But… but… this means I will soon be taking on what I’m sure will be my most difficult client duo: my sister and mother. Sigh. I’ve been trying to dive into this all day but it’s just not gelling. My sister is graduating from high school next month and I have insisted that I will plan the party so I can share it with you all. The problem I’ve come across is multifold. First of all, graduation stuff out there is lame. LAME-O. The equivalent of stock photography lame. My sister does not want glittery graduation hats everywhere. Now the second problem is, the party is for my sister but also for my family… which probably expects glittery graduation hats. Third problem is that my sister is super cool with elements of hipster but not in a way that makes me want to strangle her. I have been mistaken for homeless in Whole Foods*, how am I supposed to be super cool? My sister is ALSO is an accomplished rider but not in a prissy “I want an oompa loompa now, Daddy” way or in a Miley Cyrus country way. And she’s a teenager- obviously- so the rules of the world cite that she can’t care overly about her party. Why does betterment of ourselves always so annoying, dear readers? Also why can’t I stop thinking about “Hey Dude” all of a sudden?

Ok so what I’m thinking is 2 parts “Urban Outfitters” with one part “something to do with horses” and a general dose of “celebration” (not the song- the concept- ew totally not the song). But AGAIN it’s probably going to be more than half family so I don’t think they’d respond as favorable to things like mustaches and photo booths. So again, I repeat, oy vey! Ooo maybe crests can work themselves in there and bridge some gaps. I already do have a graduation invitation with crests…

Anyway there’s no resolution to that at the moment BUUUUUT in the process of looking I found several new amazing wedding inspiration sources:

First we have Laury Liane an event planner that seems to do it from flowers to decoration to… everything.

Next is Livia Cetti, whose work reminds me of Rebecca Thruss, and seems to be would have great ideas and photos for you to take to your vendors to give them an idea of what you want.

And last is not really a wedding resource but POSH Chicago has A TON of cool ephemera, some for cheap, some for not.

*Ok this is probably my favorite story to tell but in short, I used to work next to a Whole Foods and one day in the winter I decided to reward myself with a big cookie but since I didn’t want the world to know I was slipping out for a bit I grabbed an cardigan, a VERY old paint ridden skull cap, and a handful of change from my desk drawer and headed over all wild-eyed and excited for cookies. As I was trying to dig out all my change and count it out for the clerk he kind of sadly looked at me and said “Oh is that all your getting” to which I agreed and he said “Oh that’s ok, you can just have it” and my little crazed sugar loving eyes got all excited and I happily skipped out only to stop outside of the store and think “Wait, did he think I was homeless?”¬† Now I think it’s a 50/50 shot but still, free cookie.

Edited to add: check out the new Alice in Wonderland invitations for free here! I keep adding more “Alice in Wonderland” stuff since people seems to like it so make sure to click on the “Alice in Wonderland” tag to make sure you get it all! (Like another print out invitation!)

Happy November everyone! As promised starting off today we have some awesome DIY party planning bits. My friend Mandy and I planned an elaborate Alice in Wonderland themed 30th birthday party for our friend, Jenn, a couple of weeks ago in NY and it was so fun and adaptable to other parties (bachelorette, baby shower, wedding shower, birthdays of all ages, etc) that I thought I’d share.

We started off our party with a Mad Hatter Tea (and Champagne) party at her house with some fun (relatively) easy decorations.

The photos aren’t the best quality. I took them with the flash off b/c the flash was blinding but the pom poms were in front of the lights so there were weird color things going on. Brandy helped a bit so now they look a little retro but anyway- long story short here they are:

Alice in Wonderland Party Decorations

Anyway don’t think I’m just rambling on without giving you all the tools to do this yourself!

Here are the “Eat Me”/”Drink Me” straws and toothpicks: download.
[Print out on desired paper, cut into strips and fold around straws or toothpicks, glue shut and trim a "v" shape into ends]

Here is the “Happy 30th Birthday” garland: download.
[The colors are named on top but you can choose any 3 colors you like. I alternated red, white, pink, white which is why it looks like it's not in order. If you would like different text, Martha has you covered.]

Again the Pom-Pom instructions are here.

And lastly, I found the email I sent to Mandy after some Alice in Wonderland research:

Here are other links that I’ve amassed although most of them just have touches of things i like
http://www.projectwedding.com/wiki/show/diy-decor-alice-in-wonderland
(obviously this is a little too complex for what we can do but i like the kind of mismatched craziness of it all)

http://www.projectwedding.com/wiki/show/diy-weddings-cherry-harvest-table
(i like the flags for the “eat me” and “drink me”)

http://www.hostessblog.com/2009/10/real-parties-chic-colorful-birthday/#more-8072
(i like the flags and the bright colors. it seems a little too pretty though for alice in wonderland)

http://www.hostessblog.com/2009/09/free-printables-cirque-du-bebe-pink/
(I like the concept of the feathers- maybe not the execution. I can see what Michael’s Craft store has to offer)

http://www.marthastewart.com/good-things/party-hats
(probably more work than I’m willing to do but i’m throw it all out there)

http://jordanferney.blogspot.com/2009/08/tea-party-shower.html
(the more i see it the more i think lots of big things hanging from the ceiling are a good easy thing)

http://jordanferney.blogspot.com/2008/04/party-hats-101.html
(more hats and ceiling hanging stuff)

Other Alice in Wonderland elements:
cards/suits (queen of hearts, jack of spades, etc)
flamingos
cheshire cat
tweedledee and tweedledum
white rabbit
dodos
mushrooms (fake ones for decorations?)
jaberwoky
doormouse

If you fall down the rabbit hole for your next party make sure and send us some photos! Oh, and remember to use the flash unless your a super cool photographer (apparently I was acting out of my pay grade!)

Edited to add: check out the new Alice in Wonderland invitations for free here!