Remember my big plans to have a catered party for my 50th? Well, with the spur of the moment idea to go to DC, I ran out of time to plan a big shindig and decided to change it to a mini party, kind of a girls night at my house.
I wore my ballerina fairy tiara and my jammies. I think that now that I am 50, I can be eccentric. Or at least be excused for being eccentric.
I kept the food simple, lots of Costco ready to go appetizers. Here is the menu:
Crab Cakes
Quiche
Cheesecake
Cream puffs
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
Olive Tampanade and bruschetta
veggies and fruits and dips
My flower beds are full of viburnum, so I picked a couple vases full of those, and added a rusty chandelier with tea light candles for the centerpiece.
Beth and I found this light fixture at the flea market last week for $4, I think I might just keep it on the table for a while. I like the simplicity of it. 
Maybe I had my new camera out a bit too much???
You know your friends care about you when you get all your favorite obsessions, I mean collectibles, as gifts! 
My friend, Shanna, who is a stained glass artist, tumbled some glass for me to use to make stepping stones. Plus filled a cute pink tote with craft supplies, treats and GLITTER.
They all chipped in on a generous gift certificate to the garden center, along with seed packs and these cement flower markers.
For each of them, I made some party favors. Pretty little bottles (Beth had bought a few hundred in a box lot last week at an auction and gave me a ton of them to use) decorated up and filled with a note. Each note granted them the help of a guardian fairy.
I like to wrap up quotes cut from books, or write a little snippet of something to tuck into presents, and have done that before. I’ve also made a lot of decorated bottles over the years too.
Joy was making similar bottles, hers were filled with fortunes wrapped in sheet music. I hope I haven’t offended her by making these bottles as gifts for my party. I put my own twist on them and changed the look.
Blogs are so full of inspiration and beauty, I hope that all of us learn tricks from each other and that our readers pull ideas for their own lives from the projects we show.
For all of my bottles, I used Vintage Workshop images, burlap, and various charms and doodads I had in my stash of vintage goodness.
I hope all of you are having a lovely Mother’s Day weekend, and that fairies are watching over you too!
Here are the guardian fairies that Beth and I came up with to stuff the bottles. Some of them, you have seen before, but the list expanded, so I thought I’d reprint it:
· “Pinkie Sugar Fly” will guard your windows from bugs flying in through tears in the screens
· “Kitty Flitter Flower” watches over you during cat naps to bring you sweet dreams
· “Tootsie Twinkle Tulip” is always ready to touch up your toe nail polish before you even notice it was chipped.
· “Blue Bird Buttercup” sprinkles cookie crumbs for a trail to lead the blue bird of happiness to your door
· “May Belle Lina” watches out for smudged mascara under your eyes.
· “Flossy Flutterby” picks spinach or other goobers out of your teeth after meals.
· “Pearly Pear” keeps an eye out for an earring that is about to slip off your ear, then tucks it back before it drops.
· “Splenderina” This sparkling little yellow fairy touches your coffee with her magic wand to make it sweet and tasty without any calories
· “Sweet Pea Tee Pea” checks the bottom of your shoes for trailing toilet paper when you walk out of a public stall.
· “Blissa Expressa ” will speed you through the checkout stands at the grocery stores by magically opening up an extra cashier line for you to be first in.
· “Dee Essella Delight” always keeps your Internet connection fast.
· “Zippy Zooma Zella” will watch out for radar speed traps and whisper to your toes to lighten up on the gas pedal before you are caught speeding
“Spamicka Sparkle Sparrow” keeps the junk cleaned out of your email inbox and full of sweet messages from people you love to hear from instead.
What lovely birthday gifts from your friends! Isn’t it great when friends just get you!
Souns like you had a lovely birthday,
Victoria x
Happy Mother’s day Karla. Love your garden fairies. Clarice
How fun! I could use one of each of those fairies!! Have a wonderful day today!
How beautiful! You sure know how to throw a party! Love the table, and all of the sweet things your friends brought. Looks like a good time! I think the bottles are adorable and special! Happy Mothers Day to you, too!
Looks like so much fun! Hope you have a marvelous Mother’s Day!
Gorgeous, love your table decor, food looks divine, nice pressies, love the fairy wishes:) Rachael
What a fun time you had with the girls.
Such sweet gifts too!
Happy Mother’s day
Alison
What a fabulous party! You amaze me with your talent.
Hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day.
Blessings,
Sandy
Hi karla,
Hey, I like the “Sweet Pea Tee Pea” guardian fairy, LOL!
