A to-DYE for Collab: Oh Happy Day x F&F Tie-Dye Treehouse Party!

Oh, why hello there! It’s been a minute and I’ve definitely missed you all. In a short span of 2 months, I got engaged, married, and moved across to country to sunny Arizona! My socially distant party tutorials have gotten the shaft, but I trust that you have been having fabulous socially distant fun in the interim. Before my trifecta of life changes, I partnered up with Oh Happy Day to create the finale in my Party-in-Place tutorial series, and we settled on something very covid-friendly, awesome, and fashionably speaking.. all the rage: tie-dye! All the decor & tabletop items can be found in their Oh Happy Day Party Shop (linked below)!

This party was extra special to me because I did it in Michigan with my nieces 2 days before we left for Arizona; and specifically for my 12 year old niece that had a shelter-in-place birthday parade in May during the peak of Michigan’s coronavirus prevalence. I am super close to my nieces, so it was extra special to leave on a very high note.

Oh Happy Day has an awesome watercolor fans tutorial for white tissue decor that I followed with some small changes, and also added honeycombs and garlands to the mix.

The original tutorial calls for India Ink to dye the fans, but I didn’t have any (and it’s $35) so I substituted that for good old Wilton Gel Food Colors and the results were pretty great! It’s a little more difficult to manipulate the colors with food coloring, but I wanted the tie-dye to be slightly muted. Vary the concentrations of your water/food coloring and the consistency of the stream on your spray bottles. In the end, use a more concentrated solutions and the stream mode (not spray or mist) to spray on some harsher lines to give it those quintessential tie-dye characteristics.

To dye the honeycombs, open them up and just use a little scotch tape to keep them from closing (not the adhesive tabs they come with… save those for your actual event). Make sure you rotate them as you spray so that you don’t have a gap of white.

Like the tutorial states, try to separate warm and cool colors so that they don’t mix and produce brown splotches and make your decor look dirty. After they partially dried, if I found white spots, I would add a contrasting color… a little blue on a warm palette, or a little pink on a cool palette, and I liked the variety that produced. Also be sure not to over spray, if your tissue gets too saturated, it will be more likely to rip. Alternate the settings of the spray bottles to get less uniform patterns, and be sure to partially dry your decor opened, and then close them for the remainder of the drying. The streamers are definitely harder to close, but with a little patience (and a second set of hands, if possible), it’s definitely doable.

I love a contrasting backdrop for decor, so this rustic and foresty treehouse made for a great background for all the whimsical and lively colors. When placing your decor, stagger the heights of the honeycombs and fans, cluster various shapes and sizes, and avoid symmetry to give a more effortless and whimsical feel. Layer your garlands with contrasting textures… again, asymmetry is your friend here! With outdoor events, I love using decor with movement, like fringe and tassels.. it looks great when it catches the wind, and your pictures will look more lively!

Now for the garbs. We bought the biker shorts sets from the kids section at Target: biker shorts ($5… a size XL fit me as a 0/2 and would probably fit up to a size 4!), and these boxy white t-shirts (I bought an XXL, size 18-20). We also found kids jogger sets on Zulily, but you can also check Amazon or Walmart. My sister and I also bought these Cat & Jack Bralettes (in XL), and they turned out SO cute! A sweatshirt + biker short combo would be very cute (and is probably in my near future to complete my set), and very model-off-duty-esque!

I love to live vicariously through my nieces whenever possible, and since I always wanted a treehouse growing up and my brother-in-law recently built one for the girls, so this ‘shehouse’ is where our party was based!

We did our clumping and bunching inside the treehouse. For this step, you definitely want a LOT of rubber bands. Whatever you think you need… triple it!

We more or less followed the WeWoreWhat Tie-Dye Tutorial because I liked that her final products were more subtle (we actually followed the video tutorial in her Instagram story highlights). The only minor differences is that we didn’t use bleach, and we rubber banded both sides. The more clumps and clusters you do, the better your patterns will turn out.

We took the party down below the treehouse for the dyeing on top of a paper linen tablecloth. (my plan was to tie-dye this before the party and use on a table, but…I forgot!). The blue set we made with RIT Tropical Teal Dye , and the peachy blush/nude set was made with RIT Sandstone Dye. If you want white streaks in your creation, do not completely submerge in the dye solution, but submerge if you want a more monochromatic look. The spray bottles were from Walmart. Make sure you wear rubber gloves for this step, the dye will stain your hands!

We decided this was going to be a family affair, and all present adults and grandparents got in on the action too!

