You are Invited....

...to a Party Theme altered book! Well, i was anyway. Carol, from my altered book round robin, created a festive gold covered book with the theme of Parties. Create a spread with the party theme of your choice - real or imagined. As much as i would have loved to create the ulitmate gathering with expensive caterers, and a luscious exotic locale, i chose instead to recreate on paper two actual parties that i hosted years ago for my neice and nephew.

This was back when i lived in the same city as my sister. I gave all her kids parties until she moved away. Now she does something horrid like order pizza or send the kids bowling.

Anyway - there were many great events to choose from. Should i pick the "buckeroo is turning two" western theme? I even sent Jim to buy a hay bale for that one. Or the pirate theme complete with a cardboard schooner that sailed to a treasure island. Well - my den sofa piled with cushions did a good job of hiding the buried treasure! Or what about Daniel's "I hate Barney" celebration - complete with Barney road kill cake (like trifle with purple cake, green whipped cream, cherry pie filling "guts" and black licorice in a tire skid mark across the top.)

Instead i chose Erica's first birthday and Evan's third. For Erica's party i chose an angel theme - and set the stage with a cloud like atmosphere. I had a full bolt of tulle from my sister's wedding - so i used that to literally encircle the living and dining room. I hung gold stars and angels from ribbons. All the food was white or close to it and of course the birthday cake was angel food!

I cannot remember what i did for an invitation - this was before i had access to a color printer - but my pages reflect as much as i can remember of the event. There is angel patterned tissue paper crinkled up with a border of tulle ribbon. Some victorian scrap sun, moon and stars decorate the page. As i recall i gave away glow in the dark stars in the goody bags. The menu is written on the back of the cut out angel.

For Evan's third birthday, i chose a Nature Safari theme. I bought all the decorations, gifts and party supplies on a business trip. I remember calling the front desk of the hotel and asking for a box to bring it all home. i think i went crazy at the Discovery Store or Nature Company i forget which. I decorated the house with paper leaves and lots of sunflowers. We played musical chairs with lily pads instead of chairs - making the kids hop around like frogs until the music stopped. But the highlight of the party was the butterfly catching contest held in the basement - where i had strung up large paper butterflies on elastic string with magnets - so that they could be "caught" in a butterfly netting bag. They were hung on a pulley system - so someone could make them "fly" while each child took turns trying to "catch" them.

For my pages i used a colourful blue and turquoise wrapping paper with butterflies. then added bugs cut from tissue paper and then some frog and bug stickers. I used three flaps cut into the middle page of the spread to highlight the games, the menu and the goody bag. That was my favorite thing. I took mason jars and filled them with things that looked natural, that a kid might collect our in the garden - but were all edible. Green licorice created grass, gummy worms, chocolate bugs and some stickers. I covered the opening with mesh (so the bugs could "breathe" and tied it off with green raffia. That's Evan and my friend's son Ryan getting ready to bag some butterflies, shown on the page dangling from thread.

Oh - i should mention that huge "E" is from Tim Holtz's grungeboard alphabet. I just love the large scale of the letter. I added some color with green ink pad and them some faux stitching with a turq sharpie.

I wonder if Evan remembers? Now a way cool 15 year old i doubt he would be impressed...probably prefer pizza and bowling.