A Birthday Fiesta

Last week was my father-in-law's birthday.  It just so happened to be one of those "milestone" birthdays, so somewhat last minute (like, less than a week before) we decided to host a family dinner to celebrate.  Rarely do I host any type of event - big or small - without putting on my event planner hat and turning it into some type of production.  It's just what I do.  Besides, I wanted it to be a special day for Skip.  So I picked my mother-in-law's brain for some of Skip's favorites and in no time at all "A Birthday Fiesta" was born!

I am a big believer in carrying your theme through from beginning to end.  Typically that starts with the invitation.  It sets the tone for the event and gives your guests a glimpse of what's to come.  In this case, we were not sending invitations, so our guests first "touch" was at the front door.

I stumbled upon this balloon wreath tutorial and couldn't wait to put it to use.  The entire process was as easy as advertised and set us back no more than $10. 

It's fun, festive and makes a pretty big impact - especially considering how little time and money it cost.

Since this was a dinner party, the rest of the decor centered around the hors d'oeuvre buffet and the dining room table. 

First, I found a font that I loved and immediately downloaded to create some custom accessory pieces.  Then I decided on a color scheme of blue, lime green and orange and headed to Hobby Lobby.  There, I found some 12x12 scrapbook paper in the perfect pallet.  I also picked up matching tissue paper that I was sure I could work in somehow.  At the last minute I snagged a sombrero as an extra prop.  I styled these items along with a picture frame, vases and floating candles that I had laying around and...voila! 

Here are some close-ups of the details.

Scrapbook paper as placemats.  Custom napkin wraps.

Custom menu framed with coordinating paper backing.

Corner of the hors d'oeuvre table.

Color coordinated tissue paper as liner.

Hors d'oeuvre buffet

Tabletop.  Cake as the centerpice.  Vases of colored water for added decor.

Not to shabby in under a week on a shoestring budget!

I hope you enjoyed your Birthday Fiesta as much as we did, Skip.  And I hope your wish for the year ahead comes true!