Sweet and Simple Party Centerpiece

On this first day of a cold and wintery February, 

I decided it was time to post a picture with the

sweet and simple centerpieces we did for

a young lady named Summer.

www.marlyssandstacey.com

Finding a balance in an unheated garage.

I follow Mashable on Facebook and they posted one of those

"Best Advice" articles for those in their own business.

My favorite paragraph was on  Business Balance. 

Here's an excerpt.

I had just used that word the day before in a form 
I was filling out for an application for a small business
grant contest that Fedex is sponsoring.
Here's my form. 

Starting January 16th if enough folks are kind enough to vote
for us then we may move onward to the next level of finalists.

I have plans for what I would do with the grant and it 
involves upgrading my shipping area. 

I "balance" my work life between designing on the computer and boxing
and shipping our party decorations that Stacey brings to life.

My teeter totter balances between being cozy and comfortable at the
computer and being cold and frosty in our garage shipping area.

Oh how nice it would be if my teeter totter was level and I 
was warm in both places. I would have achieved another
form of 'Balance' in another area of my life. 
I'm so hoping to see that in my future!

Slot Machine Gift Card Money Boxes for birthdays, weddings, sweet 16 or mitzvah parties.

SLOT MACHINE GIFT CARD BOX

Perfect for any age or Vegas/gambling themed party.

This one was for an 86th birthday but it works just as well for a Sweet 16.
There is a slot in the top to drop those money envelopes into.
Each one can be fully customized with your words and colors.

Or a WEDDING.

We did it in Vegas!

Love it!

What a cute saying for a slot machine 

GIFT CARD MONEY BOX.

This colorful red gift card box was

for a reception held after the bride & groom

came home from Vegas.

I'm sure it set the mood for the party.

I heard the red 7's had special meaning for 

the groom.

Just like these "16"'s have special

meaning at this Sweet Sixteen party.

Just like these wedding bells have

special meaning on this wedding

gift card slot machine.

Or the "Bar" on this Bar Mitzvah slot machine.

There are so many ways to 

customize these foamcore slot machines.

BIRTHDAYS TOO!

We can do creative colors like this champagne 

and chocolate slot machine with light blue and a 

Winter Wonderland theme.

We can also do something on the back side.

How can we customize one for you?

We have TWO sizes....16" and 22" high.

Both hold 70-100 or more cards.

Both come with card slots on top and

a trap door on the bottom.

Visit our two websites for more ideas!

partydecorationsbymarlyss.com

guitarcenterpieces.com

Birthday Party Decorations...Every year should be the best one.

Start with Birthday #1.

That's pretty important even though

you might not remember it, you should

have some good photos to look back on and
say:  "Ahhhh....wasn't I so cute and look
at the fun stuff at my party."  

Actually...you should be able to say 
that very same thing EVERY YEAR.

So...Happy Birthday #1.

Ahhhh.....Carolena is so cute.

And...look at the fun stuff at her party.

At another one year old party we did baby animals.

 Maybe a King or Queen of the Jungle theme?

Baby animals are fun for a few early years.

Then into maybe music and guitars?

Or maybe the Rock theme can start the

first year.

Happy Birthday guitars work for any age

and there are other accents that can

go along with it like a Placecard

Board or a big sign.

Maybe there is no "theme"...just "birthday" is 

the theme. That's a theme for sure.

Or.....hobbies and things that say who

you are and what you like make for fun

birthday centerpieces.

Probably the years we get the most

requests to make something special are

13 and 16.

Bar/Bat Mitzvahs at 13 and

Sweet Sixteens.

I have many more pictures from

 Mitzvah Parties and

Sweet 16's on the website at

Party Decorations by Marlyss & Stacey.

Come and visit us there to see more.

Before and After: What it takes to create a party food station sign.

Fun and cool looking food station 

PARTY SIGNS

all start with a mess.

Lots of cut-pieces, paint and glitter.

Also, supplies all over the place.

Supplies like the TV remote there in the middle.

And the hot glue gun.

There is also coffee and snack bars.

The vacuum is our friend at the end of 

making a bunch of signs like these.

Dragonfly Beauty

 l love dragonflies.

 I have this really large metal sculpture on 

my wall. I bought it at the Ann Arbor Art Fair a 

few years ago. I think the artist was 

Steve Anderson.

Today I found this real creature on 

my floor. It was no longer alive.

I had to take pictures of it's stunning beauty.

I took this photo with my iPhone.

It looks like a piece of jewelry that
an artist created, doesn't it?

Even the details in their wings are stunning.

