Designing a Country Birthday Pool Party for 60.

Lord help me.

I knew I wanted a big family get together at the farm for Belle's birthday, but I honestly had no idea so many people would be able to come to the party!  Belle is so blessed with a wonderful family.  That is all there is to it.  I am blessed to have a daughter in such a wonderful family.

I already posted about Isabella's party HERE.  Now comes the "How did you do that?" Q&A.

Okay, so here comes the designing part:  Theme: Country Birthday Pool Party.  Colors:  Orange, Blue, Yellow, Purple.

I have a lot of Ball Mason Jars for canning, so I just swiped a couple packs of them from storage and they became my flower vases- fits the country theme.  I found fabric remnants at a local craft store that fit the color theme I was using, so I swiped those for next to nothing.

I tied each fabric strip around the jars to jazz them up a little bit  The jars were going in several different places- each with a different piece of fabric (not all matching, remember, no stuffy parties here!).

WALKWAY SHEPPARD'S HOOK FLOWERS::
I picked up some Sheppard's hook flower hangers for the walkway to the pool, as well as around the pool.

I tied the ribbon around the jar and replaced the rib to make it look a little more complete.

I then tied some country twine (I found it in the tool barn, but you can find it at any local craft store) around the base and then made a short loop at the top and tied it in a knot.  I tested the length for the jar to dangle and secured the knot.

All I had to do was put water and flowers in the vase and voila!  It was complete!!

BALL JAR TABLE DECORATIONS::

To carry the Ball Jar idea to the guest tables, I again tied the ribbon around the neck of the jar and secured the rim back on the jar.  Each ribbon was different, but matched the color scheme.   I placed some large, oatmeal colored pool rocks in the bottom of the jar (oatmeal is definitely a country color!).

The vegetation for the table decorations is the kicker, but I will totally let you in on it!!  :)

I walked about 30 feet to the corn field and cut 40 leaves off the corn stalks- 4 for each jar.  Yep, that's right.

I didn't pay a darn thing to decorate the guest tables.  I already had the ball jars, the pool has hundreds of the rocks I used, and the corn shucks were free.

Score. :)

FABRIC LINE PICTURE DISPLAY::

This was the hit of the party.  It was so easy to make and I just loved it.  It was unique and fit the country theme.

I had this vision of my Mamaw drying her laundry on the line and I just felt like that was 'country', you know?  I knew I wanted to some how incorporate that into the party decorations.

I knew I also wanted to display pictures of Isabella from birth to 12 months.

I had originally thought of making different picture frames for the pictures, but I just felt like that was too 'stuffy'.

One day I was working on the fabric line and I thought, "Why can't I just hang the pictures from the line and incorporate both ideas?"  Well, Sarah, you can, and it worked out great!

I purchased some light orange (creamsicle colored- yum!) ribbon to match Isabella's dress (more on that in a minute) so I used the same ribbon (Hey! It has to match right? bahaha) to tie the line from a couple of trees in front of the food tables.

It was perfect.  The guests could browse the pictures and see how Belle has grown while they are grabbing a drink or a bite to eat.

I am most proud of this decoration (along with the hanging flower vases) because while at the party a couple different family members said (yes, with a tear or two- Kleenex anyone?) that Dottie would have been so proud of the decorations and she would have done it up right, just the same way.  That made me feel so special and that I had done right by Dottie.  I really didn't want to disappoint her and the great legacy of country parties she left behind.

HOMEMADE PILLOWCASE DRESS::

So, once an idea is in my mind, all kinds of thoughts start flooding in.  I was walking through JoAnn fabric with Matt and I looked at him and said, "She needs a pillowcase dress, that's country, right??"  He just laughed and headed towards the fabric section where I get different fabrics to make cutsies for Belle.

He, yes folks, daddy picked the fabric and it was just perfect.  It said, country, party, birthday girl, and and most importantly Belle.

I made it while she took a nap that day and it turned out just right.  I sorta just eyeballed the size (I ended up with a 1/2 yard of fabric) I thought I would need and went with it.  I didn't use a pattern, just thought about what it would need (loop for the straps, arm holes- just wing it-, and finished edges) and went with it.

It turned out great, matched her party and I got a lot of nice feedback on Facebook about it.  So, if you are thinking about making a little dress for your girlie- do it- even if you aren't sure, Google a pattern (if you need specifics), YouTube a tutorial on how to make them, etc etc etc.  There are so many ways to do cute little things that don't cost much at all and you know it was made with love. :)

If you have questions, please don't hesitate to post in comments and ask.

Be Blessed.