconic images: night fishing on the bayou, lightning bugs in a mason jar, a paper lantern-like moon, fantastic merry-go-round...with colors ranging from blues and purples to silver and gold with hints of other-worldly green.  I imagined a candle lit evening affair...sort of a Parisian steam-punk meets dark carnival...very dreamy & surreal...

So when my daughter requested a "Moongirl-themed" party to celebrate her 4th birthday, I was thrilled to actually get to plan a party around this little film, but my dark vision wasn't going to work for a Sunday afternoon birthday party.  My little princess said it had to be  pink.

After great debate about how to interpret this movie for the pink birthday party, I decided to go for an old-fashioned country carnival "under the stars" ...in sherbert-y colors sure to please my pink-loving princess. The inspiration board below became my palette and everything else was inspired by the movie and the idea of a night out at the fair or carnival. Carousel photo above by Alice B. Gardens.

  

COLORS: pink, yellow, sea green, bright orange, aqua with hints of metallic.

Merry Go Round inspiration board via Snipped & Ink

DECOR: vintage fabric flag bunting, mason jars, balloons and poms

Vintage Fabric Scalloped Bunting by SweetJessie

Flag Bunting by Libby's Lil Somethings

Vintage Mason Jars by South Rose Window

Paper Straws by CDK Designs

Tissue Poms by Prost To The Host

Photo via Tanja Lippert Photography

FOOD: fair food (ie: corn dogs, roasted corn, kettle corn, watermelon, sweets, lemonade)

Sweets Table by Amy Atlas

Popcorn via The Brides Guide

Lemonade Coolers via Paper Olive

Mason Jar Lemonade via the now defunct "Far Flung Fiance"

Corn Dog and Cotton Candy via Emily G Photography

Grilled Corn via The Food Network

 

GAMES: balloon darts, can toss, rubber ducky pool, clothespin drop

Balloons via Flickr

Duckies via Flickr

Balloons via Flickr

Bottle Toss via Happy Times Party Rentals, Vintage Tickets from Sweet Findings

Pin Drop via Bonne Nouvelle

That's it for now.  I'll be sure to update with photos from the actual party!  You can be sure it will be very green and done on a budget.  I have already sewn umpteen yards of flag bunting made from vintage ribbon and pillowcases and am ready to start working on games.  The menu is shaping up, but still needs some tweaking.  It's going to be so cute!

XOXO, Cindi