Round Two

I am doing a second Independence Day party for a different set of friends this Saturday.  We generally set up some games in the side yard to keep the kids occupied.  My children and I collaborated on the games below.  I helped with lettering and layout.  They generally did the painting. I outlined everything with a black permanent marker to make the images sharper.  We purchased these boards for less than three dollars each at Menards. 

Notice the shark swimming below the cute ducks.  This boy has inherited my sense of humor.

The tattoo stand generally draws the biggest crowd.  Our tattoos were left out in the rain after this weekend's party.  I will need to do some searching to acquire more patriotic tattoos before this Saturday. 

**DON"T FORGET ABOUT THE GIVE AWAY!!! The person who brings the most followers to Shindig Spree before July 5th will win the fireworks decorations featured on the June 21st post. Good Luck!

It Was a Blast

The bar area.  I am extraordinarily skilled at losing my drink.  I set it down and walk off (repeatedly).  I have taken to tying different ribbons to the stems of wine and cocktail glasses to help with the lost drink identification process.  This seems like the most logical step before milk cartons.  

Yvonne was one of the birthday girls.  It was one of those nights where I had such a nice time talking and catching up with people that I forgot to take a lot of pictures.

 

We have a large indoor fireworks stand about a block from our house.  So the question of the evening from the kids was, "When are we going to get fireworks?"  They passed the time with snappers until the heavy artillery came out.

**DON"T FORGET ABOUT THE GIVE AWAY!!! The person who brings the most followers to Shindig Spree before July 5th will win the fireworks decorations featured on the June 21st post. Good Luck!

Three Hours to Go!

The boys were kind enough to help with some decorations.  Oddly enough, almost all of the decorations feature parachuters, their favorite firework.

I have all of the food prepped and ready to go.  We are doing burgers:  beef, turkey, and portabella.  I made a two layer jello cake with a red and a blue layer and a lemon cake with cream cheese frosting.  For the beverages I am doing frozen lemonades and limeades with a variety of fruit combinations.  The adult lemonades have a shot of vodka or blueberry vodka.  I am also doing my favorite drink recipe from The Martha, bing cherry mojitos and a blue raspberry cosmopolitan from a mix. The view from the foyer:

**DON"T FORGET ABOUT THE GIVE AWAY!!! The person who brings the most followers to Shindig Spree before July 5th will win the fireworks decorations featured on the June 21st post. Good Luck!

Look Up!

This is the duded up ceiling for the Independence Parties (this week and next).  The stars are just the cheapo cardboard stars you can get at a craft store.  My children hand painted several and we spray painted the rest silver when they lost their enthusiasm for the project.

Here is pot rack re-done for the party.  This is actually Eli's handiwork.

I am very excited for the party tomorrow!

**DON"T FORGET ABOUT THE GIVE AWAY!!! The person who brings the most followers to Shindig Spree before July 5th will win the fireworks decorations featured on the June 21st post. Good Luck!

More Fireworks

Over the years I have steadily increased my fireworks collection.  You can find the dowels and wooden bases at a craft store or hardware store.  I have had the most success applying the paint in layers using tape or stickers to block out areas I do not want colored.  I made the sparks part of these with craft wire and beads.

These are the first generation fireworks.  I made these many years ago when I worked an awake overnight shift.  I used wired star garland as sparks in this version.

**DON"T FORGET ABOUT THE GIVE AWAY!!! The person who brings the most followers to Shindig Spree before July 5th will win the fireworks decorations featured on the June 21st post. Good Luck!

Fireworks!

Here is an easy and lasting arrangement for Independence Day.  Take paper yo-yos and pull them out to different lengths.  Leave on the rubber band to secure at the lengths you want.  Arrange in a vase and viola!

I made this fireworks pillow several years ago.  These are fun for kids to make as well.  Any kind of crazy or decorative stitch above a rectangle of fabric will work.

**DON"T FORGET ABOUT THE GIVE AWAY!!!  The person who brings the most followers to Shindig Spree before July 5th will win the fireworks decorations featured on the June 21st post.  Good Luck!

Give Away!!!

The promised give away!  I am interested in more followers and I am not above bribery.  So here it is:  the person who brings the most followers before July 5th will win these firecracker decorations.  If you are not yet a follower you can count yourself in your grand total.  As you recruit newbies you can either leave a note in comments about how they found their way to Shindig Spree or encourage them to.  On your marks, get set, go!

The next party I am having has been a tradition for about 14 years.  It is a combination birthday/Independence Day party.  My sister and one of my best friends have their birthdays on June 30th and July 1st.  Our town begins selling fireworks on June 25th.  A match made in heaven?  Probably.  Here is our loft ready to go.