RS birthday celebration 2013

Our annual Relief Society birthday celebration was last week and I would chock it up as a great success. Our theme was "Small and Simple Things."

I have to admit, this are my favorite invitation I've created to date. I feel like I'm coming into my own style and loving it. :)

I've always been one to take a great idea and tweak it to fit my needs or make it my own. I've realized that's not the case with everyone. So many of you contact me wanting to recreate what we've done for our Relief Society meetings, and I think that's great! I'm flattered, actually. So from now on, I'll share as much as I can. :)

Our decor was super simple. We've had a very, very long winter here in Utah, so we wanted something that shouted spring. These balloon flowers are bright, cheery and large enough to not get lost in a gigantic cultural hall. They're also easy to make. I love the colors Tracy chose--pink, orange, and teal. We strung them across the cultural hall on fishing line. (Note: Tracy used 9" balloons since they were the only ones available. If we had to do it over, we would have blown up the flower centers a little larger to hide the tied together mess better.)

We ended up getting triple duty from the balloons. My friend Crystal, told me her daughter Abby was having a birthday party two days after the social, and that the balloons were the same colors as the invite and decorations. I told her to take them when we were done. She was thrilled. Crystal then took them to Tracy's home, who used them for her daughter's party the next day. Love it!

The streamers were cool too. Tracy made them from plastic table cloths she cut it strips, then pulled on the edges to "ruffle" them. The cost of decor for the night ended up being minimal.

I had these lanterns from Patrick and Ashlee's wedding last year. They lined the walkway to the reception center. I just added a simple pink sheer ribbon bow and set them in the center of the tables.

I asked Erin Winters to create some chalk art for us. It was the perfect finishing touch to our decor. She chose the perfect quote and scripture for our theme. 

Here's the quote she used:

"There is a beauty and clarity that comes from simplicity that we sometimes do not appreciate in our thirst for intricate solutions." -Dieter F. Uchtdorf

I love it.

And I love President Uchtdorf. Seriously, who doesn't? My daughter-in-law Ashlee, is a fantastic hair stylist. (I'm not just saying that because we're related. ;)) She told me the first time she met President Uchtdorf, she kept thinking, "He has the greatest hair!" So the first time Lynn went to Ashlee to get his hair done cut (sorry, hon), he told her, "I want President Uchtdorf hair."

For our dinner, the presidency made these scrumptious ham and cheese poppy seed sliders. They were a hit. Marci bought rolls from a local bakery (Shirley's). Just a personal note, I'm not a fan of mayo, so if I were to make these for my family, I think they would be just as good if I left it off. What do you think?

For the rest of the meal, they had the sisters sign up to bring a favorite salad or dessert.

As we finished up dinner, Gail Tilley, our Stake RS President, gave a great message and led a discussion centering on our theme. She's hilarious and we all love her so much.

I chose this quote--one of my absolute favorites--to go along with our theme. I gave a 4x6 print to each of the sisters who attended the celebration as a little swag. Once again I have to give credit to Bobbi for this quote layout. I used her same quote for last year's RS celebration, after seeing it on Pinterest and tweaked it just a little to fit our theme. Now I'm using the layout again. Thanks again, Bobbi! (*Remember to have the auto enhance turned OFF when you print these or you will get a very funky color.)

We also included service in our celebration. Marci (our RS President), suggested care packages for the missionaries serving from our ward. We loved the idea. Because Patti has a missionary son out right now, I delegated that task to her to organize. 

Patti announced our project and sent out a list to all the sisters of suggestions for items we could include in the packages. We brought them the night of the celebration. Here's the list of suggestions:

• ties
• treats and/or snacks
• mints
• socks
• photos of Christ or the temple to give away
• CTR rings to give to kids
• stamps
• hair clips or ties
• written story of your conversion
• your written testimony

Anything else you'd add? We also added a copy of the David A. Bednar quote from the meeting. Patti also had note cards so we could jot a quick note of encouragement and love to those serving. 

And of course there was lots and lots for socializing, something we're all very good at. :)

We accomplished our goals--socialize, service, and bringing the spirit to our meeting. I'd love to have you share any details of your favorite RS meetings.

Resources:
Hello, cupcake invite psd. (find someone in your ward with Photoshop Elements and have them add your information.
Hello, cupcake invite jpg. (Use a different program to add your information.)
balloon flower tutorial
ruffled tablecloth streamers tutorial
ham and cheese poppy seed sliders recipe
David A. Bednar quote

Also shared at these fabulous blogs:
Whipperberry
Chic on a Shoestring