First Print from my Photo Booth!, originally uploaded by punquin.

Now that the charity event is behind me, it’s time for birthday party prep! I normally go in to the office Mon/Wed/Fri and work pretty late, but since my birthday was Monday and I have so much to do at home, I am going in Tues/Thurs this week.

I got started on one of my big pre-party projects – my photo booth! Using a tv tray, cardboard and lots of foam core board, I constructed a booth in our front room. Inside, you sit facing my laptop, where the built-in iSight cam links into the photo booth software, “Mugshot Machine”. It is hooked up to my mini photo printer, so when you push “Print”, your photo comes out through a slot in the back of the “booth”. I lucked out that the foam core board that was on sale matched my blue walls. I need to go get some wrapping paper tonight to cover the outside with. My test of painting it didn’t work well over all the packing tape. I have a sheer black curtain saved from a million years ago that I can hang on the door.

I have a lot of cleaning and laundry to get done before Saturday. I always use parties as motivation to clean our house from top to bottom. Well, not Danny’s desk. He gets mad if I clean that. I’ve started on the laundry. I need to wash all the sheets and towels, just in case anyone stays the night.

I still need to go to Costco and get a folding table – running out of time to do that. I need to make a grocery list as well. I plan on having snacks and baking vegan cupcakes. I need to decide if I should purchase a few more tracks on Rock Band before the party. I’m not sure how many people will be playing it, though. Is it worth it?

The folding table is going to be for my craft table. I know, I am silly for wanting a craft table at my party, but I am excited. I am hoping people actually get crafty! I was trying to think up a way to have all the craft supplies on-hand but not taking up the whole table. I turned around while thinking and was looking at our ironing board. I think that would work if I put it against the wall and covered it with a table cloth (need to get another from the dollar store, then). That could hold all the paint-your-own bobble-head dogs, coloring jewelry boxes and extra paints.

Blah blah blah. I’m sure none of this is interesting to you all… But, I needed to think “out loud”. So… who’s coming to the party?!

Coloring Table Cloth, originally uploaded by punquin.

I just made my birthday party coloring table cloth for the craft table. I ended up getting a roll of thick, white wrapping paper. I stuck coloring sheets I’d printed on sticker paper on the back side of the wrapping paper roll (the front of the paper was too slippery for markers). Once it’s unrolled itself for a while, I’ll trim it up. Then, I’ll just need to get a plastic table cloth to go under it. It came out cute, and I ever traced a photo of Benny and I for one corner.

One of my two craft projects has arrived, and it is really cute! And, tomorrow, my vegan cupcake recipe book will arrive from Amazon and I’ll pick out my two cupcake and frosting recipes. I already know how I want to decorate one set.

Time to go read in bed, I think. I’m exhausted. One day I’ll catch up on sleep. Barely sleeping during our trip put me really behind in the rest department.