Colorful 30th Birthday Party

This weekend was packed with cooking, decorating, and all sorts of small crafts. My sister turned 30 years old this weekend and the family and I held a bright, colorful birthday party just for her.

Yasmin and I often celebrated our birthdays together when we were younger. We are only 4 days apart, and she lets me know that we are the same age for those 4 days every year. She has a vibrant, fun personality that is so contagious when you are with her.

I wanted her party decor to match her vibrant, unique personality. I used a lot of black and white patterns with accents in green and fuchsia.

I used a silver plated tray as a table sign. The tray was only $0.66 at the thrift store!! I painted three coats of black chalkboard paint and hot glued a ribbon in the corner. Yasmin loves chalkboards so it was also a nice memento of the party.

The food consisted of an assortment of appetizers. We had a delicious shrimp ceviche that was gone in about 5 minutes.

I used cups and mini forks from the dollar store to make the ceviche pre-portioned. Not only does pre-portioned foods look elegant, but it also allows you to enjoy your party without refilling bowls. We also served Yasmin’s favorite, stuffed mushroom caps.

Caprese skewers with a balsamic glaze sat on a platter (also from the thrift store–$2.00) which was hot glued to a dollar store candlestick. You don’t need to make your elevated platters permanently glued. A small amount of hot glue can easily hold your platter and candlestick together for the party, then easily be removed afterward.

Notice the gold candlestick with the fuchsia flowers? Yes, those lovelies are from my fireplace mantle. The table was covered in a dollar store plastic tablecloth. I used two pieces of fabric with the edges folded under for the runners.

Guests were also provided with chicken salad cucumber cups, turkey meatballs that they could transform into sliders, and steak skewers glazed with a red wine reduction.

My sister does not like balloons for adult parties at ALL! I am not sure why she despises them, but I easily remedied this by hanging a “30” sign above the table. This was a quick craft to make and you can complete this for any age. Just trace and cut your numbers from a large piece of cardboard and hot glue dollar store flowers onto the board. Hang with a nice piece of ribbon and you’re all set.

I wish I would have used a different ribbon. The striped ribbon is not as noticeable against the fabric I used as the background. I had a great white ribbon with green polka dots that would have been great. Time constraints, however, did not allow me to make changes. Yasmin showed up for her surprise party as soon as I had taken my photos.

Thank you to everyone who helped me set up the food and a Happy Birthday to my wonderful sister, Yasmin!!