Sunday, October 25, 2009

reader question of the week #1

"I am having my sweet 16 birthday party this December, with a 'shabby chic' theme. I am looking for ANY ideas your readers might have- from decorating, food, to activities. Thanks!! -Allie"

7 comments:

Shaunna said...

Okay, now when I respond to this, I want to say aloud I am by no means a truly creative soul...but, this theme sounds so much fun!! I just decorated our baby girl's nursery in a shabby shic theme, so I wanted to pass along that Target and Hobby Lobby would have a ton of pieces you could look at. Shabby Chic is all about purposeful clutter; think tables covered in fabrics (this could be anything you already have--I am a fan of a mostly white washed color palette with a pop of color like soft turquoise or soft pink) I would have fabrics layered and rumpled on top of one another, and pillows covering your seating. You want everyone to feel like they are stepping into a cottage to curl up for a good read...super comfy and cozy. Depending on how many guests you're expecting, it might be a good idea to create a smaller party space (a living area) to create that intimate atmosphere. You could always find some cheap crystal (like) garland to drape on tables and chandeliers. Like I said, HL and Target have a ton of items. You could pick up a couple of key decorating pieces, and then use items you already own. As far as food, for me it would have to be similar to an afternoon tea--if you think this would be fun for you and your guests. I would probably have tiered servers with tea sandwiches, lemon bars, etc. Maybe petit fors for the cake. If they are willing to try new things, I would have some hot teas to choose from; you could find plenty that are pink in color...this would be super girly and fun! If you decided a tea atmosphere would be fun, you could look at local thrift stores to find different hats for the girls to choose from to wear during tea. This would provide a lot of laughs and an extra touch to the party. Again, not very creative, but you've inspired me...I need to do this! Have fun with your party!

PUMPKIN PETUNIA said...

Such a fun theme! I love the idea of hanging sheets that fit the shabby chic aesthetic (Target!) and using them as a backdrop for a makeshift photo booth. You can have a few accessories for the guests to dress up and then the photos taken can be used as thank you notes.

I do a lot of favors for clients for sweet 16 parties and more often than not use the phrase: "She's Always Been Sweet, Now She's Sixteen!" A fun take on this for your theme would be "She's Always Been Chic, Now She's Sixteen!"

bridgetwhoplaysfrenchhorn said...

I would consider taking whatever decoration you use for your party and putting them in your room - that way you can say you get a party plus things that last for a much longer time!

I would definitely check out thrift stores, and buy a bunch of old tea cups and saucers...have tea as part of the party, then clean out the cups, and plant succulents in them for favors:

a la: http://alohalila.wordpress.com/2009/09/17/tea-cup-planters/

Have fun!

Emilia Jane said...

Vintage french enamel #'s! http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19151775&ref=sr_list_16&&ga_search_query=number+16&ga_search_type=vintage&ga_page=&order=date_desc&includes[]=tags&includes[]=title

thrift store gal said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
thrift store gal said...

i collect a lot of milkglass from thrift stores...

http://thriftstoregal.blogspot.com/2009/10/more-milkglass.html

these would be beautiful filled with flowers in soft pink tones for your table decor!

Seafoam Project said...

I am having a christmas party (yes I know yours is a birthday party) of my own and to feed my guests while having money left to pay my bills I am doing a cute peanut butter and jelly sandwich buffet! I am going to set up a table with white bread that I cut out with a LARGE heart shaped cookie cutter and then place them in a nice silver bowl. The peanut butter (crunchy and creamy) and jelly (rasp. strawberry, grape) will all be put into different jars and you can either buy sticker labels or print some out on your computer and use regular glue sticks to stick the labels on and make it look nice :) anyway, maybe you could try that? Lots of thrift stores have silver antique serving dishes and you can polish them with TOOTHPASTE! super easy and that will go with your theme! Good luck!