Big changes are happening over here! We are moving to Auburn (a dream come true for us); I am turning 40; and my son is wrapping up his first decade. We wanted to have a little party with our friends to celebrate and embrace all that is happening right now. So we hosted an “Hasta La Vista Fiesta” to say goodbye to Atlanta, goodbye to my thirties, and goodbye to his first decade.
We wanted to keep it simple, so we had a table in the garden for a salsa bar and dessert. I had Minted print custom signs and banners for me from their Guapa designs. I just LOVE them, and I can reuse all the signage for our Cinco de Mayo parties each year!
I ordered custom cookies from Lacey of Guilty Confections. They were so yummy and SO BEAUTIFUL! Lacey created custom cookies in our colors…some for me with “Olé 40″ and some with “11” for my son. (The “11” cookies are pictured further down in the post.) These were the first to be eaten….definitely a hit at the party!
Grocery store flowers and a succulent arrangement from our local big box hardware store made the perfect centerpiece of fresh flowers. I bought a can of Mexican food I found in the Latin foods aisle at my local grocery store, and used the empty can as a floral container. So cute!
I served two different salsas (pico de gallo and cantelope salsa from Whole Foods) and homemade guacamole. My friends couldn’t get enough of my guac. I’ll share the recipe below…so easy to make and so yummy! I served chips in these awesome metal bowls from Coton Colors. Just love the pop of color it adds to our table.
My favorite DIY from the party were my cactus cookies! I ordered a cactus cookie cutter as well as these edible fondant succulents. Then I made the cookies and iced them using pre-packaged cookie icing from the grocery store and added the succulent to the icing before it dried. I was very proud of the way they turned out. I love it when they look great without a lot of effort. And the colors pop off my polka dot plate from Coton Colors. LOVE!
It’s always fun to have a signature drink so in keeping with my Mexican fiesta theme, I served Mexican Cowboys. I’ll share that recipe below too.
Since we are moving and this was partly a going away party, I had address cards printed by Minted for everyone to take. The cards had our new address, along with an open invitation to all our friends to join us on game weekends…it is a college town after all!
We started the party with sending out custom invitations from Andressa at Twinkle Twinkle Little Party. I just love the little pinata and the festive font! Definitely check out all of her awesome ideas!
One our favorite keepsakes from the night is our custom guestbook from the Guestbook Store. You have to check them out. They create personalized guest book pages that allow your guests to share their favorite memories of you, words of wisdom for the year ahead, a place to illustrate their photo and to sign their names. It has been so much fun to see how creative each of our guests were and how they really took their time in creating their pages. A lot of love went into the sentiments and memories they shared, and we will treasure them for many years to come.
For my son’s part of the party, we celebrated the end of his first decade with a custom photo banner from Minted. So precious to see photos of him through the years…he is really growing up fast! And of course we had to have a few cupcakes with our custom cookies from Lacey on top!
And every girl needs a little bling! So I had some with my Fabulous at 40 napkins printed in gold foil.
Each of our guests got to take home a small favor box filled with gumballs, lime lollipops & wax mustaches. A simple kraft box with a party flag sticker made a festive favor to give!
So however you plan to say goodbye to your thirties, I hope you are surrounded by love & laughter. Olé 40!
Amy’s Guacamole
Two avocados
1 package of guacamole seasonings
Tomatoes, diced
Cilantro
Red Onion, diced
Lime Juice
Salt & Pepper to taste
Follow the instructions on the seasoning packet to combine the avocados & seasonings. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Use as much or as little as you like. Let refrigerate overnight or at for a minimum of 1 hour. Enjoy!
Mexican Cowboys (Signature Drink)
Citrus Flavored Vodka
Lemonade
Ice
Fresh jalapeños
Lime Wedges for garnish
Place ice in your cup. Add 1 shot of citrus flavored vodka. Fill with lemonade and add 1-2 fresh jalapeño slices (be careful…the seeds are hot!) Garnish with a lime wedge and enjoy!
VENDOR CREDITS:
Styling & Photography: Amy of Amy’s Party Ideas | Fiesta Invitations: Twinkle Twinkle Little Party | Printed Paper Goods, Kraft Favor Boxes, Mint Glass Cake Stand: Minted | Chip Bowl, Salsa Bowls, Ruffled Plates, & Polka Dot Tray: Coton Colors | Custom Cookies: Guilty Confections by Lacey | Cactus Cookie Cutter: Kitchen Crafts | Edible Mini Succulents: Sugar and Stripes Co | Custom Guestbook: Guestbook Store | Fabulous at 40 Gold Foil Napkins: Swoozies | Gumballs, Lime Lollipops & Wax Mustaches: Oriental Trading Company
Lacey says
Amy!!! Everything looks ah-maz-ing! Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to make something for your celebration. Can’t wait to try your guac and Mexican cowboy recipes! They sound delish!
Amy says
Thank you Lacey! It was so fun meeting you and I can’t wait to work with you again!
Jordan says
Such a cute, colorful party! I am adoring those little cactus cookies. I think having little succulents and cacti as the floral pieces would’ve been a cute addition too. Thanks so much for sharing this!
Amy says
Thank you Jordan! I was actually originally inspired by cactus cookies with flowers on them. I completely agree! So cute…
Courtney @ Pizzazzerie says
Amy! AMAZING! Love those cup wrappers! Where did your aqua cutlery come from? I LOVE IT!
Amy says
Hey Courtney! You are too sweet! Your cup wrappers were perfect for our party!
The Aqua cutlery is from Glitterville and I picked them up at Swoozies. Swoon! I love them too. They come in Aqua, coral, and pink too.
Courtney @ Pizzazzerie says
Thanks, Amy! I love them! And this party is amazing! You’re my party girl crush 🙂