birthday brunch party!

If there are two things I love in this world, it’s birthdays and throwing soirees. Add in a third, and it is likely my little sister! Happily for me, all three came together this past weekend as we celebrated my baby sister turning (not-so-baby) 24 years old.

For her birthday, she wanted to run a 5k conveniently located a 10 minute walk from my apartment. Unable to resist the urge to incorporate a celebration into this birthday run, the proximity of my apartment proved to be the perfect place for a post-run birthday fete. Since the race took place at 9am, we decided a brunch party would be the perfect way to celebrate.

I must add in here that it’s not just my sister’s birthday, she shares the day with her wonderful boyfriend (cue the awww’s!). I needed to come up with a theme that was inclusive and gender neutral to celebrate them both. Since we have teal plates, I went with a teal/blue theme against white. This worked  out fabulously when my plans to make my own ice cream cake were thwarted by the ice cream cakes at the grocery store being on super sale this week!

I think bar set ups are so cute. I had seen some yogurt bars on Instagram and mimosa bars in my Pinterest travels, so I decided on both for the party. Fresh fruit brings such a brightness to any spread. Our classic family staples of this egg dish and pumpkin whoopie pies plus our favorite ice cream cake made it one delicious day and kept us snacking the whole time.

It was a beautiful day and such fun to spend time with my sister and her friends. Happy birthday Theresa and Mike!

it begins… #poprockbday

As evidenced by a certain celebration in honor of my 25th, I take birthdays pretty seriously. As evidenced by pretty much everything else on this blog, I find reason to celebrate just about any moment, so a day marking another year of life is something I consider of the utmost importance to recognize, cherish and enjoy.

My birthday allows me to feel no guilt in designing a party completely to my liking. In event-throwing and fun-seeking, my instincts are pretty much second-to-none, and I enjoy taking full advantage of my day each year to force that upon all my friends and see what happens (Conga line, anyone?).

This year, I feel a little bit of pressure. #discobirthday was such a success, how can I possibly top that? Disco was the perfect theme, everyone’s outfits were on point, the decor was fun and fabulous, and everyone had a blast – AND my wonderful friends made an adorable gluten-free disco ball cake! Does it get any better?

Hopefully it will. This week marks the official launch and planning for my next party, #poprockbday. With #discobirthday and our New Year’s fete under our belts, I feel Catherine and I are ready to outdo ourselves once more. #poprockbday is a pop stars and rock stars themed party, where attendees choose a musical celebrity of their choosing to dress as (or just dress up rock/pop in general). I am requesting that if attendees choose someone specific, they let me know so I can put one of their songs on the playlist.

I started a Pinterest board today, as my commutes were filled with impromptu brainstorming. My initial thoughts include:

A photobooth set up in our crafts room (old CDs as the backdrop?)

And a disco ball (obviously).

Perhaps a cake stand made from old records with cute microphone cupcakes?

Definitely lots of glitter

Faux instruments and crazy glasses are a must

Who will you go as?