50 Years is Golden... a Surprise Party to Remember!

A week ago, my brother and I threw a golden anniversary party for my parents and 45 of their closest family and friends.  If you didn't already know, I love my folks to pieces.  So when I found out my mom really wanted to host her own celebration, but didn't have the energy because of a long illness, I decided to plan one for her AND to make it a surprise, all from 900 miles away :) The party venue, Chandler Hill Vineyards, was absolutely amazing.  A perfect rustic setting, that really needed little decoration...which worked out well because I had to make most of the decorations right under my mom's nose, squirreled away in her guest room, up late at night, the week before the party...but hey, I wasn't stressin' LOL!  It all came together so much better than I hoped...

Here's the happy couple entering the party.

My mom gave me a copy of their original wedding photo a few years back, and that's where I drew my inspiration from...weren't they the cutest newlyweds?!?  I designed the invitations in Gimp, printed them out on cardstock and mounted them on some pretty My Minds Eye Paper.

The banner looked great hanging from 

this gorgeous fireplace mantel.

My hubs, AKA Mr. Glitta, even joined in and glittered these mason jar centerpieces for me...

We wanted to keep the kiddos entertained and these goody boxes did the trick.  The mini gumball machines from the dollar store were a big hit...I filled them with skittles since we don't do gum :)  They also had mustaches, little handmade notepads with a little crayon box and pinwheels, in gold of course!

The gift/card table...

 I looked around my parents' house for things to decorate the table with and came across this vintage camera...I believe it's my dad's from over 40 years ago.

I kept the gift book simple and elegant...yep, that's me in the baby carriage, chubby cheeks and all.

Mustache fun was had by all!

My big bro was in charge of the cakes...didn't he do a great job?

Guests went home with some of my brother's homemade cookies...they were delish!

My dad summed everything up when he said this party was the best. surprise. ever.  Exactly what I was going for...have you ever pulled off a surprise party?

Thanks for stopping by!

{{Hugs}}

Kimberly

Saturday Spaces - twelve2

Hi Polka Dotted Fans!  You are in for a treat today as we show off the big reveal of my EtsyMom friend, Dana's, craft room makeover.  Dana is the creative genius behind twelve2, a delightful shop with custom clothes & accessories benefiting missions & adoption.  I am so excited to get a peek at how she's added lots of organization to her space.  Here we go :)

Welcome to my craft room!  I share this room with my husband's office, and there's one tiny window in the corner; so it's not ideal, but I'm so thankful that I have my own little space to create.  I love being organized, but my craft space was put on hold while we focused on catching up on sleep after having 2 kids in 2 years. :)  Just this past month, the overhaul was completed with the help of my husband and out-of-town family members (thank you!!). Come on in!

1. I didn't go into this project with a budget, but I'm pretty frugal, so I knew we would either re-purpose items or create something cheaper by doing it ourselves rather than buying something already made. Most of the furniture I already owned, and I recently received the white bookshelf and lamp as a gift. My husband created the shelf with the hanging rod that holds my t-shirts out of wood that we had from another project.  We did purchase wood for the shelves above my tables, cork boards, and a peg board.

Total: $96
4 Shelves: $60
Hanging rod: $7
Peg board: $8
Cork boards: $21

 

2. My favorite space is my custom hanging rack for all my onesies, tanks, and t-shirts ready for their iHeart applique.  My husband custom designed this to fit in the space and created the entire shelf from scratch. I love that he made it, but also love its practicality. I can see what colors and sizes I have in stock and can easily respond to customers' requests.

Another favorite of mine is the cutting station! It came as a fluke really. I used that fold up table for my sewing machine and serger, but lent it out to a neighbor having a garage sale.  When I got it back I thought I had originally used it at the highest setting so I put the legs in the tallest position and realized it was counter height and too tall for my sewing machines.  But it was perfect for my cutting table! And since then my whole work space changed and improved greatly. I love that I can look up and see all my lovely fabric and be able to select the one I want, cut it, and fold it up nicely and keep everything organized.

3. I'm constantly wanting to make spaces better, more efficient, and more aesthetic. Growing up I moved my bedroom around at least twice a year and I still enjoy changing furniture and decor around. In the near future I plan to get another white bookshelf to hold items that I don't use that much, such as leftover jeans and shirts that I use for upcycling projects. Beyond that I would love a more efficient way to store my thread and bobbins and perhaps a space just for packaging and shipping my items. I don't like to spend too much on organizing though as I'm just too frugal.

Thanks for featuring my craft space!

Isn't it amazing what you can do to maximize your productivity with an organized space?  Dana and her handy husband did a great job with the shelving and she is so right about storing your materials, fabric or paper, where you can actually see them!  I know it helps me use of more of my stash, AND keeps me from buying duplicate supplies. 

 

To get to know more about Dana and her work, visit her on FB: facebook.com/twelve2etsy.

 

 

Thanks for stopping by! 

 

 

{{Hugs}}

 

Kimberly