The 2” & 5” honeycombs were so tiny and cute that I decided to use them to top a plain white cake. The 2” balls are very delicate, so be sure not to saturate them when dying. The hot pink color pop “yay” was actually a straw from Target, but you can find a similar version here. The candles were technically “marbled”, but I thought they had a tie-dye look to them.

This party is great option for covid-safe(r) fun because it is best done outdoors, and with gloves on! And trust me, most dyes will stain your hands, so you are going to want to use gloves!

We tie-dyed on top of the OHD Paper Linen Tablecloth in white, and if you handle it carefully, you will end up with a sweet tie-dye tablecloth!

All the decor & tabletop products from this setup are exclusively from the Oh Happy Day Party Shop! Click the links below; I have also itemized the quantities, sizes, and colors from the setup above! If you do this party, please share your pictures with me, or tag @feteandfinery on instagram!

OH HAPPY DAY PARTY SHOP SUPPLIES

[White Tissue Decor for Dying]

Tissue Paper Fan 21" (Color: White, Pink, Mint Green)

Tissue Paper Fan Deluxe 27" (Color: White)

Honeycomb Diamond 12" (Color: 2x White, Mint Green, Light Blue)

Honeycomb Diamond 18" (Color: White)

Honeycomb Puff 14” (Color: Mint Green, Lavender)

Honeycomb Mini Balls 2" (Color: White - for cake topper)

Honeycomb Ball 5" (Color: White)

Honeycomb Ball 8" (Color: White)

Honeycomb Ball 12" (Color: White, Light Pink)

Honeycomb Ball 19" (Color: Mint Green)

[Garlands]

Full Garland (Color: White)

Bunting Fan Garland (Color: White)

Streamer Garland (Color: Mint)

Festive Festooning (Color: Light Blue)

Criss Cross Garland (Color: Lavender)

Paper Fringe Garland (Color: Light Pink)

[Tabletop]

Marbled Candles (Color: Mint)

Oh Happy Day Pink Marble Plates (Small) (Color: Pink Marble)

Oh Happy Day Ombre Cups (color: Sky)

Paper Linen Tablecloths (Color: White)

Tropical Ombre Wooden Cutlery (Color: Tropical Ombre)

Ombre Napkins, Small (Color: Multicolor)

To see more socially distant Party-in-Place tutorials, click the images below:

Fiesta, fiesta! [Your Birthdate...en español] de Mayo!

Happy Cinco de Mayo (eve)! I’m sure we would all love to have plans to be sitting on a patio somewhere tomorrow being served endless margs & guac, but there are many ways to incorporate the beautiful colors and flavors of Mexico into your own at-home celebration.

Whether or not you plan on celebrating on the actual date, I love this theme for any May birthday, and did a 10th birthday party two years ago for a girl born on May 15th. We called it “Quince de Mayo” and had a fiesta at a farm!

Cinco de Mayo, quite literally May 5th, celebrates the Mexican Army’s victory over the French Empire. It’s more popularly celebrated in the US than in Mexico and is associated with the celebration of Mexican-American culture. I love the lively colors and intricate details associated with Mexican decor, so it’s a dream palette to work with… and a menu you know everyone will love!

This original fiesta was at a farm, but your deck, backyard, or driveway could be the perfect spot. I used my cousin’s large flat rear driveway because it reminded me of the town square’s in Mexico, and gathering for art fairs and street entertainers!

My decor search was centered around Papel Picado, “perforated paper”, or beautiful paper banners made by cutting elaborate designs into tissue paper. I found mine on Etsy (linked below), but there are also tutorials online for how to make your own. If your party is going to be outside, be mindful of the delicate nature of tissue paper. Metallic paper or a thicker paper may fare better if it’s going to be a windy day! Even though I prefer the look of the tissue paper, I used a mixture of both, and if I was ordering again, I would also do a variety of sizes. I framed the party space with these banners to give it that town square feel!

In lieu of live flowers, I taped paper flowers from an old garland to the table for an asymmetric centerpiece. This came about almost by mistake, they were just sitting on the table with other decor and I thought they looked kinda cute so arranged them in the center but could have lined an entire table with them!

Cactus plates and napkins are a cute touch, although an odd shape! Would be perfect to eat some churros on!

Mexican grocery stores often have an amazing selection of made fresh daily salsas and chips, the best hot sauces, and the perfect kid-loved drink (and adult mixer) for your fiesta…Juarritos! My favorite flavor is grapefruit, and my favorite sparkling water is also the Mexican Topo Chico!

