It all started with a wreath...

When my friend called me in early May, stressed out about the graduation party she was planning for her daughter, I had no intention of offering to help. It was the day before my birthday, I was trying to finish up my library duties at my kids' school, and I had plenty of other projects in the works.  She mentioned that her daughter wanted a "wreath with a graduation hat in the center," something she had seen on Pinterest.  I hung up the phone and instead of getting on the treadmill like I had planned, I found myself on Pinterest, searching "graduation wreaths."  I could at least possibly make a wreath.  A short while later, she texted me and asked (begged? LOL) me to be her "decorator." How could I say no? We went shopping for supplies and the ideas began to take shape.

Her party theme was "elegant" and her colors were royal blue and silver, which made NO sense to me since our school colors are red and white! But it turned out to be a lovely choice. We decided to add a touch of red here and there and that really made things pop. The wreath is deco mesh and the decorations were made with my Silhouette Cameo using blue and silver glitter paper (I love glitter paper!) and red "shimmer" paper. These cut beautifully in the Silhouette.

I saw this card box in the Silhouette store and just had to make it. My black cardstock was kind of flimsy so I added a piece of cardboard to the bottom to make it a little more sturdy.

We can't have a party without a banner. I used blue and silver shimmer paper and small paper doilies.

 

I wanted it to be 2-sided because there were a lot of hanging options in the room where it could be seen from either side. I hung it on blue satin ribbon, and tied silver ribbon in between each pennant.

 

When I saw these shadowboxes in the Silhouette store, I knew I had to make them too. I thought the red frames were so pretty, and when we decided to add a little red to the party decorations, it was perfect.

The graduate made her mom buy a sash from the Dollar Store that said "Grad Princess." The only problem was that the sash was pink and black and mom hated it! She asked if I could make one that would match the theme. She found a blank sash at a party store, and I ironed on the words with silver sparkle heat transfer vinyl, glued silver ribbon on both sides, and added some "bling" at the bottom.

 

They were planning a photo booth so I bought a cheap wedding arch and talked them into using it for the background.  Deco mesh, blue plastic tablecloths and silver streamers made a simple, but elegant background!

And we can't forget mom! I saw this during one of my internet searches and told her I would make her a shirt too. It was perfectly fitting! I used silver glitter heat transfer vinyl, and rhinestones for the crown.

I wasn't able to attend the party because my daughter's ballet recital was the same night so I didn't get any actual pictures from the party. I heard that everyone had a fantastic time, and mom and grad princess were both happy!


I had a minute for one picture after helping to set up the decorations. :)