alison archives designs: Mom's Aviation Birthday Party

At our house, we love themes. And birthdays. So, when they collide, watch out!

About a week ago, my mom turned 65, and since we had just come back from Florida, we decided to wait a few days so we could give her a proper party.

But first, the theme! All during our flight to and from Florida, she kept talking about how much she loves flying. (It’s hard to believe we’re related.)

Like so many new moms, she decided to take flying lessons. I picture her with her new bundle of baby in one arm, a flight handbook in the other singing Helen Reddy’s “Peaceful.”

I know.

So, yes, she loves to fly. She soloed and didn’t die (which is my benchmark for a good flight). So she wanted to do it again. And again. Crazy.

Turns out it runs in my family. My dad flew. So did my grandma. My grandma.

Anyway, we decided the theme would be "Aviation." I had NO time to prepare for this party. I will not go into details, but just believe me when I explain that her party was scheduled for 11:00 Saturday (to coincide with the Ohio State/Indiana basketball game--we like Big 10 sports, too), and when I woke up Saturday morning, I had done nothing. NOTHING!

But I had a plan.

Stampin' Up!'s My Digital Studio to the rescue. The night before, I had perused the MDS offerings that had something to do with "planes," and I happily downloaded "Ready for Departure."

Here is the picture of the kit:

I knew I could do some quick modifications and print out some pretty neat party decorations, and I was right.

The kids helped, of course, and it came out even better than I thought!

We greeted her with her boarding pass, so she could "board" the "plane":

Cute, right? We named her "Airport" "Patty's Perfect Planes," and her tag line is, "Where smart people fly."

Henry had created a "Security Checkpoint" where mom and grandma had to place their personal belongings in baskets and then walk through the "beeper." He wanted them to remove their shoes. I nixed that.

The kids had name tags and attached them with the wings they had gotten on our trip to Florida.

Once in the "terminal," mom and grandma saw the spread (the kids arranged everything on the table. It's so symmetrical!):

Here are some close-ups:

There was even a template included in the kit to make paper airplanes! We had lots of fun with that.

And we had to have drinks. The kit included water bottle wraps. All I did was add a text box to the top and bottom of the image. It took 30 seconds. It was so easy!

Oh, and there were adult beverages, too.

Finally, I had to design my own gift to her. I used the stamps and paper in the kit to make the cover for an in-flight magazine. Inside, I included a crossword that was all about our trip to Florida. Mom had a hard time with some of the clues, and I just love Henry’s expression watching her solve the puzzle.