Tissue Flower Topiary

I've had a few people ask about the tissue flower topiaries in many of my party pictures, so I thought I'd tell you more about them. They were really easy to make - unfortunately, DIY has taken the tutorial off of their website.

First, purchase a Styrofoam topiary frame & floral picks from your local craft store and several rolls of party streamers. Cut your streamers into 20 inch strips and fold like an accordion fan. Then take the wire on the floral pick and wrap it around the middle and twist tightly all the way to the end of the wire. Spread the streamer out to resemble a flower & stick into the foam topiary ball. The "stem" of the topiary was simply covered in green streamers.
My mom & I originally made all of the topiaries for my daughter's Alice In Wonderland Tea Party last year. Since then, I have displayed them at a baby shower, Easter, my grandmother's 93rd birthday party, Emma's Strawberry Shortcake party and my daughter's pre-school even borrowed them for their annual Mother's Day Tea. The red and green topiaries make pretty Valentine's Day centerpieces.

The pots were handpainted with craft paint, foam brushes & rubber stamps.

After Halloween Sale

I just love after holiday clearance sales! I was able to pick up a couple of things for Coco's birthday party & next year's Witches Tea.

Coco is going to celebrate his 9th birthday with a Mad Scientist Party. I'm planning lots of fun experiments for Coco and 8 of his friends. I was so excited to find these test tubes filled with slime and specimens at Walgreens. They were only 24¢ each and will make great goody bag fillers.
Here's another Mad Scientist goody bag filler I found - Candy specimen slides. I got these at Target for 44¢ each and I plan on giving one slide per bag. Coco's party isn't until February, but the expiration date on the candy isn't until July 2009.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Here are a couple of things for next year's Witches Tea Party. I found these spooky goblets at Walgreens for 25¢ each & grabbed all 16 of them! They are going to look so good on the table next year!

I have been looking at these brooms since they came out, but just couldn't stomach paying $2.50 each for them. Today I got them at 75% at WalMart - only 63¢ each! I'm thinking I'll either use them for the invitations or as a party favor (Karyn & I have a whole year to think about it!)

I also picked up a few decorations like a 4 foot black lighted Halloween tree & a witch inflatable. Did I mention that I love clearance sales??!!

Early Preparation

One of the best tips for successful entertaining came from my mother. Two days before a party, my mother always sets her table and buffet. To keep dust off place settings, she will place a clean sheet over the entire table. While I am not quite that organized, I do set my tables the night before a shindig.
This is a picture of my Witches Tea buffet the night before the party. Once I've chosen all of my serving pieces, I give them a quick wash - although the pieces are put away clean, some pieces only get used a couple of time a year and can get dusty. Next, I set out all of my serve ware, decorations & utensils. Lastly, I label each serving piece with a post-it note marked with the intended food. I also set out any store-bought food being served at the party. This method is so helpful for a few reasons:

1. Allows me to make sure I have the right utensils & platters for all of the food. It also gives me time to borrow or buy anything that I don't have.
2. Keeps me from running around the day of the party looking for platters. The day of a party can be hectic and stressful and a set table & buffet is one less thing to do.
3. Makes it easy for someone to help you set up. Karyn & I were lucky to have some extra help on the morning of the Tea. My friend Kelly was able to look at the post-it notes and quickly set out the food without having to ask.

More Witch Tea Party Pictures

Here are a few more pictures from the Witches Tea Party last week. I've already been hitting the after Halloween sales looking for things for next year's party!

Here I am with my Mom, Aunt & 93 year old Grandmother

These witch hat cookies were super easy to make and looked really cute. You can find directions to make these cookies here.