How to Host a Spa Slumber Party

When the Professor's daughter asked if I would host a spa slumber party for her 8th birthday party, I was happy to oblige. I have a tendency to over-plan, over-spend and generally over-do things like this, but this time I decided I was going to exercise restraint and try to make it fabulous on the cheap.

In searching through Pinterest, I was surprised at how few parties like this were pinned. Most of what I found online was geared towards hiring someone who brings everything in for you and costs upwards of $500-$600 for the party OR the most basic info like how to create a label template for making your own bubble bath or something.

In the end, I just decided to do it all myself and I'm very pleased with how it turned out. Originally, we planned on have four girls including the birthday girl. We wanted it to be manageable and modest. I figured with such a small number of girls, I could really go all-out and still not spend a fortune. And I succeeded!

To start, I knew each girl needed a spa robe, so with my 40% off coupon, I headed off to Joann Fabrics. Unfortunately, there wasn't any terry-cloth, but I made do with some bright pink fleece. I made these simple robes using a one-cut method. In other words, I cut the entire robe in one piece and then simply sewed up the sideseams to finish it off. I got a little fancy by adding the loops on the side for the waist ties, but other than that, I kept it very simple. In total, these robes cost $35.97 in fabric and an hour of my time. Literally- it took one hour to cut and sew all four of them- that's how simple they are.

Once the robes were completed, I was able to focus on creating their spa bags. The way I saw it, each girl needed a spa bag of items that she would use at the party that was separate from her spa goodie bag, which was her take-home party favor. 

The spa bag included a robe, a pair of flip flops, a sleep mask, a stretchy headband and a small towel. Believe it or not, everything I needed, I found at the DOLLAR STORE!!! And the best part was that everything except the towel was the same shade of bubble gum pink that I used to make the robes!

As each girl arrived, she was given her spa bag (that had her name written on it). We started with mani/pedis, but before their nails were painted, they were given some creativity with decorating their flip flops. Ribbons, glittery stick-ons, and more ribbons were in abundance. The girls' creativity came out in spades and they each ended up with some seriously fabulous flip flops:

After mani/pedi time, we took a break to eat dinner and have cup cakes. Not long after that, it was time to change into swimsuits and spa robes. They used their pink headbands to hold back their hair so I could smear a strawberry-scented mud mask (that I brought from home) on their faces. Cucumbers covered their eyes for the few, brief moments of "relaxing." Finally, they all hopped into the Professor's jacuzzi tub complete with bubble bath and, of course, a chance to wash the mud off their faces. They loved every minute of it and I think they all felt very pampered. It was fun for me to plan as well. 

I mentioned their spa party favor goodie bags, so I have to show those as well, or at least what went into them: 

What's pictured above isn't a complete photo, but you get the idea. The flip flops, sleep masks and head towels (at the bottom of the photo) all went into their spa bags. The rest was in their party favor goodie bag and it included: 

A manicure set

A pink glitter nail file

A bottle of pink glitter nail polish

A bottle of scented hand lotion

A tube of cherry lip gloss

A pink hair clip

A pink loofah

A mini-bottle of nail polish remover

Most of what I purchased came from the Dollar Tree, but a few things were purchased at Sally Beauty Supply from the clearance section. I also threw some candy and glow-in-the-dark rings and bracelets in there as well, but I didn't take a picture of them. Grand total for all the bags and their contents was about $48, so that combined with the cost of making the robes came to a total of $83.97 or around $21 for each girl. Not too shabby, if you ask me! I think I got a lot of bang for my buck since each girl went home with a boatload of goodies including her own spa robe!

I know that as the Professor's daughter gets older, there will be even more spa-parties and hopefully actual trips to the spa in our future! And fortunately I know how to make spa robes on the cheap! 

Have a great day, everyone and thanks for reading! 

More About the Professor and Me

Are you sick of hearing about me and the Professor yet? I know it's totally vomit-inducing at times. I have a few friends who want to barf all the time over the romantic things he and I do for each other. I am not typically a very cheesy person, but I have my moments of weakness, just like anyone else. 

This was one: 

How cute is that? I ordered it from Rar Rar Press on Etsy- the artist will stamp the postcard wherever you like! 

OK, enough about that, I want to tell you about a "dress" I saw while strolling through Copley with my BFF Beth back in September. I snapped the photo and then promptly forgot all about it:

What you are looking at is a photo of a dress made out of tree bark. How cool is that? There was a display in the mall at Copley with designs by students from one of the local fashion schools. As a blogging failure, you can understand why I didn't make sure to get any information about the school or this particular designer. I'm working on being better, I swear. 

Anyway, it was quite obviously the "unconventional materials challenge" from Project Runway, as there were dresses made of recycled water bottle labels, paper clips, and all sort of other random items. This dress was the clear stunner, though. It just looks so impressive and you have to give the designer credit for making something that actually looks wearable (whether it actually is or not). I think it's completely amazing- it's edgy, it's innovative, and it's tailored BARK! That's just incredible. 

