Super 16 Party.... On A Budget!

So the secret is finally out of the bag!  My daughters recently turned 16, and for about the last 6 months I have been planning a super Sweet 16 for them.  I can't believe it, that we actually pulled it off, without either of them knowing!  

For the last 6 months, they honestly thought they were helping to do things for a friends wedding!  We had a budget, and I knew that the budget HAD to be stuck to!  I knew that I wanted it to be elegant, and look expensive, just not have that expensive price tag!  

After we found a place to hold the venue, (at a discounted rate of course) I had to order invitations.  Invitations can get pricey.  So I stalked the Groupon site for weeks, until they had a Vistaprint deal.  I scored $70.00 worth of product for just $17.00.  I also knew that I would need response cards, and just by luck I found 100 response cards on clearance at my local iParty store for just $1.57 a package, down from $4.99 a package.  

Next, I wanted a jaw dropping centerpiece...

Of course, I was obsessed with finding ideas on Pinterest.  Looking to rent centerpieces, like these that we made would have completely blown the budget. So I began to try and hunt down ostrich feathers.  I ran into 1 big problem.  Each feather would have cost around $2.50 each!  I needed like 300 feathers!  I began researching these feathers everywhere, when I found a lot of 300 purple feathers on Ebay!  cost, just $62.00  granted they were not the 20 inch feathers I was originally looking for, these were just 10 inches in length.  however, when you realize that the tops would still be large, I figured they would work just fine, and as you can see they did!   The vases we used are called Eiffel Tower vases and are approx. 24 inches tall.  These can be found at just about every craft store.  My problem, was they were $10 a piece.  So I made multiple trips to my local AC Moore, and uses a 40% off coupon for each one.  cost just $6.00 each!   We also managed to drop in 2 LED lights into each vase on strings to light the base of them up!  

Because buffet dinners are cheaper than sit down meals, we planned on buffet style.  This way I could also enlist some family and friends help with making some dishes!  

Because the tables would look a little bare to me, and it was indeed a birthday party, I wanted the tables to have that finished look.  Normal favor boxes are always so small, and I wanted a "Wow" favor, that looked like gifts.  The problem with that was, I knew these would probably take a good chunk out of my budget.  4 inch squared craft boxes would cost me approx. 79¢ for each box.  Times that by 100, and now you're talking about $80 just for the boxes!  That's not even including the candy for the inside!  So I would have to research again online.  That's when I cam across a fabulous online store called Bags and Bows online.    I would need to purchase 100 boxes, which was fine, seeing as that's exactly how many I needed, but instead of paying $80 I paid just $15.95!  That's another savings of $64.  

All the candy I purchased, I waited until drug stores had cash back deals, like CVS for instance had buy $30 of candy, receive $10 back in ExtraCare Bucks.  I also didn't want to just tie a simple Thank You on the boxes.  Instead, I found some beautiful online quotes that I would print out on sticker paper, and apply them to the inside lid of each box.  (People could not stop talking about these!)

With the favor boxes being 4 inches, they really made the tables look beautiful:

Small White paper doilies acted like place settings, and everyone's silverware were wrapped in a napkin to complete the look.  

I managed to work out a few deals with local artists, like trading computer work for a 3 tiered cake.  

And am doing more computer work in exchange for the entertainment!  

Which the girls got their chance to work the DJ booth!  I'm a huge fan of the Barter system, especially when budgets are involved!  

While everyone was waiting for the girls to arrive, I wanted to keep people busy, so after spending about 2 weeks thinking of what to put out,  I decided on a cheese and fruit table:

Cutting celery and carrots, and standing them up in a small triffle bowl added another dimension to the table.

By placing all the cheeses at different heights adding depth to the table, it looked more expensive than it really was.  All the strawberries and cantaloupes were casually placed on the table itself, instead of on trays, I saved money buying and cutting the cheese myself, even though I had 11 different cheeses!  

I also didn't want people having to ask what kind of cheese was there, so I printed out the names of the cheeses, and glued them to wooden coffee sticks for each mound of cheese, really creating a finished look.  

Another easy idea that everyone loved were the dinner tags at the buffet table.  I printed out these and used an edging craft tool that I had to create the decorative edging, and glued them to a colored card stock paper.  With so many people dealing with allergies these days, I listed the ingredients that was in each dish.  Making it easier for everyone.  (Not to mention, avoiding anyone having an allergic reaction!) 

The card box was a favorite of mine.  I used left over Christmas boxes, lined them with black fabric and decorated accordingly!  

Although it was a tremendous amount of work, and research, considering the hundreds of dollars that I saved, it was well worth it all!  

Great Halloween Candy Bowl Idea

Looking for a little project that will spice up your Halloween?  This eyeball candy jar is so cute, and will have people at your Halloween party talking! 

