Halloween Garlands

I've become quite accustomed to having garlands or bunting up year round as there is a perfect spot in my apartment to hang such things.  I usually change it out a few times a year and definitely for different holidays.  These are a few of my favorite Halloween garlands.  Most are available to purchase or can be made at home with just a few supplies. My favorite might be the creepy doll head one. 

 

Tissue Tassel Garland /Zombie Halloween Fabric Banner / Vintage Doll Head Garland /Pacman Garland / Halloween Ribbon Garland / Halloween Circle Garland

Crafternoon Tea Party

After seeing a clipboard I embellished my friend EE has been begging me to do a craft party for about three years so she could make her own. Then after the purchase of the gold tea set there was a request for a tea party - so I decided to kill two birds with one stone and last weekend had a Crafternoon Tea Party!

I did a mix of store bought food (scones because while I make a mean scone there is always too much buttermilk left over) and homemade (sugar free brownies, cheese "cookies" and tea sandwiches).  I also made a sugar free peach/tea bellinis, which were delicious.  Oh and tea - but it was about 80 degrees outside so the tea was not that popular (but the teapot had it's moment in the spotlight).



Tea party food!



The gold tea set and a little friend hiding in there.



The cheese "cookies" and scones.

For the crafts I bought some clipboards at the office supply store.  Then I found some great images for sale on Etsy of Marie Antoinette, Victorian style fruit, rose and birds and just printed out a bunch of copies.  I took out my supply of Martha Stewart glitter and glitter paint, washi tape, glue, markers, Modge Podge and we went to town.

I kind of ran out of time to decorate so I just put up a garland I had bought a few months ago.

The girls seemed to really like the crafting and eating (and the bellinis). 

The down side of such a party is that there is not only food clean up but also craft clean up. 

The aftermath!

And my clean up crew was less than helpful. 

Under $20: Turquoise Party Supplies

I love a good party supply.  I like to have party supplies on hand at any time - just in case - and Shop Sweet Lulu has some of the cutest supplies around.  You can get a lot of supplies in different colors but the turquoise is so fresh for summer.  And the best part is that these are all under $20.  There are some pricier items at the site (my favorite being the pink porcelain cake stand) but most are pretty reasonably priced.  And there are a few surprises as well - who doesn't remember these. 

Happy Independence Day

Hope everyone has a great Independence Day.  It is one of my favorite holidays - there are fireworks, crazy outfits, parades, dogs in costumes, potato salad and the beach!  And a day off to boot. 

Independence Day Banner by JeanKnee on Etsy, $12
Shop Sweet Lulu - Arcade Garland: Red White & Blue, $5

Under $10: Unicorn Cocktail Picks

A few weeks ago my sister posted an Instagram photo of her drink with a unicorn cocktail pick.  I decided I needed those for my collection of bar cart accessories.  But after a few searches and checking my favorite sites I had just about given up.  I came across a unicorn bottle opener after about an hour and there was a link for Unicorn Corn Holders which were of course the cocktail picks disguised as corn holders.  A set of eight costs only about $7.50 (there are actually eight in this package and not four - I didn't realize and ended up with sixteen) so they won't break the bank.

The Unicorn Corn Holders by Gama Go can also be used as cocktail picks!

Getting ready for happy hour.

Balloons!

When I was a kid balloons were pretty simple.  You had a few latex balloons at your birthday party and sometimes you got a fancy mylar balloon if you went somewhere special (I remember I got one from the zoo when the pandas came to SF from China). 

But there is a recent trend in party design of giant balloons with the most fantabulous strings attached.

One local company here in Los Angeles is Geronimo Balloons.  The company hand makes all of the streamers and you can pick them up right here in Los Angeles.  If you're not local they will send the deflated balloon to you (and then you find somewhere to inflate it).  The balloons run between $60 to $200 per balloon so it's not cheap but they are oh so pretty.  The balloons are three feet wide so prepare to have somewhere to transport them.

Image via Geronimo Balloons

Image via Geronimo Balloons

Another company, bonbon balloons, is based in the UK and have some different types of fringe that they use for tails.  The balloons are 25 pounds a piece (don't ask me to convert that I lived in London for a few months and the exchange rate was so bad everything was double but I think it is actually less now).  You choose the color of the balloon and can provide some details to help them personalize the balloon string.  These balloons are only 15 inches wide so a little smaller than the Geronimo balloons but still pretty fabulous.

Image via bonbon balloons

Image via bonbon balloon

If you'd like to try your hand at creating one yourself you can buy the big balloons here.  You can then either create the fringe yourself or cheat and buy fringe online. You can find some fabulous garland at 1Pixie Place (my favorite are the colorful dots and the party garland). You can find party fringe at your local party supply store or here or for more fabulousness buy a tissue tassel and attach it to your balloon.  If you DIY you could make a simple balloon for between $8-$15 each.  Personally I can't wait to try my hand at putting one together.