So what do you think of it? I can't imagine someone ever wearing it, but who cares! This is the kind of piece that is truly art, not just fashion. Well done, nameless designer. You rocked that challenge! 

Traveling Style

As you know, this weekend I'm in North Carolina visiting the Professor. I keep coming back to the feeling of amazement that we've been doing this long-distance-dating thing for over a year now! It really flew by! The whole situation has me reflecting on the first time I flew down there to meet face-to-face. I was careful to put together three perfect outfits for the trip- one for our romantic first dinner date, one for a casual day hanging out and one "airport" or "traveling" outfit. For the "airport" outfit I wanted something comfortable as I was going to be traveling for several hours that day, but I also wanted something pretty, feminine and that showed my personal style. This was going to be the first time he saw me in person, so I needed it to be just right. I wanted casual, but eye-catching, and of course effortless- I didn't want to look like I was trying too hard, of course. (Oh, the silly games we play.) I put together an outfit that ended up being perfect.

Travel Outfit by rtboo featuring a denim jacket

The picture above isn't the exact outfit I wore, but it has all the essential elements. I chose a casual, jersey dress, but the color was key- it was a rich shade of red that was perfect as my "eye-catching" element. What better color for romance than red, right? I wanted to keep the look casual, so I opted for my favorite denim jacket and then I kept the accessories simple- brown belt, tan boots and earrings.

The Professor was actually surprised when I said I was planning to change for dinner into something a little nicer. He's a mountain man who doesn't really dress up all that often. He's always been very supportive of my fashion obsession- an important quality in a boyfriend.

Do you remember the outfit you were wearing when you met your better half? Leave a comment and tell me all about it!

Jet Set Love

Tonight I'm flying out to North Carolina to visit the Professor- I can hardly believe we've been dating for over a year now. Last year on a Friday in the beginning of November, I flew down there to meet him for the first time. It was a quick, but awesome trip.

A little back story: While shopping with my gals from work one summer day, I found an amazing dress on sale at Ann Taylor. I tried it on and it fit like a glove. They convinced me to buy it, of course, but I insisted that this was a "date dress" and that if I bought it, we all had to commit to making sure I wore it on a date before the end of the year.

Fast forward to Labor Day weekend and again, I'm hanging out with the gals from work. We're out to brunch the Sunday of Labor Day weekend at the Friendly Toast in Portsmouth. At this point, I still have not worn "the date dress." Sadie and Juhree were trying to convince me to join match.com, and was flatly refusing. I'd done it before and hated it, I argued. Finally, Sadie said, "Renee, I'm a BRIDAL consultant. Do you know that at least once a week I ask a bride how she met her fiance and she says it was online?" I finally agreed to sign up again and the conversation moved on to what type of guy I'd be interested in dating. After listing a few qualities like sense-of-humor, kind-hearted, etc. maybe a teacher or someone with a similar background and education to me. At that point, Sadie practically shouted, "The Professor! That's his nickname! He has to be able to wear a bow tie. He's probably an English teacher at UNH or something. And that is what we'll call him. The Professor."

Well, the rest is history. I went home after brunch and re-activated my match.com account. I updated my profile a bit and within an hour, I had a message from him. He's an elementary school music teacher- the Professor. We chatted over match.com and email for about a week and then he asked for my number. We had our first phone date less than a week after we'd "met."

We continued to date via phone and email for about another week until he convinced me to get a webcam for my laptop so we could Skype. After about three weeks, we both admitted to turning off our match.com accounts and about a week later, we we talking about one of us flying to visit the other. I was nervous to fly 1,000 miles to meet someone from the internet, and I can still remember the butterflies and goosebumps I had in the days leading up to that trip.

The night before I flew down, he and I were texting back and forth about where we would be going for dinner on our first date. He suggested we go out for hot wings, since I'd mentioned my love for them on my match.com profile. I was horrified. I tried to let him know that in a gentle way, by saying that I wanted to feel at least a little "starry-eyed" on our first official date. (Also, I had "the date dress" that I just HAD to wear!) He took the hint and booked a reservation at a really nice restaurant in downtown Charlotte. I wish I'd taken more pictures from that trip- it was a whirlwind and it still gives me butterflies and goosebumps when I think about it. The Professor took one photo on his phone that night, but it was a good one- the view from the restaurant at dinner:

And yes, I wore the "date dress" to dinner. I guess if it weren't for my love of fashion, the Professor and I might never have met.

Hello, there...

Hey, friends. It's been a while. I have to admit that life has been pretty full, pretty busy for the past year or so. There have been lots of brides, lots of gowns, lots of flights and lots of fun. When I moved back to New Hampshire just over 2 years ago (can you believe it's been that long?!?!?!?!), I had no idea what direction my life would go, but I couldn't be happier with things as they are right now.

