Turning 30

Christmas is just barely over and there is still News Years and then Valentines Day to contend with. However I have already moved on to April Fools Day. It happens to be my 30th birthday. I've not had a birthday party since I was 14. I never get much in the way of gifts, nor do I ever ever buy anything new for myself. I rarely do anything for myself at all. I put myself way back at the end of the list of needs and wants. I always spend months planning, crafting, organizing all the holiday dinners at my home and all the birthday parties for my children, family and friends. It is the one day you get a year where it is ALL about you and you get the chance to be a little spoiled. I firmly believe that and go out of my way to make it very very special for others. This year I have decided I want that too. I want my special day to be just that, special! Instead of going about like it is just any other day as I have in the past since I was a teenager, this time I am going to do it up right! I am going to leave my 20's behind with a bang!! I wanted a theme that is adult but very whimsical so I got to thinking and promptly landed on a Marie Antoinette theme. I already adore making cakes, pastries, pastels, feathers and opulence. What could possibly be better than Marie Antoinette! I started a second blog just for my planning http://marieantoinetteparty.blogspot.com/
I have even sent out out early E-Invites already to make everyone aware that it is going to be a costume party and they might need some advance warning to get prepared. My mother in law is a fantastic seamstress. I've put in a request that she makes me a dress similar to this one I found by quintoot on Etsy http://www.etsy.com/listing/56014000/fuchsia-gold-and-orange-marie-antoinette

Only I want mine in more of pale shimmery pinks. My mother in law is the only one I trust to do this!
I've also created a treasury on Etsy with many more great items that I would LOVE to have, though as always I can't afford any of them so I am hoping to be able to craft similar things out of things I already have or things found at thrift stores. http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d18e524f3ee6d91abaf4422/let-them-eat-cake
Aren't each of these items just amazing? There are some sellers out there that I just wish I could afford to buy up each and every item in their store!!

 I will of course be making my own cake. Which I hope to do something similar to this one I found when I googled. I also hope to create it for under $20. Believe it or not, I am pretty sure I can do that. I already have cameo molds and all different cutters. I can make the flowers with gum paste, the bows with fondant. The only thing I am actually afraid of is recreating the height. That is one tall cake!

I have been utilizing some clip art from The Graphics Fairy http://www.graphicsfairy.blogspot.com/ for some of the decor. I LOOOVE her blog. So so great to have such helpful bloggers out there!

Then there is this adorable shop on Etsy http://www.etsy.com/listing/64785939/eat-cake-marie-antoinette-french-frilly  Doesn't she have the cutest stuff EVER?!

So many great ideas out there. So much inspiration helping me along the way. I hope to be able to pull off the best birthday party ever for myself without having to spend much money at all. I'm really excited about this, which is why I started a second blog just for the planning because I know as excited as I am I would eventually bore you all to tears with the details! But if you do happen to be interested in the planning stages, please do join me on the other blog as well. I ♥ my friends and followers and enjoy reading each of your comments!

I almost forgot to mention the biggest part of this challenge......I want to hold this soiree in the garage. So it needs to be totally remodeled (using only what I already have) by April. Which is probably a good thing because it will also kick my butt into gear on getting it turned into a store as well. I am really happy with this idea because I think the whole white and pastel theme will be perfect for the store. Also it kicks me into gear for The Vintage Farmhouse's Second Annual Yard Sale that I host in the Spring. If anyone is reading this who is local there will be more information on that to come later. We have 4 acres and will have both space for crafters/antiques and general flea market style items starting at $20 for the entire weekend. If you are interested, please email me to request an application. The sale last year was only one day but I had a lot of traffic and cleared almost $1,000. It's kind of a big thing around here!