Birthday Party Time

My darling daughter turned 22 on Saturday

So  I spent last week prepping for her birthday party.

She wanted the party to be infused with

 pink

with some nods to

a vintage Paris flair.

Our house is quite small and cozy

so the first thing I decided to do

was to edit out furniture in the living and dining room

and rearrange what was left

so that there could be 

good party flow.

Next I pulled all of my pinks from the cupboards.

Pink has been her color for many a birthday

so many, that I now associate January with pink.

I pulled out all of my pink china and all of the pink textiles I have collected.

I decided to make the dining room wall the party focal point.

I first draped a pink blanket on the wall

then over that I draped a vintage shawl

and finally the last wall layer

a piece of pink Paris inspired fabric

to really bring the party theme home.

To begin the table scape

I draped the table initially with a drop cloth

then a pink cotton ruffled sheet

and topped the table with a vintage pink throw.

I got height for the table scape with mirrored trays

and added in flowers behind.

I fell in love with these party hats from

The Humble Hostess

and
 knew they would make the perfect accent color

to give just a little twist to the primarily pink color scheme.

These gorgeous swizzle sticks

were bought for Ellis's signature cocktail for the night,

Luckily we tried them in the champagne drink first

because although they looked beautiful

they imparted an unwanted flavor to the drink

so they spent their time at the party 

as decorations only.

Ellis chose her cake which she had encrusted with flowers

Even though she turned 22

there is still a sweet little girl inside

It made my heart happy

that after her world travels

she still wanted one of her old school cakes.

For parties I  prefer to use primarily live plants to decorate with

because after the party

most of them can make it out to the garden.

I wrapped each of the plant containers 

with brown paper and tied them with twine.

I purposely edited almost everything from the living room

including all of my pillows 

to allow for plenty of room for guests.

I also brought in my antique folding chairs for extra seating

They worked wonderfully as 

they were needed they were easily 

pulled into place for use.

I pulled in some round tables from the garden

and sprinkled in some African violets for a bit of color to the sitting space.

Ellis made the chalk board for the bar ...

which we set up on the shelves under the stairs.

It ended up to be so warm that night ...

We actually set up another drink station in the backyard.

Where we ended up having appetizers  and drinks.

When I entertain

I like to have several areas open and addressed

to achieve a nice party flow.

I was quite happy with my wardrobe choice for the party.

It spoke to the party theme

and
 was still very efficient for hostessing duties.

For Ellis's party dress

I made her a floral crown

and
added in some very sentimental flowers

that were given to me by her great grandmother.

Dorthy acquired them when she was a young woman

working in the millenary department at Saks in NYC.

The collected flowers and bits are to this day

still my favorite gift ever,

Ellis grew up wearing so many
 in all of her headbands hats and flower crowns
 that I made for her over the years.

Speaking of crowns

these were a huge hit at the party!

I got a collection of these plain pieces 

after being inspired by some pinterest pins.

I thought it could be a fun and simple party activity

and

 would be perfect for party picture!

I wasn't sure there would be any real interest in making them

but there certainly was!

Not only were fabulous crowns made

but these girls even got their guys to wear one!

All in all

it was an absolutely beautiful party!

As always my friends 

I wish you love and joy

as you style your life