What did DIYers do before Pinterest?
The age before social media certainly was a simpler time. Just look at birthday parties. When I was growing up, parents didn’t throw elaborately themed celebrations for their kids. They ordered a sheet cake from the nearest grocery store with “Happy Birthday” scrawled across the top and invited a bunch of kids to the local park to run around and get sweaty for a while. The only decoration was a plastic tablecloth, flapping wildly in the wind, threatening to free itself from whatever items were given the weighty task of making it stay put.
Some parents paid for premium entertainment by booking a party table at Chuck E. Cheese or, even better, a roller-skating rink. That’s the idea. Let the venue handle all of the work.
I had a few pool parties. Those were easy, too. Feed everyone cake and let them splash around for an hour. Fun! Then we aged into slumber parties, also easy. We showed up with a sleeping bag and a gift for the honoree in exchange for pizza, cake & ice cream, and permission to stay up all night long watching movies and attempting to conduct seances. Light as a feather, stiff as a board.
My daughter’s birthday parties could be considered extravagant in comparison, given the attention to detail that goes into planning and executing even the smallest of details. Give me a theme, and I will RUN with it. I have regularly turned to Pinterest and mommy bloggers for inspiration ever since my daughter was still in utero. Maybe less so for inspiration and more so for the execution. I tend to come up with plenty of ideas for the “what” but am often clueless as to the “how.” Enter Pinterest.
Two of my favorite, proudest DIY accomplishments are from my daughter’s 1st birthday celebration, thanks to a couple of helpful Pinterest tutorials.
The now defunct shopsweetthings.com taught me how to craft a darling little felt birthday crown that attached to a gold elastic string so that it could be worn as a headband. I might have jabbed myself with the sewing needle about 42 times in the process, but the final product was worth the pain. It turned out to be the cutest little alternative to a party hat that you ever did see. And it still enjoys a place of honor on my daughter’s bookcase—9 years later.
But my most loved memento from that very special 1st birthday party is definitely the banner of baby heads. That sounds a bit creepy, actually, but it is absolutely adorable. 12 little baby heads, one for each month of her first year of life, each dimpled cherub face topped with a festively fringed cardstock party hat. Now, don’t you just want to pinch these cheeks?
That tutorial came courtesy of From Dahlias to Doxies, graciously paying it forward from another blogger, Simply Radiant; I am grateful to them both. The precious banner is safely stowed away, to one day make a surprise reappearance on an occasion when I’m feeling sappy and nostalgic, perhaps at her high school graduation party, where it will be met either with an appreciative “Awwww” or an exaggerated eye roll. We shall see.
Her “Alice in Wonderland” 3rd birthday party was probably the most Pinterest project-heavy, most of these crafts involving a significant amount of cardstock cutting. Perhaps my scissors weren’t as sharp as they should have been. The strength of my right hand was put to the test, and at times I worried I was developing carpal tunnel. I even got desperate once or twice and tried out my non-dominant hand. It was not an effective substitute. But my stubbornness is an asset, and I was not about to let a little tendinitis ruin my plans.
Pushing through the pain, I managed some Tweedledee and Tweedledum photo prop frames (the kind that you peek your face through from the back), a “Pin-the-Grin on the Cheshire Cat” party game (with way more grins than we actually needed), and a couple of card guards flanking the entrance to the party—the Two and Three of Hearts. Plus a few dozen handmade heart-shaped paper fans (red and white in honor of the Queen) to help combat the South’s summer heat. As I should have known, they were no match for the scorching sunshine and ended up abandoned here and there as mere decorative accessories. The industrial fan, though not as charming, was much more efficient and proved vital to the party’s success. An invitation to a backyard party in June? More like an invitation to heat stroke. Since then, all of her parties have been either indoors or at the pool. Lesson learned.
Countless hours were spent scrolling through Pinterest and Etsy in the process of planning her Harry Potter-themed 8th birthday party extravaganza. I was a bit self-indulgent with this one, being the huge HP fan that I am, and started decorating a month in advance, partly out of necessity (soooo many decorations) but also in order to prolong the fun. Our gallery wall was perfect for displaying several of Dolores Umbridge’s proclamations. Floating candles flickered as they hovered over our dining table. Embroidery hoops were transformed (or should I say transfigured) into goals for a game of Quidditch. Party favors were potted mandrakes—real, live, leafy succulents. I even risked our Anthropologie Gleaming Primrose Mirror (yep; this one) by adding the eerie Chamber of Secrets message with a red Expo marker. I achieved the desired effect, but at a cost…
Disclaimer: Sometimes your fellow DIYers will steer you wrong.
I conducted exhaustive research as to which medium was safest for writing on mirrors and how to effectively remove each one. The overwhelming consensus was that Expo markers were the way to go. Still, I was worried that leaving it on for too long could make removal difficult, so I waited until just before the party started to gently add the bright red markings and removed them the very next morning. All seemed well until a few days later when the late morning light shone in at just the right angle, revealing a faint, ghostly whisper of the erased message. Oh, no, my darling Primrose.
It’s fine, really. 22 hours of the day, you cannot see a thing. Other than your reflection, of course. I’ve read advice on using a baking soda and water paste to remove the ghostwriting, but others say that’s too abrasive and to use acetone instead. Now I’m gun-shy. Whose advice do I follow? Do I risk those flawless 22 hours to improve the other 2?
No, no I do not.
Despite having been burned by the faulty Expo advice, I still have faith in Pinterest and all of those mommy bloggers out there willing to share their creativity with the rest of us. Millennials catch criticism for being overindulgent parents, but I don’t think that’s fair. Adulthood is tough. And long—if you’re lucky. Childhood, however, is fleeting. Those years are precious. What’s wrong with wanting to maximize the wonder and magic of our kiddos’ youth and give them incredible experiences to look back on fondly? And hopefully they’ll be reminded of our love and devotion to them if and when we need them to take care of us in our advanced age. You owe me! I gave you floating candles and ruined my mirror!
Creating these magical moments takes a lot of thought, time, and effort. I am an optimist, which is a kind-to-myself way of saying that I tend to bite off more than I can chew and often find myself wishing for a helping hand but unwilling to ask for it. So I turn to Pinterest, where I know I can find the guidance I need for a little boost to my confidence and creativity. I’ll press on, through the needle pokes and hand cramps, anticipating the smile on my daughter’s face, the pure joy she experiences from the fruits of my labor.
That’s really all the motivation I need.
