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Friday, September 7, 2012

Belly up to the Pub, Plastic Silver and Bad Teeth


The Princess of Quite-o-Lot had a spectacular bash!
We've shown you the sweets, the savories, and the tea bread,
now allow us to expose the party itself!
 
Naturally, we'll start at the Pub.
Nothing lends a note of formality and opulence like
crystal, china, and silver, so Red Solo Cups would not do.
I popped into the Dollar Tree for a huge portion of our supplies,
and these are part of the new fall stock!
Happy Birthday wine glasses!
Not only did these set the right tone, but they doubled as party favors.
We used my favorite Goop silicone adhesive to glue a different gem,
also from the Dollar Tree in a pack of 50,
to the base of each glass so the guests could choose a vessel for the day.
The bar, dining table, and coffee table were all draped with embroidered lace tablecloths,
which I already owned.
Listen, if it's yours, and you don't use it, what good is it?
The hammered drink tub in the background was filled with a selection of Dad's Old Fashioned Sodas 
in Berry Cream, Strawberry Cream, Key Lime Cream, and Chocolate Fudge Cream
all from Big Lots for $1 per liter.
We also had my I Can't Believe It's Not Champagne!
sparkling apple cider.
To add to the sparkling cider, I had bottles of bellini and mimosa flavorings,
along with a dish of strawberries, lemon peels, and orange peel curls
to garnish your non-alcoholic "cocktails."
None of our guests drink, but they loved experimenting with the fizzy flavors.
I myself had a spot of grapefruit bellini in my iced green tea.
Everything is more appealing in stemware.
Of course we kept ice on hand in a bucket nearby so
beverages were one stop shopping.
Onto the buffet!
We filled a vase with palm fronds and set it to one side, with this fellow
guarding the spread.
Silk roses went in my best crystal vase, and some ferns from the yard 
made it so realistic people kept leaning in for a sniff.
A nice cutwork tablecloth made an elegant base.
Now, when you think of a proper British castle, you think of
 family portraits, right?
How about some of the selection in the Halloween collection just for a 
touch of dark humor?
I had a family member who asked who they were pictures of,
as if they were our ancestors.
Obviously on my husband's side...
Maybe a nice executioner's ax to hint at their fate?
 I thought it set off great grandma's china tea cups nicely myself.
 I scattered some diamond vase filler around for effect,
and some crystal roses from the Dollar Tree
 (from a few years back I'm afraid).
 One crystal candy dish got pressed into service holding
the fine sterling silver cutlery~
which was $1 for 4 place settings!
Yep, it's actually a fabulous fake, and all plastic from Deals.
 
 We went with Union Jack shades for the plates and napkins,
all again from the Dollar Tree.
 All the helmets, shields, and breast plates were children's costume pieces,
again grabbed on my run through Dollar Tree,
as are the ravens scattered around.
 Done with tea?
How about a game?
 The fake moustaches were from DT and 6 for a dollar.
Sure, they're fun like this...
 But how about sticking a couple on the TV screen 
and then playing your favorite movie?
 The idea is to wait until the characters line up randomly with the 
facial fuzz, pause the movie,
and evidently scream loudly.
 This was originally a drinking game.
 Leave it to my kids to turn it around.
 Within a scene, you predict how many people will get "moustached."
 1 point for men,
2 points for women,
5 if you get the coveted 2 for 1!
Tally at the end of each scene.
So if I guessed four people, and one was male, one was female, and I got a double,
it's 8 points!
At the end of the movie, the player with the highest total wins.
What do they win?
 Me neither, Sherlock.
 Perhaps a sloppy wet one from this guy.
Make your own supplies at home for free from construction paper
and find out what The Princess Bride looks like with a hairy lip.
 As for a sampling of the birthday swag...
 ...there were a few ties, which elicited more 
"OMG squeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"
 A dancing, singing moustache.
Um...
 A Dalek!
Evidently now I can be exterminated at a moment's notice.

 Oh, and a tool kit from...
oh, please, you know it's from ME!
 As the Doctor Who premier began at 9:00,
I put out a classic Whovian snack with a few other cakes and served proper tea.
 I let my husband take over hosting duties and crawled upstairs with the strains
of a spirited debate concerning the merits of each Hogwarts House
ringing in my ears.
The guest of course took home not only commemorative stemware,
but moustaches and bad teeth...
...crowns for each guest in lieu of party hats...
...party crackers, which POP when pulled and contain a paper crown,
a small toy, and a God awful joke...
...and of course, your own pet dragon.
Dollar Tree, guys, Dollar Tree.

Our family affair was dim sum served at home with a strawberry cake
and, most importantly, real candles.

*SIGH*
I have three full grown adults now.

"Full grown" is of course just an expression.
I hope you enjoyed our strangely thrown affair and can adapt a few
of our weird ideas for your next gathering!

8 comments:

Della said...

This was a FUNderful party! I'm pretty sure you get Mother of the Year for this one! Happy Birthday to Samantha, and and may she have many more. 'Adult' is just a word...as long as they live at home, they are still 'the kids'. Oh heck, even after they move out they are 'the kids'. Great party, great decorations, awesome food, beverages, and sweets. You rock!

Michelle L. said...

The mustache game is brilliant - can't wait to try it with Real Housewives.

La Vie Quotidienne said...

Sensational! What a party.

Mel@Mellywood's Mansion said...

That's so cool, kids having a way of growing up just to make us feel old.

Danni@SiloHillFarm said...

That was the most fun and I enjoyed reading it every day! You are the most awesomest mom and no wonder your minions turned out to be such fine young adults. Way to go! I can't believe you had time to do all of this and take pics and blog about it, but I'm glad you did.

Chris Pannunzio said...

Awesome Gang!!! You have a GREAT Family!!!

Heather{Our Life In a Click} said...

What a fabulous party! You out did yourself, Mom!! I loved the mustache game..too funny! Your family celebration was just as sweet! The heart shaped cake!!

lisbonlioness said...

Not even gonna try saying Belated Happy Birthday.. it's almost time for her next bash now :)
Sunny, I must say I almost envy you the beautiful family you have. Your kids are, as far as I can tell from your posts, absolutely amazing, and if I ever decided to have kids, I'd strive to be a Mum like imagine you are. (suppose having a cool dude as their Dad helps a little, too!)
So, even though I'm so, so late, give Savannah my love and tell her that when I grow up, I want to be like her. And you. And I want a heart- shaped cake all the same.