I like that rusty chandelier and the speckled votive cups too (the very top of the chandelier is very architecturally driven and it put me in mind of photo corners put one side to one side to create something similar to the top of your piece). Happy happies.
Happy Birthday Karla, your party looks like it was fantastic.
That was my kind of party! Glad you got to spend it with frineds who really “know you!”
What a beautiful and fun party. Your table and decor is fantastic, and the menu sounds so good. The bottles turned out lovely and I enjoyed all the fairies you and Beth came up with. I’m so glad you had a good time and love those presents you got.
Karen
What a lovely birthday gathering. So glad you had a fabulous time. Love the idea of wearing your jammies and tiara.
Thanks for your advise on using the Preen for my garden. It seems to be working. There were some weeds still before sprinkling the Preen but it has kept new weeds from growing.
Hope you have a great Mother’s Day.
Hugs:)
Irma
What a lovely celebration for your 50th birthday. I hope you really enjoyed it….. but how could you not with your girlfriends there to help you celebrate.
Happy Mother’s Day too.
Hugs,
Kerryanne
I LOVED your fairies!!! :)) And your party looked like fun… perfect for you!!! Hope you had a good Mother’s Day! Lots of hugs!!!~ Bethany
Everything looks lovely and glad you had such a great time and the fairies are darling:-)
Happy Birthday!
Michelle
What a glorious celebration! Loved the party favors — they looked beautiful and so special! And the table is lovely — what a terrific menu! Most of all, good friends and good times. How special is that? (And the cool presents didn’t hurt, either!)
Karla, everything looks and sounds wonderful. Your friends must adore you because it seems you are a very good friend to them.
My best friend just started her blog. If you get a chance please go by and visit her and say hello at http://backyardneighbor.typepad.com/
it sounds like you had a wonderful party Karla 🙂 with wonderful friends xxx
Great, great post! Ha Ha– Dee Essella Delight and May Belle Lina.
Happy 50!
So fun Karla! I think Flossy Flutterby is my fav!
xo, Tiffany
Hi Karla,
Honored that you were inspired by me! 🙂
Joy
Your table and party favors looked awesome! Looks like you had a blast for your 50th 😉
That is a lovely table…. hope you had a wonderful birthday and a lovely Mother’s Day…
Hugs
cielo
Happy Birthday! Your table looks so lovely and the bottles are amazing. Hope you had a great celebration.
OH man we should have ALL been there! No fair!
We do get ideas from each other and sometimes I wonder who I’m copying and will they care? It just gets in your brain and becomes a part of you! I don’t want it to stop either!
Happy Birthday to you…
Looks like a lovely party!
Priscilla
How fun! I wish I could have been there!
I’m planning on becoming eccentric when I hit 70. I think 50 is too young. At fifty it’s O.K. to be playful and silly, though. JMO
~elaine~
What a fun post! I just had a big birthday too and you are right…you do NEED to celebrate. Your party sounds lovely. Thanks for sharing your special day. ~ xoxo Joy
Hi! I discovered your blog a few weeks ago, and thought I’d pop by again. LOVE your birthday pary decor and goodies! Happy Birthday to you! I, too, just turned 50–isn’t it fabulous?!!
I just started a blog about a week ago..if ya get a chance, come by for a visit!! I love making new friends! 🙂
Blessings!
Myrna
Happy Birthday and Happy Mothers Day. You table was really really pretty….
Karla
Love your table, looks like all had a great time…good for you for celebrating you!
:0)
Tara
Happy Birthday! My birthday was May 6 I had a great day actually week. I love your cute party with the girls. Hugs and best butterfly wishes. Grace
Today is my birthday. 46 not fifty, I was wondering if you could send me a Gaurdian Fairy too. Maybe one that helps me with my daycare…how about one that removes the stink from diapers???
Kathie
Happy Belated Birthday wishes. looks like you had a lovely day.
Love your take on the Joy’s bottles and espeically wearing jammies and tiaria to your party! Look like you had a fabulous time!
I love your little bottles what a cute idea, when my dad passed away I got alot of his old bottles, this would be a cute thing to make for my sisters and mom.
A very happy belated birthday to you Kim! I’ve enjoyed seeing what a lovely time you had with your friends.
All the best to you!
What a great friend.
I love all little glass bottles! I am so envious, what a deal!
That first picture of your table all set up is stunning!! I love the little bottles you decorated for your party guests, too. It sounds like you have great friends who truly know you since they got you the perfect gifts to make your heart sing! Glad it was a fun day!
Michele
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