a fun little last-minute birthday party for my mom

Posted on 23. Feb, 2011 by Princess Lasertron in personal

Yesterday, my mom sent out an e-mail to our family asking if we would like to meet at a yet-to-be-determined restaurant for her birthday dinner today. With two picky eating adults, a vegan, and a baby, eating out is usually a stressful experience. To make my mom’s day easier, Mr. Lasertron and I volunteered to host a birthday party at our house! With 10 hours to bring it all together, I think we were able to create a fancy and festive little shindig!

Here are my five best tips for throwing a party on the fly:

1. Choose a monochromatic color scheme. Sticking with one range of colors is one of the easiest way to make an impact with short notice. I went with my redhead mom’s favorite palette–green and black with a dash of sparkle.

2. Order food or buy things pre-made. Who cares? To save time and please everyone, I got everyone’s favorite pizza from Whole Foods. I also put together a few salads from the salad bar and cut up some fruit and vegetables before dinner. I picked up ice cream from eCreamery down the street, and my mom used a Groupon coupon to get cupcakes from a local cupcake shop. My mom always says, no one will have a bad time because they had to eat store bought food. And get nice drinks.

3. Because it’s all about how you serve it! Being a dish and table linen collector is always an advantage at the last minute. I have borrowed dishes and tableware from friends too. You already know your friends’ favorite movies, foods, and lipstick shades…why not familiarize yourself with their party stash too? It’s awesome to know who to call when you need an orange tablecloth or a disco ball.

4. I feel like having balloons always makes a party look like it took effort. I’m sorry, but I’m going through a balloon phase right now. I love simple, round, solid-colored ones. Busy shapes and colors can look too childish.

5. Budget $10 for something extra fun or unexpected. Party poppers? Twisty straws? Gold confetti? A package of craft beer? Fancy ice cream or materials for s’mores? Special boxes for guests to take home leftovers? Party hats? Disposable camera? Kitschy cake toppers? Curtains of crepe paper streamers? Even $10 of balloons blown up and scattered on the floor! These inexpensive details are the things guests remember.

Finally, don’t beat yourself up for not getting everything to look perfect. I wish we had curtains on our windows, I wish we finished painting the dining room, I wish we had more room to hang up coats. Not only will your guests never know what you didn’t get around to doing, it just gives you a chance to have a new project to show off next time you entertain. That’s always been a big motivator for me.

Most of my time was spent on making this paper mobile decoration (inspired by this project created by Jordan Ferney) and setting the table. Everything else was easy.

happy birthday, dear mama!
xo