the gathering

My name is Courtney, and I'm an event planner. This page is the gathering of all that makes up the planning, decorating, and finishing touches of many of my events.

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"NOEL" Christmas display

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My grandmother turned 80 this month, so my family and I invited her friends to celebrate the occasion with us with a drop-in birthday party. She was overjoyed with the final result. The venue wasn't the prettiest at the start, but we turned it into an elegant party space before it was all said and done. This is a garage-turned-poolhouse with a concrete floor and paneling walls along with two refrigerators and a billiard table to work around. It turned into a nice southern-themed party that fit my grandma to a "T." Using burlap accents, cross cuts of trees, rustic lanterns, mason jars, fresh flowers, and sprigs of cotton, the decor fit the building and the theme nicely and camoflauged the pool table as a buffet. We served homemade pies, cakes, and other snacks along with punch and fruit tea to keep with the theme. It was a great party with easy clean up!

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"BOO" Halloween Door Hanger

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The girls in my family have a gift-giving tradition of fun items that can be a bit of an eyesore. We took it up a notch with the addition of passing around our Molly, a porcelain leopard dog bank. We pass it around to one another adding spare change and loose bills until it’s full. At that point, the person who has Molly must pass her on one last time. Her new keeper then opens the bank and gets to keep the money. Then, she starts the process again. The one catch, though, is that Molly must be openly displayed in each home for visitors to easily see. It’s become a fun gift that everyone loves to give and receive.

Often, we try to plan the giving of Molly when she is full to someone in the family who could use the spare change at that point (maybe to help with paying the bills or to send someone on an impromptu shopping spree). It also helps the gift-giver to be able to give an inexpensive gift once in a while. It’s fun, inexpensive, and a conversation piece in each of our homes.

I encourage anyone looking for fun amongst family or friends to try this gift!

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Party decor

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Summer fun for parties!

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Bathroom Makeover

My guest bath was just too dull and boring, so I gave it a makeover. Here’s a fun color combo of yellows, orange, turquoise, and other brights that make this an inviting place for guests to freshen up. I’ve added a tray full of goodies, including hairspray, lip balm, face wash, lotion, and wash cloths. This puts the countertop to practical use while keeping it organized. It also keeps guests from snooping through your bathroom to find what they need.

Another of my favorite touches here is the lamp and picture combo. A tip for single gals like me who love picture frames but don’t have kids to display for the world to see, try framing pictures of places you’ve been. This is a picture of Westminster Abbey from one of my favorite vacations to London. I can still have pretty frames filled with photos people enjoy to see, even without having kiddos of my own to display pics of everywhere in my home. Viola!

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Western baby shower

Save some money by doing it yourself! This cake, arrangement, and tablescape is completely DIY.

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Lights

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This fireplace is decorated with a festive mixture of silver and white.

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New Christmas decorations for my living room armoire.

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Make something ordinary into something fun!

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Extra flowers from Christmas decorating makes a nice centerpiece for my kitchen!

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True art is characterized by an irresistible urge in the creative artist.

Albert Einstein

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DECK THE WALLS! Get in the Christmas spirit by sprucing up your home with an inexpensive little project like wrapping the pictures you already having hanging on your walls. Here's my favorite for this holiday season, a set a canvases over my couch. It's so easy and doesn't take much time! Materials: Frames, canvases, or other artwork already on your walls Wrapping paper (preferably with grid lines) Tape Scissors Ribbon (or not) Floor space

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No Sew Ruffle Christmas Tree Skirt See step by step instructions in each photo caption. Total cost $10 Materials: Fabric Hot glue gun and sticks (I used about 7 mini sticks) Paper plate or other base (optional) Scissors You'll need 1-1.5 total yards of fabric for a small skirt like this. I used 1/2 yard of black and red and 1/4 yard striped cotton fabric. You will need 2-3 times more for a large skirt. You can use something similar and hem or fray the edges like I did. Or you can use a fabric that doesn't unravel. Also, I used a paper plate for stability, but you could use cardboard or a piece of scrap fabric. You don't have to have a base at all, but it will take more time and more hot glue.

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Snowman Themed Christmas Tree This 3' snowman themed Christmas tree cost $70 with Hobby Lobby materials marked at half price. The DIY tree skirt was an additional $10 in materials. See the tree skirt post for info on how to make your own. Step by step instructions to make this tree are included in each photo caption.