Vintage, Values, & Ventures: Diann's 70th Adventure!

A dear friend of mine, Diann Brown, turned 70 this year and she asked for my help in putting together an afternoon celebration that captured aging as beautiful and wonderful! She kept emphasizing the importance of having a "zest for life" and the idea of aging being an adventure, not an end point. And boy, does she live her life as such! Actually, we even had to squeeze her party in between exciting trips, one to Mexico for snorkeling and one to visit family. We decided on the theme of adventure with hints of Disney/Pixar's "Up!" to reflect her view on life as an adventure!

Decor & Details:

Though Diann's home already feels like an adventure, with pictures of her trips and trinkets from friends and family from all over the world, I brought a few more items from home that I thought would add to the theme: an old train-car chair, a globe, a suitcase, a typewriter, and a few "Up!" items, and of course 70+ brightly colored balloons!

There were several little life quotes that I loved for Diann,
and had to include them here and there too.

The mantle is one of my favorites to decorate at home,
and it was here at Diann's house too!

Food:

While Diann had started brainstorming some ideas for the foods she wanted at the party, I helped organize and brought the ideas to life. We thought a popcorn bar would be great for her "zest for life", as well as an Italian soda bar, which were both a big hit!

Diann LOVED the Italian soda bar, and enjoyed creating different drinks throughout the party!

Her sweet friends also brought dishes to contribute to

her delicious fruit & veggie trays, as well as her cheese tray, that showcased

fancy cheeses...one was even invented by her own father!

And a delicious cake was the centerpiece of the table!

Activities & Favors:

I made a few boards with quotes I thought Diann would like, for people to sign the back as a sort of guest book. The first one was printed on the "adventure" page and the second was printed on the "live" page.

We set up the guest book next to the party favors: homemade caramel corn!

Diann also wanted to share a book of her own adventures, as well as a book of her heroes, who've taught her what having a "zest for life" is all about. We were then encouraged to write on the notecards one "adventure" or "bucket list" item we hoped to accomplish in the coming year. I loved this part of her party that included guest to be part of the adventure!