Enjoying the Small Things

Enjoying the Small Things

A Parent Trap Party

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Our normal rule for watching Parent Trap, one of our favorite family movies, is that it’s reserved for a Michigan summer tradition—preferably watched outside, under the stars with a campfire and popcorn while we quote all our favorite lines: “Honey, you never looked better.”

We made a little exception to our rule this year as we celebrated Nella’s 11th (Eleventh! How?!) birthday this past weekend with a campy Parent Trap themed party—downscaled from our usual party crowds to include three school friends—and it was perfect.

Since we’ve long been obsessed with camp vibes, we pulled a lot of things we already had to create a summer camp scene. I fell in love with these Hudson Bay stripe paper placemats (lots leftover to take to Michigan this summer), these cute campfire centerpieces and these bamboo plates (used the 6 inch ones) for an outdoorsy look (correction—I’m told they’re made from fallen palm fronds—even better!).

The cake was really fun to make. Nella chose chocolate, and I covered it with homemade chocolate buttercream frosting, crushed Oreos and decorated it with a little tent (just a piece of buffalo plaid fabric folded and propped up with a stick), a dollhouse lantern, a homemade Camp Walden sign and these adorable pine trees.

Nella was all smiles.

An Instagram reader gave me the cutest idea to add lizards (I bought these ones) to Evian bottles, inspired by this favorite scene.

And what’s a Parent Trap party without Oreos and peanut butter in honor of the twins’ favorite snack.

And the iconic torn picture of Nick Parker and Elizabeth James.

My sister found these cute camp water bottles at Five Below.

…and the kids decorated them with these fun summer camp stickers.

Camp s’mores packs for take home favors.

The girls loved making camp crafts. We painted leather camp bracelets with paint pens and made “Cuppy” necklaces in honor of Hallie Parker’s beloved bunny stuffed animal in the movie. I found these cute Cuppy-similar charms. We added leather cord and wood beads.

The rest was simple—packed camp lunches in paper bags (hot dogs, chips, trail mix), a pile of blankets and pillows in the living room to watch Parent Trap together, and a concession stand for movie popcorn and candy.

I found Nella’s camp shirt here and mine here.

I wrote a bit on Instagram about how remarkable Nella did with her friends this year and how much hard work it took to arrive here. Her friendships enrich her life so much, and we are so thankful for that part of her success.

I’ve loved all our birthday celebrations over the years, but this little intimate gathering with all the Parent Trap details was one of my favorites. The only thing we didn’t get to was master the famous Parent Trap hand clap—gives us something to accomplish this summer.

You’ve Got Mail Fall Movie Night

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Every September, I kick off the fall movie season by making an event of the First Viewing (proper noun, of course) of You’ve Got Mail. The You’ve Got Mail fan club is a loyal, passionate group of individuals who may argue over the best quote from the movie—“thank your”— but agree on the fact that it’s a cinematic masterpiece, one of the best feel-good movies of all time. Besides the comforting 90’s nostalgia (ah, the sound of a dial-up modem connecting to the Internet), there is a buffet of sensory delights that never fails to charm me no matter how many times I’ve seen the movie (over 50, I’m sure.). That buffet includes Kathleen Kelly’s timeless fall wardrobe (last year, I recreated four of her looks with a 9-piece Kathleen Kelly capsule), New York in the fall, every little charming detail in Kathleen Kelly’s apartment that would be just as darling today as was when it was filmed, coffee shops, a streets-of-New York moment featuring the song “Dreams” by the Cranberries that will make you never be able to hear the song again without thinking of Meg Ryan walking under a canopy of fall trees, and then…the bookshop. Oh that little children’s bookshop with its enchanting twinkle lights and pumpkins and lamps and story hours.

…I’m getting carried away. All that to say, I save this movie every year to watch in the fall, with a fire in the fireplace and a mug of cider in my hands. This year called for a little more though, so I invited a few friends to join me (we are keeping our circle very small for anything indoors) for all the fall things we’re craving and an entire evening dedicated to You’ve Got Mail. I made my mom’s red lentil soup, served it with New York soft pretzels and tried to inject YGM love into all the details.

Naturally, Kathleen Kelly pajamas:

Tall Decaf Cappuccino cups that we did not use for Tall Decaf Cappuccinos.

The friendliest flowers, of course.

