Backdrops: Amazing & Affordable!

I hope all of you were able to check out Grace's First Birthday post and I hope it brought a smile to your face! :) Well on today's "Nifty Nook" post I wanted to share how I created the backdrops for her party. I just LOVE backdrops!!! They seem to give parties that extra little something! :)

Now finding a perfect backdrop and then hanging it can be daunting especially when it's your first party! Fortunately I have lived to tell the tale, and am excited to share the easy answer with you!

First off, I cannot put enough emphasis on preparing in advance! :) Since I started shopping early I was able to get some GREAT deals! :) Try to get an early start if possible. :)

A lot of people use flat sheets for their party backdrops and I have seen them displayed beautifully, but goodness the contraptions they have to build to get them to hang seemed a little bulky and time consuming (especially if you are throwing the party in a rented facility). And the sheets can really get expensive! So that got me thinking outside of the box...

While my friend Lauren and I were walking around Target trying to find some reasonably priced sheets we stumbled upon some shower curtains that were on SALE! :) And that was the deal of the day for me!

Room Essentials @ Target

They (the Room Essentials Shower Curtains @ Target) are usually priced at 9.99 but since it was towards the end of the college dorm promo I got them a little cheaper.

Okay, so you are thinking awesome! What a perfect backdrop! But wait... It gets better! The curtains run 72" in width, perfect to match any 6 foot table! Which was an exact match for the tables we were using at the party! :)

Well, now that we have the "perfect" backdrop we need to be able to hang it easily and efficiently.

Since our backdrop moonlights also as a shower curtain, it has perfectly spaced holes at the top meant for hooks. We are going to take advantage of those, but instead of shower hooks we are going to use command hooks. Target sells quite a few hooks that coordinate with their shower curtains and they match perfectly (can it get any easier?!) :)

I found mine @ Target in Pink & Green, but other stores probably sell them also! :)

So now you have your backdrop & hooks, we are ready to Party! 

About 40 minutes before your shindig begins start hanging your command hooks, my husband for the most part eyeballed the spacing; but I would suggest using a tape measurer and a level unless you too are gifted spatially. :)

After hanging the hooks, you can start ironing out and lightly starching (for really tough wrinkles) the backdrops.

The hooks only need 30 minutes of dry time (if you are using 6 or more hooks per curtain) so you can begin hanging the curtains pretty soon after you iron them perfect! :)

The take down is super easy and they leave no trace or damage, and best of all... Everything is RE-usable! :)

I hope this post makes planning your next party a little easier and affordable! If it does, please tell me about it, I always LOVE feedback! :)