{Designer's Challenge} Hostess with the Mostess - Petals & Popcorn

Challenger - Hostess with the Mostess

"Petals & Popcorn"

PETALS & POPCORN Bridal Shower
by Jennifer Sbranti / HWTM

Theme & Inspiration
I had so much fun putting this theme together! When I heard about the $100 budget element, I immediately knew that it was going to require "borrowing" a few accessories that I already owned from around the house and stretching the things that I did buy as far as they could possibly go (which in the case of the 2 silk hydrangea stems I purchased was pretty darn far!). I also immediately knew what the first thing I wanted to "borrow" was… the bold graphic floral duvet cover from our extra bedroom. I'd secretly been wanting to find an excuse to repurpose it as a tablecloth since the day I first bought it at Target (only $24.99 for the full-sized duvet + 2 shams!)… and it ended up serving as the main source of inspiration for the entire "Petals & Popcorn" theme. 

The "Petals" portion of the theme coordinated well with the floral design of the duvet, and I introduced the "Popcorn" element for a few reasons:
1) I needed a SUPER cheap filler for the centerpiece - and a lot of it!; 2) to add a bit of whimsy & playfulness, and 3) it gave me a great excuse to incorporate one of my favorite treats – buttery English Toffee Popcorn– into the party favors and then eat all the leftovers. =)

Going Green
You might have noticed that my color palette for this party doesn't exactly fall within the green-hued family. I took a different approach to the "Go Green" theme by focusing on being more "eco-aware" with the decor and recycling, repurposing, and reusing wherever possible… which are all things you can do in any color palette! Almost all of the decorative elements seen here can be used over & over again for future celebrations. Less obvious details were also taken into consideration too… for example: utilizing Eco-Fi Felt (made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles), swapping out my usual fast & convenient spray paint method with less toxic (but much more time consuming) bottle-and-brush paint, repurposing empty Frappucino bottles and edible gift packaging as favor containers and dessert stands, and being extra-mindful about the amount of paper elements I printed (which is typically a lot more than what you see here!).

Tablescape
As I mentioned earlier the "tablecloth" is actually a duvet cover that was originally purchased at Target (along with 2 pillow shams) for only $24.99. Inexpensive acrylic silver chargers coordinated well with up the gray accents in the "tablecloth" and the DIY napkin rings.
I purchased quarter-yard swatches of 4 different styles of fabric for $1.99 each and created "napkins" from half of each swatch (1/8 yard) - which left me with two 1/8 yard pieces of patterned fabric to use elsewhere in the party since there were only 6 place settings. The napkins were embellished with a wide band of lace and DIY flower accent made from silk hydrangea petals + rhinestones.
"Flower Pot Placecards" were created from tiny terra cotta pots that I painted white with "patio paint" + a DIY fabric & felt flower. I stuffed a little square of floral foam into the bottom of each pot to insert the flower into and covered the foam with popcorn. The names of the guests were displayed on the flower's paper "leaves", which also featured a very subtle lacy pattern similar to the one on the centerpiece's label.
Mason jars (which were purchased long ago and have been utilized in a gazillion different parties!) were repurposed as the water/drinking glasses and embellished with white felt and lace. (Side note – you'll need to provide a straw for guest to sip these with, since the lacy embellishment hits the rim of the jars… something like these adorable purple & white stripey straws <http://shopsweetlulu.com/item/Striped-Paper-Straws-Purple/272/c1>  would be perfect!) DIY drink stirrers made from bamboo skewers and double-sided paper drink flags added another touch of whimsy to the place settings.

Centerpiece
The idea for the table centerpiece started with the wooden girl cut-out, which was purchased at Michaels for $1.29. I traced her silhouette onto fabric to figure out the shape of the dress, then "dolled her up" with a ruffled lace overlay and some rhinestone "jewelry". For the finishing fashionista touch, an "oversize" felt flower was placed on the shoulder of the dress (Carrie Bradshaw style!). Small wooden dowels were hot glued to the back of her legs so that she could be inserted into floral foam that lined the inside of the wood box and was covered with popcorn. DIY flowers made from silk petals, fabric, and rhinestones were hot glued to bamboo skewers and inserted into the foam as well, all around the girl. The rectangular wooden container is repurposed packaging that I saved from an edible gift shipped to me a while back. I dressed up the box with rick rack ribbon and a custom label. (You can find a similar wooden container at JamaliGarden.com <http://www.jamaligarden.com/productdetail/22296/50/natural-pots/wood-boxes.php>  for about $7.)

