when you wish upon a star...

so the 30th birthday bash was a resounding success and the disney theme went down a treat. the simple, classic Mickey decor worked for an adults birthday, as I had hoped. the only disney princesses to be found were on some of the cupcakes. not that there is anything wrong with a Disney princess but it isn't always befitting a 30 year old girl about town/ yummy mummy.

the briefing was low cost, stylish, disney decor to work in a rural village hall. two weeks to plan and make (by two weeks I mean a handful of evenings and one full day) and those to be made had to be with limited resources due to time and cost.

the results...

the centre pieces for the tables. these were my favourite bit and I wanted them to be simple but effective. and the main focal point. cleverly and lovingly constructed by my mum.

for the entrance hall I wanted a focal point for the reception desk to draw attention away for the local notices and village hall bits and bobs. we created a small twig tree (compliments the whole rural setting) with white twigs and little red bow ties and black mickey silhouettes hanging from it with ribbons. I also created a sign using mickey inspired font I found on my font bible dafont. this was to direct guests to leave cards and presents. always helpful.

also in the entrance hall were handmade Alice in wonderland style signs. a little bit roughly handmade but I was really pleased with the Alice style font. due to timing I stuck to just four signs: 'bar', 'party' and the classic Alice 'this way' and 'that way'. with more time there are more options and could be displayed on a false tree for example.

in addition to these main features there were shop bought Minnie Mouse polka dot table cloths, good old balloons in complimentary red, black and white and a big Micky cut out for the dj stage. on top of that we made red pom poms and strung them in lines across the ceiling. a simple but effective way to jazz up an otherwise basic room and give it a playful edge.

the end result wasn't a mega bucks, professional room but i hope and think it did the job. and maybe had the wow factor for the guests, many of them local people who used the hall weekly and maybe hasn't seen it done up that way before.

add 60+ people, many of them adults and many of them over 40, dressed up like a whose who of disney and you got a pretty magical night....

the journey...

i've been dying to post some photos of my latest picture, but as was a surprise for the recipient i've had to hold off until they received it.

my oldest friend commissioned it for her Mum & Dad and it was a selection of words that represent our two families 26 year friendship. words that define a childhood like Bum Bag Patrol (our club) and Sunflowers & Thunderstorms (memories from our summers in the south of France.)

it was a privilege to be asked to do it and it makes you feel fuzzy inside when you remember why you have certain relationships and the journey you take together.

winter walks & twig trees...

yesterday was what is fondly referred to in our house as 'missmass day'. as is common up and down the country we put up the tree and decorated the house whilst guzzling Mulled Wine and listening to Christmas tunes.

my favourite part of the day however is the walk in the woods collecting sticks for my twig tree. the idea for an alternative tree came to me last year when we were trying to make Christmas more affordable, and, I really fancied the idea of a more home made Christmas. i must have seen it somewhere but I don't remember where.

so we wrapped up (me in this season's best buy, the parka) and trundled into our local woods with the dog.

it was a perfect winter's day, cold and crisp. cheesy as it sounds, what I love about this new tradition is that it shows that it is the simple things, done with your nearest and dearest, that make this time of year so nice.

foraging done, I spray the best ones gold and then arrange them in a big vase in front of the window and dress them with the best baubles. the trick is not to overload it and to choose an eclectic mix. last year I went for more browns and golds, this year, golds and acid green to compliment the newly decorated lounge. and ta da! 

i think it's such a simple but really effective bit of decor and its a real conversation piece too. we loved it so much that we actually did the same thing, minus Christmas baubles, for our wedding back in April. we covered it with handmade mini paper pom poms and it became a gorgeous, gold cherry blossom tree. we hung our table plan cards from it and it made the entrance to our reception. we still get comments about it now and it was one of my favourite parts of the wedding decor.

i'm determine to make this year's Christmas really handmade. it's a good way to inject some creativity into everyday life and its v.satisfying. if you have the time I recommend it.