VIP at the Ellen Show

After my 1920s themed birthday party, I basked in the success of a joy-filled soirée and thought – what a monumental way to enter my 30s.  That was until one morning I yanked tissue paper out of a gift bag to find Ellen sweatpants accompanied by a note that read, “What better way to celebrate your 30th birthday than to get your dance party on…” With wide eyes I exclaimed, “Are we really going?!”  I could not believe it; I was going to the Ellen show!

The surprise

Back in January my sister decided, “Min is going to the Ellen show for her 30th birthday.” With a trip to California already in the works for my cousin’s wedding, the set up was perfect.  All that was needed were tickets to the show.  Valiantly, my sister wrote to Ellen telling her how much I loved her and how this would be the perfect 30th celebration.  But time ticked away with no response and called for a new approach.  My mom stepped in and reached out to her brother who lives in Los Angeles saying, “Help!  Do you happen to know anyone who could get us tickets for the Ellen show?”  And then the magic happened.  Praise God for a friend of a friend who works in the show business, three VIP tickets were secured with our names on them.

With flights purchased and everything arranged, (even the duration of the trip pre-determined by the Ellen show, much to my surprise) all that was left was to determine how they wanted to reveal the surprise and wait for the day to come...   

Opening presents at my family birthday dinner, I was given a note that said, “The celebration doesn’t stop! There’s more ahead to come, so hold on to your hat till then we’re going to have some fun.  So look around and you will find a note for every day. We love you, oh so very much, Hooray, it’s your 30th this May!”  A little confused and pleasantly surprised, I was sent off to find my first note.  Attached to a bottle of nail polish, the note alluded to a celebration that was to continue all the way to California, where we were headed later that week.  Not quite sure what that meant, I was flattered when each day from there on out I found a note accompanied by a sweet treat like candy, or my favorite, a gift certificate to Cranky Al's, the local donut shop.  I had no idea what was to come when we reached California. 

On the flight to Burbank I started to get nosey.  What was this mysterious celebration?  What were we doing?  When will I know?  And in the back of my mind I dreamed, what if we’re going to the Ellen show? Are we going to the Ellen show?!?  My poor sister, stuck next to me on the flight, was about to poke her eyes out as she feared the surprise was unraveling.  But with a little help from my mom, the fam successfully evaded the question and convinced me to simply wait.

Finally, the morning of the infamous celebration came, and then this happened…

Never did I ever think I would experience what it felt like to squeal the words, “I’M GOING TO THE ELLEN SHOW!!!!!” My incredible family pulled off an epic, dream-come-true surprise. 

Going to the show: the inside scoop

Once you have tickets, attending the Ellen show is an incredibly smooth process.  We were hardly there for 5 minutes after checking in and receiving a VIP pass, when we were whisked across the street to the studio.  Getting more and more animated with every inch closer, I could not contain my excitement.  Clearly… 

Entering the building, we made our way through metal detectors; which, if you watch Ellen regularly is the spot where Justin Bieber pranked some audience members.  (Unfortunately, I was not quite as lucky as those women.) After 20 minutes of giddy chatter, numerous selfies and loads of anxious excitement, doors were opened to reveal the Riff Raff room full of Ellen gear sold by Ari the intern.  We were escorted to the far end of the room to await invitation into the studio.  About 30 minutes later, the moment came and all the VIP pass holders made an organized, yet, hustled dash for the staircase leading to the studio.  Tense with anticipation, I was elated when we were directed to the 2nd row, a mere 10 feet from Twitch’s DJ booth. 

The exhilaration in the studio was electric.   As the “audience director guy” got us dancing, informed us of the air date, and demonstrated signals of when to amp up our applause, the energy swelled.  And then, without a moment’s warning, the stage doors opened and out twitched Twitch!  Being a fan of Twitch since his beginnings on So You Think You Can Dance, this alone was a milestone.  Dancing right past me up the aisle, I gaped in awe at his flawlessly timed, ticking perfection. 

