Back In Time For A 60th Birthday Celebration

I must say, I love getting dressed up; especially since it has become such a rare event being a mother of a two year old energetic boy.  Couple getting dressed up with getting dressed up for a themed party, well that is just icing on the cake.  Then, to be in charge of decorating for a themed event in which I get to dress up, o.k. let’s just say excitement overload.  Did I mention I like getting dressed up?  Well, my aunt turned the big 6-0 and wanted to embrace her age in style with a 1920s to 1930s themed extravaganza and an extravaganza it was.

My aunt actually enlisted the help of my cousin for coordinating and in true fashion; she delegated the task of decorating to me.  When we went to the venue, it was as if we had stepped through a portal back in time…o.k. that is an exaggeration.  I would say it was as if we stepped onto a movie set where they were doing a period piece.  It would have been more authentic if the lighting weren’t so colorful.  The room was 1920s art deco and the architect or designer (I don’t really know who handles interior structures) really did their homework before creating this room.  The room had colorful, yet dark lighting that reminded me of “The Cotton Club” or one of those other movies set in the 20s or 30s where one of the scenes includes a blues singer on the stage at a nightclub.  I was bubbling over with ideas until those bubbles where burst by the manager ultimately telling me I couldn’t hang anything.    I had already mentally designed my art deco style chandeliers.  Fortunately it only took moments for me to come up with an alternative.

This room was so gorgeous and perfect already, there was not much to do anyway.  The birthday girl was adamant about having ostrich feathers so I actually just came up with two pieces of accessories to this room with built in decorations.  I decided that since we could not use any tape, removable hooks, or any other of my go-to pieces, I would hang something on the sconces the had against the walls and something just free standing.  I was inspired by a headpiece I found searching for fashion of the 1920s and 1930s.  It had a huge broche type jewel with feathers sticking out of the top and pearls hanging from the bottom.  My translation is what you see below.  Now I had to use most of my budget for ostrich feathers which are not cheap so I actually bought pairs of earrings that kind of look like these gorgeous vintage broaches from Forever 21 for only $3.80 and to my delight, they had long pearl necklaces for only $8.80.  While I was there, I found another style of necklace that also seemed vintage and they actually turned out looking better than the pearls. The final touch was a sign in which I used card stock I already had at home and sprinkled the letter with extra fine glitter which, is like a high end version of glitter.

 

I stuck gorgeous white ostrich feathers in vases I found at Michael’s which looked like they could have been in someone’s house during that time period and because I held out for my 50% off coupons, I only paid $20 each.  I sat those up in a corner and in fear that they wouldn’t stand out in the jazz club lighting, I bought little flat push lights from the 99 cents only store to put in back so they’d cast this spotlight-like glow on the feathers.  To add a little more pizzazz to the room, I had the Martinelli bottles that were take home favors placed around the room.  All in all, I would say I accessorized this event rather than decorated, but I was quite proud of my little pieces.

 

A Texas Hold ‘Em Surprise

I have absolutely mastered the art of taking on more than I can handle.  It seems as if I cannot function unless  I have incorporated every single item my mind can produce into an event and my mind runneth over with ideas.  Well this event was no exception.  I decided to throw a surprise party for my husband’s 35th birthday and in  honor of our usual tradition of going to Las Vegas for his birthday, I chose a poker theme.

This was probably my most budget conscious event ever and as frugal as I like to be, this was a real challenge.  I knew I had to have drinks of the alcoholic variety for the guys which is definitely a big ticket item and a party is not a party without good eats so the decor had to take a back seat.

For the food I chose to go with the cliche, stereotypical, or whatever  one would call it, chicken wings.  Never fear, because in true diva fashion I chose four different varieties of wings; Traditional buffalo, Honey-Chipotle, Parmesan-Mustard, and Korean Style Buffalo.  Then I threw in homemade salsa and homemade tortilla chips.  I must interject here, unless you have absolutely no time, I would always recommend homemade.  I guess, technically it’s semi homemade.  Just take corn tortilla shells and cut it into fours (with a good knife you can slice through quite a few shells at a time) and fry them up in oil.  You can then season the chips with cumin (my fav), salt, pepper, a lime zest-salt mixture, or anything you can concoct.  O.k. finally I added a veggie patter with store bought ranch dressing.  The most extremely cost effective way to do a veggie platter is to DIY.  My veggie platter cost less than $6 and that included the bottle of dressing and more vegetables than I needed.  A platter pre-made and purchased from the store would run a good $12+, dressing not included.  My platter consisted of red bell peppers, broccoli, celery, and baby carrots that we already had at home.

As I mentioned before, I bit off more than I can chew so I was only able to make the first three of the wings as I ran out of time and the third set of wings were not ready until about 10:00 pm (the party started at 8:00 pm).  Yes, I spent the first half of the party cooking.  I threw in the towel before I got to the Korean Style wings.  Fortunately it worked out because hungry men playing poker and drinking, make for good late night eating.