Petal Chandelier & Chair Garlands
Directly above the table hung a DIY "petal chandelier", made by threading silk petals onto fishing wire then hot gluing them in place. I used transparent tape to hang 6 strands of them from the ceiling in a random cluster above the centerpiece and trimmed the ends to different lengths. This was one of my favorite details of all because it's SO pretty and striking in person (it was really hard to capture the full effect on camera though) AND was sooo budget-friendly when you compare the decorative impact vs. the cost. I only used a small amount of the boxed silk petals to create 6 strands, so you could really make enough to cover the entire ceiling if you wanted too! How pretty would that be?!

Shorter "petal and popcorn garlands" were used to add a pop of color and playful vibe to the back of each dining room chair.

Homemade Desserts
Since the budget was tight, there wasn't any money for specialty desserts. I searched for the least expensive box of cake mix & frosting I could possibly find - $1.27 for the mix and $1.57 for the frosting! At $3.99 for a pack of 12, the Pink Ruffled Baking Cups by Wilton <http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=8F4DCE86-1E0B-C910-EAD200BA6A3841F9>  (purchased in-store at Mic


Decor & Embellishments
– 1/4 Yard Fabric - $1.99 x 4 styles = $7.96
– Gray Lace - $2.79
– Pink Lace - $1.99
– White Rick Rack - $1.99
– Pink Rick Rack - $1.99
– Silk Hydrangea (purple)  - $3.99
– Silk Hydrangea (white) - $3.49
– Precious Petals in Eggplant (Box of 300) - $3.59
– Precious Petals in Fuschia (Box of 300) - $3.59
– Rhinestones by Recollections  - $1.24 x 3 packs = $3.72
– Diamond Diamante Pins (pack of 100) - $2.99
– Mini Terra Cotta Pots - .41 ea x 6 = $2.46
– Patio Paint for Terra Cotta pots - $1.25
– Small Grey Felt Flowers (set of 2) - $1.99
– Eco-Fi Felt: 8 Sheets x .20 = $1.60
– Unfinished Wood Guy & Girl Cutouts - $1.29 each
– Unfinished 5" Square Wood Boxes: $5 each x 2 = $10
– 3 Floral Foam Bricks - $3.69
– Tolsby IKEA Frames - $1 each x 5 = $5
– Fedex Office Printing (6 sheets): $7.42
– Bare Metal Hair Clips  - $2.33 / pack of 6 (on clearance at Target)
    $71.53
Dessert/Food Items
– Butter Toffee Popcorn - $3.99
– Boxed Cake Mix - $1.27
– Pillsbury Frosting: $1.52 x 2 tubs = $3.04
– Wilton Ruffle Baking Cups - $3.99
– Bamboo Skewers (pack of 100) - $2
– Microwave Popcorn: $1.84
    $13.13

TOTAL = $84.66

If you include the value of the Acrylic Silver Chargers that I already owned - those are $12.60 for 6 - so it would bring the total to $97.26. I've owned these for years but am not sure if they count as one of the "free" items or not.

Previously Owned / Recycled / Reused Items:
– "Tablecloth" = Extra Bedroom Duvet Cover (Originally purchased in early 2011 at Target / $24.99 total for a Full-sized Duvet + 2 Shams)
– Everyday white plates, repurposed mason jar "glasses", champagne flutes, silverware, acrylic chargers
– Favor Containers - Recycled Starbucks Frappuccino Bottles (saved & repurposed)
– Unfinished Rectangle Wood Boxes - repurposed shipping packaging that I saved from past gifts (You can a similar size/style at Jamali Garden $7 each)
– Throw Pillows and Pink & White background vases with faux leaves – regular home accessories "borrowed" from around our house– Small White Cake Stand
For the party details:

The bottom of the champagne flutes were given a "pressed petal" look by embellishing them with a felt circle and silk hydrangea petal. The petal was glued to the felt first, then a pop-up glue dot was used to secure the flower/felt combo to the glass. (Putting the glue dot directly under the stem portion of the base helps to hide the adhesive.)

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