Just as suddenly as Twitch hopped out, the audience director simply said, “… and here’s Ellen!!”  The anticipation in the room exploded into euphoric joy and pent up excitement spewed from my body.  Completely overwhelmed by the surprise and the fact that Ellen was about 15 feet in front of me, I couldn’t resist the tears that welled up in the corner of my eyes.  A little weak in the knees as I clapped and cheered my heart out, I fought the urge to reach out and hug Ellen as she danced right past me.  It was surreal. 

From there, the rest of the show was a blur.  Christina Aguilera, Bryce Dallas Howard and Kym Douglas were the guests for the day.  Commercial breaks were filled with music and dance battles as Ellen received direction from her production team and prepped for the next segment.   Per usual, she ran a smooth and joy-filled episode.  (And we won $150.00 courtesy of Sherwin Williams!)

My favorite part of the episode was a part that didn’t air.  Instead of rushing off after the taping wrapped, Ellen stopped to speak to us.  With her sweet, gentle spirit she thanked us for being there and commented on how great the energy was and how much she appreciated us knowing some had traveled from afar.  Her caring and generous personality is not just for show, it’s legit; and that’s why I love her so much.  Then, with a pump-worthy jam, Ellen and Twitch met in front of the stage doors and danced together.  Singing and grooving to the music with smiles on their faces, simultaneously they waved and exited the studio.

Re-living this day, I am still overwhelmed.  In John 10:10, Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”  This day was most definitely full; and I have my incredible family to thank.  Thank you SO much to my sweet sister for coming up with the idea and to my mom, dad, uncle, and husband for making it all happen.  The note was 100% right, “What better way to celebrate your 30th birthday than to get your dance party on…”

If you have the chance to celebrate, don’t hesitate.  There really is something to the practice of celebration. It’s an opportunity to experience an electric, euphoric, indescribably full kind of joy.  Plan something unbelievable and party your pants off. 

My 1920's Birthday Party

Birthdays have always been a time for celebration in my family.  Looking forward to my big 3-0 I knew that this year could be no less.  Known as an infamous milestone of transition into a new decade I decided I wanted to enter my 30’s with a fabulous bang.  And with that, my 1920s birthday party idea was born. 

Having dreamt of throwing a Gatsby party for years, ideas were flowing - I was ready and excited to make this a fabulous soirée.   I put quite a bit of thought and work into this (maybe a bit more than I’d like to admit) but it was so fun to channel my inner party planner and get creative.  Full of lots of glitter, diy décor, appetizers, a signature cocktail, photobooth, and of course a password to get in - everyone at the party had a BLAST.  So, without further ado, I’d like to share my party with you.

INvites

Knowing that I wanted the guest list to be a bit bigger since it was my big 30, but also small enough that I didn’t have to be in full on host mode, I landed on 30 guests and got to work on the invites. I found the perfect template and built my own custom invite via picmonkey.  I spent a few hours designing and was really excited with how they turned out.  I saved the images to my phone and sent them off to my guests via text.  Easiest, most convenient invite process. 

DÉCOR

Pinterest was my BFF for coming up with the décor (Check out my 1920s Birthday Party Pinterest board).  It was fun to get a little crafty and sparkle like a vampire covered in glitter for days.  With glitter champagne bottles, gold and black tassel garland, fun signs, a bar cart, and Gatsby-inspired florals created by Jane Kelly Floral, our home transformed into the swanky Larsen Speakeasy.  

diy tips:

For the glitter champagne bottles:
I used Krylon High Adhesive Spray, Gold glitter, and Mod Podge Acrylic Sealer.  Spraying the sealer to set the glitter is incredibly important unless you want glitter to fall off every time you move the bottles.

For the tassel garland:
The gold, off-white and black tissue paper, gold tape for around the top of the tassels, and the gold string were all found at Target.  The metallic gold tissue paper was a bit harder to hunt down, but I found it at Michaels. 

For the signs:
There are tons of free Gatsby-inspired fonts for you to download.  After my husband found this link, I downloaded a few fonts and started designing.  Printed on a few gold, glittery pieces of cardstock and popped into some frames I had at home, the signs worked out great. 

Food

Since this was a classy soirée my husband and I went with an appetizer spread of cheese and veggies, caprese skewers, Italian pasta salad, delicious Asian meatballs, and of course CAKE!  My brain was in full party-mode once the food was out, so all I have is a pic of the gorgeous and delicious cake made by my friend Kelli.