Here's a not-so-brief update:

Work: My job is still the most awesome job I've ever had. I still have the best co-workers and bosses on the planet. Brides are mostly pretty great to work with, although we will always have a few doozies each season. (Just remember, they'll eventually get married.) I even got to go on a buying trip to Chicago where I got to see all sorts of gorgeous (and some not-so-gorgeous) dresses and even help decide which ones we will be carrying in the store next season! As for the alterations department, we're still alive and kicking- we're a fierce bunch and it takes a lot to get us down!

This photo was taken directly below the center of the famous "Bean" in Chicago's Millenium Park. Can you find me? 

Relationship: Things are going really well with "The Professor." In fact, just last weekend, my amazing coworkers flew him up here as a surprise for me- JUST BECAUSE! There was no special occasion, they are simply amazing friends who wanted to do an amazing thing for me. I was truly humbled by the experience- it's one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me. It was amazing to see my adorable BF, who has officially been my BF for a year as of this Monday, November 5th. How crazy is that? I remember when we started dating, everyone was like, "Yes, he's perfect for you, but you need to find someone just like him who lives in NEW HAMPSHIRE!!!!" I admit, early in the dating process, before he and I had become exclusive, I went onto match.com in search of this elusive man- the one just like the Professor, but who lives up north. On match.com, when viewing a member's profile, there is an option to click a button and "view others like him." I clicked. Here's what I got:

Yup. Denied. And  I have to admit, match.com was right- the Professor is truly unique and truly perfect for me. We've had our ups and downs over the last few months and fighting via Skype is particularly difficult. Fortunately the ups far outweigh the downs and right now we're stronger and happier than ever. I'll be flying down to visit him a week from tonight, actually. Just for funsies, here's a photo of us and the Sailors from Labor Day weekend when he came up for a visit: 

Friends and Family: Since I last posted, McKenzie got married, so that's pretty exciting! She wore a stunning gown by Jenny Packham and I had the pleasure of making her veil (which blew right off her head the minute she stepped out to walk down the aisle. Oh, well. My good friend Jen was recently engaged and I plan to attend her wedding with the Professor. I had the pleasure of helping her find her wedding gown and I also made her veil for her. The wedding is in January and I haven't even begun to think about what I'll wear. My mom has been busy as ever with her adorable German Shepherd dogs and the shutzhund training she does with them. I've even grown to enjoy the pups and even miss them a little when they're gone.

Fashion: I admit that I haven't been blogging much partly because I've been in a strange and new place shopping-wise. I'm perfectly content with everything in my closet and I have no real need for anything. I have great clothes that fit well and are in good shape. I have far too many shoes, but I make a point of wearing them all whenever I can. I love all of my accessories and I really don't see a void anywhere. I'm sure at some point, this phase will end. For now, my bank account is enjoying the break. (It's not that much of a break when all my extra money goes toward airline tickets and rental cars, but whatevs.) I'm still surrounded by fashionable people, so there really is no excuse to blog a little more.

Sewing and knitting: I've been doing a little of both in the last few months. I made a fabulous dress that I wore to McKenzie's wedding in September and I've knit quite a few little projects over the last couple of months. Here are some photos:

This lovely set was intended for my BF's 7-year-old daughter Grace. I actually just put it in the mail with her Halloween goodie bag this past week.

I could hardly knit something for Grace and not make something equivalent for the Professor's 10-year-old son, Owen. These pieces were made using the Appalachian State University colors (the Professor's alma mater and the school Owen wants to attend someday.)

After knitting a cream-colored version of this scarf for Juhree last year, I thought about making one for myself in green. I finally got around to it about a year later. Better late than never, right?

Blogging: I actually HAVE been blogging, just not here. You all know how I've taken over the blog for Madeleine's Daughter and I've really enjoyed doing it. Here are some of my favorite posts:

November 26, 2011
December 29, 2011
February 14, 2012
April 28, 2012

Since the busy alterations season is coming to an end, I'll be getting back into my blogging groove at the store, so if wedding-related posts are your thing, you might want to follow that blog, too! The posts I enjoy writing the most are the "Meet Our Bride" ones. I love seeing the photos from our brides and hearing what they have to say about their experience at the store. It's a great feeling to be a part of such a special time in a person's life.

I'll leave you with a silly photo from "The Sailor's Garden Party" that happened this past spring. I wrote a little about my outfit, but never posted a picture. Here you go:

I hope this is the first of many blog posts to come. I recently became a MacBook Pro owner and I have a feeling that owning a laptop that's a pleasure and not a chore to use will inspire me to write more posts. Time will tell. In the meantime, let me know what you'd like me to write about! Leave a comment!