Hey Friends! Well, I started to write this post and I realized I have so much more to say on the subject of “dreaming” than I realized. So, I started a series of posts that I plan to share in the next few weeks, but for now I’ll keep this post a bit more light and save the serious stuff for later.
Today I am sharing two great ideas for that New Year’s Eve Bash you might be throwing! What’s that you say? Your not throwing a NYE Party? Well, that’s ok. These ideas are adaptable to all sorts of occasions and I believe one of them is a must do for every household!!
Idea #1 is setting up a photo opportunity. If you read our Tulsa World article you saw that Tim and I took some super fun photos. What you might not know is the whole set up was super duper easy!!! The idea is that at a gathering of any kind (weddings, birthdays, holiday parties, baby showers) you always need some ideas to entertain the guests. Well, creating a photo opp may be just the thing to take your shindig from borrrrring to a night they’ll never forget! We created our backdrop in our living room.
Here’s what you need:
-gold wrapping paper
-foil door curtains
(I found both items above at a local party supply store)
-a curtain rod
-tape
We simply used the curtain rod that was already there (we removed the curtains of course), and taped (Yes, taped. This is not meant to be permanent people) a layer of gold wrapping paper to it. You may have to install a curtain rod for your party depending on the location of your back drop.
Second, we took three foil curtains and taped them to the curtain rod as well. The first wrapping paper layer just helps to make sure the foil curtains don’t seem too sparse.
The last and possibly most important things are the PROPS!!! Buy or find a few fun pieces for your guests to play with while they are posing for their pictures! Here I printed a couple of banners from my home computer and bought a few crazy accessories to create a really fun atmosphere!
Believe me guests will really start to get into the whole photo shoot vibe and create some awesome memories.
And the best thing is, if you have a polaroid instant camera(which you can find here or here) guests can take these memories home with them! 🙂
Our second idea for New Years Eve gatherings (and for the new year in general) is to create a resolution tree. Where as the “photo opp” idea is very fun and outgoing, this idea is more serious.
You may have heard of “wishing trees” before. It’s when guests write down their “wishes” or advice for a happy couple at their wedding. Well, this idea is similar but geared more towards self examination. A Resolution Tree should serve as a place for guest to come and present their goals or dreams for that year. I love this idea for many reasons:
1. It causes people to start thinking about what their dreams and goals really are. So many times, we don’t take the time to figure out what it is we really want to do with our lives. (PS- This is where I started off on a whole other tangent when I first began to write this post- check back to hear many more thoughts about dreaming soon!)
2. It causes people to write their dreams down. Studies show we are much more likely to achieve our goals if we write them down. By writing our goals/dreams down we make them more real in a way. They seem to become more attainable.
3. Lastly, I love this idea because the hostess can pack these dreams away for a year and either hand them back out to former guests at next year’s party or mail them out to hopefully serve as a “Congratulations, you did it!” or as a “This is your year, get back on the horse, you can do it!”
Creating a Resolution Tree is extremely easy.
1. Gather branches from your yard.
2. Spray paint them if you desire or leave them natural.
3. Arrange the branches in a glass hurricane. You can use anything in the bottom of your vase to add some interest. I used shredded paper. I also added ribbon around the outside of the hurricane.
4. You can also choose to add a little embellishment to the branches to suit your theme. I was going for a more glamourous look, hence the gold branches and crystal trimmings! 🙂
5. Set out some cards for guests to write their goals on. Go ahead and punch holes in the cards so guests can string and hang their dreams themselves!
6. Lastly, set out a frame housing simple instructions telling guests what this whole set up is about! 🙂
There you have it, two ideas to keep guests entertained and intrigued at your next get together! What do you think? Will you use them?
Love the resolution tree! I always have such a fun time hosting New Year’s parties. Last year I just couldn’t get Christmas put away fast enough so I incorporated it into our theme. The tree was beautiful out on the porch lit for friends when they arrived. I just had to add touches here and there around the house that were glitz and sparkle. Looking forward to a night out on the town with New Year’s Eve falling on Saturday this year.
I love the idea of a resolution tree, from Christmas tree to resolution tree…maybe I will make one and keep it up all year as a constant reminder. Great post! Great pics too!
I wouldn’t mind having a resolution tree up all year to help us remember our goals for the year.. great idea!
This was a such a great idea! We adopted it for our New Years Eve Party and it was a hit. Here’s a little recap video I put together 🙂
http://vimeo.com/34472469
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