Cocktails

At the Larsen Speakeasy, we wanted the cocktails to be a highlight.  We landed on a mix of bourbon, gin, and vodka, as well as a plethora of craft beers.  We bought supplies for a few craft cocktails and decided to make a signature cocktail.  The Last Word, a tasty craft cocktail from prohibition times was perfect.  Upon arrival, each guest received The Last Word served in a mixture of vintage champagne coupe glasses from a local antique store.  It was a HUGE hit- they kept coming back for more.  This is a cocktail you’ll want to try.  
Hint: the recipe calls for Green Chartreuse which is $50.00 a bottle!! Skip that and opt for a slightly cheaper, but just as tasty option Dolin Genepy des Alpes. You'll save $20.00 and won't miss out on any flavor.  

ATTIRE

I was incredibly impressed with how everyone went all out for my party.  Everyone looked fantastic and from the sounds of it, had a great time putting together their outfits. I decided to go a little out of the box and found this gem on Amazon.  At 34.99, it didn’t break the bank, and added the glitz I needed as the birthday girl ;)

For the women: the easiest way to turn a standard little black dress into 1920s is to add a little fringe, a boa, some long black gloves, and of course a headband.  Throw on some pearls, some red lipstick and you’re set. 

For the men: suit up dudes!  Bow ties, suspenders, a mustache and a fedora make it simple to transform into a 1920s gentleman.  Or, go all gangster and throw in a tommy gun. 

Tip: To add a little motivation, I texted our guests a week before the party informing them there would be a prize for the best dressed male and female.  With the votes in towards the end of the party, the winners were chosen and awarded their prizes- mini champagne bottles.  

Need some inspiration? – google 1920s party attire, or check out our Photo Booth pics below!

PHOTOBOOTH

This was definitely the part I was most excited about and was probably the biggest hit of the party.  Who doesn’t love a good photobooth?  It brings an extra piece of fun to the party and gives guests an activity throughout the evening. 

After a lot of searching and reading reviews, I found this amazing backdrop on Amazon.  Thanks to good old Command hooks, I hung the backdrop in our entryway giving the photobooth a space all to itself.  With diy props like a mustache, top hat, lips, and glasses, (traced on my computer and glued on straws I purchased for the bar cart) mixed with some random costumes from Halloween, the selection was a great hodge podge.  With the option of using a selfie stick, or my Canon DSLR set up on a tripod with a remote, the tripod ended up being the way to go.  Lining it up the night before, and marking the spot with tape on the floor in case it got bumped (which it did) the tripod worked out great.  All it took was showing a few people how to use the remote, and the photobooth was in constant use for the entire evening. 

the details

If you’re throwing a 1920s party, the fun is in the details.  

Password

The morning of the party I finally revealed the password to my guests.  I texted them the following message,  “Dearest friends, the day has come for the soirée at the Larsen Speakeasy!!! And with it, it's time for the password.  Upon arrival at insert address, make your way up the driveway and find the backdoor. Ring the doorbell to announce your arrival and enter. Dust off those shoes and enter the kitchen. Head to the brown door and there, you'll find further instructions on how to use your password. The password is ZOZZLED.”

Once inside the kitchen, on the door was a sign that said “Knock 3 times, say the password, and wait…”  It was so fun to be inside the party, hear everyone hush as three knocks were heard and ZOZZLED was shouted through the closed door.  After hearing the 1920s slang word, the door was opened and the party began. 

Candy Cigarettes

Having loved Candy Cigarettes as a kid, I purchased a box from Amazon as my party favor.  It was too funny to watch people holding their cigarettes and smoking the night away.   I’d highly recommend these as an addition to your party.

