Want to create a memorable party atmosphere? Upcycled items create decorations that are truly one-of-a-kind, or in this case, one-of-a-Kime! Here are several ideas to make your next gathering all that more festive and fun!
1. Pick a theme
For my sister Tammy’s recent birthday, we wanted to take time to celebrate her so-called gathering, “Toasting Tammy,” because it took place at a bar when breakfast was served. Given the location, it was likely that there would be people toasting one another over a beer while enjoying French toast and other breakfast favorites.
How might the time of year, location, or occasion help you to come up with an interesting party theme?
2. Select a color palette
While the season or holiday might help you determine the color choices for your gathering, for a person’s birthday, you can’t go wrong by decorating with colors that the guest-of-honor loves. Tammy is a high-energy and vibrant person, so it was no surprise that she loves hot pink and bright blue. Therefore, we used those to build the party’s look.
Depending on the venue, select items like napkins, table cloths, and other items in your chosen hues.
3. Transform a toaster or two
Given the party theme of toasting, this was such a fun project to create!
To make a toaster a centerpiece:
- Cut off the cord close to where it comes out of the toaster.
- Place it outside on a drop cloth and with spray paint. Go to town on it! Be sure to add a nice solid layer but don’t worry about covering every nook and cranny on the first go around. When dry, place the toaster on its side and add another layer.
- Let dry and repeat.
- To make your toaster pop, I encourage you to pick several tones of paint in the same color family.
- After it was covered well, I spent back and “spritzed” it with several other similar tones to give it some visual interest.
- To add a party feel, several helium balloons were tied to each toaster. Then, brightly colored flowers were added to the place where bread would have been added – almost like a vase.
- The final touch was positioning plastic sunglasses (repurposed from another family gathering) on and beside the toaster. Even the flowers’ plastic wrap was reused since it was colorful. Pieces of it were cut and placed under the toaster as an “anchor” for the centerpiece.
Design Idea: What other ways might you link your party theme to décor created from upcycled items? To keep with our brunch theme, a silver coffee decanter was enlisted as a vase. Fresh flowers were added along with balloons and sunglasses. It turned out to be both elegant and whimsical at the same time. Score!
4. Select a game or way to engage your guests
One of my rules of thumb for any party is to come up with a way to easily get all guests involved and connected. Sometimes people run out of things to say and making small talk can take lots of effort.
My solution to this issue was to offer “Toasting Tammy Trivia” where attendees were asked to respond to a handful of questions about the guest of honor. We did this as a group and it was so much fun to hear hilarious answers to questions such as “What is her favorite movie?” or “What is on her bucket list, travel-wise?” This was a great way for those present to get to know the birthday girl better, while also giving them a chance to crack jokes and tease one another, all the right ingredients for a great time!
What themed parties have you hosted for your family, friends, or work colleagues? In what ways might you tap into the great deals on unique items at your nearby Goodwill store to help decorate your event? We love to see what you do and are always open to seeing your pics! Thanks in advance for your ideas and inspiration.
And Happy Birthday once again to my cool sister Tammy! As she said, “the best is yet to come!”
Tim Kime
Artist, Motivational Speaker, Life Coach
