Posted by Parrsnip on 2005-11-18 04:00:07
Post Subject: More Ideas...
Don't forget all the weird stuff at your 99 cent or "98 cents and up"-type stores, they're full of trippy things. Sometimes you can luck out and find toy instruments (good for rockin' out in the photo booth). But there's bound to be lots of tinsel that can be morphed with tinfoil to make an exciting backdrop, like a red garland tinsel curtain (very prom-like) or take plastic plants and glue them into a messy arbor,they make excellent party scrumple.
Last time I was at the 99 cent store, they had "fun noodles" made from foam... with a little silver spray paint and glitter, they can hang from above, or be part of the framework of the booth, or have something written on the side like "Hang Out with Your Wang Out" and people can use it as a "wacky prop" or people can have a gladiator battle... you can really do a lot with a fun noodle. Also: cheap-o Xmas lights, easy to get right now, they add a lot of sparkle to photos. Lots of places throw out old calendars right now or offer them at a discount... you could get a few and use the pictures from them to make a bizarre collage of puppies, mountain backdrops or beefy men.
For consideration: If you can't get a full cut-out of KISS, you could make just their faces, paint them on cardboard, and people can hold them up like masks and wear them in the photos.
Posted by bitterbetty13 on 2006-02-24 20:45:42
Post Subject: lighting is all..
For a festive atmosphere lighting is the key..
go candles or xmas lights draped festively.. white or colored, it makes no difference.. Then turn off as many of the regular lights as you can and remain safe..
Takes almost no time and will absolutely transform your place..
and don't for get to mood light the bathroom.. oddly it is a very fun place for the party to seep into. Most partgoers will eventually venture there.
Posted by Parrsnip on 2005-11-18 04:51:07
Post Subject: Some Ideas...
What kind of personality does your mom have? Because... she was born in 1955, so that's a veritable hot-house of crazy 50s themed decoration, from naming each table after movie stars or TV shows (Marilyn, Elvis, James Dean) "Yes darling, why don't you join me at the 'I Love Lucy Table?"
Did she have teen idols in the 60s-70s?
Monkees? Beatles? Greg Brady? You could use those, or heads of state, or even famous book titles for your centerpiece decorations or table names.
Centerpieces could have timelines printed with various aspects of your Mom's life/achievements "1963- Wins Poetry Contest" 1975- "Eats entire jar of pickles in one sitting"
I love getting crazy with centerpieces, unorthodox stuff like old cigar boxes and drawers packed with grass and flowers and votives nestled inside. They look retro and well-loved, and they end up being so cheap, people can take them home and then you won't have to deal with them.
If you use fake flowers, spray them gold, and dust them with glitter, since plastic flowers look cheap, kitsch them up so that people know that you know they're cheap! Have FUN with them, get those 99 cent xmas lights and stuff them into the bottom (battery powered, hooray) so that the light hits the glitter, and they also light up the table a little and add some lovely ambience. Target and IKEA both have really great deals on small light sets, I was just there this week.
Do you have older photos of her over the years? I made a compilation of photos of my mom from over the years, from when she was hanging out at the drive-in in bobbysocks, to her "hippie days" to her "powersuit 80s" days.
I put them all together and printed them on a small banner at Kinko's, but you could assemble a smaller compilation and make copies for each table for people to look at and say "Wow, remember that?"
50 is a GOLDEN anniversary, so make sure your "auxiliary colors" exist only to accentuate the main hue.
It takes WORK to get golden!
Fun fact: Your mother is the same age as Disneyland, and they are making special "golden mouse ear" hats right now for their 50th.
My Mom was born in '43, and I found her the LIFE magazine for her birth year and month, she loved it, and so did her friends, they looked at it and yelled things like "Oh wow, remember Burma Shave?" and stuff like that.
If she's wanting a more elegant celebration, you can't beat fresh flowers, and sometimes at the 99 cent store, they have simple glass containers and glass baubles you can put them in... as cheezy as the 99 cent store is, I always go there first, you never know what kind of miraculous deal you might find!
