30th birthday-old is gold themed birthday party// Party planning and essentials with Paperless Post

It's officially summer now !!We can go out and enjoy the sun, for which we have been waiting for months ;) Hurray !!Also some outdoor parties !! Of course, right?? In our friend's circle, usually it will be getting together and potluck with friends rather than a single family throwing a party because we don't want to burden anyone (We are good people, you know !! :P). Among our friends, we usually get together for birthdays and anniversaries. When more than one person's birthday comes close to two weeks or so, we celebrate their birthdays together in a weekend between their birthdays.In that fashion, July is the month which has four birthdays which comes very close to each other, my husband and my very close friend's birthday falls on July 8th, my friend's son on 14th and another friend's on July 18th .Among these four , two of them is celebrating a milestone(30th) birthday this time. So, this time I thought I will plan a theme based party.

When Paperless post approached me to do a inspiration board for any kind of summer party,I thought why not create a inspiration board for the 30th birthday party that I am planning on.So, I came up with the theme "Old is Gold". I named this party theme as "old is gold" for two reasons:

 1) Having reached "30"years is something to cherish and not something to feel about because nobody can stop us from growing old,so there is no point in worrying.What say? That is how I came up with the theme being old is golden and valuable.

 2) The moment I wanted to plan a theme party I wanted to go with black ,white and gold colors because those are some of my favorite colors.Also Black and white represents "Retro", "Old" so I thought "Old is gold" will be a perfect name for this party.Got it ??

Now to the Inspiration board.

So, you got the idea?? Let me explain , a little more in detail. I have mostly shown the decor part in the inspiration board(above) as we are planning to order the main course of food outside and have decided to prepare appetizers ,cake and desserts by ourselves.(But still not decided with the complete meal plan) So, Lets talk decor now.

1) Balloons: I love the how the gold leaf is painted on the edges of the balloons. It will also look great on the black balloons too. So mixture of black and white balloons with the gold leaf bottom would look amazing ,Isn't it? And I also have decided to write the names of all the birthday buddies in the black balloons like how "Glitter,Sparkle, twinkle,shine" is written. Along with balloons I would also like to add number "30" gold balloons.  

2) Party crown instead of Party hats : To make something different than usual , I thought this party crown will be great. And also to make the birthday buddies special , How about a personalized one?. Cut a black cardstock in the shape of the inverted "V" to match each inverted  "V" in the crown and spell the each letter of their name in the crown. Black background with chalkboard font(If you can design and print) or black cardstock with white marker will  also be great for this simple crown DIY. 

3) Banners : There are lot of ideas when it comes to banners, you can get plenty of printables on pinterest or if you want to keep it simple, get a circular punch and a bunch of black, white and gold cardstock.Punch circles and stitch them  or if you don't have a sewing machine, a long thread and clear tape will work just fine. 

4) Candles: Candles are so inviting and adds a pleasant touch to the decor.How about painting some rocks golden and arranging them on the black plate? Also, I have pinned some gorgeous tea light candle holder DIY to my pinterest .

5) Serving Tray & bowl : You can make little modification to the tray's you already own with simple DIY. Add a black and white striped cardstock in the middle and add gold paint to edges to match the theme. If you want any bowl to hold candies or flatware such as spoons, forks,etc try this DIY air dry clay jewelry dish. I made it as jewelry dish but you can make it more deep to hold items for the party.

6) Plates,cups and spoons : There are a lot of black and white plates as well as gold plates, you can chose whichever you like or based on the table cover you are using. I would say If you are using black and white cover go with gold plates or vice versa. Same with spoons and cups too. If you can't source for striped cups , get plain white cups and some black tape and DIY :)

7) Cakes and cup cakes : We are planning to bake our own cake and I will let you know how it turned out in my Instagram account.May be a Shorter version of the one shown in inspiration board. You can use edible glitter or edible glaze to add gold effects to desserts and the cake.We have not decided much on our meal plan as said earlier but if you want more ideas of meals and snacks, I have pinned few recipes to my "old is gold 30th birthday party ideas" board, check it out. 

8) Art or quotes display : If you want to display any artwork or quotes that supports the theme, I have designed a keep calm poster for you.If you want, you can download it for free.

I think I have given almost all the ideas I can. As I am a DIY person , I have included my DIY version on each items. To find the original sources of each DIY I have mentioned above, check my "old is gold- 30th birthday party ideas" board. Also , I will update this post with photos of how my decor inspirations turned out. We usual invite everyone for the party through Whatsapp group and a phone call as we all are near by and always it is only limited people.But if you are planning for a big party or wedding in the same theme, do check out some awesome invitations by Paperless post. They have both e-invites and paper invites.

If you are planning a party on a budget, don't forget to check out dollar stores for party supplies and cool decor items in thrift store which you can give a quick makeover. Hope you enjoyed this theme of "Old is Gold" 30th birthday inspiration and ideas. Have you thrown any themed parties?? If so, share your experience with us in the comments below. As always we will be happy to hear from you :)

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. All the opinions mentioned in this post are from yours truly crafty brain.

Updated on 7/13/15 : As mentioned above, few pictures of DIYs and supplies inspired by "old is gold" theme for birthday party.

Birthday banner : I made a black and gold birthday banner for only 75 cents(I had all the others supplies in hand). Nothing fancy , it is simple that anyone can do with minimal supplies at home. Here is how.

Materials Required :

3 (12" X 12")black cardstock 

Ruler and pencil

Gold & Silver markers

Scissors

Paper cutter (Optional)

Hole punch

Rope for tying the banner

Step 1: Cut one inch from any one side of 12" X 12" cardstock ,now you have 11" X 12". Divide them into 6 such that each part has 5.5" height and 6" width. Do the same for all the three cardstock.I cut 13 pieces to spell "Happy Birthday" but you can add more if you are spelling out the name of the birthday girl/boy.

Step 2: Mark 2"X1" with a pencil and join lines from the point to the corners at the bottom to form a inverted "V" and cut it with scissors.Repeat the same for all the pieces. Punch holes at the top of each piece of cardstock to hang them. Write the letters using gold marker and add dotted lines for decoration using silver marker. String them in order on to the rope to hang them .Voila !! Quick and easy birthday banner is ready to grace the occasion :)

Gold bowl as holder for spoons,forks & knives : I had an extra bowl after these makeover that I got in flea market, painted them gold to hold spoons, forks and knives.

And the plates,napkins, cups...

Finally the cake.

I tried making a fondant cake for the first time(you know me right??I love experimenting new techniques) and it turned out as "Not so great cake" according to me. Taste of the fondant was dry and I felt it did not go well with the cake. I should say my friends were so nice to say the cake was good.(Sorry dears, a good cake next time for sure :)).