The Keys to the Ultimate Mustache Party

I Mustache You a Question, but I'm Shavin' it for Later...

For my father's 60th birthday, we brainstormed what type of party we could through him. Since he recently started growing an even larger mustache than the one he has had for years, we thought we would run with the mustache theme. Once I started doing some research, I realized how many things were available to us. Below are some of the things we incorporated to make the party "Mustache-tastic"

The Cake

I was determined to find a way to make my own cake, since my favorite baker from http://iwantacake.com/

 was out of town. Here it goes:

Bake a round cake using your own batter or or something similar to Betty Crocker (my fav). In my case, I needed the cake to be larger due to the amount of people we had at the party, so I made two round cakes, one chocolate and one white.

Once the cake is all cooled off, you need to cut the cake into a "ying-yang" sign or a paisley shape (do not cut out holes in the middle like you see in the ying-yang sign below). You want to make sure the two halfs are as close in size as possible, to ensure your mustache is even.

     

Flip one of the halfs and match the larger sides up side by side, you will see your mustache magically appear :) You can apply the same idea to cupcakes and cookies!

I chose a frosting close to the color of the mustache for the birthday boy. Be sure to frost between each layer of cake. I needed two containers of frosting to make sure it's completely covered. Cut it as you would a loaf of bread and enjoy! :) The cake was a huge hit and a great talking piece.

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The Fun and Games

Blow up a picture of the birthday boy and play a little "Pin the Mustache on..." Imagine a bunch of adults doing this...it made for some good laughs! Be sure to give the winner something "mustache" related or something that reflects the personality of the guest of honor.

No mustache party is complete without stick on mustaches! We encouraged the men to grow their own mustaches from the time the invite was set up until the time of the party, but for those that couldn't work it out, we had mustaches ready!

The ladies were also able to get in on the fun with these mustache tattoos that we stuck to our fingers!

The Cocktails

Things to notice:
1. Mustache Beer Koozies
2. Chalkboard on Easel to Display Drink Special
3. Willam Sonoma Drink Dispenser

A Drink Special is always the key to getting the party started quickly! We had mixers available, but this made it easy for guests to quickly grab a drink and start enjoying themselves. We named this cocktail "The Cool Breeze" after the birthday boys nickname in college :)

1 part Bicardi

1 part Blue Curacao

1 part Coco Lopez Cream of Coconut

1 part pineapple juice

Pineapples and maraschino cherries for garnish

We went with the mason jars as cocktail classes and got super cute white and red striped paper straws from Paper Source Stationery. Paper Source is also where we found the mustache tattoos, fake mustaches, stickers for the "pin the mustache".

I wanted to make those adorable mustache staws that I have seen on Etsy, but a The Modern Day Renaissance Woman can only do so much! I should have just ordered them!

The Food

Caprese Skewers in a glass pitcher full of rocks and sand made for a great appetizer...and centerpiece :)

With the extra batter from the mustache cake, I made cupcake cones! Brought me back to the third grade! This one is very easy, just fill the safety cones 3/4 to the top with batter, bake for about 8-10 minutes, or until your toothpick comes out batter free!

The Gifts

Even the guests got in on the mustache fun! The wrapping and mustache key chain were found at Paper Source as well!

Mustache Mug...hilarious!

Happy Hobbying,

The Self Proclaimed, Modern Day Renaissance Woman

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All Things - Bridal Shower

This post is a bit over due, since my sister's shower was a couple months ago, but since we are in full-blown wedding season I felt it appropriate to share some details of the event to inspire the many showers still ahead of us.

DIY projects can take a lot of time to complete and as we all know, putting on events, parties, and showers can be exhausting. However, any bit of personal touch that you can add to your events the better. As I've mentioned before, it's the details and additional effort that people remember. Even if your guests don't remember the specifics, they will remember the mood and ambience that was created.

Here are some of the things that I did for my sister's shower:

For the centerpieces, I knew I wanted to make them myself. Since the shower was at an Italian restaurant what better center piece than wine bottles as vases filled with hydrangeas? (plus I knew I would have plenty of empty bottle ready to be used  : P ). I collected over 30 bottles, 3 for each table, and used twine to wrap 2 of the bottles and I used chalkboard spray paint on the other bottle for the table #.

