When my middle {and only} daughter told me she wanted a birthday party this year for her eighteenth, I felt a little sentimental about celebrating, since this is it for all things childhood parties. I called a local tea room to see how much it would be to have a tea party there for a few hours. When the quote came back at around 1200-1500 dollars {in this economy?!}, I realized we were going to throw an “old-fashioned” party at home. {Insert LOL here for heavy sarcasm for people in the back} And when she asked if it could be a Fancy Nancy birthday to celebrate the end of her childhood, I said, ” Say less.” I knew I wasn’t holding back. 

No surface was safe from the stars and swag, and the aftermath… I’ll be digging boa feathers and glitter stars from my floors for the next millennium, with zero regrets. This party was special for a lot of reasons… But we are so thrilled we were able to capture these moments. It was a sweet reminder and a final nod to childhood. {Pssst, check out our cute little video – if we do say so ourselves – here.} 

Her friends certainly brought the energy and sweet vibes. This was a labor of DIY love, so we were thrilled to celebrate her. It was just really special, as we find ourselves ready to turn the page to a new chapter while we slowly say goodbye to this one. 

So today, I thought I’d share a few details. In case you’re searching for a fun, easy theme that brings together all the elements: color, chaos, glitter, and fun… especially if you’re kind of a craft horder like me. Even the dogs were fancy.

Costume:
Emerson has always adored playing dress up. So her costume was easy to piece together, inspired by a lot of cosplay we spied on various socials.
Here’s what we used: corset, tennis skirt, and this tutu. {The tennis skirt she already owned and offered some stability underneath.} In the back, tucked in to that, was my skirt. I topped all the skirts off with this wrap. Then, we used these socks + shoes, with red ribbon to lace them up like “ballet slippers.” I even used a little fashion tape on the backs of her calves to hold them in place. Gloves, boa, sunglasses, lace, +headpiece. {It lights up!} 

She added accessories like her childhood charm bracelet, all the fun chunky rings she could find, and fun necklaces she hasn’t worn since elementary school. It was a blast from the past to dig through her old jewelry box. We have a nice messy bun that worked well with her naturally wavy hair. You can probably see it in other shots, but I also added gemstones to bobby pins, which are all throughout her hair. 

Decor + Swag: 
I love that the party decor was a culmination of some of her faves… from her watercolor party to her narwhal party,  her unicorn party, and her glow party, too.  It was a throwback in the very best of ways with a lot of parties I never even shared. A lot of this was pieces I’ve held on to over the years. 

I handmade all the paper chains, from this paper when I scored it on sale during the holidays. I cut each piece into fours using a paper cutter, then joined them all together in a pattern with a stapler. 

Again, a lot of this is a blast from the past for me because I don’t throw these things out, but here are some items I’ve re-sourced + added to the basic idea for full effect: stars + fringe + bunting + layered bunting + streamers + thick crepe paper cut into strips with scissors + tulle from her old costumes {similar colors here}.

For the kitchen table, I used a combo of failed Christmas crafts {painted these plain white stars to incorporate some color + added some detail to these brown ones with a white pen.} 

For these handmade candles, I was inspired by the vintage versions I’ve seen for Christmas. I decided to do my own birthday version, using Pringles cans + toilet paper rolls. Here is the full how-to… just adjust for your own version. I used a combo of wrapping and construction paper to make mine. Literally things I already had on hand. It pays to be a keeper of craft supplies.

Bunting below layered with some other things listed + tissue tassels {similar} 

For this photo area, I hand-painted a sign on butcher’s paper. I taped two pieces together and worked on top of an existing canvas to steady it. Inspired by a combo of signs I’ve seen everywhere. I used the streamers linked above + this backdrop that I ended up using all throughout the house as well. 

More streamers here + fabric bunting here. This is their crafting space in the party, more on that below, but I just upped the ante on my Christmas stars {here + here} by adding gemstones + ribbon one by one. 

Here I displayed everyday supplies by making them “fancy” in containers like bowls and glasses. More on our little project, below!

Downstairs, it was more of the same, in a combo of the things linked above. I used this painted star garland {another throwback} for more color. 

