40 & Fabulous Birthday Celebration

Easy and economical 40th birthday celebration

A new decade is always a big deal! Yes, Turning forty, fifty, or sixty is a big deal.

We must celebrate that new chapter of our lives especially!

It's been a wonderful summer so far. Great temperatures and the ability to go to most places, but overall, we're having the gift of family this summer!

The beautiful lady you see there to my side is Juliana, our niece. Although she lives in Florida, we are glad she chose the D.C. metro area this year for a much-needed vacation. We've been happy to spend time with her and her family.

This past weekend, we celebrated Juliana's big FOUR-O with a family reunion. During the reunion, we tried to express how special she was and propel her into the new decade ahead.

As usual, Pilar, my SIL, was in charge of the food, while I got to bring a few decorating touches to her house. Even though décor isn't necessary, I think it does help in making the event more memorable.

Let me show you how we put together this 40th birthday celebration so that you can get ideas for your own event.

I would've loved to have celebrated outside in my sil's beautiful garden, but the temperature was too high, which would've been agonizing for some guests, so it was indoors.

I recommend plenty of tables and poles to hang lights and décor pieces for an outdoor party.

SAY IT WITH SIGNS

Paper is the most inexpensive item I use to decorate a room. What you print on those papers brings the atmosphere to the party.

Pick a set of colors to use throughout. My theme was casual glam, and I used black, rose gold, gold, and a few touches of mint.

The signs were all black, white, and gold. You can find thousands of inexpensive printables online that you can download and print in your home.

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I printed these signs on regular letter-size paper. Then, I mounted each on black foam boards to make them look larger.

I cut 20 x 40 foam boards in half using an X-Acto knife. I loved mounting the prints onto the boards with Crafter's tape.

To set them on the wall, I always use gaffer tape.

| 40th Birthday Sign Pack |

PHOTO PROPS

Photo props bring lots of fun to any party!

I bought this fringed backdrop at Party City, and I really liked the color and texture it added to the photos. However, I didn't like the setup. Luckily, I opened the package at home the day before the event and discovered that all nine fringe pieces were separate. They had to be mounted one by one onto the wall.

| Backdrop | Backdrop - similar | Paper Fans |

Cardboard picture frames were another fun photo prop.

easy and economical ways to celebrate a birthday

| Photo Prop Frames - similar |

BALLOONS

You can skip most decorations, but balloons certainly add a new level of enjoyment to a party. In my book, they're a synonym for party! Here is my daughter posing for a shot.

FOOD

Last but not least, great food is essential to any good party. We all brought a dish, but my SIL prepared some of our all-time favorites: mac and cheese casserole, green beans, potato salad... Look, it was all delicious!