To keep with the chalkboard theme, you will also notice the place cards are mini chalkboards (Martha Stewart's chalkboard paper that I picked up from Staples) and corks that I purchased from our local winery. Using an exacto knife, I cut one side of the cork down flat to prevent it from rolling. On the other side I created a slit large enough to fit the chalkboards nice and snug. I have so many of these left over that I use them for all my parties to let guests know what kinds of food is part of the buffet.

No DIY project is complete without a mason jar, so I planted some hyacinth bulbs in 2 jars per table and put tea lights and kosher salt (cheap alternative to sand from a hobby store) in the other two jars. I wrapped all the jars with twine to keep it consistent with the wine bottles.

I placed mirrored trays under each centerpiece to enhance the glow from the candles to complete the look.

Guests were encouraged to take all portions of the centerpiece. All of them can be reused in your home for flowers vases and messages on the chalkboard. The mason jars have endless opportunities, so those are always a good purchase and are cute as buttons.

You know I love anything personalized! It shows planning skills and thoughtfulness. I found these personalized napkins through http://weddingshop.theknot.com/. These are also great for the bars at the wedding reception or even for any other parties/events you might be throwing.

These party favors were the subject to one of my previous posts! Super cute and delicious!

http://www.themoderndayrenaissancewoman.blogspot.com/2012/04/diy-bride-and-groom-chocolate-covered.html

You can't have a shower without an umbrella, right? I saw this umbrella for $5 at Hobby Lobby and knew there was something I could do with it. Since I love to paint, I knew I could easily paint the bride's name on the umbrella and display it on her gift table...huge success!

Every event can be made special with a little extra thought! It doesn't have to be expensive, simply use whatever you already have laying around the house! :)

Happy Hobbying,

The Self Proclaimed, Modern Day Renaissance Woman

Shopping on a Budget - Open Your Closet to New Opportunities

With the economy the way it is these days, I often feel guilty when purchasing additional clothing that, I know deep down, I don't need. I will be sharing addition tips in future blogs on how to stay trendy and keep your wardrobe fresh, while saving money.

Today I'm going to share with everyone how I use media like Pinterest and fashion magazines to pick out my daily outfits and keep my looks fresh without investing in new pieces for my wardrobe. 

I subscribe to multiple magazines, some of my favorites being People Style Watch, Lucky, Glamour, and Elle, and look forward to sitting down and diving into the latest and greatest looks! 

    

I pull out the pages that contain an outfit that I love and plan to recreate. I keep an eye of out for outfits that have pieces that I know are already in my closet. If there is an outfit that you love, but don't have any of the piece to put it together, get rid of it and move on. Outfits are a dime a dozen, so you can always work with what you already have.

I keep these pages handy when I need a quick outfit and don't have time in the morning to "think".

I've lucked out through the years because I consider myself a "controlled clothing hoarder". My closet is usually busting at the seams and the chance that I even wear 1/3 of my wardrobe is unlikely. I've always had a hard time getting rid of a piece that I think "might come back in style". As they say in the final pages of People Style Watch, "What's old is new again", my luck would have it that I would donate an article of clothing one day and the next day I see the same style on the cover of Glamour :)

Below are a couple outfits I put together:

Bandage Pencil Skirt - BCBG MAXAZRIA
Silk Top - Banana Republic
White Blazer - Banana Republic
Platform Heels - Sam Edelman

I found this outfit on Pinterest and loved the pencil skirt and the splash of color in this outfit. Unfortunately, I don't own a hot pink pencil skirt, but I DO own a neutral pencil skirt and a fairly aged hot pink silk top, that made the perfect pair to capture a similar look. I threw over a white blazer and added a pair of platform heels.

Tiered Skirt - White House Black Market
Pleated Top - Vintage
Handbag - Cole Haan
Sunglasses - Burberry
Wedged Heels - Tory Burch

I found this picture in a People Style Watch Magazine and was immediately drawn to it because I have purposely not donated my black tiered skirt due to the fear that I could possibly wear it again. 

When looking at this outfit I knew I had multiple white collared shirts to chose from because I work in a business environment every day. Ashley Olsen is wearing this look with flats, which is super cute as well, but I'm always looking for an excuse to wear wedges because, not only do they give me additional height, they are super comfortable. 

Every fashionista should have a brown bag and big shades to pair with this outfit. If you don't, it might be a good investment when your budget allows (more on this in the future...).

Now pull out those magazines, surf Pinterest and look at your closet in a new light!

Happy Hobbying (and Saving)!

The Self-Proclaimed, Modern Day Renaissance Woman