Best of: Party DIYs

Image via Bippity Boppity Boo

Since we're deep into party season, I thought now might be a good time to collect some DIY party staples. These projects will serve for Christmas or New Year's Eve parties, can be fancy-pants or super-casual, adapted for kids or those picky adults. Plus, they're guaranteed to add fun on fun on fun to any gathering. Party on, Wayne!

bows that sparkle

Somebody stop me. Seriously. Someone please pry these sparkle pipe cleaners from my hands, before it's too late. Well, it might already be too late because I made a sparkle bow barrette from a pipe cleaner and a bobby pin. 

Can I just say that it is incredibly difficult to take pictures of the side of your head?

But I do believe my ear looks lovely. Uh-oh, that's ear hubris. Now my ear will probably get burned off in a fire. 

P.S. Glitter pipe cleaners can easily be fashioned into kitten halos.

Even for bad kittens. 

sparkle & fade

The silver and gold pipe cleaners will not be denied. Let's make some sparkly table decorations!

Supplies: small glass jar or candleholder, tealights, matches, pipe cleaners*

Graft the pipe cleaners together. 

Make sure they're tight, like best friends.

Tape the end of your pipe cleaner chain to the bottom edge of the jar.

(Whoops! Forgot to mention tape.) Don't worry, it'll get covered up.

Start wrapping around the jar, making sure to keep the pipe cleaners tight. 

If they get loose, this happens:

So keep things in order. 

Wrap and wrap and wrap until you come to the end. 

While keeping the coils tight, push down the upper rings and tape the end of the pipe cleaner to the jar.

At this point, it should be safe to release the coils. Arrange the rings so they cover the taped end

and are evenly spaced. Just be sure to leave some gaps to let the light through.

Happy crafting!

*The number of pipe cleaners will depend on the size of your jar or candleholder. For my 2.5'' x 3.5'' jar (in gold), I used nine pipe cleaners. The 2.5'' x 2.5'' candle holder (in silver) took four pipe cleaners, but the silver pipe cleaners are about twice as wide.  

glitterati

Recently, I happened upon some gold and silver pipe cleaners at the craft store and snatched, snatched, snatched them up! My immediate plan was for initial package toppers. Like so:

After I made that dream a reality, I wondered what the future might hold for these little gems.

And I decided that pipe cleaner initials would make lovely badges for a New Year's Eve party.

So I made more. 

And more.

Um, and more. 

Yes, even though I have no plans to throw a New Year's Eve bash, I'm making little party accouterments. What can I say? I like festiveness. And maybe you are throwing a party and would like to greet your guests with a wee bit of SPARKLE. 

So curl those pipe cleaners around your fingers, make sweet swirls and giddy loops,

and then pin them to collars and lapels and let the sparkle speak for itself!  

P.S. While you're at it, why not make a bit of sparkle for your hair...

Oh, baby!

Shower, that is. For Rose's baby shower, I got together with my boss, Lori, to make some decorations. Lori is just about the craftiest person I know, and she has the ability to turn the smallest kernel of an idea into something perfectly wonderful. See? 

Lori made these tissue paper table decorations. Impressive! They came home with me. 

Lori also has some major sewing skills, which, if you've been paying attention, you know I lack. Big time. The two major decorative pieces were a mobile over the gift table and a garland on the wall behind. We took our inspiration from vintage baby cards and this was the result... 

The mobile is made from a large wooden embroidery hoop and color copies of vintage baby cards--some are matted on colored tagboard and some have vintage fabric on the back. I had a small collection of vintage baby cards, but you can find bunches online. The cool thing about the mobile is that Rose can use it over the baby's crib.

The garland also serves a dual purpose: cute decoration and a vehicle for well-wishes. The guests were invited to write advice or congrats on the backs of the cards, which were attached with tiny clothespins. Lori sewed the cards onto the tagboard and then we cut around the outside with paper edgers. I added ribbons to some of the cards to give them something extra. 

The decorations were a big hit, quite cute, and easy to put together. All reasons to give it a go!

Put on your red shoes and dance the blues.

Sadly, this has nothing to do with David Bowie. It's all about dance cards, my dearies! You know, the petite wristlet books with fancy covers...used by a lady to record the names of all the gentlemen with whom she intends to dance. Makes perfect sense. This delightful collection hails from the mid-1920s. Hmmm...is there a dance card equivalent today? I'm not entirely certain, but I think these are the cat's pajamas.





Not so fast. I sense you want--nay, need--a David Bowie pick-me-up. Of course you do! I recommend this ducky little video. Shout out to Paige in Puyallup, WA...and her lip-sync-ing brother.

Mom busted in and said "What's that noise?"

Party success! The Monika-as-a-surprise-guest surprise went off without a hitch, and Mom really turned on the waterworks. Of course, if one of us (and by us I mean: me, Mom, Catherine, and Monika) starts it's pretty much a guarantee that the others will follow suit. I'm sure Nick has like 18 pictures of Mom crying and hugging Monika, of Monika trying not to cry, and of Catherine (and me!) with our backs turned to Mom also trying not to cry. Yeah, I just spilled the crying beans. We're criers. I mean, we're Nicolais. It's one of the basic prerequisites for officially becoming one of us (aside from marrying into the family, I guess. But none of us have been the marrying kind thus far. {N.B. to Barrett: we prefer that you've cried in front of a group of 20 or more people at least.} Good luck.) And before you turn all indignant, like one of us? Who do they think they are? I need you to check yourself and know that people want to get down with this (and by this, I mean us). Recognize.

I put a little party bitch on that, which makes it extra special. And now for some blurry pictures--what I lack in quality, I'll make up for in quantity. But not too much quantity...just enough for you to get the gist of it (and by it I mean: the part of the evening when almost everyone had gone home and the food table had been thoroughly decimated).

As I was taking this picture, I thought: I need to remember what
Catherine's talking about. And did I remember? Nope.

Whatever the subject was, she's getting into
it with Jesse at this point.

Food, food, food. You'll have to rely on Catherine and Nick for
pictures of the gorgeous cupcakes, which Nick made!

Monika might be thinking about dancing.

Tyler blows a party horn.

And let me mention that if anyone in these pictures thinks anything along the lines of: Oh God, why am I on here?, let me know and I'll remove those pictures. Then when someone reads this post a second time and you're not part of it, that reader will know what a prima-donna you are. Just saying.

P.S. Alternate titles for this post:
1. It's my party, and I'll cry if I want to (total no-brainer)

2. Get this party started on a Saturday night (That's right, Pink.)
3. Berenstain Bears: Too Much Birthday (which is actually one of my favorite non sequitur references. As in: Then it turned into Berenstain Bears: Too Much Birthday. Some of you {Catherine} have probably heard me say this a lot. A LOT. Too much, maybe? No way. Try not enough on for size.)

Party prep II

Just finished Mom's birthday badge. It still needs backing and a pin, but the front is finito!



This project required roughly 1 hour and 40 minutes of my time.
Staples, a needle and thread, cardstock, and a thimble were all involved.



That's high school Mom, aka: Kathy '68.

Countdown to the 60th birthday party begins...

party prep

I mean, I have the Birthday too--it just wouldn't fit in the shot.

Mom's 60th birthday party is a go!
I spent this evening writing invitations and yesterday evening creating a little birthday banner. 

These festive doiles were downloaded from Martha Stewart's website.
I added the text.

Of course it'll be fun. We have a slideshow planned!

All 26 ready to go!

Now it's on to the next project:
A badge for the birthday girl...and maybe the birthday girl's daughters (smaller badges though {and very tasteful}).