Party Fail: Tips for Turning it into a Success

Hey party people!
Do you ever see beautiful pictures on pinterest or Amy Atlas and think, “Oh why can’t my parties turn out that way??”
Let me just say that even Amy Atlas or Hostess with the Mostest have had party fails!

Party fails are how you learn what works & what doesn’t. So my first tip is…

Everyone has ended up with cupcakes that only your dog would eat. Everyone has ended up running late getting the food ready & the decorations up. Everyone has had a Pinterest project completely flop!
You are not alone. So take a deep breath & relax before you do anything else. Know there is someone that has experienced the same anxiety you are facing.
Seriously, just about every single party SOMETHING goes wrong. I am completely shocked if something doesn’t go wrong. There has been one party where everything went smoothly…except that the lighting was HORRIBLE! Horrible, so the pictures turned out so bad.

This picture was taken with two guys holding a big wooden board to try & cover up the blinding sun. The sun was soo bright & it was blaring right down on our food table. (Drive-In Party)

So what do you do when everything seems to fall apart? That brings me to Tip #2 (like that transition ;p)…

My mother is a very wise woman. She’s one of the reasons I love crafting so much. We’d always craft together growing up. The problem is…I am a first-born perfectionist. Oh yeah. It’s serious. I’d get so frustrated when I’d make a mistake or something wouldn’t turn out right. I’d want to throw it all out! My mom used to always say, “Heidi…with crafting, there are never mistakes. It’s your own creation so you can’t possibly make a mistake. Sometimes we just have to look at it in a different way.”

That has stuck with me all my life. Instead of focusing on the party fail or something not turning out how I envisioned, I improvise.

Let me give you an example.

Last Spring, I had the privilege of helping decorate for the Grand Opening of a Mohawk Flooring store called Builders Floor Covering. It was going to be a huge event. Taniya Nayak, from HGTV, was going to be there…along with Kristin from The Hunted Interior. It was a big deal.

This was the inspiration I had for the event…

 

I was so excited to make a gold scalloped backdrop like the one in the picture! I used gold wrapping paper that was so gorgeous & a great deal. The problem? I had to do two backdrops & they were both 8ftx8ft. That is ALOT of circles to cut. After it took me over 8 hours to do one of the backdrops, I realized there was NO WAY I could do two. It was two nights before the event & I didn’t know what I was going to do. So…I looked around & saw gold washi tape & improvised.

I got out my measuring tape & created a chevron-type pattern on a regular white paper background. It took an hour from start to finish & only cost me $10!

The other scalloped backdrop actually turned out to be a pain & I wish I had just done two of these.

Some of my most favorite ideas have come from big-time fails.

There are a lot of details to remember when planning a party. I’m a ditz already so I have accidentally forgotten something on more than one occasion.

What do you do? Look around you.

Forget a serving spoon? Use a pretty glass or tea cup.

Forget napkins at a kids party? Use regular paper towels but fold them into paper airplanes

Forget to think about a tablecloth? Use a flat bed sheet or quilt

Sometimes the answer to your fail is within reach.

See…I literally mean when a recipe gives you mush…

This was a failed pinterest recipe that was supposed to be a brownie ice cream cake. There were supposed to be pretty colorful sprinkles around the edges, the ice cream was supposed to be contained between the brownie layers, and the brownie was not supposed to be crumbling into a hundred pieces.

Do you know what brownie ice cream mush is perfect for?

Brownie ice cream triffle!

Break up the brownie ice cream mush, add a layer to a triffle bowl, then add some M&M’s or other candy, add another layer of brownie mush, then another of candy & finally on the top, cover with some whipped cream & sprinkles or more M&Ms. That’s what it means to turn mush into mush soup.

Sometimes the recipe may not turn out how you imagined it or how the pinterest picture looked but sometimes all it takes is a little reimagining to create a unique masterpiece.

I’d love to hear your #partyfail stories! Share here in the comments, on Facebook or Twitter followed by the hashtag #partyfail!

Here’s to more party fails that end up creating something even more awesome!

p.s. This is YOUR official invite to the party… join in on the Parties for Pennies Facebook page, Twitter, and Pinterest!