As for the menu, even the pickiest eaters tend to love Mexican food, and putting together a homemade menu of tacos, quesadillas or fajitas is pretty easy, or can be catered pretty affordably. Great sides include (of course) guac and chips, salsas, street corn salads or cobbs, red rice & beans. If you want to make something a little more playful, try walking tacos served right out of a Fritos individual size bag! One of my favorite guilty bites is Imperial in Ferndale, MI, and they serve gourmet bacon wrapped hot dogs with Mexican flare. We made these for a party and they were surprisingly easy and equally delicious!

Mini cacti and succulents make for great decor and can double as a party favor when put in these El Pato salsa cans! Your local nursery/greenhouse is likely still open and offering curbside pickup. Just make sure you drill a little hole in the bottom of the can and line with small stones or charcoal to allow for proper drainage.

Now of course, you’ve got to have a piñata! Use whatever candies you have on hand, or support a Mexican grocery store by purchasing a bulk bag of Mexican candies for a really authentic experience! Add some confetti to your Piñata for some extra flare when it’s finally cracked! You can often get a cutely decorated piñata bat or just use any hard stick you can find!

A fun and easy craft that will make your fiesta pictures even cuter are Mexican flower crowns! You just need a bright colored headband, some faux flowers, and a hot glue gun. Just glue the flowers more centered towards the top to give it more of a Mexican style.

The fake flowers for the crowns can double as your centerpiece, just have them sprawled along your table and the kids can pick from them when it’s time to do the craft!

They’re pretty cute! You may want one for yourself…

As always, please pay close attention to all CDC and governing guidelines to assure your fête is safe for all! If you try this party at home, please tag/hashtag @feteandfinery! I would love to see your pictures!

Items in stock and shipping within 1 week (as of 5/4/20):

Papel Picado (tissue)

Papel Picado (metallic, more durable in wind)

Jarritos (check your local mexican grocer)

Cactus Plates (different version)

Meri Meri Cactus Cupcake Toppers

Floral Chandelier

Fringe Umbrella Parasols

Mylar Pineapple Balloon

Cactus Piñata

Lime Piñata

Piñata Bat

We are in this fight against Coronavirus together, even though we are apart. Until it’s safe for us to gather & celebrate together in-person, there are still ways to make life’s many special moments and milestones special and uniquely yours. For more Party-in-Place free tutorials, click the images below:



LET IT GLOW: NEON DANCE PARTY (Mambo #9)!

Nothing screams 90’s nostalgia like a glow in the dark/blacklight neon affair! When my naturally bouncing off the walls (then) 8-year-old niece wanted to have a dance party, I knew it had to have a retro feel. This party was held at a local dance studio and was a kid-modified 305 dance class…. but please believe it had me thinking about a traditionally 305-twerky dance party with my girlfriends! Either way, if you’re having your party at Mueva in Clarkston, you have to book Nicki Warner as your dance instructor, she’s the BEST!

Much of this party setup would also work for a roller skating party! Shoutout to my clever lover for Isabella’s bday tagline two years in a row “Mambo #9” (after Lou Bega’s classic, Mambo No. 5… not that you needed clarification!).

My favorite thing about this setup were these color-changing Illooms LED balloons from Party City! The actual balloons I listed aren’t available online (gasp), or in a multi-pack. You’ll have to go in store (big gasp) and buy them individually (I used 30x on a balloon strip @ $0.99 each), but these are a similar variety, they just don’t change color continuously. You pull a tab, air inflate, and they literally change color continuously from green to blue to purple. They were super cool and were still lit up almost a week later in my niece’s bedroom! The darker the area, the better they illuminate.

A close second were these UV/Blacklight Glow in the Dark plates, cups & utensils that worked SO well! They really illuminated under the blacklight, even in a medium dark setting. This set does NOT come with napkins though!

The disco ball stirrers were a post NYE clearance snag from a local grocery store, Kroger, but can be found here.

We set a normal folding table on top of exercise step-up risers and tucked a white table cloth under and had the girls sit on top of folded yoga blankets and a few poofs from home.

The light up crown headbands worked pretty well (only one finicky one in the batch of 12) and actually stayed on their heads while they danced.

The light-up box (pictured above) was from Justice, but this BBB Lightbox would fit nicely into the theme.

Coming in in third would be the glow in the dark body paint! We did simple application on the girls faces and it showed up very well.

I also bought these glow in the dark lotus/henna tattoos, but didn’t get around to applying them. If you buy these, let me know how they worked out in the comments below!

The foil balloon numbers were spray painted with Neon Martha Stewart spray paint (my goodness do I love spray paint). I hope you recycle your jumbo balloons by deflating them with a straw because 1) it’s good for the environment, and 2) they are expensive! That “9” is actually a flipped around “P” from a previous fête! Now for the craft…

Now my absolute favorite thing about this party was this adorable heart neon sign craft! I thought about doing a variety of shapes or first initials, but just did a heart for all in the spirit of Valentine’s Day. I will be posting the full tutorial shortly!

