An Autumnal Take on Birthday Party Ideas

If you have a loved one with a autumn birthday, consider one of these three fun and festive birthday party ideas to celebrate!

Ladies’ Autumn Wine Tasting

One of the simplest birthday celebrations to coordinate is a wine tasting, or wine and cheese pairing. Appetizers, a little bubbly and conversation are the basics to catching up with girlfriends!

Putting together a tasting is easy, but certain elements are essential. To add some feminine details to this event I used a simple piece of fabric in fall colors as a table runner. I also incorporated a gorgeous autumn-colored bouquet from FTD. These flowers were the ideal decor for this gathering. If I wanted to set the tone from the moment the guests walked through the door, I might have added a wreath to the front door. This one is beautiful, and fitting for any fall occasion.  Find discount Anniversary Flowers at FTD! Go through this FTD flowers coupon and save up to 10% OFF! 

For the cheese tray, I used some of the treats from the Fresh Fruit and Cheese Box. Cheese trays don’t need to be complicated, especially if the event is only for a few ladies. Base the number of items and the quantities, on the number of guests.

A wine tasting like this one can be planned and assembled relatively quickly, especially when some of the crucial elements are delivered to your doorstep! Cheers to that!

Outdoor Family Game Night

Nothing says October quite like a campfire and roasting marshmallows! Crisp, cool autumn nights are ideal for gathering outdoors.

To assemble family-friendly games, choose ones that can work outside, as well as ones that will appeal to many ages. One tried-and-true game — bobbing for apples! Laugh at the wet faces and splashing, and warm up next to the campfire.

For the food, this party can be as simple as making s’mores over a fire! Enjoy roasting marshmallows. It’s fun for the kids and adults alike, and requires little advance prep work!

Decorations for this event can be a mix of rustic and outdoorsy paired with an elegant centerpiece. I used small hay bales, pumpkins, pinecones and acorns for the natural elements. The FTD bouquet was a beautiful addition to soften the rustic pieces.

This birthday party ideas is truly more about enjoying company, rather than stressing over the details. Gather some friends, roast a few marshmallows, play games and celebrate a loved one!

Kids’ Pumpkin Painting Party

Pumpkin painting is a fun, safe alternative to carving pumpkins, and is more appropriate for young children. For this birthday party theme, participants use paint brushes instead of any sharp equipment, and they can truly express their individual creativity.

The necessary items for this party: kid-friendly paint, small pumpkins and snacks. I purchased the plastic paint palettes from a local craft store.

The decor for this event is bright and partial to kids. To achieve this look, splatter several colors of paint on some inexpensive white fabric (or even butcher paper), then layer it with cute orange and white dot fabric. Keep in mind, you’ll want the table to be covered to protect it from messy little hands and stray paint!

I also incorporated the autumn-colored flower arrangement again, because every party should have flowers!

These kid-friendly finger foods are a mix of supermarket favorites and treats from the FTD gift box. Those bright-colored fruit snacks helped inspire this party theme! Another treat from FTD that would be ideal for this party would be these school-themed chocolate-covered oreos!

The kids will enjoy this activity, and the parents will love seeing their imaginations come to life. Don’t forget to take advantage of the photo op.

Fall is a lovely time to celebrate a birthday! Enjoy the company and the season.

10 Ways to Reuse Your Vases This Fall

Your boyfriend sent a bouquet to the office for your anniversary, you bought flowers specifically for your sunshiny kitchen windowsill, or you had a centerpiece delivered for a dinner party.

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After about a week, you’ve enjoyed the blooms but they’re past their prime. Toss the flowers but don’t toss the vase. Here are 10 ways to reuse, revamp and revise those containers.

1.   Desk Organizer

Your desk is cluttered with scissors, pens, pencils and paintbrushes. Clean it up by putting everything into the vase. Even if it’s littered with paper clips and thumbtacks, the contained chaos will also act as desk decor.

2. Kitchen Utensil Holder

Use a wide-mouth vase as a way to store your kitchen utensils. From spatulas to wooden spoons, whisks and ladles, your kitchen organization is getting a makeover. And your utensils will be easy to grab when you’re cooking.

3. Terrarium

Turn your vase into a terrarium. Fill the container about a third of the way with sand. Choose succulents from your local nursery or garden store. Succulents need very little water to survive, so they make great plants for those who don’t have a green thumb. Check out the Stephmodo blog for inspiration.

4. Coin Catcher

Coins just make your purse heavier to carry around. Create a home base for these loose coins and use the vase as a modern day piggy bank. If you have a lot of pennies, use the vaseful as a copper-colored decoration. It works great with an old-world look or muted color scheme. Check out this antique-feeling piece.

5. Collection Display

Marbles? Billiard balls? Seashells? Wine corks? Whatever your collect, put it in a vase. The vase acts as both a container and a pretty way to display, making your collection into a work of art.

6. Luminaries

Create luminaries with a vase and a tea light. Play with designs like lace, or wrap the jar with yarn and paint. These will give the vase a fresh face lift and you’ll want to debut them on your brick fireplace or front step.

