Cheers to 28 Years!
Another birthday has come and gone, I'm another year closer to 30 and I don't know how to even process that! As I previously mentioned, I had my heart set on having a pool party birthday this year (in New England, in the middle of winter) and let the higher power of creativity take over as I transformed my basement into a pool club! After mailing out the cutest beach ball invitations (you can view the full DIY here), I got to work looking for inspiration to help my vision come to life!
Food & Drink:
I wanted to do a festive mix of candy and snacks for the food table. After some major Pinterest exploring, I narrowed it down to the list of foods below (and made corresponding food signs).
Beach Balls: cheese balls
Driftwood: pretzels
Take a Dip: chips with salsa & guacamole, pita with hummus & tabouli
Fish & Chips: Goldfish & potato chips
Pool Noodles: rainbow Twizzlers
Coral Reef: rainbow rock candy
Floaties: gummy Lifesavers
Before the party, my roommates let me in on a little secret; they ordered me a surprise birthday cake! I was so excited when I saw the final product, it matched my theme perfectly and it was even topped with little pool floats!
A party is not complete without a full assortment of carbonated beverages (please feel free to quote me on that one)! First and foremost, I wanted to make a killer punch. I opted to make a concoction I referred to as "pink flamingo punch," aka panty dropper punch. The recipe is beyond simple: pink lemonade concentrate, vodka, and Coors Light (I added in club soda for some extra fizz, but that's completely up to you!). For those less daring, I also had Spiked Seltzer and Polar Seltzer on hand.
Decor:
What's a pool party without a pool?! I filled up a kiddie pool with crinkle cut paper (since water was an obvious indoor hazard) and pool float drink holders!
I ended up making two photo backdrops for the party. The first was made with drink umbrellas, I simply strung them to clear thread and hung them from the ceiling. The second was a balloon wall made with an assortment of fruit balloons.
To set the scene a little more, I had sunglasses on hand, laid beach towels down on the floor, had a beach scented candle burning, and added in lots of little summer touches here and there (work with whatcha got on hand already)!
Overall, I was so happy with how everything turned out that evening, everyone had an amazing time at the party! Here are a few fun snaps to confirm that I actually do have wonderful friends who braved the cold for me. :)
xoxo, me
