"When my daughter was about seven years old, she asked me one day what I did at work. I told her I worked at the college -- that my job was to teach people how to draw. She stared at me, incredulous, and said, 'You mean they forget?' " ~Howard Ikemoto
We celebrated 7-year-old Emma's recent birthday with a pottery-painting party at a local studio. We scheduled the party for a Sunday afternoon -- the only day I could gather our entire family this month.
Several of Emma's best friends joined us for an afternoon of painting. (Left to right, Ann Welch, Lizzie, Emma, Mary Ashley and Alyssa.)
In honor of her 7th birthday, I asked Emma to choose her seven favorite colors. I incorporated all seven into her invitation and used her selections as the palette for the entire party.
Polka Dot Balloons
Colorful polka dot balloons greeted guests on our dessert table and on the painting tables. Find a variety of colors through the link above.
Emma looked precious and ready to paint in her multi-color chevron print peasant dress from Lolly Wolly Doodle.
Artistic Expressions in Prattville, Ala., was the site of our party. We visit Artistic Expressions each year to paint Easter eggs, so this is one of our favorite family spots.
My babies are growing up, y'all! (Clockwise from top: Carson, 13; Mary Ashley, 9; Emma, 7; and Christian, 11.)
One of the boys made an easel at camp, so I snagged it for our party decor. A stencil brush made the perfect accent for our Happy Birthday Emma sign.
Our little artists were eager to paint their masterpieces.
Most of the girls chose to paint a letter. You know we southern girls love our monograms.
My sister, Jennifer, designed the bottle labels above. Find more of her printable designs at The Polka Dot Party.
"What art offers is space -- a certain breathing room for the spirit." ~ John Updike
Emma's parties are always so much fun to plan because her vivacious personality allows me to explore a more whimsical side of creativity.
I made party necklaces for Mary Ashley and Emma. Look for more details in an upcoming post.
We kept snacks simple for our Sunday afternoon party. Look for photos in my next post.
Gumballs in Emma's favorite colors added color to decorative paint cans picked up last year from Michaels. I knew they would be useful someday!
"I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way -- things I had no words for." ~ Georgia O'Keeffe
Drawn to their watercolor polka dots and stripes, I picked up these napkins at Party City. I found the mini paintbrushes at Michaels.
I hope today's post has your creative juices flowing. Still to come, food, favors and more fun.
"Art is the colors and textures of your imagination." ~ Meghan, Los Cerros Middle School, 1999