7. Lanterns

Create a hanging lantern arrangement. To make a lantern, put an inch or two of sand at the bottom of the vases. Then, set the base of a candle into the sand. If the vase is larger, you might consider a cluster of three candles. Use wire or string wrapped around the bottleneck to hang it. Cluster different shapes and sizes together, and pair the lanterns with hanging wildflower bunches for a stunning display perfect for an outdoor wedding, party or dinner

8. Bookend

Load up the vase with pretty stones or marbles and use your new creation as a bookend. It’ll stand out on the bookshelf and hold your books upright in place. It’ll also add height to your current book arrangement.

9. Picture Frame

Mount a photo to colorful paper and place it inside the cylinder of a vase, hugging the inner edges against the back, with the photo facing the inside. The bend of the glass will give an interesting — almost fish-eye lens — perspective to the photograph and makes for a conversation piece among your family photo frames.

10. Vase 2.0

Go to town with Washi tape, available in different widths and patterns. Decorate vases for a holiday, or just to display on the living room shelf.

Think before you put away that vase. With so many ways to repurpose and reuse, we know you’ll find a project that fits your space best.

How to Preserve and Repurpose Flowers

Fresh flowers hold special memories. They remind you of the time you spent choosing your wedding flowers to create that perfect centerpiece. They take you back to prom when pinning on a boutonniere seemed like the most daunting task. They signify favorite holidays, exotic travel destinations, and people close to your heart. Because flowers are so sentimental, you always wish you could do something to make them last a little bit longer. Well, you can! Pressing and drying flowers is a great way to preserve them. If you’re not sure how, here’s a quick reminder on how to press and dry flowers.

1. Press Flowers With Books

The most basic way to press flowers is by using books. First, arrange your flowers on a white piece of paper, making sure that they don’t touch. Flowers that touch will stick together after pressing. Then, cover your flowers with another white sheet of paper and place them in a book. Stack more books on top for added weight, and wait two to four weeks for the flowers to press.

2. Press Flowers in the Microwave

If you want to speed up the pressing process, you can also press flowers in the microwave. To do this, cut out two pieces of cardboard. Place three paper towels on the first piece of cardboard and arrange your flowers. Cover the flowers with three more paper towels and the remaining piece of cardboard and rubber band the entire thing together. Microwave for one to two minutes and then let cool for fifteen minutes. Repeat this process until the flowers are pressed and dry.

3. Press Flowers with an Iron

You can also press flowers in about five minutes by using an iron. Place flowers in parchment paper, and place this parchment paper between two paper towels. Then, make sure your iron is free of water and set it to medium heat. Press flowers with iron for ten to fifteen seconds and then let up. Do this continually for about three minutes.

For more information on this process, check out this post on how to press flowers.

4. Air Dry Flowers

If you want to dry flowers instead of pressing them, air drying is the most common method. You should start drying your flowers right after they begin to open. Clean the stems of leaves and then rubber band flowers of the same species together. Each bundle should have about ten flowers. Hang them upside down for two to four weeks, and then they’re ready to use! To better preserve them, you can lightly mist them with hairspray.

5. Dry Flowers in the Microwave

Like with pressing, you can speed up the drying process by using a microwave. For this, you need a desiccant like silica gel or cat litter to absorb moisture. Add some of your desiccant to a microwave-safe bowl, then put your flowers in and add more desiccant until they are covered. Heat in microwave for two minutes and check. If the flowers are not dry, heat in one minute intervals until they are completely dry.

After you’ve preserved flowers, what do you do with them? We’ve put together a visual to show you the variety of ways that pressed and dried flowers can be used to freshen up your beauty routine and decorate your home. Whether you want to maintain the shape of the flowers to create a lasting piece of art or bring out their scent in bath bombs or potpourri, the possibilities are endless. Plus, most of these suggestions are fast, easy, and perfect if your friends are the type that appreciate thoughtful homemade gifts.

Now that you know all of the things that you can do with flowers, maybe you’re next time you’ll get a mixed bouquet with blooms that are good for pressing and drying. Remember, flat flowers like violets, pansies, and geraniums can be pressed best, while more robust flowers like roses are best dried. Today's top FTD Flowers coupon code: 20% Off Your Order. Get 45 FTD Flowers coupon codes and coupons for 2016.

If you’re not the crafty type, don’t worry, there are other ways that you can repurpose bouquets, like donating them! From Flower Angels USA to Random Acts of Flowers, there are programs all across the country that facilitate flower donations to brighten hospital rooms and cheer up patients, and many will even come and pick them up from your doorstep.

Hauntingly Beautiful Halloween Inspiration

Need inspiration for Halloween?  Check out our Pinterest board for Halloween inspiration in decorating, pumpkin carvings, and so much more!

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Need more Halloween Ideas? Shop our Hauntingly Beautiful Halloween Collection only at FTD! Also, check out our blog post on 3 Halloween Party Ideas for a Chilling Good Time. See all FTD coupon codes, free shipping coupons, and promo code discounts on flowers, gifts and more