The cake was a small but dense cookie dough + brownie/chocolate cake hybrid with orange rock candy sprinkles, buttercream frosting, and Wilton cake color mist sprays. The neon battery operated heart was from HomeGoods and bedazzled with rock candy secured with cream cheese… VERY random and scrappy, I know.. .but the niece instantly noticed this cake was a bit more…petit than others in previous years (they’re spoiled but in my further defense the cake was very rich), so I did that to give it some elevated height. You can find a similar one at Target.

Don’t forget to have your guests wear neon colored clothing so that they really light up your party!

The Makings of a Perfect Backdrop

So you’ve been assigned to plan your friend’s shower. You’re making a list of essentials… cake… favors… food… decor… but possibly most of all, very gram-able photo ops! A quality backdrop has made it’s way into the forefront of party planning to guarantee those awesome Pinterest-worthy shots, while also really setting the mood for your event.

I made this backdrop last spring for a birthday dinner party, and the main course was sushi! Instead of pulling in traditional reds or golds you may typical associate with Asian decor, I decided to compliment the home’s already very white aesthetic and employed a mostly flat and satin white palette. I subtly tied in the sushi through the use of lanterns of varying sizes.

This was a very versatile backdrop and would work great for a wedding shower, or even a gender neutral baby shower. Here are some of my tips for making a great backdrop.

Mixed media - mixing textures

I am a BIG fan of mixing materials and textures to provide additional depth. Metallic fringe with tissue paper, matte and foil balloons, glitter and tulle… it’s kinda like the wild wild west of decorating. Drop those prior prejudices that certain things can’t go together (like black & navy), and make your own rules! Staying within a complimentary color palette is more important than sticking to certain materials. Here, I chose a white fringe door curtain as the base, jumbo paper flowers & tissue paper fans of varying sizes for the corners, and tissue honeycombs & poofs to contrast with the lanterns. The paper flower pack came with miniature paper flowers on strings that I cut off and peppered in between. Sourcing lanterns of various sizes and types, was important -some large, some small, some accordion style, some light up. The jumbo lanterns were placed on the floor and provided a great base, and I loved that the tiny lanterns added a bubbly whimsical feel.

Set a solid foundation

Start by anchoring down your main backdrop material, whether that is fringe door curtains, tassels, drape, or whatever you choose. Be mindful of the venue’s guidelines, as some venues do not allow you to affix anything to their walls. If you encounter this, don’t fret as there are many ways around this obstacle. A PVC pipe backdrop could be an easy fix. Here, I used the windowpane adjacent to the main dining table. The white fringe curtain was secured with command strips, as the windowpane was freshly painted and we wanted to be extra careful. I loved these jumbo flat white paper flowers found in the wedding section at Party City, and used the larger flowers to frame the corners. These were taped directly to the trim of the door curtain on the top, or again with the command strips if they were going down the sides of the window pane. To hang the lanterns, I used small clear command hooks and tied them with white string.

Layer it up!

Much like NYC fashion in the fall, the more layers, the better! Pile on the textures as well. For the honeycombs, I only opened them halfway and secured them on the backdrop with a flat back so they would sit more flush. In the future, I would double up the white curtain fringe for a richer look. I think it would also look great to add some tissue paper garlands or white paper chain links streaming down for more texture.

Location, location, location!

Try to not place the backdrop off the beaten path of your party. Yes, you want space for those awesome group shots, but if you are putting all that time and energy into your backdrop, you want it to be enjoyed throughout the entire party, and further enhance the ambiance. If it’s a dinner party, place it near the table. If you have an elaborate dessert table, you could even place it behind that, and when everything has been served, clear that area out for group shots.

Low profile flowers for the table ensured it would be easy to carry conversations. The tall candles are from the Dollar Tree and all the florals were from Trader Joe’s! For this particular party, I would have chosen a cool white vs. warm white votive for the lantern to keep that pure white look.

Materials:

White Fringe Curtain - Walmart (1 pack, recommend 2)

Accordion Lanterns - Party City (3 packs)

3D Paper Flowers - Party City (Wedding Section)

Tissue Paper Fans - Party City (4 packs of mini, 2 of larger)

Paper Fans - Walmart

Poofs - Walmart

Honeycombs - Dollar Store (non chain), also available at Target

Lanterns - Dollar Store (non chain), also available on Amazon

Command Strip & Hooks

Clear Tape