The 2020 school year has officially started for us and since it’s Ella’s first year in elementary school and Jack’s first year in preschool (RIP my soul), I wanted to do a big send off. So our back to school brunch was born!
The inspiration for this party came from an unexpected place: I was cleaning out my closet and found a shirt with a lemonade patch on the pocket. I remembered I had just gotten Ella a cute lemon dress and thought it would be fun to get a picture together in those outfits with the Instagram caption, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” Yes, that’s really how my mind works.
This planned Instagram post and imagined picture became the very fitting inspiration for this party:
2020 has definitely been a lemon of a year and we’ve been trying to make the best of it. And for me, parties and curated childhood memories are the sweetest lemonade there is.
We kept the party in the living room and I had three areas to decorate: the mantle, the lemonade stand, and the coffee table (where we’d eat). I started with the lemonade stand. I searched through my favorite small shops to see what lemon-themed items they had. I was lucky to find a lot of lemon plates and knew that what I didn’t use for the actual food would make for great decor.
A lucky trip to Target’s dollar spot provided fake lemons and branches.
For the mantle, I just used decor and party supplies I already had- jars, flowers, and banners that could round out the party and complete the bright color scheme.
The final touch was one of my favorite last minute DIYs- the lemon balloons.
I kept the table setting simple as well, using the left over plates and lemon balloons on a paper table runner. I sprinkled glitter over everything to add some sparkle.
Of course, the main food station was the lemonade stand and the focal point of the party.
I had this picture in my mind of pitchers with pom balls and leaf labels and what is more rewarding than an idea coming to life?!
The ombre lemonades with their respective poms were my favorite details of the party. So I took pictures from every angle!
I added other fruits to the table that the kids could put in their drinks (or just gobble up, which is what they did).
This party really was a last minute thing so I wanted to keep the food easy. To celebrate our wedding anniversary recently, Matthew and I made a fancy charcuterie board and I thought it would be fun to recreate that with kid snacks you’d find in typical school lunch boxes. It was a hit!
To make it extra special, I made frozen yogurt bites in the shape of lemons.
This party came together very quickly and it came completely from my mama heart. I wanted to commemorate this moment and to celebrate the hard decisions we had to make surrounding the kids’ schooling. I can’t control much but with a little creativity and a lot of scotch tape, I can curate to my heart’s content!
xo
eb