Throw a Book Party!

I thought I'd share this idea I had to create centerpieces using pictures or artwork. You could adapt this for any type of event: favorite artist, books, sports, personal photos, or just about anything! Here's how I made these using a few things I bought, a few computer tricks, and a few things borrowed from around the house.

I created mine for my book club meeting, and we'd just read the book The Art Forger by Barbara Shapiro which was about the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist, one of the biggest art thefts in history, still largely unsolved. So I wanted to pay tribute to the missing art and the dramatic Isabella!

Print out 2 copies of your images on card stock, sized about 3 x 2 inches

Trim your pictures using a paper cutter or scissors....

...one for the front, and one for the back so the centerpiece looks nice from all angles.

Flip one of the pictures upside down and apply strips of double stick tape to the top and bottom.

Get your floral wire ready...

Bend the wire in half gently.

Stick the wire's bent end onto the upside down picture allowing it to stick to the tape.

Sandwich the second photo on top and press where the tape is.

You'll have a whole bunch done in a jiffy once you get the hang of it.

I took some old crystal vases, mardi gras beads, and feather picks to glam up my centerpieces.

I used the beads in the bottom, anchored in my picture picks, and then fluffed it up with some feathers.

The table, with white linens and purple napkins.

When the party's over, all of the centerpiece parts can be reused in other ways.

 

Here are some variation ideas:
Kid's party: use plastic cups weighed down with sand, cartoons or kid's books, ribbon curl bows attached to wires to spill over the cup...
Wedding shower: pics of the couple, rings, cakes, etc, maybe sea glass or shells in the bottom of a vase, feathers or flowers to fill it out...
Garden party: little stones in a mason jar, greenery, seed packets or printed vintage seed packet art...

A Mysteriously Fun AHA Night!!

Here are a couple of pictures from my last event, on AHA Night on April 11, 2013 at the New Bedford Free Public Library sponsored by the Early Literacy Consortium. Thanks to Patrice T. for the photos!

I read my second Floyd book, Floyd and the Mysterious Night Time Noise, and the audience did a great job finding the mystery words in the story. The Early Literacy Consortium also gave away 4 copies of Night Noise to attendees, so I hope they love their books! We also made some artistic creations with Floyd coloring pages.

What a fun night-- and  I'll be back for the December 2013 AHA Night, reading Floyd and the Irresistible Cookie, so mark your calendars for Thursday, December 12!

AHA Night "Floyd" Reading - April 11!

Happy spring! Well, almost-- we still have snow on the ground here. But the daffodils and crocuses are still popping up, so it's right around the corner.

Looking for a fun springtime night out for the family? Come to AHA Night on April 11, 2013!

I'll be reading my Floyd books and there will be a related craft activity for kids at the New Bedford Free Public Library (main branch) after the Earth Day parade! Yes, there is a PARADE that night--a fun bonus!! So I expect the reading to start around 6:00 p.m. There will also be door prizes, gift bags while supplies last, and a Floyd & Friends Coloring Station! This event is sponsored by the Early Literacy Consortium.

A scene from a past Earth Day AHA Parade

This year's Earth Day AHA theme is "Sustainable SouthCoast". All AHA night events are free and there are many special events going on all over the downtown New Bedford area that evening.  Program flyers with maps are available the Tuesday prior to each event,  so I'll post more info when I have it.

If you've never been to an AHA night, they are held on the second Thursday every month and include lots of arts and cultural events, and every month has a special theme. Most of the events are family-friendly and there are activities especially for kids. AHA nights run from about 5 to 9 p.m., but there are some usually later-night events and restaurants open for the grown ups.

Hope to see you there on April 11!