35 Years of Adventure Party

This year my hubby turned 35.  We keep his parties pretty low key, at his request.  He is certainly the adventuresome type, though having a young family and a busy job have really limited his adventures lately.  He is also an avid fan of National Geographic.  I put these all together to make the theme for his birthday celebration. 

Here is the invite I sent out to let everyone know when to stop by.  I used my photoshop skills on this one, but there are websites out there where you can add your own photo to a magazine cover if you want to make your own. 

We kept the food simple- a doughnut tower for a "cake" and hot chocolate & wassail for drinks. 

I used neutrals with Nat. Geo Yellow to accent.  Thank heavens for scrapbook paper!  On the wood wall I hung paper with sticky tack, and the little banner across the table front is jute, clothespins, and squares of paper.  

The party was held in a partially finished basement, which gave quite a blank slate for a backdrop.  The rest of the decor also doubled as the party activity.  I found pictures of his adventures from when he was a little guy up to now.  I hadn't planned on how heavy 100+ pictures and clothespins could be.  I had to tack in little finishing nails to hold the jute I clipped them to.

 When our guests arrived they enjoyed their food while browsing the photos and keeping the Birthday Boy busy answering questions and telling stories about the pictures that caught their interest.  It was really fun!

I didn't want all the memories to leave him longing for the adventures of the past, so for his gift I made him up a set of adventure passes.  He can redeem these throughout the year for fun activities he wants to enjoy.