The Art of The Suburban House Party
Um, doesn't every girl turn 35 clad in a tutu, surrounded by pimp cup toting, gold leash wearing, crown donning stuffed tigers?
Oh, that's just me? Hmmmm....Interesting. Anyway...
My husband and I decided to use the occasion of my birthday to throw our first official house party and, well, craziness (of the best possible kind) ensued. Our goal was to create an adult party that didn't feel too grown up, yet also didn't come off like a thrown-together frat party. Inspired by my Pinterest addiction and a slew of creative, crafty friends, somehow we totally pulled it off. Here are some highlights from the celebration, more to come next week since, well, I just can't help myself...
The Theme: We'll Never Be Royals. I didn't want the party to feel fancy, and I think if you don't have a distinct non-stuffy concept in mind, things can start to feel, for lack of better words, stiff and generic. Having the lyrics to Lorde's hit song as a "mood reference" gave everyone involved with the event- from the caterer to the dj to the guests- an initial idea as to the type of party this would be- one that didn't take itself too seriously, with a mix of over-the-top rockstar excess tempered by gritty details.
Royals lyrics by Lorde
The Outfit: In all honesty, this party may have been an excuse to buy a tulle skirt (or 3) from my new obsession,Space46 Boutique. The jewelry is from my BaubleBar stash, and the t-shirt? Etsy.
Jenn Falik 35th Birthday Outfit
Powder Room Pucker Bar: I have always loved the idea of a lipstick bar in the bathroom. Since I felt like if this party was a girl, that girl would most certainly wear Urban Decay, that was the brand of choice. They were so sweet to send me a generous mix of their top selling lip products- the new Revolution lipsticks, beloved Lip Junkie glosses and my personal statement lip staple of choice, Super-Saturated High Gloss lip color. On the door (not pictured) was a canvas, framed in sparkly pink duck tape, that, as the night went on, filled up with bright and colorful kiss prints left by each guest. Oh- and a key detail to mention- I ordered disposable lip brushes to keep it all clean. Grit is one thing, gross is another!
UrbanDecayLipstickBar
Decor Details: A clothesline hung from the second floor, strewn with fishnets, lace lingerie, ripped up tee shirts and the like. Lucky me to have friends with much more edgy wardrobes than my own from which to borrow. Little glasses, mixed and matched from Goodwill, were filled with my personal DIY triumph of the night- glitter pills (tutorial to be shared soon). A stuffed tiger head found on a recent trip to FAO Schwarz, adored with one of my many crown-related purchases from Oriental Trading Company, greeted guests at the front door, and lipstick writing personalized a rented lucite bar, which was wrapped in graffiti fabric. The graffiti sign-in board was a double-duty addition to the dance floor decor- eventually it will hang in my office as a fun pop of color and a reminder of a very fun event. Alexa was kind enough to let us borrow her giant stuffed animal. When she left for the night, I tied a "gold leash" around his neck, gave him a pimp cup, some shades and voila- our very own tiger-on-a-gold-leash bouncer.
JF35DecorDetails
My little spin on "art of the suburban house party" will continue next week, so check back in for more details and a few lessons learned that I think anyone who wants to host a successful night of drinking and dancing will find helpful.