Saturday, November 29, 2014

Part One: how to put together a Cheap & Easy Party


I seem to be always doing things last minute. This is usually because plans are never set in stone in my life. I work well under pressure and I like a challenge. For example: my 3 favorite parties I did this year were the ones that I was asked to do last minute. Seriously though. The ones I had at least a month to plan turned out Fabulous but are oddly not my favorites. It is the last minute, 1 week in advance, "lets have a party!" events that have been my recent favorites. But the nice thing about all my parties (even the ones that I have months to think about and time to mess up :)) are all on a budget and are affordable. People ask, "How did you come up with this?"....My answer? Get creative!

Tips for the last minute or budget parties:

1. Use your creative resources- Pinterest. Instagram. Facebook. We are so lucky to have these resources. A lot of my ideas stem from something I see on social media. And if you don't have time to come up with something totally creative on your own, there are so many tutorials or creative ideas out there that you can re create on your own. Even if you don't mean it to....it will most likely become your own because everyone has different ways of doing things. If you are really desperate there are also free printables, etc that you can just download and print at home.

Examples???

My most recent party was more last minute than anything I have done before. I even have a theme or color scheme the night before. So I went to pinterest and found these amazing thanksgiving printables. 

Left: My Inspiration(The Alison Show) 
Right: My Creation 



Left: Pinterest Inspiration
Right: My Creation

2. Making is cheaper than buying(sometimes): A lot of times I will find something that seems perfect for my party until I see the price. Obviously there isn't always the option to try to make it but in a lot of instances you can find some way to recreate it for cheaper. Obviously if its a 10 dollar piece of beauty than it is probably worth buying over trying to make. Remember: It isn't ALWAYS the best option to make something over buying it, just most of the time :) 


Retail: $26 
Cost to make: $5



Retail: $30 at BHLDN
Cost to make: Less than a dollar


Retail: $50 
Cost to make: $1


3. Use Pictures as Decor: Whether you can go out and take themed pictures for the party to display or if you are just finding unique ways to display beautiful pictures of the couple. Pictures are a cheap way to go. Pictures can really set the mood at a party. 





4. Finding unique ways to use home items or Re Vamp things you already have from past parties: I love being able to turn an ordinary item I already have into something beautiful. I also like to be able to reuse an item at several different parties without it being obvious. 



When I was planning this nautical bridal shower I had recently saved an old crib mattress spring thinking I could someday have use for it. I suddenly got the idea to turn into what looks like a fishing net to display pictures at my nautical party! It was a fun way to put junk to good use! 



I saved all of Sawyer's Formula cans and was able to paint stripes on them for the centerpieces at this fun event. 

At our house Eric is constantly buying those glass bottled sodas. I save them and find tons of different ways to use the bottles in my parties 


In my most recent party for Thanksgiving I didn't have any clue what I was going to do for decor. The night before I was still pretty sure that a stack of paper plates on the table was going to be the way things were going to go. I decided to figure out a theme and color scheme with things I already owned. I knew I owned a a lot of black and gold things so I found a way to make it work for thanksgiving after finding the black and gold thanksgiving printables on Pinterest. I ended up using the "hello" sign from my office, the candelabras from my wedding that have been reused several times, the gold sparkle bottles from a previous baby shower, the black and gold feathers from my office, the black striped table runner from the halloween party, the leftover berry napkins from the halloween party, and some frames from my office. 

5. Decorating with paper : Paper is an inexpensive way to decorate at parties. Nothing is more exciting for me than when I find a paper pad that goes with my theme. I make banners, frame the paper, make stuff on my silhouette, make pinwheels, etc with the paper I find. 























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