22 July 2015

*Ooh La La* Paris Party Prep & Printables

Paris Party Prep and Printables

My beautiful girl turns 11 in less than a week, and to celebrate we are going to Paris. Well, not literally. We are pretending to go to Paris by holding an "Afternoon in Paris" party.
I'm turning my dining room into a café, we'll be speaking french and wearing berets, eating croissants, macarons and taking photos in front of the (blackboard-drawn) Eiffel Tower.

C'est Magnifique!

The inspiration for the party theme came from Miss Fab's styley black-and-white bedroom makeover. Somehow it put us in mind of Paris chic, and since I LOVE all things Paris and topped my high school french class, I was ecstatic when she said: We should do a Paris party for my birthday!

Ooh là là, mais oui! Bien sûr!


I'll let the pictures do the talking, but can I just say that I'm having waaaay too much fun creating this? I've even been sewing.

Yes, you heard that right. This is the sewing-est birthday party ever created by me. From the bunting to hemmed drapes and a patisserie canopy for my hutch, my sewing machine has been put to good use, and I can now say with confidence: I can sew straight lines!

Paris Party DIY Patisserie canopy

This is the patisserie "canopy". I remembered I had the black-n-white striped fabric left from another birthday, and wondered if it would be possible to construct a canopy. Turns out, I could.
I folded over the fabric near one end and sewed a straight seam to create a "loop" which I could thread a stick through. I then anchored the canopy at the top with large jars, and propped it out from the hutch with two smaller sticks. It took twenty minutes from start to finish, but what an impact!

(The cute "Patisserie" metal chalkboard sign is from Pop Roc Parties)

Paris Party DIY Patisserie canopy - kiwi ingenuity

The theming is all black and white and baby pink, with lots of chalkboards, in all shapes and sizes:

Mini White Blackboard Signs from Look Sharp
Cafe de Paris blackboard signMini Blackboard Bunting and paper straws from pop Roc parties
Cafe de Paris Blackboard menu

BLACKBOARD DETAILS: Mini white Chalkboard signs from Look Sharp ($3 per pack of three); Café de Paris sidewalk sign = my kids' old art blackboard which I gave a sand and a fresh coat of chalkboard paint; Mini chalkboard bunting from Pop Roc Parties (Boire = "to Drink"); Blackboard menu is an upcycled wooden tray painted with blackboard paint from Resene.

Then there's my attempt at the Eiffel Tower on the bedroom chalkboard wall...

Eiffel Tower chalkboard sketch

It's harder to draw than I thought it would be! (This will be the backdrop for photos).

Moving on. Lets focus on the bunting I sewed instead (Look! Double sided! And not a glue gun in sight!!)

Paris Party DIY bunting and Paris prints

I swapped out the black and white prints that were in the frames with some Paris ones I found online and printed cheaply at Warehouse Stationery (like, 15c each?!).

What else? How about my moustache-straw drinking bottles with chalkboard labels...

Paris Party drink bottles with moustache straws

Bottles and paper straws from Pop Roc Parties, with moustaches from Look Sharp clipped on. Chalkboard labels also from Look Sharp (they will have the guests names written on them with chalk).

Here's the bit of cleverness I am most proud of: My sketchy Paris backdrop...

Paris sketch party backdrop

I hung up a white plastic tablecloth (thin and cheap = $2) on the dining room wall and then sketched freehand using a vivid marker this "Paris view" from "french doors". The photo really doesn't do it justice or show how awesome it really looks - my kids kept saying they felt like they could walk right through the doors. It feels 3-D. And real.

For "thank you for coming" party favors I've made these sweet little Eiffel tower pendants for each guest to take home...

Eiffel tower pendant party favors

I found these Eiffel tower pendants on Etsy ($1.99 for 10) and strung them on these silver ball chains (also on Etsy =$4.99 for 25). I'm no good at maths but that makes these pendants super cheap at about .50c each. (I found the connectors locally).


Righto, surely I must be nearly done showing off my party prep by now? Almost!

First you need to admire my curtain. I sewed it. Isn't it cute? (That fancy black tie-back was .99c from Save Mart).

Pink curtain with black tie-back for Paris party

I also made these Menus (in French and English). The idea is that the guests at the café will have to order from the Menu in french from the moustachioed waiter/garcon a.k.a. the hubby. This is a Paris café after all...

Menus for Paris party
Menus for Paris party and french treats

 I was going to attempt to make my own Macarons but my practise batch was a spectacular fail, so now I'm just gonna buy them in. But I will make my own Madeleines.

And one last chance to admire that curtain again - see how it's edged in black-and-white striped fabric? Très chic, n'est ce pas?

Paris party decor - curtain, labelled tins and drinks station

And finally what you've all been waiting for: the FREE PRINTABLES
(Click to view larger. Right click to save them to your computer, then print, trim and use)
Speech balloons and mustaches for Photo BoothSpeech balloons for Photo BoothCafe de Paris MenuMerci - thank you gift tagsCafe de Paris Black and White Wrappers Cafe de Paris Black and Pink Wrappers
And let's not forget the super-cute Paris Party invitation for sale on my Etsy shop:

Paris Party Personalised invitation

It gets personalised with your party details and wording as well as your child's photo
(either in their own outfit or photoshopped onto the one shown)







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