My sister-in-law Beverly turned 60 this year, and I was honored to work with her husband Ray and our other sister-in-law Kathy to plan a surprise luncheon. Our inspiration was Melissa from Silly Bee’s Chickadee’s birthday bash for her mother. (View her terrific party here.)

We started with The TomKat Studio’s Bumble Bee printables, which set the tone for all our other choices. Toni from TomKat was so accommodating as our party details changed and she had to edit the invitation several times! At the last minute, I had to add a menu and signage and did my best to coordinate with their beautiful work.

Ray scouted our location at The Commons restaurant at the Stone Mountain Golf Club. It was lovely to let someone else prepare all the food and worry only about the dessert table and decorations.

For table settings, we used 12 x 12 scrapbook paper “placemats” in a variety of yellow, black and white patterns. The center of each table featured a yellow tin pail that I planted with a yellow Dahlia and embellished with two cupcake toppers.

On a table near the entrance, we provided a large basket for gifts, topped with yellow ribbon. On either side of the basket, we featured photos of Beverly from one month to age 18. We collected black and white frames from Hobby Lobby and Tuesday Morning.

The table also included a sign inviting guests to share “best wishes, advice, or a favorite memory with Beverly.” We provided The TomKat Studio’s blank labels for the notes.

Finally, the table (it was really big!) also offered guests small jars of honey to take home. Each jar was tied with ribbon (you can never have too much ribbon!) and one of The TomKat Studio’s thank you notes.

We hung the happy birthday banner above the dessert table. The Columbus (GA) Corner Bakery provided the cake; these are the best tasting cakes I’ve ever had. We rounded out the sweets with sixlets, lemonheads, and homemade brownie pops and lemon squares. Darling SIL Kathy found the bee that we used to hold forks at Cracker Barrel. Who would have guessed? To finish the table décor, we added a letter B and I affixed the party invitation to a 99-cent frame (since Beverly had never seen it).

But for all the yummy food, cute printables, and decorations, the best part of day was how surprised Beverly was, and how honored she felt by the tributes of her friends and family.

Vendor Credits

Printables: The TomKat Studio

Dessert Table Bumble Bee: Cracker Barrel

Letter B: Hobby Lobby

Frames: Hobby Lobby and Tuesday Morning

Scrapbook paper: Hobby Lobby and Michael’s

Ribbon: WalMart

Honey Jars: Michael’s

Cupcake wrappers: Michael’s

Yellow centerpiece pails: Target