The raid

Last but not least, the raid.  The whole purpose of a speakeasy was to drink during prohibition without the cops finding out.  So, to add an element of surprise for my guests I organized a raid.  My parents are the sweetest, most loving, and always up for fun, so I knew they would be the perfect ones for the job.  As soon as I presented the idea to my mom she was off on the hunt for the attire of a 1920s cop.  Once all the guests arrived and darkness fell, my parents shined flashlights in the windows and pounded on the door.  Quickly, I ran over to turn down the music, acted as scared as possible and said “Oh my gosh, QUIET!  The COPS are here!”  With a loud scuffle the cops bust in with flashlights and billy clubs and threatened to shut down the party.  The guests went wild.  Seeing the surprise on their faces as they recognized my parents was a hoot. 

looking back

This might be my longest blog post ever, but I'm so glad I had the chance to look back, document it and maybe help someone plan their very own 1920s party.  I thoroughly enjoyed saying farewell to my roaring twenties at the Larsen Speakeasy.  It was a lot of work, but the fun was in the details and I would do it all over again.  Watching my guests enjoy themselves and hearing remarks of how much fun they had at the party made it all worth it. 

God created us to enjoy the lives that He has given us.  He wants us to live them to the fullest, and soak up every minute.  So don’t let your birthday go uncelebrated.  Put in the work, plan that party, and dance your pants off.  You deserve it. 

Milwaukee Photo Scavenger Hunt

Just as I predicted in my March to-do list, this month has most definitely been crazy!!!! But this month, is particularly special in it's craziness because most of it is due to the celebration of my lovely sister (shown above) who turned 30 last weekend!  In honor of this milestone birthday, she decided to not be overwhelmed by the number but instead turn it into an awesome month in which she would accomplish a bucket list of 30 random items.  I have had the pleasure of accompanying her in checking off some of these items like, going to the Milwaukee Roller derby, having dinner with our relatives, and the latest and greatest adventure- a photo scavenger hunt!  My sister, Steph, has been wanting to do a photo scavenger hunt for YEARS, and so we decided this was the year to do it.  Excited to celebrate my sister in such a fun way, I went to work on planning the event.  

From finding the perfect spot to host the event- at our friend Robert Klemm's restaurant Industri Café, to invites, RSVPs, choosing appetizers to serve, and most importantly, creating the list for the hunt, everything went off without a hitch.  

With a quick meeting at Industri at 2:00, lists and rules were distributed and the teams were off and running.  For the next hour and half, 4 teams of 4 were scattered throughout the city gathering as many photos and videos from the list that they could manage before 4:00.  Walking like ducklings in a row, acting out an earthquake scene, taking a mustache selfie, and even making an attempt at a mechanical bull are just a few of the activities you may have seen had you spotted us out in Milwaukee that day.  Here's just a taste of the craziness and fun that went down last Saturday. 

Taking a nap on a bench or chairs & "I can't believe we all fit in here!"

Team selfie wearing mustaches & another "I can't believe we all fit in here!"

All four teams completing the  "jumping on a bridge" photo with at least 3 people in mid-air

In case you can't already tell from these images, let me tell you it was a BLAST.  Finishing as many items as possible and racing back to Industri by 4:00, we gathered for drinks, appetizers and a viewing of the results.  Many laughs were shared as we viewed each team's pictures and videos, and tallied the scores. It was so much fun to see what everyone came up with, and most importantly to see my sister thoroughly enjoying the celebration.  (Not to mention, it was in fact my team that pulled out the win!! woohoo!) 

If you've never done a photo scavenger hunt… I highly recommend it.  It was a great way to get out into our city, be a little crazy, and celebrate with friends.  

Want to plan one?  Here's a few recommendations:

• Set a time limit.  This keeps it from getting too long, anyone from getting bored, and brings the group back together.
• Make a list with both photos and videos.  The videos were pretty fun to watch.
• Mix in some location specific assignments.  It was fun to have a chance to be explore Milwaukee, and also run into the other teams at different points through the hunt.  (Note: We used cars for our hunt.  That way we had more flexibility to be all over the city.)
• View the photos/videos as a group!!!! What's the point of capturing the images if no one else will see them?? This was a highlight.

Need some more ideas?  Here's the list that I came up with.  It's a mix of ideas from my own head, as well as others that I found online.  If you happen to love it, feel free to use it!  Then tell me how it went, I'd love to hear about it.  

I am so glad that my sister put this item on her birthday bucket list - it was a highlight of my month, and an activity I look forward to planning again in the future. 

Thanks for tagging along- now go plan your own hunt!! 

xoxo