We are so thrilled to introduce Jennifer Needham of Double the Fun Parties today with a guest post of her daughter’s adorable recent birthday party.  Adria and I loved working with her on the custom printables for this party and are thrilled to have added them new to the shop here. 

This would be the perfect party for any music loving tween or teen (or little or big kid, too!)  Read on for all of the gorgeous photos and details from Jennifer!
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Hi! I’m Jennifer from Double the Fun Parties and so excited to be guest posting for Maureen and Adria today!

My twins have officially reached the age of “Mom, can you change the radio station?” Every time we get in the car. And they always ask for one of the country stations. Which started my party planning wheels turning … all we needed to do was to combine country music with an awards show red carpet, and we had a Country Music Awards 9th birthday theme!

My vision for the party was “country glam” and to me that meant gold sequins, the black of a vinyl record album, and the browns of burlap. Anders Ruff perfectly translated my vision, designing the album-inspired invitation and all the other printables. You can find the collection in their shop.

Walking the Red Carpet

Watching a red carpet show with the girls always cracks me up because with every gown, they turn to me and say, “Do you like that dress?” I know it won’t be too many years before they think I have no fashion sense and their question becomes, “Mom, are you really wearing that?”

So, we started the party with a red carpet, complete with a rope line and mom-parazzi. We even asked each guest “who” she was wearing and gave them backstage passes.

The Dressing Room

The guests all went “backstage” to the dressing room, where they could choose cowgirl hats, as well as gold and pearl necklaces. Each station at the party was marked by a gold and chalkboard-style tray. (The party plan has complete instructions for making the trays + free printables for Dressing Room, Craft Services, CMA Awards and Swag Bags.)

Karaoke Time

Our guests formed musical groups and chose songs to perform. Some felt shy, but after a trip to the dessert table, sugar brought out the boldness! I made lyrics books to help the girls choose their songs.

Awards Ceremony

After all the performers sang, it was “the moment we’ve all been waiting for” … the awards ceremony! The Vice President of Packaging & Shipping and I made awards for each guest, which I announced with as much fanfare as possible! (The briefcase is from “the accounting firm that tabulated the results” … one of those little mom jokes that go over the kids’ heads, but which I really enjoy!)

Dessert Table

I dressed the “craft services” dessert tables in white linens with a burlap topper on the center table. The Anders Ruff “happy birthday” banner hung from the center table. On each side table, I added an Anders Ruff sticker to a black tissue fan to mimic the look of a vinyl record. The side tables also featured rag garlands that I made in our party colors. (Find the tutorial in the party plan.)

Our party was at 2 p.m., so we served a selection of sweet treats, plus birthday cake. I made the cake, trimming the bottom with gold stars from my favorite fondant chick, Edible Details.

Sweets included:

• Microphone cake pops by my wonderful sponsor Sugar-Sugar Cakes
• Peanut butter frosting topped brownie bites (so, so, so good)
• “9” cookies by my local favorite and Etsy seller Guilty Confections
• Boot cookies also by Guilty Confections, who very kindly matched the colors to our party palette
• Candy from Candy Galaxy, including gumballs, Jelly Bellies, and yogurt covered pretzels. (They make it so easy to search for candy by color.)

Photo Booth

The photo booth was one of my favorite elements. I took a clothing rack and suspended sheet music and then added black curtains with gold tiebacks. I painted out an old microphone toy and also had a guitar and antique gold frame for the girls to pose with.

Dining Table

This is one of my favorite dining tables that I’ve been able to create for my girls. It’s all about layering, as you can see me explain in this video. The table combines the rustic and glam elements, with florals in rustic, wood containers sitting on the gold sequin table runners. (See the centerpiece tutorial here.) Each plate sat atop a piece of sheet music and was topped by a microphone with an Anders Ruff place card.

The tutorial for the burlap wrapped mason jars with the gold straw flags will appear on Love the Day soon. Each mason jar had its own coaster: a vinyl 45 from Goodwill!

On the back of each chair, I added a vinyl album with an Anders Ruff sticker to make the album from MGN records (my girls’ initials)! The chiavari chairs are from my darling sponsor, Sweet Seats, serving the Atlanta area.

Swag Bags

Instead of “party favors,” we gave our awards show-style “swag bags.” Each bag included a CD of the girls’ favorite country songs (mom-approved, of course.) I love the CD label and favor tag from Anders Ruff.

And that’s the party! Thanks again, Maureen and Adria, for having me!

Vendor Credits

Party Styling and Party Plan: Double the Fun Parties
Photography: Viridian Images Photography
Printables: Anders Ruff
Gold Stars on Birthday Cake: Edible Details
Microphone Cake Pops: Sugar-Sugar Cakes
Cookies: Guilty Confections
Gold Sequin Table Runners: Floral Touch
Gold Chivari Chairs: Sweet Seats
Candy