The shoe books…

“I bet you just love that Mr. Darcy”…

My father-in-law printed me a movie poster. :o)

New York in the fall cookies.

I painted little treat bags with YGM symbols…

…and filled them with:
– a candle (to make your apartment smell mossy)
– a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils
– NY 152 stickers (I bought this 6-pack and added my own label)
– Tall Decaf Cappuccinos
– and a handkerchief (“a handkerchief is a Kleenex that you don’t throw away.”)

We all wore pajamas and feasted on the perfect movie snacks after soup.

It was a very Kathleen Kelly-approved cozy friend night, and now I want to repeat it every weekend.

We didn’t twirl, but I did do my best convince them all that Tom Hanks is sexy. Cheers to that.

Know a You’ve Got Mail fan? Make a themed gift box for them for a holiday gift this year.

Good as Nell: A Lizzo Party for Nella

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At the end of every year, anticipation for Nella’s birthday is the little surge of excitement that helps my kids overcome the disappointment of the the post holiday slump. So every year after Christmas, we ask Nella what kind of birthday party she wants and then excitedly spin her feedback into party planning that adds some fun to an otherwise quiet month. Some years she’s very clear about what she loves and what she wants (her spaghetti obsession begat her Little Italy Party, and her Barbie Party was a given). Some years, we help her out. But this year, she knew exactly what kind of party she wanted…a Lizzo party. Nella loves Lizzo. I admit, I wasn’t sure at first if we could turn a Lizzo theme into a party appropriate for kids. I don’t mind my kids listening to songs with swear words given that I think it creates great opportunity to learn about expression, uncensored art and what’s appropriate to sing to vs. say out loud at school, but not every parent feels this way. But the more we dug into creative interpretations of a Lizzo party, the more I realized it’s a perfect birthday theme for 10-year-old little girls–confidence, creative expression, body positivity–Girlfriend owns her power. An Instagram follower then suggested “Good as Nell,” and the rest was history.


(We made Lizzo’s flute necklace with this flute ornament.)

Since Lizzo’s songs are rich with empowering lyrics, we used them in all the party details.

A juice bar was a must, of course…

And a tiny purse station:

I found packs of mini tote bags at Hobby Lobby and cut “purse flaps” and “pockets” to fit them out of patterned felt. Kids decorated their purse fronts and then added buttons, ribbon and rhinestones for embellishments.

Lainey and her friend ran the Lizzo makeover station where they recreated some of Lizzo’s fabulous colorful looks.

 

 

…and then they had their picture taken for their record labels at the “Fresh Photos with the Bomb Lighting” studio.

The “Bling Bling…that’s the goddess in me” station offered gems, glitter, sequins, Mod Podge and glue for the girls to decorate hair brushes…

…and their own records. I picked up a bunch of old records at Goodwill and spray painted them gold. The girls decorated them with gems and glitter, and I printed their photos to make labels. They turned out so cute!

My dad led the kids on a scavenger hunt to find Sasha, Lizzo’s missing flute.

…and then back for lunch and cupcakes.

(These microphone cupcakes are from the What’s New Cupcake? book. For the record, I cursed 22 times when I made them because the microphones kept falling over).

We had so much fun putting together the favor bags for this party. Almost everything came from the dollar store (we made the labels for the bath bomb, juice and ring pop.

This girl was so happy.

Over the years, we’ve made different accommodations at her birthday parties to make her comfortable, but this year we made none. In fact, when she was opening her presents and her friends gathered around to help her, Dash yelled at everyone, “She doesn’t need your help. She can do it herself, okay?”

Ten years ago, the thought of imagining what her life would look like at ten years old was too much for me, but here we are, celebrating with friends and glitter and dancing and makeup and an almost 10-year-old’s room that is now trashed from a double sleepover. Baby, how you feelin?

Feelin’ good as Nell.

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Party Resources

Disco Ball Balloons
24-pack Mini Disco Balls
Foil Door Curtains
Lizzo Straws
If I’m Shining Stickers
Lizzo T-shirt (Nella’s dress)
Lizzo Coloring Book
Lizzo Pins
Play Microphones
Clip-in Rainbow Hair Extensions

Dollar Tree: clear favor bags, sequin purses, hair brushes
Michael’s Dollar Section: gemstone compact mirrors
Target Dollar Spot: bath bombs, 4-pack mini nail polish