Are you sick of hearing about my dad's party yet? I hope not, because this is the last post (I swear)! It sounds silly but I think every good birthday party, for a celebrant of any age, should come with a goody bag or favor. I know it seems like kid's stuff, but if you choose the right gift it can really delight your guests and be a fun way to round out the party's theme.
Since we were playing off all things oceanic for this party, I decided to make all the guests monkey's fist key chains. Like most large-scale DIY projects, it took a solid weekend+ to tie and assemble 40 of these suckers, but if you do it while sitting outside, chatting with a friend, or watching a movie the time flies. The bonus is that the knot looks super professional even though it is relatively simple. It took some trial and error to get the hang of it, but using this tutorial, I was a pro in no time. The key is—which the tutorial doesn't highlight enough—the tightening phase which requires concentration and some attention to detail. My best tip for tightening is to visualize the knot in your head as three distinct sets of loops placed in different directions, ordered in the number you created them (first loops, done vertically, are #1; second loops, done horizontally around the first set, are #2; third loops, done vertically around set 2 and inside set 1, are #3). When you are tightening, make sure you start the tightening process from the first part of loop #1, the closest to the center of the knot. You can find this by looking at the loops and determining which was the first set and/or by pulling on each loop in turn; if one of them does not consequently pull a loop on an opposing side, that's your center. It sounds weird but, trust me, it will make sense when you are doing it.
I finished them off by hooking the extra cord around some some brass key rings and then sewing that loop closed with embroidery thread (tie a knot in the thread, stitch it through both ends of the cord near the monkey's fist and then wrap the thread around numerous times, covering the raw cord end and threading the needle under the wrapped thread to tie it off). To ensure the thread stayed put, I coated the whole wrapped section in this anti-fray treatment. Worked like a charm.
To ensure maximum cuteness, I used map pins to hang the finished keychains on a cork board that I painted white and blue with acrylic craft paint. I am pretty proud of the result, if I do say so myself.
As for treats, I wrote about the cake last week but forgot to tell you about the cookies! I found this sugar cookie recipe on Pinterest where the cookies look like sand dollars and I thought it would be a perfect and tasty addition to our theme. Luckily, I am happy to report that the recipe is simple (though it takes a while to lay out those almond slivers) and extremely delicious. They didn't last more than five minutes at the party and that was while people were also chowing down on cake!
Check out the recipe here.
We're done! I am finally putting this seventieth birthday bonanza to rest! Feel free to wrote a note in the comments if you have any questions, suggestions or general thoughts. It's always fun to hear what you have to say! Back to regular posts again tomorrow.
