My sister, who is the biggest "Up" fan I know, graduated this May. She also happened to be flying to Africa the next day. To celebrate before she left, I surprised her with an "Up" themed graduation party with an emphasis on travel/adventure. Some of the highlights were the Russell inspired Trail Mix Bar, Paradise Falls Jar, Photo Booth, and of course the house cake created by our talented mother!
PS- Yes, this is August and I am just now posting this--it was a crazy summer!
PPS- Excuse the awful lighting inside!
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| The reaction! |
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| We used pennants, maps and of course balloons for most of the decor. |
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| More of the Trail Mix Bar. I put the ingredients in brown paper bags that I had cut short and rolled the edges. For the labels I used craft luggage tags and printed labels attached to clothespins. (It made clean up quick and easy before graduation as I could just clip the bags closed and set the aside for later.) |
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| I recreated the "Paradise Falls" jar with a jug I so serendipitously found at a local antique store. I also dug out old pictures and mementos from our parents high-school years. We found gems such as their Senior pictures, diplomas, memory books and even some high school photos of other family members. We placed them by the TV where a slideshow of photos of Amber would be playing- Unfortunately, it didn't work and we had to play it from my laptop! :P |
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On the back porch, I set up a colorful photo booth using an idea I found on Pinterest. Everyone had fun, but I'm posting some tips below on how to make it work out better.   As you can see, the backdrop was made by hanging plastic tablecloths from the dollar store. We set up a prop table beside and ended up using a bench for guests to sit on. The lighting was perfect, however here are some tips to re-creating the setup: 1. Double up the tablecloths, especially for the lighter colors. As you can see in some of the photos below, the siding of the porch can be seen through the tablecloth in some shots. 2. Be prepared for the weight of the tablecloths. We used twine and command hooks to hang ours, but underestimated how heavy the backdrop would be. As you can see above, it kind of drooped down and we had to scrunch it together more than we planned. (It worked for the pictures, but if someone moved the camera at all you could see past the edge of the backdrop.) I would suggest using several more command hooks to hang it. |
We were a little rebellious and snuck an "Ellie Badge" on her robe! ;)
