A WEDDING ACCENTED WITH PINK

Accents of pink, gold shimmer and chandeliers against the rustic wood venue set the stage for this couple's wedding day. The ruffle cake and photo booth are two of my favorite elements. The decor is perfect even for a bridal or baby girl shower. Thanks so much to California's XSIGHT Photography for submitting the photos.

Photographer:   XSIGHT Productions//Reception Venue: Wilson Vineyards//

Submitted via Two Bright Lights

DIY TOTEM POLE

This totem pole made with milk jugs and coffee containers from Instructables is so genius, colorful and fun! With all the tiki-themed parties around this summer, I thought it was totally worth sharing. Find the full directions here.

OUR HARRY POTTER PARTY: POTIONS CLASS

It's been a while since my last post, so hopefully you're not sick of my Harry Potter party updates yet! Last time I showed you the Divination Class activities we did here, and in case you missed it, I talked about the decor here. Today, I'm going to tell you about the activities we did for Potions Class - and what I think were the biggest hit with the kids!

Welcome to Professor Snape's Potions Class!

I didn't need too many "ingredients" for the potions/experiments we did: white vinegar, dishwashing liquid, Mentos and baking soda. The sign was made with the Magic School font I downloaded free from dafont.com here.

Using the magic words "Twisterus Jarus" we started out with a "volcano in a jar" which only uses water and a squirt of dishwashing liquid.  The kids were in awe by how easy it was to create this wicked tornado.

After they ooh'd and aaah'd over that one, we mixed a potion that magically inflated a balloon. This is done by mixing baking soda and white vinegar. The mixture forms a gas that inflates the balloon. Since the girls were all around 10 years old, they figured out what ingredients we were using that made up the gas. I actually didn't mind, because I felt like they were learning something while having fun. For directions on this experiment check out this link here.

The final experiment and definitely the most fun was the classic exploding geyser using diet cola and Mentos.  We didn't even use the full roll of Mentos and look at high their geysers went!! Definitely plan this last so the kids aren't running over sticky soda and tracking it into your house for the remainder of the party. If you're not familiar with this experiment, check out this link for the directions we followed.

If you're planning a Harry Potter party, make sure to visit my Pinterest board. Stay tuned for our Quidditch game and more from our Harry Potter party!

OUR HARRY POTTER PARTY: DIVINATION CLASS

If you missed the first post on the decor for our Harry Potter party, check that out here.
The activities for the party were the most challenging part of the planning for me. I wanted them to be easy but still intriguing for a group of 10 year olds.  I'm happy to report that the kids seemed to really enjoy them.

First off, I need to mention that each guest received a "Book of Spells."

The spell book had different info they needed for each class, like potion ingredients and magic words. I also added the Butter Beer recipe and Quidditch game rules we used.

Divination was the first class we did. It was made up of three activities: Tea Leaf Reading, Crystal Ball Reading and "Pop" Divination.

TEA LEAF READING
Each of the girls chose a tea cup that had a small pile of loose tea leaves at the bottom. (I purchased random tea cups from Goodwill and thrift stores.)

When the girls dumped out the tea leaves a shape remained at the bottom. (I hot glued tea leaves to heavy paper shapes. A glue dot kept them adhered to the bottom of the cup.) The girls had to refer to their spell book to find out what the shape meant, thus discovering their fortune. For instance, the light bulb meant "a reason or mystery will soon reveal itself."

CRYSTAL BALL READING: I used a Magic 8 Ball as the mysterious crystal ball.  (I covered the '8' on the ball.) We passed around the ball so each girl could ask their pining questions.  Some of the questions were really funny. 

POP DIVINATION: This kind of "pop culture" method of fortune telling is done with random items like fortune cookies. The fun comes from the randomness of it all. So for our last activity in Divination Class the girls had to obtain their fortune by popping a balloon. I thought this would be really fun for them, but some girls were actually afraid of popping the balloon! Here we had some fun with the fortunes, like "You will soon eat cake."

