Our Carefree Housewarming Decor

As I mentioned last Friday while trying to convince you to give pavlova a try (did you do it???), we recently hosted a housewarming party so our friends could come by and see the nearly finished house. Our plan had been to host most of the party on our front porch and the back party alcove. We've been sprucing up those spaces this summer, so it was time to enjoy them! But then the weather got chilly. So we did spend quite a bit of time hanging out on the front porch and playing a few yard games. But, once the sun began to set, we all quickly headed indoors.

Funny how plans don't always turn out how you think. Or maybe it's just my luck? :) Honestly though, if you find yourself surrounded by good friends, it's hard to complain.

We kept the decor pretty simple. We bought some balloons for the front entrance. I love balloons at a party because they can quickly signal to guests which house they are looking for. Have you ever almost walked into a house the first time you are going over to a friend's for a party, only to realize it's not the right house!? No, just me? Ok, well, it happens, guys. And balloons can totally solve this unless the whole neighborhood is having a party. Also you can send the balloons home with any little party guests at the end of the evening. :)

Parties are also the perfect excuse to buy yourself some fresh flowers. Do it. You know you want to.

Laura created that cute paper garland you see hanging up around the porch. She cut circles from paper in our party colors, and then sewed them together. Once the party was over, we took the garland indoors, and I'm pretty sure it's going to last for quite some time as long as we don't get it wet or let it fade in the sun. Easy, inexpensive, and cute—go, Laura!

Honestly, the reason I don't think we felt like we needed to go overboard with the temporary party decorations is because we've been sprucing up these spaces all summer. We added the swing, herb table, railing, house number, and bench on the front porch. Laura made tons of our outdoor friendly pillows. And Elsie created those colorful felt pillows (on the swing). Most of these updates were relatively inexpensive although certainly more costly than paper garland. But now these spaces feel like they are ready for guests to enjoy at almost any moment (provided we keep things picked up and clean). And that makes it a worthwhile investment. I mean, I don't know about you, but I'd rather spend some money on items I'm going to use again and again or that spruce up my space for years to come rather than spending tons of money on temporary decorations. Just my two cents. But what do you think?

Thanks for letting me share a little about our housewarming party. If you have any tips or housewarming party stories you'd like to share, let us know. xo. Emma

Credits // Author: Emma Chapman, Photography: Janae Hardy. Photos edited using A Beautiful Mess actions.