#tbt: Pineapple Party

Today I’m throwing it back to Monday when I hosted the End-of-Year party for my Girl Scouts, which was also celebrating my eighth year as their troop leader! This year’s theme was all about pineapples and it was so. much. fun!

I started gathering supplies a few months back, and pretty much anytime I was out shopping and came across something pineapple it came home with me. I like to have a lot of items to choose from as I decorate for a party, and any items I don’t use I return after the fact. This helps me feel like I have the flexibility to do what works for the space get creative as I’m setting up!

This is the blank space I was working with. We were at the Plaza Room in Edmonds, WA and it had a great view of the water and a nice indoor/outdoor set-up. It was perfect for us, and would also be excellent for a larger event, too!

I had exactly two hours of prep time, so when I arrived I laid everything out and organized it (table settings and decor in one area, main table decorations in another, and photo booth in a third spot). Next I set out the tables in the arrangement I wanted, and got them all decorated. I knew this step would take me the longest so I wanted to get it done first thing.

For our group size, I needed three tables and each centerpiece was a little different but all of them had the same general feel. For this rental space, I was responsible for total set-up and clean-up, so I opted for the plastic table covers from Party City for ease. They’re not my favorite – I don’t love the fold lines – but they do the job and I’d rather have something than nothing. I got the basic yellow plates and the palm leaves also from Party City. The palm leaves are bendable to add depth to the table, which I loved

The pineapple plates, “pineapple a day” napkins, and the little pineapple lip balms are all from Swoozies. The glitter cutlery is from Target. The pineapple cups and black and white straws are from Oriental Trading Company.  I had the vases in my collection, I made the pineapple plant, the gold pineapple is from Paper Source, and the other little pineapple I found at a garage sale.

The cupcakes are homemade pineapple cupcakes and they were a hit! You can find the recipe here – if you want to make them more similar to pineapple upside-down cake, I’d add brown sugar to the diced pineapple filling. I topped each cupcake off with a candied pineapple and yellow sprinkles for a finishing touch.

For the beverage, I found a simple pineapple lemonade recipe and it must’ve been delicious because it was gone about 15 minutes after the party started! I forgot my drink stand, so I improvised and covered a shoe box with some leftover fabric and was good to go. The ice scoop is part of a set of bowls from Oriental Trading Company.

I love a good photo booth, and my girls do too, so this was a priority for the decorations. I found this backdrop at Oriental Trading Company and by happy accident it clung to the wall in the Plaza Room. Since the space didn’t allow the use of any tape for decorations, I wasn’t really sure what I was going to do, and then it just sort of worked out! The banner is something I’ve had on hand for a while which I originally ordered from Shop Sweet Lulu and the honeycomb pineapples are from Party City.

I covered the awards table with some wrapping paper I found at Target, added a bouquet of flowers, and finished it off with all the awards. I also got each family their own pineapple candle (pictured at the back) as a thank you for supporting their Girl Scout this year. I made the wooden pineapple plaques for each Girl Scout as a memory of the party and our year together.

I always have so much fun with these girls, and the Pineapple Party was no exception. I love getting to celebrate them and all the amazing things they do as Girl Scouts and community members. I’m already looking forward to all the fun we’ll have together next year!

If you’re looking for even more pineapple fun, check out this pineapple wreath I made a few weeks ago.

Party on!
JW