#piratesandmermaidsparty

[novicehomemaker]

Ahhh...  or should I say yarr?  Another enjoyable theme party.  I really and truly enjoy making these parties for my friends.  I spend months ahead of time planning, perusing Pinterest, gathering supplies and making props.  This was one of my big parties for the year.  I do one every month, but some are more fun to create than others so they become “big” parties.  This one kept me busy.  I will usually take stuff I have on hand that could be used for whatever theme is coming up and add them to a party box and gather and gather until the party day.  Other stuff is handmade specifically for the party.  The jelly fish were really fun to make.  They are made out of soda bottles.  I cut the bottles, use a heat gun to shape tendrils and glue them back together along with ribbons and sequins.  They were moved into the “aquarium” for the actual party.  My back patio has a glass wall of sliders so it becomes the aquarium.  I made coral out of plumber’s foam and spray paint and gather up all my daughter’s stuffed/plush fish to use as props.  We purchased a backdrop from Amazon.  In the photo with the silver chalices you may notice a Kraken rum mini bottle.  I attached it to a necklace so I could carry and sip all night.  That was a fun costume piece.   I spent an absurd amount of time on the cannonball crate.  Having made it...I would do a bit more measuring and planning on the next one, but I like how it turned out.  I used the hard cardboard corner pieces that come in shipping boxes to protect the contents and a cardboard box along with letter stencils and paint.  I am not sure that you can see it in the pic, but Polly Parrot is pecking away at the cracker box trying to get a treat.  I put details into my parties that I think go unnoticed, but give me a chuckle anyway.  The pirate decanters were a rummage sale find from years ago, guns and swords were saved from when my boys were little.  ( I wonder if you can still buy such weapons at Disneyland now a days?)  I mixed and matched ideas from Pinterest to make the sails.  I think it was the stunner at the party.  I think it was the most expensive thing I have made for a party...it was about 25$.  I used a garden pot from Home Depot, pvc pipe, paint, dollar store twine, a gallon water jug filled with leftover playsand, a dollar store garden pot, a scrap of skull themed fleece and an old sheet.  It is all set up on my coffee table with a blue sheet over purple string lights.  Oh!  I threw in some old fish and whale toys into the blue “water”.  In one photo you may notice a little sailor doll.  I got him when I was three aboard a Princess Cruise.  He is about 45 years old.  My treasure chest is filled with a bunch of old costume jewelry as well as some fake pearl necklaces (which were given to guests for upcoming Downton Abbey party) and some purchased fake gems.  This party was really fun to put together.  I love it too much though and will probably have to reuse to do something like a Little Mermaid or Spongebob themed party next time.