Class of 2012 - party on with DIY cupcake stand and more!

It's actually been 2 weeks since Teen Wonder graduated - yay!  It has been a bit of a crazy month all in all, since end of school year always involves a lot of extra kid-ventures and parties. I didn't take enough pictures of any of it...but that's usually because I'm living in the moment, right?  That's a good thing.

Anyway, we threw her a graduation open house party the day after graduation and invited all manner of family and friends - anyone who played a big role in Teen Wonder's life. After a lot of preparation, and an unnecessary amount of anxiety on my part, and help from my mom and Mr. Wonderful, it all turned out quite fabulous!  So, I just wanted to share some of the DIY bits that I put into the party...

First up? A cupcake stand. I decided early on to have cupcakes rather than a big cake because for an open house that made more sense. I found a great place that made and delivered the cupcakes, but I realized after ordering them that I didn't have a cupcake stand. I didn't want to just lay them all out on a platter, so after looking at cupcake stands on Amazon I looked for tutorials on making your own.  I didn't follow a specific tutorial, because I decided to go the easiest route possible. A trip to the Thrift store scored me all the materials for about $10 - three white plates (one a little smaller than the other 2), 2 candlesticks, and a little class dish for the base.

Assembly was super easy - I just put the E6000 on the bottom of the glass dish and stuck it on the bottom of one of the larger plates, then did the same for each of the candlesticks.

After drying for a few hours, I put glue on the other end of the candlesticks and stacked the plates into 3 layers. Dry overnight and voila!  But actually I was glad I made it a week early because the E6000 took a couple of days more before the smell was not detectable.

And here it is loaded up with cupcakes!

The dessert table looked awesome! I made the banner by printing the letters on yellow cardstock and my mom strung a ribbon through two holes in the tops to hang it.

Teen Wonder and my mom made the sugar cookies, and I made the little grad caps using mini PB cups and little dark chocolate wafers (there are a few tutorials out there about these caps too - not my own invention!)

And how much fun is it to order custom M&Ms? A lot!

Lots of good food, lots of balloons, and a little crepe paper made up the rest of the party prep indoors.

Outside to greet people were more balloons (including a mylar bouquet that attacked guests when the wind gusts came through), and my mom (calligraphy artist) decorated the front window with window chalk markers.  I made a Class of 2012 flag with a scrap of muslin, and iron-on design made in Word, and some Washi tape.

Finally - when the open house started and no one was here yet, we broke out the photo albums and champagne and had a few minutes to relax! 

 I do wish I'd taken a photo of the punch bowl too - I made punch with orange sherbet, tropical juice blend, and sprite - it was a HUGE hit!

Since it's Friday - let's link up!

and TGIFF at Sparrow in Flight this week