My Dream Bar

I've been thinking about a new couch for some time now - like a few years some time but I keep changing my mind so I haven't been able to bite the bullet.  The problem is that I have been putting off other furniture changes until I get the elusive new couch.  One item I have put off is a bar cart.  The thought of finding a bar cart on Craigslist seems exciting until you have to go through all the ads that aren't real and the people tha think their dirty AV cart is a bar cart.  So I was thrilled when I learned about Society Social. They make bar carts in every color of the rainbow and then some and gold and silver. The only problem is choosing which color and which of the six models I want.  Right now the Double is winning out but by the time I get that darn couch who knows.



The Double (Image via Society Social)

Plus the brand keeps expanding - they have custom made couches, pillows, chairs and tables to name a few and more on the horizon.  I can't wait to see what's next.

Beyond the bar cart itself I have also been obsessing over what to put on the bar cart (in addition to the beverages).  So far I have cocktail napkins (courtesy of my mother who seemed to be hoarding piles of cute ones from sale bins for the last few decades), a Trina Turk ice bucket, paper striped straws, little pink elephants that go on your drink and Trina Turk ping pong paddles. The ping pong paddles were purchased shortly after I became obsessed with this picture:

I am uncertain of where this picture orginated but I found it on Pinterest but something about it made me want ping pong paddles for my bar cart too (I don't have  ping pong table but I have plan for that).





Trina Turk Ping Pong Paddles from Alice Supply Co. They also sell the matching Ice Bucket  (Image via Alice Supply Co.)



Pink Elephants from Keg Works


I got 50 elephants for $7.50 from Keg Works and they have flamingo cocktail stirrers if that's more your style.  I'm still on the hunt for some vintage glassware that I like that's affordable with gold accents. 

Then I have to stock the bar and all that is left to have a party - woo hoo!

Sipping Jars: A True Story of Cheapness

The weekend of the Royal Wedding I was in San Francisco and ended up in Palo Alto at this party store - Acme Party Box Company - and my sister bought these mason jars with daisy lids that you could put a straw in and use for glasses.  I hated her - mainly because I had no room to get them home in my luggage.  Also apparently they usually only sell them in sets of twelve but they let her only by four.  I thought about those glasses a lot and wanted them.  Now honestly until I sat down to write this I didn't even think to check if this place had an online store but they do and they are available for purchase there for $45 (and I'm not sure what the shipping and handling is).  Even if I had know this this story would have had the same outcome.

Image via Candle Soylution

Anyway - a few months later I came across Green Party Goods while searching for festoon (which I am still trying to figure out how to use). They had the sipping jars and the $28 price tag seemed fairly reasonable.  But I didn't buy them.  A few weeks ago I decided I really wanted those sipping jars so I went back to Green Party Goods but the shipping and handling were almost the same price as the jars.  Bloody hell.  I like to shop online but I will not buy something if the shipping is too much or I will keep looking - which I did.

Next I went to my trusted Etsy.  I found I could buy the tops separately at some stores there but they were still pricey ($18 at one site for 12 lids plus shipping) and if I wanted the jars too I would have to fork over even more.  I didn't happen to have 12 mason jars sitting around so the jars were kind of important too.  What I did discover through Etsy search was that those daisy jar tops are used for candles or air fresheners - to diffuse smells basically and not originally for those fancy paper striped straws we all love so much.

One google search later and I was at Candle Soylutions - where I found the lids in gold and pewter for 35 and 38 cents per lid (when you buy a dozen).  Also the shipping was almost the same if you bought the jars there too (a dozen for $7.50) - so I went ahead and got those too.  With the cheapest shipping option the whole thing was just over $30 - and the shipping was actually super fast and now I have a set of gold lids when I want those and pewter when I want those.  So if you decide you need those jars too I would recommend Candle Soylutions and then just pick up some straws somewhere else (I like Hey Yo Yo  on Etsy for straws and cupcake toppers).

Both Acme Party Box Company and Green Party Goods have great websites with lots of fun stuff and are definitely worth checking out. 

Banter Banner

I love throwing a party - having friends over, stressing over whether I have enough food (I always have too much), coming up with a theme when it is warranted.  But the main reason is I love decorating for a party. I will regularly volunteer to help a friend decorate for a party and even hand make decorations - tissue paper, glitter, paint and some fancy paper and I'm set to go. And I hate to take down decorations - the house isn't just as cheery but I don't want to be that weird person that leaves her Christmas tree up until St. Patrick's day. In any case, when I saw these banners from Banter Banners which are non-holiday related and therefore meant to be put whenever you want and can stay up year round I was sold.

This one is my favorite - maybe because I remember watching the 80s sitcom of the same name or because it is gold - either way it will soon be displayed proudly in my home.

This one would be darling in a baby's room.

I loved them so much I ordered four right off the bat.  I narrowed it down to Good Times, Summertime, No Place Like and Cheers.  The last one will go to the collection of bar accessories I am collecting in preparation for the bar cart that I am coveting. And the No Place Like banner is begging for a pair of ruby slippers or at the very least blasting the Wicked soundtrack. 
The next time I am in need of some retail therapy the company also has a collection of rosettes that I have my eye on.

All images via Banter Banner.