the Grinch party, Part I: DECORATIONS
I was flattered when Angie asked me to be a guest-blogger, especially since I haven't always shared her passion for throwing beautiful parties. I am of the mind that for a great party, you need nothing more than fantastic food. This explains why I rarely plan past the menu. But I am constantly evolving, and never more-so than during this last year, my first year as a parent. Recently my husband and I started replaying what we were doing this time last year, before we had any understanding of how our son would change our lives in an instant. And for some reason, it felt like a good time to celebrate with a bigger party than normal. So here it is, my first big shindig. Cut me some slack, people...I'm new to this.
I first decided on a theme: the Grinch. It’s December, after all, and Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a festive, heart-warming story…and my son kind of looks like a male version of Cindy-Lou Who. We had to move quickly, since I came up with this over Thanksgiving (apparently, you should plan these things a bit further in advance). So for the invitation, I penned a poem, Angie got to designing, and the finished product is posted above.
Onto Decorations. The illustrations in Dr. Seuss’ book are black and white, with an occasional sprinkling of red-orange. So I decided to decorate based on the 1960’s film version--very colorful, almost like a carnival. This brings me to my first handmade goodie: a flag garland, also called “bunting.”
Jordan Ferney explains how to make this little gem of a decoration, but I’d like to add some additional insights. First, while this is technically “easy,” it should be noted that tissue paper is finicky. It’s hard to cut straight, especially if trying to cutting too many sheets at the same time—it moves around easily. Also, this is tedious work. Ms. Ferney alludes to such, but I’d like to reiterate. It took me a long time. And to make my efforts worth it, this decoration will surely reappear at every subsequent party we throw in this household—I may even send it off to college with my son to string around his dorm room. That being said, I love the end result.
Next, I bought colorful ornaments at Target and hung them with pretty ribbon. That was much easier than the bunting. And arguably just as cute. Oh well—Oliver’s dorm room will look festive. We also put up our Christmas tree--a fake one that fits perfectly on our desk, thereby remaining safe from little hands that like to yank at anything within reach.
And that was the extent of decorations. When you live in modest student-housing, it doesn't take much to turn the small space into a veritable Who-ville.
Tune in tomorrow for a few more goodies, these ones edible...
12.14.2009
Reader Comments (8)
Wow. I'm completely in love with those invitations! You did a wonderful job. Can't wait to see more!!
This is DARLING! So festive.
And I appreciate your honesty! I'd wondered about how time consuming homemade bunting would be.
Awesome party sarah! It's just in your genes to have fabulous parties... no getting away from it. Oliver is adorable!
well done! this looks fantastic.
I love the brightly colored decorations. The ornaments hanging look great!
I love the hanging baubles, that is such a great idea!!!!
wow...its very nice decoration...
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