 

Many of these items can be found at your local craft store, just grab some craft paint, for the eyeball, and red veins, a sharpie marker to outline where you'll be painting, and a round clear vase. 

 

You can fill the bowl up with just about any candy but the white M&M's really make the whole thing, I think! 

 

 

How We're Rebuilding... Making It Easy

There are so many different colors, different hues of colors, and different tints of colors, how do you know what you're choosing will fit with colors you've already chosen?  Are you the type of person that wants your whole home to flow together?  Or do you want each room to reflect a different type of personality? 

I'd like to think that I am a little of both.  I like fluid in my home.  I have multiple tastes when it comes to colors.  I am also one that gets bored with colors after a short period of time.  How do I pull it all together, and choose a color that will stand the test of time? 

I start with something that has struck my eye.  In this case, I have found several pairs of curtains that I just fell in love with, for a couple of rooms.  And yes, I have already purchased them, they're hanging in the closet in the mobile home right now as I speak. 

Secondly, I find the colors of the curtains in those color charts you find for free in the paint stores, and grab a few.  Why?  I put together a color scheme  inside a small notebook to bring with me, everywhere I go. 

(This color scheme is of our kitchen.  We have the color of the floors we have chosen, cabinets, and furniture in the adjacent dining room, as well as a couple of choices that we like for countertops, and wall color.)

Lowe's has a great free kitchen design on their website, that can really help you to visualize your ideas.  Whether you're doing a complete remodel, your just have an idea to change a few minor things, this tool can really be a huge time and money saver. 

( Here we have put together our Master Bedroom, including the curtains we have purchased, furniture color, carpeting color, and some accent pieces.)

In addition to the color schemes that I have put together, I have also joined a site called Polyvore.  This site has really helped me to put together pieces of furniture, colors, and accent pieces that I have found either in the stores or online.  Here's what I have put together for our Master Bedroom.

Being able to see all the items together as a set, really helps me to decide whether or not I will like the item or color, especially for items that aren't easily changed out like flooring, big ticket items like a bed frame, and wall colors.  I can also add in other accent colors that I like, to make sure that when my tastes change, they will go with the major colors that I have put into the rooms. 

Want to see more rooms and ideas that I'm thinking about?  Follow me on Polyvore! 

Decorating 101 ~ On A Budget

Since we literally designed, planned, and decorated our house from ceiling to floors after our house fire, we put many hours and days of thought into what it was we wanted from our home.  We also needed to stay within a budget, which isn't always easy to do when decorating a room, or for that matter an entire house. 

We have had dozens of people compliment us on our home, and want to know how we did it, and how they can duplicate what we did.  I am always flattered when others want to duplicate things we have done, or want items that we have purchased, which is why I am writing this post. 

For the purpose of this post, I am covering a single room in our house.  The above collage, depicts our sun room.  The carpeting is the exact carpeting we have, as is my desk, the curtains, and wall color.  We have a similar couch. 

I have been watching a few other bloggers online talk about decorating, and thinking to myself some big mistakes are being made when considering the bones of the room. 

I am one that gets bored with a color scheme rather soon, like within a year's time. Okay, I'll be honest, I think I have already changed the curtains in two rooms about three times.   I know that I am not alone in this either.  When you are considering walls, carpeting and major furniture pieces, think neutral, and think of your lifestyle, your family, and your needs.  (Browns, Grays, and Whites.)

We had many, many people raise their eyebrows when we said we were going with a chocolate brown carpeting.  (We went with the same color carpeting throughout the carpeted areas in our home.)  Why?  Well, we have large, okay EXTRA large dogs.  I have no intention of being without a dog or two, and I knew that we could not go with a light colored carpet in our home, and expect it to last. Stain resistant, is not stain PROOF. 

I am also not a monochromatic color person.  I do love my colors, whether it's lime green, blue, green or red, I pretty much love them all.  That's why the accessories in this room were all made to be a muted blue. 

Now, my favorite holiday to decorate for is Christmas.  I absolutely cannot wait for the weekend after Thanksgiving to completely transform not only this room, but the entire house as well.  By changing only the accessories, this transformation will cost less than $150.  By just changing the accessories, the feel of the entire room changes.

Want city chic?  Replacing your accessories to black and white will definitely update the look of this room, and again it won't hurt the purse strings.

I always loved the color green, however, green tends to be dark, so I will most likely be waiting until next fall to go with green. 

Springtime yellow anyone?  There you have it.  5 completely different looks, without having to paint, change furniture, or replace the carpet. 

If you're planning on redecorating take a few days, and search online stores for some colors you like, and save the image to your photos.  Head to the home improvement stores, and grab several paint samples you like, along with some rug samples. Print them out, and create your own collage for a look you'll love once it's complete. 

By taking your time, and going neutral on the major pieces of furniture walls, and floors, the rest just depends on the mood your in!  Changing the accessories, can be done as often as your mood changes.