Our First Barn Party

Way back, after we saw and dreamed of MorWynd Farm, but before we ever offered to buy, settled upon, or lived in it, good friend Steph and I planned a huge barn party for our husbands' 30th birthdays.  Five of the men with whom we attended college and remain close friends turned 30 in the fall of 2013 (with the exception of one guy who will be 30 in February of '14).  Timeline review: we moved here in the fall of 2012.  In the spring of 2012, Steph and I got starry eyes and itchy glue guns, ready to turn our (yet to own) barn into a country-crafted-haven for square dancin', hay bale sittin', and bluegrass stompin'.  Oh the grand party we would have!  Hire a bluegrass band!  Hire a square dance caller!  Catering from the local BBQ joint! Build a stage!  Invite a celebrity! 
Then we moved to the farm and ran out of funds.
Nonetheless, we enlisted the wives of the other three men who were to turn 30, and with our combined funds, efforts, and imaginations, I think we threw a right fine party!
Some of my favorite parts:
Apple Dip Station
Photo Booth
Donut Contest
Apple Dessert Contest
Thrift Store Rescue Decorations

Two months later, I think I finally finished cleaning up from the party.  But it was worth it!

 Just about ready for our guests...

 Pendant banner made out of thrift store jeans and gingham shirts.

 Flowers, grasses, vines from around the farm, in tin cans, glass bottles, canning jars, and water pitchers.  You wouldn't believe how nice some of those bottles that you recycle look if you wash them, remove the labels, and stick some flowers in them!

 The crazy awesome barn cake my crazy awesome sister made for the guys.  Modeled after our barn, right down to the little green John Deere and the orange cats!

 Drink Station. 

 Wheelbarrows with ice and bottled sodas.  Tubs with mason jars filled with iced tea and lemonade.  

Complete with chalkboard directions: 

1) "Don't go far/ with your jar./ Be a dear,/ Leave it here."

2) "Yes take a drink and take a snack/ but please bring your bottle back."

 Painting spot.  Old door with nails for coloring pages.  Jean pockets nailed to the door holding paint brushes and paint sets.

 Apple dips: pumpkin, caramel peanut butter, chocolate peanut butter, and fluffy apple dip.  
Labels are small pictures made into chalkboards, sitting on forks bent into easels.

 Photos of the guys clothes-pinned to twine.  

Guess the baby game.

 Love the way this turned out!  We hung an old wooden ladder from the ceiling and used twine to hang lanterns and jars from the ladder.  

 Hay bale seating.

We had lawn games out all afternoon.  Scheduled events included a donut eating contest (donuts hung from strings to be eaten without using hands), photo booth photographer in session, apple dessert contest (birthday boys judge), and a photo-identification contest.

 Directional signs on chalkboards made from thrift store pictures, hung on an old wooden ladder.

Our birthday boys at the photo booth.  For the props on sticks, I used foam and sticks from the Wal-mart craft section.  I found a bunch of free templates online and chose my favorite mustaches, pipes, sunglasses, and beards!  The photo booth was a huge hit for the young and old alike!