Pillar candles are also quite nice... as long as they aren't too close to decorative foliage. Tapers always make me nervous... so easy to knock over and they burn quickly and require more attention.
Hope some of this helps!
Posted by mrs_stroozi on 2006-03-28 12:35:22
Post Subject:
Just thinking about the 80s..... and suddenly remembered sweatshirt art! Everyone was cutting up sweatshirts and resewing or reattaching them in interesting ways. Think "Flash Dance" That was the one, right? Lots of craftiness in the punk scene, too. Here in LA Mexicana crafts inspired a lot of artsy types. So did 50s kitch. Lots of thrift re-do. Lots of junk furniture redecoration; a drip-painted car-door turned shelf inspired my husband and me to Do Up a dead 50's TV someone gave us with paint, an aquarium tank, poster, Xmas lights, glass pebbles, etc. It was AMAZING. (He got it when we divorced.) Also Goths did a lot of crafty stuff.
None of whom I hung out with. I really did hang out with the wrong people.
Posted by good.disaster on 2004-12-20 15:45:42
Post Subject:
• not being able to sleep because my xmas lights are too bright & keep me awake :)
• snow! (which is becoming more and more rare here in wisconsin. unfortunately, today, it initially came in the form of sleet.)
• presents, too many sweets & the other usuals
Posted by mmalicious on 2005-12-09 15:49:09
Post Subject: Cheap Xmas party ideas
I'm a poor college student, trying to throw a classy holiday party, and i could use some help!
so far the plan is:
paper snowflakes hung over the front door like a fringe, xmas lights on the ceiling, holiday cookies, cheap liquor, and the tradition yule log movie on the tv... any other ideas? so far it isn't really enough to make a holiday statement...
Posted by microsinger on 2005-07-27 16:51:23
Post Subject: merry xmas
I used to work with a guy who put the tubes on their side and used glue or epoxy(not sure) to glue them together into the shape of a xmas tree(think pyramid with a short trunk). He would then connect xmas lights to the back with a light in each tube(toward the back). He covered the outside with rows of garland and plugged it in and it made this kitchy xmas tree thing. My relatives loved it. I think you could make it nicer by using green garland or going with a theme; victorian, patriotic, whatever.
Posted by Parel on 2004-12-18 00:10:54
Post Subject:
Perhaps this applies more nicely to paper towel holders, but you can wrap twinkle/xmas lights tightly in a coil-fashion and make a really smashing little roll of fairy lights thingy. Yep.
P.S.: It's not /that/ gross. We all use towels that are kept in the same room as our toilets-- at least, I do.
Posted by kcaob on 2004-11-23 18:12:12
Post Subject:
a good cheap present for co-workers:
get one of those glass bowls with the ruffles at the top that they have at michaels, they are only 1 dollar-- do you know what kind i am talking about ?
get some 10 -20 ct small xmas lights and put them in the glass ball, fill with potporri. cover the top with some tulle, and put an elastic band around the tulle, and then a ribbon around the elastic band.
these come out very lovely, and people enjoy them. when you plug in the lights it warms up the potpourii, you should attach a note that says "do not leave alone, treatas you would a candle" i did a fire test and left mine on for 6 hours and nothing happened, but better to be safe than sorry. hope you understood this description
Posted by craftykrissy on 2004-11-30 00:36:37
Post Subject:
a good cheap present for co-workers:
get one of those glass bowls with the ruffles at the top that they have at michaels, they are only 1 dollar-- do you know what kind i am talking about ?
get some 10 -20 ct small xmas lights and put them in the glass ball, fill with potporri. cover the top with some tulle, and put an elastic band around the tulle, and then a ribbon around the elastic band.
these come out very lovely, and people enjoy them. when you plug in the lights it warms up the potpourii, you should attach a note that says "do not leave alone, treatas you would a candle" i did a fire test and left mine on for 6 hours and nothing happened, but better to be safe than sorry. hope you understood this description
