Party Girl

Unless you're talking about sitting in a coffee shop with a journal, I've never been a party girl. I prefer smaller groups, meaningful conversation, and tend to be an introvert. How ironic it is that I make (part of) my living by throwing parties for other people! 

Among everything else that we do at The Barn, we also offer birthday parties. I've lost count of how many I've done, but can say that they've increased in popularity over the past couple of years. Although they are a lot of work, they are also a lot of fun, and I love to figure out the project ideas, plan the decorations, and order the supplies. 

There are designated themes listed on our web site, but we (okay, I- I'm a one woman show!) can do most anything kids and parents throw at me. The most challenging parties are the ones that don't have ready-made products to go with them. Some of these themes have been somewhat outdated, yet beloved, things like The Incredibles and Digimon. In these cases, I have to think outside the box and either make the decorations from scratch or dig extra deep on Amazon, eBay, or All Posters. Often I will find one thing, like a poster, take cues from its color scheme, ad develop the look of the party.

It helps to have a formula of sorts. I've developed a basic framework of how to decorate and organize, so when I do a party all I really have to do is fill in the blanks. The fun part is figuring out what to put in those blanks! Some of the things that I use all the time are colorful tablecloths, balloon cups and sticks, and white milk glass vases (for the balloons). Then, I add in some decorations that include a backdrop for the food/cake table, scattered or strategically-placed decorations for the art tables, and (sometimes) creatively-displayed arts & crafts materials for the party projects.

I love to decorate for the parties and plan them, but I'm less fond of the cleaning up part- at least before the party. I realize that this is one of the motivations why people book parties with us- so they don't have to clean their house! Cleaning up after the party isn't a big deal, but cleaning up before the party is a lot of pressure. I want to make a good impression, especially to people who don't know me and have never been to The Big Red Barn. I have a sign in my hallway that says "Creative Minds are Rarely Tidy" and it is so very true. I think I do okay- as long as people don't look TOO closely at things :-). Maybe one of these days I'll enlist the help of a cleaning crew.

Some parties that I have done stand out as my favorites. I really enjoyed the projects we did at our Monster High party. The American Girl party decorations were so much fun to do and the children all had a great time creating tutus for their dolls. The party was a lot of work and took a lot of preparation, but it was worth it. Recently we did a Candyland party that included a gum ball machine painting on canvas and we used colorful buttons as the gum balls. I loved the project so much that I started one of my own. One of these days I'll finish it! 

The most popular party we have done has been Frozen (big surprise there!) I've lost count, but we've done 4 or 5 of them and have another on the books- not to mention the five art camps. When the first Frozen party was scheduled early this year, it was close to impossible to find any Frozen tableware or party decorations, and if you did find them, they were marked up to five times the normal cost. Not a big deal; using plates and decorations in the pretty purple and aqua colors worked well. I also threw in a ton of snowflake decorations, a poster from Wal-mart, and an AWESOME Frozen castle that I found at Once Upon a Child in Mandeville. I was shocked when I found it- especially since it came with Anna and Elsa dolls and more accessories. The lady at the store said that the seller's child had gotten it for Christmas and never played with it. Whaaaat???!!! What a score! Not only was it a great party decoration, it was also a magnificent toy for my Lily Grace. :-)

Sweet Baboo

They say that behind every good man there's a good woman. The opposite is true, too.

For the most part, I always work alone. I've always worked best on my own, especially at school, and the phrase "group project" has never been music to my ears. On my own, I plan events and activities, dream up random ideas, create flyers, ads, and lesson plans, teach class, sweep the floor, pick up the toys, decorate the art room, blow up balloons... The list goes on and on. When people meet me and learn about The Barn, they ask "So, it's just you?" Pretty much, I say. But it's not just me. It's Bryan, too.

I call Bryan my sweet baboo. I picked up the term from Charlie Brown's sister, Sally. Unlike Linus, Bryan doesn't mind the endearment. I have no clue what a baboo is and if Bryan actually is whatever it means, but Bryan is sweet, and that's good enough for me.

Bryan is the one who puts up with the cups of water and paintbrushes piled on the kitchen counter after class (and for days after that if my schedule affords the luxury of my procrastination from cleaning them). Bryan puts up with staying (far) away from home on crazy kids night out nights and art camp days when over a dozen children are having the time of their lives in our (otherwise peaceful) house. Bryan puts up with discovering the pee splattered all over the toilet seat from little boys who are still learning proper aim (I clean it up). Bryan puts up with me laying on the couch, shell shocked, after an especially challenging day of reasoning with preschoolers. Bryan puts up with my flights of whimsy like building a barn float for the local parade or helping create an outdoor classroom (he doesn't know about that yet). Bryan puts up with my crazy schedule of this class and that, this party and that one, and whatever else I've put on the always eclectic calendar. Bryan puts up with my frantic 8:45 AM crazy woman cleaning before 9:00 class- when I'm out of breath and my eyes are wild and I'm rushing around like a madwoman (but I always answer the door with a smile- transformed instantly by seeing the kids walk in). Bryan puts up with having to navigate my office every time he goes in and out of the house, and with my supply closet whenever he does the laundry. All he asks is that I keep the top of the washer and dryer clear. I succeed- except when I don't. :-)

Working on The Big Red Barn float.

I'm thankful everyday for my sweet Baboo. I continue to do most everything at The Barn by myself, but sure am glad that Bryan is there to back me up- at least when class is over. :-)