A trip to Elise's Market: Grocery store birthday party

I'm not sure how it is possible, but Elise turned five on Saturday, and we celebrated with a grocery store-themed party for my grocery-loving girl.

It was a small affair with a family-only guest list, but that doesn't mean it didn't deserve some DIY decor and special touches.

Thank you for shopping at Elise's Market! Hooray! Birthday season is finally over around here. I do love party projects, but they are beginning to wear me out.

How to make a scalloped party banner + free template

I tried to incorporate scallops in subtle ways throughout Etta's first birthday party. I'm not sure it really came through in the photos, but the scalloped banners were right there front and center. Huge impact for just a few dollars worth of materials.

I used the cheap felt made from recycled plastic (not pricey wool felt) and got most of it on sale for 2.99/yd. I also added in a few of the 9"x12" felt sheets in some additional colors. I ended up using maybe two-thirds of my 1/4 yard pieces. All in all, maybe $5 worth of felt.

I created a template from a cereal box by tracing a bowl about 8 inches in diameter, 7 7/8" to be exact. (Psst... I made a downloadable template too! More on that below.)

The key to the scallop shape is going bigger than a simple half circle. It ends up looking too thin and needs just an extra bit of height. I used about 2/3 of the circle and then squared off the flat edge. (Of course, this is just what looks good to my eye, so do what you will!)

I used a fine-tipped Sharpie marker to trace around the template, and then cut the felt carefully with a sharp scissors, making sure to cut away the marker line.

After I cut out all my scallops, I sewed them onto a piece of grosgrain ribbon. This went quicker than I expected, and I had all three of my banners done in under an hour. Yes, really!

Simple straight line stitching goes really fast!

Want to make one too? I made a PDF template for the shape of the scallop. You'll need approximately a 8.25" x 5.25" piece of felt for each scallop.

Download PDF template >>

See more banner and party ideas >>

How to make a pom pom party garland

I made three different types of banners/garlands for Etta's first birthday party, and this simple pom pom one was definitely the quickest!

I found these craft pom poms at the dollar store. The jewel tone colors matched the party colors perfectly, and I knew I had to turn them into a pretty pom pom garland.

I took some embroidery floss and used a needle to poke through each pom pom. I like to use these 3-inch "doll" needles because they are easy to hold. I bought them years ago for some project and now I use them all the time for all types of hand sewing.

The process goes really quickly. I thought there would be more to it. Tying knots or something, but nope. I moved the poms along the thread and while they slide easily, they also just sort of stay where you put them and don't shift on their own.

These garlands do tangle really easily, so if you don't plan to hang it immediately, I would suggest winding it around something until you're ready to use it. I used an empty cereal box and taped both ends of the thread to the box and it worked perfectly.

Next time: How to make a scalloped felt banner!

Etta's colorful and polka-dotted first birthday party

Over the weekend, we celebrated Etta's first birthday with family and a few friends. We had a ridiculous amount of food, and the birthday girl refused to nap, but it was still a really fun party! 

I was going for a 'no-theme' theme, and went with black and white polka dots, bright colors, and touches of gold. A couple of Kewpie dolls sneaked in there too. Etta makes that Kewpie doll smirk all the time, and I couldn't resist.

I have a few tutorials planned about some of the details, but if you're curious about anything you see, leave a comment and I'll get back to you!

See more party ideas here >>

Easy temporary pedestal cake stand

I have this strange window box in my kitchen. This passthrough used to be a window until the family room addition was put on years ago.

I've filled it with plants, dead plants, and party decor, but my goal from the start was to keep it from being a junk repository. When we moved in, I found a number of receipts, business cards, and other unimportant forgotten items from the previous homeowners and knew if I didn't have a solution, I would probably end up stuffing receipts in it too.

Anyway, I had the new idea to fill it with pedestal cake stands, which would also get some things like fruit off the counter. I already had a vintage stand that fit perfectly. But after some shopping around, I realized that the bases of new ones are too wide to fit into the box. I shopped for months, people. And every single stupid cake stand or pedestal bowl had a base that was too wide by fractions of an inch. 

That's when I decided to DIY my own solution. I saw this idea somewhere a long time ago. Martha? Maybe it was Martha.

I took some white ceramic flower pots and flipped them upside-down. They had been in this window box once before, and I knew they would fit.

Then I pressed poster putty onto the bottoms of the pots, and topped them with small milk glass plates. Obviously the profile is a little clunky, but the bottom part is going to be hidden here. 

It's actually a lot sturdier than you would imagine. No rocking or shifting and I can even pick the whole thing up by just the plate and it stays together.

I'm planning on leaving mine like this for a while, but it's a completely reversible change and would be great for a temporary occasion like a sweets table at a party. Gonna stick this trick in my back pocket for later.

Quick and easy 'Happy Birthday' banner + printable

I did not do a lot of decorating for Elise's birthday party. I did, however, make a super quick and easy 'Happy Birthday' banner that made us both happy. And today I'm going to show you just how quick and easy it was.

First, I started off with a pre-cut pad of paper (called a mat stack or a mat pad in the scrapbooking world). I picked this one up at Michael's. It's basically just a bunch of sheets pre-cut to a certain size, which eliminates cutting up larger sheets.

I designed my banner, then fed the paper through the printer. After the ink was dry, I trimmed off those white margins.

I used some mini clothespins to hang them up onto a length of string and done! Fastest party decoration ever.

No gluing, no sewing, no tape. I'd be shocked if it took more than ten minutes to put together. A bonus: the whole thing can be disassembled and saved to use again at another birthday party.

Want to make one for your party? You're in luck! I've made a printable!

Download instantly from my Etsy shop >>

Pssst! Get $1 off with coupon code BANNER3 at checkout.

Three different versions available!

• 8.5" x 11" version, containing four letters to a page. Finished size of each letter = 4.25" x 5.5". (This version requires some cutting, but doesn't require special size paper.)


• 8.5" x 11" version in a more modern font.


• Quick 4.5" x 6.5" "Happy Birthday" banner, printable on 4.5" x 6.5" paper

All versions print in black ink on your choice of paper. Bright colors or subtly patterned paper look best!

But it looks great on kraft paper too, if you're going for a more subdued, adult color scheme.

Please e-mail with comments or questions: erin (at) lansdownelife (dot) com. I'd love to hear from you!