Harry Potter and the Nerdly Hallows

Because I am insane, last Thursday night/Friday morning I went to the midnight opening of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (which, side note, Oh Em Gee! So fantastic! And then I saw it again over the weekend!).

I have a few friends who are as much in nerd-love with the HP series as I am, and we met at my house at 10:00 (P.M.! As in, night time! This is very wild and crazy for me, now that I am old and a parent and pregnant) for some pre-movie caffeine and snacks and general geeking out like crazy eleven-year-olds.

Of course, I couldn't just have snacks and let that be that. And of course, I ran out of time before everyone got there, so I couldn't take proper photographs. Here are some blurry, but hopefully decipherable, pictures of our little dorkfest.

The (blurry) picture above is of the broomsticks I made, based on Martha's now-famous witch's broom favors. These were full of popcorn for the movie, because we are klassy like that. We pulled out the sticks, shoved the bags in our purses, and voila.

Closeup of my dorky little tag (yes, I burned the edges. Shhh.):

The most important element of the pre-movie gathering was caffeine. I put the coffee into a teapot (which is way cuter than my cheapie, half-broken coffee carafe), and cutesified its name:

To go along with the coffee, some donut holes, or (since the sign here is illegible) Hagrid's Rock Cakes:

Some other snacks: pretzel wands, water, chex mix, and little cauldrons of peanut-butter M&Ms. Healthy!

The snacks were fun, but they were nothing compared to the awesomeness of the movie. If you haven't seen it, GO NOW.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Pin It

It's a Girl! Penny Carnival Baby Shower

Yesterday I revealed my plans for my friend Mimi's baby shower in the event she has a boy. Today I'm getting a little more girly. I think the vintage toy theme works well for either gender, but Mimi has given me such cute (and theme-friendly!) names to work with. Since her chosen girl name is Penny, I decided to take the vintage style in a different direction and came up with a "Penny Carnival," complete with popcorn, pennants, and a "penny candy" buffet.

The aqua and red theme remains from the boy shower, but I'm adding a few other colors for that carnival vibe.

Images courtesy of (clockwise): cupcakes, Cake Central; tissue poms, Pom Love; popcorn favors, Candles and Favors; dessert table, Amy Atlas Events.

Now comes the hard part: waiting to find out what she's (and I'm!) having. Pin It

Jack's Vintage Toy Baby Shower

My friend Mimi is pregnant, and I am so excited to be going through my own pregnancy with such a good friend. I feel a little bad that my memory has turned to such mush (see: pregnancy plus child #1) that when she asks me pregnancy-related questions, my response is usually "Uhhh, I don't remember." What better way to make this up to her than to plan a baby shower?

As this is my second go-round with the baby-having, I do not expect to be showered with anything. Well, other than spit-up and all of the other unmentionable fluids that newborns entail. Baby gear-wise, however, I have everything I need. But this is Mim's first baby, and a bit of a wonderful surprise at that, so our friends want to give her and her husband Kevin a fun party to celebrate.

Mimi has already decided that no matter the gender, she wants to decorate the nursery with vintagey toys and retro-inspired prints. I like to incorporate the nursery's colors or theme into a baby shower when I can. We'll both be finding out our babies' respective genders in the coming weeks, but the planner in me can't wait until then to dream up party plans.

First up: the boy theme. Mimi's chosen boy name is Jack, which is a perfect match for vintage toys! Hello, there's even a game called JACKS.

I have red, round lanterns that I want to use. Paired with giant hanging "jacks" (note to self: must figure out how to make giant hanging jacks), I'm hoping they'll be reminiscient of red rubber balls. I think this grouping would look stunning hanging over food and gift tables.

Most of my other inspiration comes from Bella Grace's Vintage Toy Party and Party Love's Vintage Toy Baby Shower.

I also love the idea of including Cracker Jacks, either as favors or snacks, because of their retro quality and especially because of the Jack tie-in. Retro-inspired bunting and little pennant-style flags on the cupcakes would be adorable finishing touches.

I have a strong feeling Mim's having a girl, though, so I'll post my ideas for a girlier (but still retro-inspired) shower tomorrow! Pin It