I'm a girl who believes in celebrating pretty much everything. Sometimes that comes in the form of using a bright and cheery Lily Pulitzer plate at lunch time because I'm having a stressful day. Other times that means having a glass of champagne because I'm feeling unusually spirited. So, it seemed only right to invite some girls over to celebrate my journey with braces. I invited a few of my very closest gal pals to come over on Sunday evening to enjoy hors d'oeuvres, champagne, and great conversation. Any reason, to celebrate, right?!
As you'll notice throughout the post, I'm a serial collector of party supplies for great prices. If I find something on a really great sale and it inspires me, I buy it right then. I can honestly say I use every bit of my stash. A lot of what I used for this party came from my infamous party stash! If you like to entertain, I highly suggest subscribing to this method. Once it comes party time, your stress level and pocket book will be thankful you did! I'll point out some of my best money saving tips throughout this post.
Let's start with my second DIY from last week - the tissue tassel garland. I've been seeing these everywhere for what feels like an eternity... Boutiques, on baby cribs, at parties. I decided I just HAD to have one! I looked on Etsy to research buying one of my own, and was sort of shocked at the amount people charge for tissue paper strung on bakers twine. In typical "me" fashion, I just decided to make my own instead!
I found several helpful DIY's online, and got to work! I picked fun, festive colors of tissue paper to make a really bright and cheery garland. I made this sweet thing while sitting on my couch watching Nashville on Friday night. It probably took me 45 minutes total, cost less than $10, and was completely worth it! I'm so satisfied with the finished product. I'd originally wanted metallic gold instead of silver, but wasn't able to find any. I'm just taking that as a sign that I'll need to make another garland to accompany my Christmas decor once Hobby Lobby stocks the gold metallic tissue paper with their Christmas wrapping supplies :)
I hung the garland from the light fixture above my kitchen table, where I displayed the hors d'oeuvres. I was so happy with the way it completely jazzed everything up! For food, I wanted to stick with light hors d'oeuvres that would be a nice little snack before the ladies went home for dinner {the party was 5-7}. I decided on a shrimp dip with wheat thins, carrots, and celery, strawberries, chocolate almonds, blueberry pepper jelly on cream cheese, and caprese pops.
I had a little place set up on the counter where I displayed the plates and utensils. Those sweet little china dessert plates are a set that I found at a local consignment store for $8. I wrapped my regular forks in matching Kate Spade-inspired napkins that I got on sale at Anthropologie {I think I paid $10 for two packs of 4 napkins}, then tied them up with the cutest ribbon I found for 50% off at Hobby Lobby last week.
{That rooster is normally on my kitchen table and, although he doesn't match the decor, I just couldn't stand to not display him some how! I found him for $3 at a garage sale.... Score of the century! Everyone that comes over always has a fit over him and asks where he's from. Since he's been mine, I've seen similar replicas that cost up to several hundred dollars - crazy!}
What's a party without champagne?! I just adore that little bin - it's typically used to store items in my laundry room, but I decided to fill it with ice to display the champagne for the party. I froze raspberries to add to our champagne cocktails!
Here's a view of the kitchen before guests arrived:
I wanted to make goody bags for guests to keep with the theme of getting braces, and decided to create a "CONTRABAND Bar." So, I scored individual toothbrushes and filled a hurricane with all types of candy I can't eat with braces - bubble gum, Laffy Taffy, Tootsie Rolls, Starburst, Blow Pops, Dum-Dums.... I got little gift bags and displayed everything on a table near the door so that guests could put together a bag before they left. I used a Lily Pulitzer place card to label the bar {I got a pack of 10 on sale at TJ Maxx for around $2!}
Probably my favorite money saving tip is in regards to flowers. Y'all... Flowers can get super expensive! Have you ever gotten married?!?! I just don't understand paying gobs of money for flowers. So, I came up with my own idea! I went to the farmers market bright and early Saturday morning and got a $5 bouquet of fresh flowers. Sunday afternoon, I separated the bouquet and made mini-arrangements in large Mason jars. I already had plenty of jars, so this project cost me just five bucks! After I was finished and saw the result, I quickly sent my mom a text to let her know that we needed to get tight with the flower guy at the farmers market, just in case I ever get married!
My sweet friends were so precious and totally played along with my theme! Caitlin {my best friend} walked in holding this... I die. It was a bag FULL of survival items for when my braces get put on - toothpaste, toothbrush, interdental brushes, Burt's Bees, a mirror, pain reliever, Cosmopolitan... Plus tons more, including a sweet photo album/memory book she made for me to document my braces journey! SO cute! She is so incredibly thoughtful and just a wonderful friend. We joke with each other because we are totally not "THAT" girl who has a few girl friends that we text all day, every day. Well, I wasn't until Caitlin came along, that is! Y'all... We talk ALL THE TIME. Like, I think I definitely talk to her more than anyone else on the planet. Basically I love this girl. She GETS me.
This is precious Michele! She is getting MARRIED on Saturday, and she was sweet enough to take time out of her day to make it to my party :) She brought me the most adorable stemless wine glasses with witty sayings on them. Michele knows I'm a serial red wine drinker and I can't drink red wine while I have these braces... So she said she got me the wine glasses so that I could really enjoy my Chardonnay over the next few months! So thoughtful! I am seriously blessed with the best friends.
Well, today is the day! I'm so thrilled that some of my precious friends took time out of their weekends to celebrate with me! I'll be sure to share pictures, post-brace installation ;) Thank you for attending my virtual braces party!
Be blessed! xo
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