We included the cutest little sign-in area with a Fancy Nancy book, for her friends to leave sweet messages. {Fancy pen, here.}

No surface was left untouched. The 6 footers in our house are over it. 

We still had Emerson’s room decked out, too. 

For the food: 
The only thing we had “catered” was the mini bundt cakes. The rest was a handmade “tea party” kind of vibe.

On the menu: Fruit {strawberries, grapes + blueberries} + Candy with their French labels and fancy explanations. We also served a side of chips, peanut butter + jelly sandwiches cut into stars, and homemade chicken salad croissants. 

Colorful Mix: This is a little bit like Bunny Bait, but altered for the party: popcorn + rice chex, + pretzels to whatever proportions you like. Then we added melted white chocolate, and mixed it all together. We drizzeled strawberry white chocolate on top, and added carbury mini eggs {or pastel m&ms} along with colorful sprinkles for a fun look + crunch.  

Homemade Cookies: We followed this recipe, here. I loved them so much, I’ll be making them again. 

Drinks: water + various sodas + sweet tea – in plastic champagne glasses. I marked each one with a unique washi tape or fabric from my stash, and NO ONE lost their glass. It was a miracle. 

This gave little afternoon tea vibes and ended up being so much fun! For cake toppers I used these, and the candles were here. No, I couldn’t help myself. 

For accessories, I brought out candy holders I’ve had for years, and one of my favorite is my grandmother’s in the middle. One of the only things I deliberately asked for after she passed, and I love that it usually sits in my butler’s pantry. 

Star Crowns: I used this + ribbon – at first I thought it might be a craft but realized the wands {below!} would take up most of our time when comboed with photos + food. So when each friend entered, we asked them to sign the book and grab a crown if they wanted. These were easy to make! 

I looped each crown three times around and secured each end by twisting the wires together. Then I slowly added about five different colors of ribbon, tying each to the section where they were twisted for extra security. Each package {with this amount of loops–they come in a package of six} yielded exactly four crowns.

  They were so cute for the photos!Her sweet friends really brought the energy, and I loved seeing what they arrived in!

She was a little worried that her guests would get bored. I have to say… this craft was a HIT.  

NARY A screenager IN SIGHT. Giggles and teamwork, colorful ideas, and lots of pure FUN. When I told them we were making wands, you should have seen their eyes light up. I think this is why her party was so sweet. Just good old-fashioned kiddo stuff. 

For these, I used two elements and MY ENTIRE STASH of things I’ve held on to for decades. It kind of helped to purge a few things. There were buttons, gems, ribbon, confetti, glitter {which I tried to keep a little contained by offering to sprinkle those sparkles and seal it up at the end} and more. For a few more filler ideas as far as specifics, be sure to check out our recent post here on ornaments, because my leftovers from this played a large part too.

What you’ll need {other than breaking out your entire craft stash}: 
• Plastic stars 
• Dowels
• Drill + drill bits 
• Hot glue + Glue gun

We made a few pre-party {along with all the steps below} so I could account for anything going sideways with such a big group. Try out your drill bits and gently drill into the stars. I ordered another entire batch because I was worried a few of these might crack. We only cracked a few because we were really careful. Be sure once drilled, you do not separate the pieces.  Once the holes were drilled, I carefully separated and washed each one to get rid of extra plastic.  Then I made sure the dowel fit.  On one side, add all your goodies + filler. Put it together, and push the dowel all the way to the top so that it’s stable. I made sure we had enough goodies inside to hide the dowel. Add glitter last. Seal up the hole at the bottom with hot glue. Once dry and secure, finish adding ribbon, etc. Tada! Easy wands. 

I loved seeing all the fun ideas they came up with!

I have to say, the party was a hit. 

I think her favorite part was her two brothers as the servers for the afternoon. They were good sports since the oldest came home from college for the occasion, and it was nice to have them there, too. 

Thanks for reading my novel. It was a lot to cover. But a lot of fun. I hope it helps inspire someone who may be planning something, and has a big stash like me. Have an inspired day!