Sunday, March 27, 2011

Lindy Loves Javi Engagement Party: Part II

The idea of the ceiling instillation for Lindy and Javi's party came about because we had very limited space.  Due to budget, we were hosting the party in a 2-bedroom New York apartment, and with 60+ guests expected, we knew that every inch of floor space was going to be used.  Therefore, we needed something high impact, inexpensive, and in a spot where nobody needed to stand.

I have been really inspired lately by all the rainbow ideas over at Hip Hip Hooray, so once the rainbow confetti was in the invitations, I decided to go with that for the decor as well.  We decided on a swooping instillation of crepe paper and dot strings above the food table.  It was about 14 feet long and 4 feet wide.  The process took about 4 hours for two of us.  It was a fun, late-night, wine-drinking instillation:
I think the finished product looks amazing, don't you?
One of my favorite things about it, the wave design where it attaches to the ceiling, was actually a happy accident.  We finished the red and the orange when we realized that we weren't being careful about where the streamers lined up.  Instead of redoing, we decided to make it look purposeful, and I think the result is so much more interesting than it would have been otherwise.

Now.  About those strings of dots.  Believe it or not, those aren't sold anywhere, so we made them.  It was a long effort. We hand-punched each circle and then sewed them together with contrasting thread.  But the effort was worth it.  They look amazing.  They literally almost sparkled in a way I hadn't anticipated. 
I think the key to the depth of this instillation was that for each color section (red, orange, yellow, etc.) we used an assortment of different shades in order to help us achieve the look we wanted.  So instead of just one color of red streamer, we used three shades, which included some pinks, and we even pulled in black to the confetti string as well.  For colors where there was only one shade (orange, for example- believe it or not, they only have on shade of orange crepe paper streamer), we blended in the occasional red and yellow streamer to give it depth.

The best thing about this instillation is that it looks amazing in pictures.  With flash, without flash, it created a phenomenal backdrop.  I think it would be beautiful at a casual and brightly colored wedding, don't you?
More party details to come tomorrow!

P.S.  The whole ceiling installation cost less than $40!  I bought the crepe paper streamers online at Zurcher's Discount Party Supplies.  They have a wonderful array of brightly colored streamers.

35 comments:

  1. Almost as mesmerizing in the pictures as it was in person! Almost. I made my mother log in to see the amazingness!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love the dots, what kind of paper was used? I am planning on doing something like this except with a hula hoop for my daughter's party. I was just going to use paper streamers but thinking I need to add the dots. I LOVE DOTS!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I LOVE this idea. The colors are so bright and just pop. Creative use of hanging them as well. I found your post via hip hip hooray! Looks like it was a fabulous party!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Timmi- I used Recollections 65 lb. paper cardstock from Michael's in assorted colors. For the pack of 200 sheets, it was only $12.99!

    Thanks for reading and your kind comments. I hope your daughter's party is wonderful! My son's birthday party is in a week, so I understand the anticipation!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hannah- Thanks so much for the kind words!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh man, as if I could love paper streamers any more than I already do! This is fabulous!

    ReplyDelete
  7. WOW so obsessed with this beauty! xo! Amber

    ReplyDelete
  8. Very cool! How did you attach it to the ceiling?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Not Just a Mommy and Amber Moon- thanks for the thoughtful words!

    Funnelcloud Rachel- we used the double-sided adhesive foam. You just need tiny little pieces (like the size of a pomegranite seed). However, as you can imagine, that isn't the easiest to get off your ceiling, so if I were to do it again, I would use Removable Glue Dots (http://www.gluedots.com/display/router.aspx?DocID=1083)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Gasp! This is beautiful and incredibly inspiring. Fantastic job. I've bookmarked this - now I just have to find a reason to have a fun party... cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  11. This is such fun...so colorful and happy :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Spectacular! It was absolutely worth all the effort.

    ReplyDelete
  13. This is one of the best streamer ideas I've ever seen! When ever I use crepe paper to decorate it always looks like a little kid's party but this is so creative and adult-looking. I didn't even realize it was crepe paper and cardstock at first.

    ReplyDelete
  14. just wondering if you might share what size the dots were that you punched out --- I absolutely love this decoration and you have inspired me to do something similar for a triple birthday party i'm hosting (1 yr old, 6yr, and 9 year old!). Also, was there any particular string that you found to be most durable for putting together the dot streamer.
    Thanks again for a wonderful idea!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hi Doreen: Happy to share. We used a 1 inch circle cutter. And although I tried to use a heavy weight thread, the sewing machine had trouble with the cardstock and the heavier weight thread, so we just used regular weight, cotton thread. It was plenty durable and held up fine.

    Good luck with the party!

    And Last Minute Mel, shangel- thanks for the sweet comments!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I love this idea! I am definitely using this for my wedding!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I am in LOVE!! Such a fabulous idea! Sharing a link on my site tomorrow!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Amazing garland! I can't sew (yet), so not sure I will be able to replicate the dot streamers, but love the effect! Thanks for sharing :-)

    ReplyDelete
  19. I love, love, LOVE this! I am planning my twin's 2nd birthday party (sesame street theme) and think that this would be perfect. As you can imagine with twins, life is very busy. I was wondering if you would be willing to recreate the dot streamers. If you have an etsy account, I would be more than happy to purchase them from you!

    Let me know!

    ReplyDelete
  20. I am desperately in love with this and totally bow to your genius! I am going to attempt to do something like this for my daughters's third birthday (theme: kitties, puppies, and rainbows).

    ReplyDelete
  21. Twinkies2: Thanks for the kind words, and the offer. I can only imagine how busy things are with twins! At this time, I don't have an Etsy shop so can't make the streamers for you- but again, I so appreciate you asking!

    katieoz- good luck! Let me know if you have any questions!

    ReplyDelete
  22. I am just so loving this!! :) Thank you for sharing a fabulous idea. It is always so cool when something that seems to not be working well (the strait line) turns out so much better than the plan was. :) I hope you don't mind if I share a link to this idea.

    ReplyDelete
  23. I love this idea!! It is so beautiful. An alternative to sewing the circles for those who don't sew could be to use coloured circle stickers and stick them back to back on thread. Kind of like this http://www.craftstylish.com/item/28838/how-to-make-a-snowstorm

    Jenny

    ReplyDelete
  24. i <3 this!.. will surely use this idea for my son's birthday soon..

    ReplyDelete
  25. this is amazing! i want one but i dont think i have the courage to try and make one...

    ReplyDelete
  26. About how many packages of streamers did you use?

    ReplyDelete
  27. Jenny - thanks for the tip!! I'm going to try the amazing ceiling rainbow - but the effort to make the circle dots was making me nervous. This is a great easy compromise!

    ReplyDelete
  28. This ceiling decor is absolutely gorgeous. I'm hoping to achieve the same look for my upcoming party.

    Can I ask how many rolls of streamer you used and what kind of string did you sew the dots to?

    Thanks for sharing something so incredible!

    ReplyDelete
  29. I love hoe you placed the design on your wall specially the circle thing?

    ReplyDelete
  30. what device did you use to punch out the circles?

    ReplyDelete
  31. This installation is incredible! I'm going to make a similar one for my daughter's Big Top birthday party. Thank you so much for the inspiration!

    ReplyDelete
  32. this is awesome! i'm totally going to try a version of this! (i don't have a sewing machine..)

    ReplyDelete
  33. Just wanted you to see the cover of our Facebook page to see what your decorations inspired us to do at Coates Library Trinity University for our New Student Orientation. Strands were placed through out the library and were a big hit. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Trinity-University-Coates-Library/26955843188?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

    ReplyDelete