If you plan a Harry Potter and have some help, you can consider Tarot Card Reading or Palmistry, too.

Next up: Professor Snape's Potions Class. Stay tuned!

OUR HARRY POTTER PARTY: THE SETUP

It was a bittersweet weekend for me as my twin girls turned the big 10. They chose a Harry Potter theme, which seemed fitting that this special milestone be celebrated with a bit of magic! I'm also guessing that with the release of the new Harry Potter book at the end of this month, we'll see a resurgence of Harry Potter parties. As always, a lot of work with a limited budget, but so well worth it. The 12 girls we invited had a blast! Here's the first of a few posts sharing the party fun!

Welcome to Platform 9 3/4! Most of the brick wall DIYs I found used a sponge with red paint on a white sheet. I found it much easier to use a red sheet (a $4.99 flat sheet purchased at Walmart) and just paint the lines.

Dementors hung from the ceiling (a covered skeleton we have for Halloween). I replaced family photos with Harry Potter portraits I found in Google searches...plus small touches like crawling spiders were around.

The free printables for the Pumpkin Juice and the Butter Beer were found at Over the Big Moon here.

The "Dragon Eggs" were red grapes.

The Great (Dining) Hall was the most impressive to the kids – complete with floating candles! (Purchased in 2-packs at The Dollar Tree) I hung them with fine fishing line and push pins. You really don't see the holes afterwards–and don't tell your husband what you did!

The goblets were from The Dollar Tree. We stuck gems we had with glue dots. The birthday banner was made by downloading the "Magic School" font from dafont.com. The plates were clear plastic Chinet from Walmart. I used a glue stick to adhere the printed out emblems to the bottoms of the plates. (I had the gold chargers.)

If you're planning a Harry Potter party, make sure to visit my Pinterest board here.

UPDATE: Visit other entries from this party - the DIVINATION CLASS, POTIONS CLASS, QUIDDITCH MATCH  

STORK PINATA FOR GENDER REVEAL

It totally makes sense to have the stork 'deliver' the news on your baby's gender to friends and family! This adorable idea from The House That Lars Built does just that. Strike the stork. If pink candy and prizes fall out, it's a girl.  If the goodies are blue, it's a boy! Find the full tutorial here.

IT'S A WEDDING–LET'S FLAMINGO!

More and more people are looking to make their nuptials fun while keeping the decor elegant. This sassy flamingo styled shoot wedding does that, while also combining modern decor with a vintage tea party. How adorable are those pineapple macarons?! What about the lovely bride and groom flamingos? So cute! Big thanks to Texas photographer, Stacy Anderson Photography, for sharing the photos with us. And make sure to check out the list of participating vendors at the bottom who helped master this fun theme.

Photographer:   Stacy Anderson Photography//Event Venue: Enchanted Gardens//Bakery: Good Gosh Ganache//Linens and Coverings: Innovative Linens//Floral Designer: Kemah Flowers and Company//Dress Store: Prive Couturier//Hair Stylist: Styled By Kelsey V//Event Planner: Who's That Girl Wedding & Events//Makeup Artist: Younique by Kathi Coats//

Submitted via Two Bright Lights

GORGEOUS FLORAL WOODLAND BABY SHOWER

There are just so many gorgeous layers to this woodland baby shower designed by Denver's First Look Events.  The draping, the flowers, the romantic calligraphy used for the signage–as well as unexpected accents like the floating food boxes and floral ice spheres! Everything is strategically placed, yet looks so effortless. What a wonderful way to celebrate the upcoming arrival of baby Olivia. Huge thank you to Colorado photographer Christina Kiffney Photography for sharing the beautiful day.

Photographer:   Christina Kiffney Photography//Event Planner: First Look Events//Caterer: Footers Catering 2//Calligrapher: Ink and Root//Favors and Gifts: Kismet Crafted//Design and Decor: SB Borrowed//Invitation Designer: Sweet Zion Paperie//Design and Decor: Yonder Floral + Decor House//

Submitted via Two Bright Lights