Party Primping

When I plan a party I get so preoccupied with the cleaning, setting up tables + chairs and making food that I tend to push aside the decor aspect of a party. For that we have Tami...now that girl is all about the primping. We found these letters at the craft store, she brought some ribbon and we hung them in an open window by the entrance to the barn.

I had set up these pots with moss and the lighted twigs, the night before the party Tami said "they need something!"...I grabbed a pink feather boa that I had picked up for the birthday girl to wear...I threw it on the tree and ta daaa....a feather tree! Lucky for us I had two pink feather boas, we had these trees flanking the dessert table.

Okay, so the party was in the barn...the lighting is poor. Tami brought over this cute little lamp from her own bedroom...how cute is that? She set up these little vases too, hey...the girl can get crazy with the cute.

Tami's hubby Fred was in charge of the bar, he set up the beers on a shelf behind the bar so our guests would be able to see what we had to offer....are we uptown or what?

Here's a shot of the buffet table, that's my cute hubby in the background sneaking in the door before the party started. Birthday girls sister Colleen brought the fruit tray...isn't it gorgeous? Nothing like a colorful buffet table to make things look more appetizing, that's what I always say.

Here's a better shot. I painted some old planters hot pink and we filled them with candles. Instead of putting candles on a cake we put fifty candles on the buffet table - no...we didn't make the birthday girl blow them out. I took this shot right before the party started, lest you think nobody showed up because of all of those empty chairs in the background. Honest..we had a good crowd.

See? Lotsa people in the party barn...and the glow of fifty candles - whew...we didn't burn the barn down, I was a teensy bit worried.

Here's a shot of the party barn chalkboard. I made it several years ago out of an old board and some chalkboard paint. It's great, every time we have a big party I like to write a greeting on it. Last year we had a family reunion in the party barn....I wrote a welcome note to all the cousins.

My favorite candelabra. I took this shot the morning after the party.

Next on the agenda? The annual pumpkin carving party in the barn! It's a much smaller gathering....hmm...I should paint those planters orange don't you think?

For more party photos, check out the post below...I have a guest photographer!