I had the party set up outside.  You would be surprised at how, with the right placement, your backyard can be turned into a very comfortable entertaining space for little money.  I brought our dining table outside for the dessert table.  I chose to cut cost event further and not rent chairs so the one round table I rented was surrounded by four sets of outdoor lawn chairs and two of our padded, fabric dining room chairs.  Honestly it added a little quirky charm to an otherwise standard poker table.

All in all the event turned out great and my husband was surprised and I learned another party planning lessen, manage your time and only take on what you can complete in the allotted amount of time.  Oh and I will be making the Korean-Style Buffalo wings today, waste not want not!

 

The Last Great Affordable Outing In Tinsel Town

I was with my husband for our last concert at the Hollywood Bowl for this season and as I sat back enjoying myself listening to the scores written and conducted by the great John Williams, I stopped to appreciate the evening for what it really was and just had to share my thoughts.  It is a slight departure from my party planning, interior design, and baking, but it is right on par with my budget.

For those who have never experienced “The Bowl” or live outside of southern California, it is an outdoor arena carved into the side of a mountain in the Hollywood hills.  It’s a place where the entertainment is provided by the LA Phil and the ambiance is provided by nature.  I often sit there in disbelief as I take a sip of wine and just stare at the surrounding hills.  I get to enjoy this venue and it’s talented performers with barely a blip on my financial radar.  Patrons are actually able to bring in their own food and drink (alcohol is almost required) and you can get tickets as cheap as $1 (on some nights).  As much as I want to make the trip super cheap, I often feel fancy  when I am preparing food for The Bowl and opt for a doozie of a meal that I cook myself of course.  Maybe it’s because we are usually pairing it with wine or maybe it is the fact that us Cheap Seaters get to hob knob with the wealthy folks that have box seats that they purchased for a couple hundred bucks.  Yet, in a crunch, we will not hesitate to grab a $5 subway footlong, a bottle of 2 buck (that’s slang for Charles Shaw wine at Trader Joe’s for $1.99) and hurry on our way. We park our car on the free lot and pay our $5 per person for the shuttle and get curb side service at the bowl and by service I mean the buses drop us off right in front.

As you enter or walk through the venue, there is a sense of community.  Despite the glasses of wine that are steadily flowing, people behave as if they are visiting a well respected family member’s home.  I am always first in awe of the structure and its location and then by the amount of people peacefully walking along side me or having a picnic on the ground.  This may seem so cliche, but it really feels magical.  If you arrive early enough  it is light out and you can really take in the nature surrounding the bowl while you eat at a picnic table or at your seat and as the evening progresses the hills disappear and the glow from the stage is your only light (everyone knows LA smog prevents the stars from sparkling overhead).  I honestly feel like the cheap seats have a great advantage over the up close and personal box seats, you really get to appreciate your environment while you’re being entertained.  There is no other place to my knowledge in the area where you don’t have to be wealthy to experience sophisticated entertainment often associated with the lifestyles of the rich and famous.  It adds more culture to ones life without breaking the bank.  It is truly an experience.

Rainbow Bright

When I saw the images from Julia’s 2nd birthday party, I just had to blog about it.  Julia’s mom Sara, like me, is a budget conscious mommy.  Fortunately for her, she also happens to be skilled in crafts hence the awesome rainbow birthday she was able to put together.

This is one of my favorite details of the decor.  It has such a whimsical effect and all it requires is some assorted streamer which you can pick up for a bargain at your local 99 cent store.  They usually carry all of the colors.

 

Ok so this is where it gets super smart.  When dealing with toddlers, I have learned the first place to save on cost is their entertainment.  At home they’d rather play with pots and pans than toys and at parties they are happy with anything new which means someone else’s toys (or when someone else is interested in their old toys).  Sara was so smart by taking out her daughter’s toys and strategically placing them so they look like a game room.  She also shelled out a “few” dollars to create a some fun games that go with the theme.  Colorful crayons can be purchased at the 99 cent store or local bargain store and you can print out coloring pages from the computer and the Fruitloop jewelry station is genius!  I am sure this is one of those times when “Color Circles” (or whatever funny name they give the generic cereal) are the favorite.  Put them in assorted bowls and the children will flock.

 

 

Ahhh the food, the marvelous, delicious food.  It’s just so colorful, I think I am going to have a rainbow overload.  So the trick is to use all the colors of the rainbow.  I have to say the rainbow fruit skewers are the prettiest and, since I’m a health nut, my number one choice.  Time saving tip, purchase plain sugar cookies and just make the frosting.  A standard confectioner’s sugar and water mix, separate and color each one.

 

 

Ooooh the final treat, the homemade birthday cake executed so brilliantly.  The new trend for all celebrations that I have observed is the surprise cake.  The seemingly plain cake with the plain white frosting hiding a aesthetically pleasing treat inside.  Sara spiced this one up with a cutsie rainbow triangle garland.

 

Surprise!!!!

 

Thanks Sara for letting me share your daughter’s party!