Party in the Dark

So Friday was the long awaited birthday party! My mom had a blast and so did the guests, even though about 30 minutes in the "storm of the century" hit and we lost power...meaning no AC, lights, etc. I was pretty upset at first because I'd put about a year's worth of time and energy into every little detail and I felt sort of robbed...no one would get to really enjoy everything I had worked so hard to put together.
THEN I realized it wasn't about ME but about my beautiful mother and her birthday celebration so we partied on in the dark and everyone actually hung around and didn't seem to want to leave. We pulled out flashlights (and when I say flashlights I mean iPhone apps) and ate, talked, and enjoyed ourselves. I'd say is was a success. My mom loved it and that's really what I was going for :)

This was a last minute idea...I had some extra ribbon and really couldn't figure out what to do with the cupcake streamer so this was what happened. It actually turned out really well and I needed another place to display pictures.

Originally I wanted to do the yarn wrapped letters, but that proved to be too tedious for me. Instead I simply covered them in scrapbook paper...easy and I really love the way they turned out. This table was the guest sign in table and they were asked to write down their favorite memory of my mother and now I'm going to scrapbook them all for her.

This was the photo backdrop that my awesome cousin Taylor created. I wasn't really sure if a photo "booth" was going to be well received but everyone had a blast taking pictures and posing with some silly props. I recommend having one!

These were the centerpieces...I bought these pots at Crafts 2000 for .67 cents and the yarn I had lying around. I used a pom pom maker to create about 70 different sizes and colors. I actually went to my niece's one evening and we had a pom pom making party! There is a piece of styrofoam in the bottom with some grass also bought at Crafts 2000. We used bamboo skewers as the stems and painted them green ( the next day I found actual green ones!!) !!

The food tables...I made these banners out of burlap. I printed out the stencils from my cricut and just painted the letters on with some acrylic paint. I used tiny little clothespins to clip each triangle to the string. (Note..I reused the cake stand from our wedding! :))

The tables. There is a light blue table "cloth" and I just used red bandanas for some color. Originally I wanted to do burlap on the tables but it was too expensive for my liking.

My momma opening her presents in the dark! It was definitely memorable...almost everyone said "I bet you'll never forget this party..." or "I bet you have never had a party in the dark before."
I really enjoyed planning the party and seeing the happiness on my mom's face throughout the evening. I had so much fun with every step of the process and I know that I'll always be glad that I took the time to do something really memorable for my momma.
Happy Birthday Mom...here's to many more.