James Bond/007 Party Ideas for Our School Auction...

This year, our school auction is in March, and sadly we will be out of town for this event.  However, I offered to help research some fun ideas for decorations and such!  Generally, if you google James Bond or 007 party theme, you can find TONS of decorating ideas and inspirations to incorporate into the event design. Pinterest and ETSY are also great idea resources.  Oriental Trading, Windy City Novelties, Shindigz, PaperLanternStore.com are great sources for supplies and such. For the centerpieces, I think an (optional) red, black, and white/silver/gold color scheme with balloons and/or feathers would be practical and easy to pull together.  Perhaps similar to last year, each table could have an alternate design, say half the tables with white tablecloths, half the tables with black and a graphic runner used throughout to provide an interesting yet cohesive look.

Funny enough, when I googled 007 James Bond themed parties, this photo came up....this reminds me of the tables we did last year (for our Derby themed auction) with the chevron runner and red roses...but could also work for a 007 theme!

I love the idea of the alternating red and black chair ties, (but I would do an opaque, not translucent fabric).  Also, the different colored balloons provide a festive, colorful vibe without the big expense, PLUS they would make for good centerpieces so the guests can more easily chat over dinner.

These large ostrich feather centerpieces make a BIG impact, but from all the tutorials I researched, it seems they could get pricey.  Perhaps these could be used at just a few tables or on some of the auction item display tables.
See video below for tutorial...
You would need (1) a tall 20-24 inch Eiffel Tower vase, (2) optional Floralites on a string to light the vase and anchor the foam bouquet holder, and (3) a foam bouquet holder with straight up and down handle to sit on top of the vase (4) ostrich feathers

As an alternative to the tall ostrich bouquets, I found this idea, just a simple feather boa wrapped around a hurricane vase....These boas are much more cost effective, approx $5 per boa (or maybe even less)

Here they glued feather boas to something, to sit on top of eiffel tower vase, as a cheaper alternative to the larger ostrich feather arrangements.

ETSY AlbaBackgrounds Photo Backdrop $155 - this is fabric, and could be a fun backdrop for photobooth-type photos w props and such

ETSY vendor PAPERandPANCAKES Photobooth Props

ETSY vendor ScrapStarz Photobooth Props

ETSY Vendor ReadySetCreate $14 for Qty 10 - I thought these striped paper bags could be cute, say three arranged per table around the main balloon or feather centerpiece, for a little graphic pop on the tables....I think the round sticker can be custom designed with whatever message desired.

ETSY Vendor CreativeJuiceCafe $20 for Qty 12

ETSY Vendor PartySurprise

ETSY Vendor ShimmeringCeremony Laser Cut Invitation Kit- This is too pricey to use for invitations,
but I loved the cool art deco design, so I thought it could be an inspiration for posters, signs, etc.

I found these adorable card suit latex balloons from Shindigz $15 for 50 

This could be a fun photo-op idea, an approx 6 ft tall Photo Stand with custom text, Shindigz

Another fun prop from Shindigz Giant 30"x30" Cardboard Dice for $65/pair, in either white or red (below)

Also from Shindigz these Giant 46 Inch Cardboard High Roller Chips with custom text applicable to your event $55/set of 3

Shindigz Giant Playing Cards $3/set of 4, 18x25 inches....these are a big bang for the buck. Could be used on a little easels for display table decorations.

Ruffing Auction Committee - We are so sorry to miss this fun event this year!! I hope these inspiration photos provide some ideas for decorating and I am happy to contribute to the decorating expenses ; )  Best of luck to you all and I am sure it will be yet another amazing event this year!!

2015 CYC Polar Express Inspiration....

This holiday season, I have volunteered to help with decorations for our local CYC Polar Express celebration.  This is an annual event my kids have loved year after year and it is fun for the entire family!  The kids sign up for a certain train time, arrive and the CYC in their favorite holiday PJs, and wait anxiously in the lobby until the "Conductor" (CYC Commodore) calls their name.  Once called, the Conductor punches their ticket and they climb aboard the Polar Express (i.e. a cute wooden trolley).  Next, they go for a ride around the neighborhood to gaze at the festive Christmas lights, down through the Cleveland Metroparks, etc. while the Conductor reads the Polar Express story.  They make a stop at Center Isle where they get off the Trolley and enter the "North Pole" to make crafts, enjoy a cup of hot cocoa, and then get back onto the Train to return to the clubhouse.  They end the evening with dinner or snacks upstairs, a meet with Santa, and Polar Express movie viewing.

Thankfully, I found a ton of inspiration photos to provide some fun and creative ideas for decorating the space.

I absolutely LOVE the train with yellow rectangles to look like the lighted train...What a cute idea!  I may try to pull this off somehow...

I have already started to collect large-scale ornaments and bowls to use for centerpieces, some gold cardboard stars from Target to hang from the ceiling, and I plan to wrap a bunch of larger cardboard boxes to make faux gifts, make some signs/murals for the walls, etc, but wanted to gather a few more ideas...

A few photos from prior years' CYC Polar Express Events...

Now for a few inspiration pics I found online....

I thought this would be fun to do on the entry door when the kids walk in....

LOVE THIS! I thought something like this might be cute on the fireplace...

I am going to purchase rolls of red, black, and yellow paper to ATTEMPT a smaller version of this...

I love this idea of putting down a runner for tracks.....However, with so many children, I fear it could become a tripping hazard, so I may just look into putting down duct or painters tape to create a train track leading into the Center Isle...

I would love to make a sign like this, if I can figure out the pole structure...

This could be a fun little station for the kids to write letters to Santa...

This has nothing to do with Polar Express, but came across this fun craft we did a few years ago...wanted to share.

This really has nothing to do with the Polar Express but loved this idea for the holdiays!

ADDENDUM:

Here are a few photos from our actual CYC Polar Express...Everyone had a great time and it was super cute to see how excited the kids were to ride the trolley, listen to the story, do crafts, etc.