Aunts 70th Birthday - Thinking Garden Party Theme!

bexsmum

Hi Everyone,

Hoping you lovely people can help!!

I've offered to have a party/bbq for my aunt who will be 70 next month. Now she's not your typical 70 year old - she's fitter than me at more than 30 years older

So we've invited all the family along, and she's invited about a dozen friends. My house can accomodate all those people (inside and out hopefully), food and drink are all sorted but now I'm looking for ideas for decorations along the lines of Garden Party.....

I'm thinking Bunting (does anyone know how to make it, I'm good with a sewing machine), fairy lights around the garden, table decorations of bright coloured tealight holders, Tall vases with water beads in and nice pretty summery flowers.... you get the drift!

So if anyone has done this before and has some ideas to share I really would be most grateful. Oh and as ever as MS as possible please

Thanks, Bexsmum

RustyFlange

Hi Bexmum,

If you could download some pretty patterned digital papers and print them out then just cut them into bunting shape *this has to be cheaper than buying fabric to make bunting* then attatch some string or ribbong through them and hang up. Your idea sounds lovely, not sure what else I can offer in ideas of decorations but if you could pick up some china teacups and saucers then they would be a fab decoration aswell as being used!

Gingerbiscuit_2

You can sew them by cutting out 2 peices of fabric sewing 2 sides, turn inside out and then sew the webbing/ribbon along the other side. Depends on how much fabric you have!

anne1990

Sounds like its going to be a fab party. You can make cheap bunting by simply cutting triangles of scrap fabric and sewing them onto ribbon (or fabric tape). Once its up no one will notice its not been hemmed etc! Are you doing cakes? I've seen some great tutorials for turning a pretty charity shop plate and teacup into a cake stand. Another decoration you could hang around the place is tissue paper pom poms (weather dependant i suppose!), apparently they are easy to make but i've not done it myself. I can't post links but if you google martha stewart tissue paper pom poms.

scrivette

Tea lights in jam jars always look pretty lining paths or hanging from trees.

You could fill jam jars or jugs with lots of 'wild' flowers to place on tables.

If you have picnic blankets you could lay them on the grass for additional seating.

bexsmum

Hi Everyone and thanks for all the ideas!

Well its this weekend and I'm pretty well organised. I remembered I had some pretty candy coloured outside lights lurking in the garage totally unused so I've dug them out and used the gutter hooks from my xmas icicle lights to put them around the kitchen and conservatory and they look sooooo pretty!

I decided life was too short to make the bunting especially when I worked out I needed approximately 30metres of it... so i ordered some from ebay. its re-usable plastic and brightly coloured and cost a grand sum of £6 including delivery. Bargain.

I spent and evening with my friend and DD and we made cup cake covers using brightly coloured paper (courtesy of the internet) and some wiggly scissors I have. I've borrowed a couple of cake stands for effect too.

We also decorated some cheapy tealight holders from ikea (89p for 4) with large gems and I bought battery operated candles from Dunelm mill after flapping that the kids might knock real candles over and I could end up with a towering inferno for a house.

I've bought some cheap vases from ikea and some gel beads from ebay and plan a large vase of flowers on each table (I have 4) - wondering now whether to buy some floralytes? Anyone think they're worth the money?

So decoaration wise I'm pretty much there, food wise is all in hand too, chocolate fountain ready (yum), cake made and half decorated just need the guests to turn up and tell me I've done a good job )

Thanks again for the advise and help it really is appreciated

Bexsmum