My Turquoise Bag

Turning 30 is a big milestone in one’s life. I’m not one to get caught up on age, but I am one to use it as a cause for celebration.

The #tbt trend was the main inspiration for my party because I wanted to pay homage to my birth year, which, I must admit, is now considered retro.

Considering that I am also a fanatic of taking pictures and using Instagram filters, using the Polaroid was the element I played around with and used it as the design for my invitation.

The Polaroid essence ended up being the main decor element of my party. What better way to display 30 years of memorable times (and your awkward teenage years) than with a Polaroid-inspired photo gallery suspended by floating balloons. 

My guests loved looking through each picture as they reminisced on our memories and laughed at my 1996 grunge phase.

Here is how I created my own Polaroid photos:

• I printed 30 of my favourite pictures in a 4×4 glossy print
• Glued them on a big white bristle board
• Cut around the edges leaving enough space to create a white border, leaving more space at the top of the photo to punch a hole for the ribbons to hang them.
• I wrote a fun caption under each one.

Although this a relatively budget-friendly decor idea, the most expensive element was the helium for the balloons. It cost about $1.00 per balloon, so $30.00 just to get my balloons filled.

What #tbt isn’t complete without a little shout-out? Using a black bristle board and some chalk, I created my own “A Look Back at 1985” board.

And now for the fun part: the outfit. I wanted it to be feminine and playful, think flower crowns and ballerina skirt.

Yes, my top says “29ish“. But who’s counting?