I used a closeup lens on my iphone and saw details on

their little legs that I wasn't even aware of.

Nature is so beautiful.

"Ghost Flower" outdoor YARD ART candle lights....cheap and easy DIY how-to instructions.

I saw some similar Ghost Flowers on Pinterest but they had

no instructions on how to make them. So I had to go 

on a learning mission because I had to have some of these

fun candle lighting yard art flowers.

I wanted to be able to make a bunch so they had to be 

simple to make and not cost too much in supplies.

The best features of these silvery Ghost Flowers is

that they are fast & easy to make and inexpensive.

And no painting or hot glue is required.

I'll show you how.

First, these are the supplies I bought at Lowe's:

• silver aluminum screening 

36" x 84" ($8)

• 36" metal rods 1/8" diameter

(with or without threads...each will

be around $2-$3)

• alligator clips (about 50¢ each)

• tea lights (I had some leftovers that I had

purchased at the Dollar Store)

 They are lightweight

and come in a little silver cup and last about 2 hours.

We're going for light-weight here so heavier candles

or candles in glass holders won't work here.

You also have to find some plastic 

pop or water bottles...cheaper and

lightweight is best and as close to

flat on the bottom and inside as you

can find. Usually there is a small bump but

I have a fix for that.

Use some gummy floral tack or candle holder

adhesive in the bottom of the cut off bottle. 

Then set the candle on top of it.

Cut a square of the aluminum mesh about

18" square and round the corners so 

you have a loose circle shape. You don't have

to be exact here. Grab the middle and pinch it

together and clip the alligator clip on it. 

Then insert the clip over the rod.

You could super glue the clip to the rod or

twist it onto the rod if it has threads.

Put the plastic bottle bottom in the

middle and scrunch up the wire mesh around

the bottle bottom.

Now the fun begins.

Maybe you want to wear gloves for this part 

because now you are going to bend and shape

the flower. You can fold down the edges or

roll them over...either over or under. It doesn't 

matter. Free form is what you're going for.

Something graceful and nestling around

the plastic candle cup.

You'll find that each one develops into it's own

look and some you'll like better than others. 

Just like real flowers!

And they glow so beautifully at night!

I want a yard full of them!

Diamond mesh blings up party decorations

Silver has ALWAYS been the single most

popular party accent color.

One time we did an all silver party 

with lots of silver mylar. 

It was beautiful but almost impossible to

take a picture of what it really looked like.

There was so much reflection.

But "Diamond Mesh" is a bit different than

shiny silver mylar with big areas of reflection.

There are no stones in the diamond mesh but

it looks like there are stones in the 

concave round circles.

They really shine.

The tiny silver circles add bling and glitz yet 

blend so well with other items and 

let's them showcase as well.

It cuts with scissors and bends and curves.

We get it in 10 yard rolls that are 4.5" wide.

That's a very versatile thickness and works great

on our octagon bases that are 3 1/2" high. We always

have uses for the extra leftovers.

 It's fun stuff.

Ask us about using some on a design for you.

Or maybe just order some bases. 

The diamond mesh bases make even the simplest

items placed on top look very special. Think about using

model cars, stuffed animals or even flowers.

marlyss@mac.com

Hollywood Movie Centerpieces for that red carpet party.

Hollywood parties are fun with a

variety of ways to present the idea.

You can do oscars, cameras, film strips,

popcorn, clapboards and even the

Hollywood sign itself makes a 

cute centerpiece.

We make a real klieg light out of

foam core that lights up. It can

be a centerpiece by itself or 

part of a larger one like this one

with a large directors chair.

We can make big centerpieces for spots like

the placecard table or sweet/candy table.

marlyss@mac.com

Las Vegas/Gambling or Casino themed parties

VEGAS/CASINO/GAMBLING

What a theme 'LOADED' with possibilities!

You can go the LasVegas hotel route for 

centerpieces and sign in boards.

You can go the gambling route and use

casino games as table centerpieces.

(click to view larger)

You can go with the slot machine route.

Slot machines make cute table centerpieces,

welcome signs or even hold gift cards.

We've made gift card box slot machines with bling for a Sweet 16.

We've also made them for a Monte Carlo casino theme 

and even a wedding.

And...oh yeah....that big iconic sign.

That always works for any variation on

the Vegas theme.

Even 'what happens at ....(wherever)....

stays at ......'

We'll make whatever you would like to make your

party fun and maybe even crazy.

email us at: marlyss@mac.com

Or VISIT OUR TWO WEBSITES for more ideas!

partydecorationsbymarlyss.com

guitarcenterpieces.com