A very groovy 70s-themed birthday

I had so much fun planning a 70s themed birthday and great fun was had by all of the guests. I did a lot of looking around for inspiration but also tried to come up with some fun new twists on a 70s theme party.

Set the tone with a groovy invite

I used Zazzle to create a 70s themed invitation. The floral print from the invitation ultimately inspired the color palate for all the decor.

Decorations

I found round table cloths that were similar to the print on the invitation. Since they were made for smaller tables than the 8 foot rounds I used, I got an assortment of orange, yellow and pink plastic table cloths to put under them. I also found Jewel tone goblets and filled them with an assortment of orange, yellow and green flowers and sat the finished product atop an 8 track cassette as a center-piece for each table. I used Disco lights and a disco ball to make a little disco space and a friend brought a set of CDs with a custom playlist. 70s-style dress was strongly encouraged and the added to the ambience a little as well.

Food

I found so many great 70s theme menu inspirations from Pinterest and the web. Fondue was a must…and we combined that with veggies, apples and an assortment of bread (in a vintage bread tin) and we also offered bacon wrapped spam with a maple glaze, Kielbasa and pineapple bites, a Pineapple Curry Dip with Crackers, curried deviled eggs, a Creamsicle Jello Mold, and Watergate salad. I made some flower cookies that matched the colors on the invite and one of my friends made the amazing shag carpet birthday cake. For drinks we filled up a vintage cooler with an assortment of soda pop bottles. I also offered a fruit juice mix in a vintage pitcher with a variety of mixers (sprite, champagne, wine and vodka).

Fun & Games: A 70s themed scavenger hunt!

I had so much fun coming up with all the items for the 70s themed scavenger hunt. Since this was for a 50th birthday party I had 50 items on the list. I used the same print as the invitation for the background of the scavenger hunt list. Some items were specific to the town where the party took place (and a few were specific to the museum where I hosted the party) but many were more general and could likely be repurposed…things like making a shrinky dink (using an embossing gun, the lid to the bread tin and a flat bottomed glass we made an impromptu station to do the shrinking), blowing a giant bubble from a blow pop, finding lyrics to songs from the seventies and many other fun video and photo challenges. The photos challenges were great because the competitors were able to share the silly photos they took throughout the hunt. The teams had two hours to hunt for items and then each team recruited a judge from another team to score and tally their finds (using an answer sheet). I created trophies for the winning teams by spray painting old sports trophies and adding stickers to the finished product.

Yard Sale!

Today was our annual community yard sale (/flea market/craft sale/farmers market). Thankfully, the rain held off and a gentle breeze helped to keep things cool. We had a steady stream of customers, but never a big rush, so I had time to work on some subtle up-cycling projects – like putting scrapbook paper in all my empty frames, and using the scraps to create cards to hold pieces of jewelry.  I added a small sign to remind folks that tomorrow was mothers’ day – and that helped to drive some sales!  All in all, it was a great day to be outside, and it is always fun to meet people and find new homes for once-beloved treasures.

Playful use for a teacup

Playful use for a teacup: holding game pieces

Thrift-A-Thon

I posted info about my inspirations for a year of purposeful thrifting (and crafting) on my dailydiscard blog:

Visit: http://dailydiscard.wordpress.com/2014/01/01/thrift-a-thon-2014/ for more info and ideas for a year-long celebration of crafty reuse and creativity!

A Creative Space for Crafts

When we moved our game room upstairs I reclaimed space in the basement for a craft room.  For my color inspiration I used a set of napkins I found (on clearance) at Crate and Barrel years ago.  I’d turned them into pillows, and for this project they were subsequently turned into curtains and used to create a custom lampshade (both the base of the lamp and the lampshade were Goodwill finds for under $10 – and with a little spray paint and a glue gun, created a stunning accent that helps pull the space together, while providing extra light).  I also found a funky green glass bowl that seemed to be custom-designed to match my fabric – I filled it with balls of yarn and string as a fun and functional piece of art.

Design Ideas: 

• Hang curtains over bookshelves to create an instantly clean look and add a pop of color.  (I used binder clips to attach a dowel rod to the top of the shelf unit). Goodwill always has a great assortment of curtains (these are great sources for inexpensive fabric as well – often much less expensive that it would be at the fabric store).

• Square napkins are not only the perfect size for pillows – they are also the perfect size for basement window curtains.

• Add magnetic strips to the top of fabric pieces that can be hung from metal shelving to create a neat, clean, and colorful look.

• Paint the particle board on expensive shelves to create a more finished look.

• Spray paint the base of a lamp. The one I found at Goodwill had a funky candlestick look – I left the white at the top, but spray painted the gold base brown to tie in with the color scheme of the room.

• Use spare pieces of fabric in frames to create wall art that helps tie the room together and add pops of color throughout.

• Use fabric to cover inexpensive bulletin boards (or add foam board, covered with fabric inside a frame for a do-it-yourself pinboard. Add inspirational pictures and photos that tie into the room.

• Paint a piece of peg board for a colorful, inexpensive way to store craft items when they aren’t in use.

• Spray paint funky metal containers for storage – I spray painted test-tube stands and these became my scissor and marker holders.

• Cover shoe boxes with scrapbook paper or fabric for inexpensive storage that ties in with the look of the room.

• Use a  bowl of yarn and string to make a colorful and crafty art statement.

• Spray paint an old card table and recover the top with new vinyl (or a table cloth) for an updated look.

• Use photo mouse pads as art to adorn flat surfaces and serve as a safe spot for irons or glue guns.

Check out more images below:

A Game Room that is Full of Fun!

Reusing several items I already had around the house, a few playful yards of fabric, and some great deals at Goodwill I was able to turn this bedroom into a fun game room in one weekend for only $200.

Design ideas:

• Find a lamp with a cool shape and paint it to give it a modern look (or hide imperfections) – rewire if necessary (inexpensive rewiring kits are sold at hardware stores).

• Cover a plain lampshade in leftover fabric for a custom look (there are fancier ways, but I just used a glue gun).

• Paint small objects with fun shapes to liven up bookshelves and other display spaces. I found small wooden toys and shapes that I painted to match the accents of the room.

• Find inexpensive candles and vases at Goodwill or Thrift Stores – to add some flair.

• Stack vintage suitcases to make a side table that also doubles as a place for extra storage. I added box with a solid plastic lid on the top for a spill proof surface that drinks could be set on.

• Use modge podge to affix maps to blank canvas (purchased at craft store) for instant and inexpensive art.

• Spray paint jello/dessert molds in a variety of shapes to create funky art.

• Use fabric scraps (or color copies of fabric) in frames to help tie the room together.

• Frame vintage or colorful board games to create art you can literally play with (just pull the frame off the wall and you are ready to play).

Check out more pictures below!

 

Chic Clipboard

Made with scrapbook paper, ribbon and mod podge.