From the Ashes Rises a Phoenix Party

The Phoenix Party Hosts, Karen and Tom

      We had plans to meet Karen and Tom for dinner back in April.  The night before we received a call saying that they would still like to get together, but they'd like to get Chinese take out from Red Pepper and meet at the Residence Inn.  What did they have in mind?  It turned out that their garage had burned since we were last together and they were having to stay in the hotel until the smell left their home.  The take out was wonderful as we enjoyed one another's company in the hotel breakfast area.  

      All was going well when Tom announced that they had a proposal.  After thinking about their misfortune, they had decided to throw a party to celebrate the reconstruction and they wanted to hire me to come up with a theme and the decorations.  My mind started to drift to visions of flames and Atlanta burning in Gone WIth The Wind.  We were in the South (Kentucky), but I don't think that was what they had in mind.  I blurted out "the flight of the phoenix" and the four of us thought it was something to work with.  And so —we had a theme!

Phoenix Party Entrance

      I met with Tom about a month later to go over the design concept.  My proposal was to use Chinese silk kites in a phoenix shape along with paper lanterns.  They had been thinking of a caterer and had decided
on Mae Ploy Thai Cuisine in Highland Heights, so we were on the same track.  Background music would be provided by Que Dee Productions.  The hosts had a couple of requests in that they wanted to have a craft area for the kids, and a phoenix cut-out where guests could put their heads through and have their photos taken.  The colors I wanted to work with were gold, orange, and teal.  Now it was time to make some purchases.  

      I found 51" and 71" silk Phoenix kites at gzintlinc.com for $6.50 and $8.25 each.  An incredible price!  There was a $100 minimum order, which was not a problem.  I also found 41" black & white versions that could be colored with crayons or markers.  That was perfect for the kids' craft area at $21 for a dozen!  For the paper lanterns, I chose asianimportstore.com.  They offered a variety of sizes and I ordered 8" to 24" lanterns in our colors of gold, orange, and teal.  Prices were from 90¢ to $3.75 each.  

Kites Suspended from the Garage Ceiling

The Craft Area for Kids to Color Their Own Kites

Deck Area for Photo Opportunities and the DJs

Tent Area for Guests to Mingle

The Chef from Mae Ploy Thai Cuisine

The Chef's Carving Creations

      The only suggestion that I was not embracing was the photo cut-out.  As an alternative, I mentioned finding dress-up paraphernalia so that people and kids could all be in the same picture.  Karen and Tom were up for that, but still wanted a cartoon phoenix character as a background.  I decided to construct "Felix Phoenix" from poster board and foam core.  I added some dimension to him and he was a complete hit! 

Felix Phoenix Comes to Life!

Who knew that a bird would make a great theme for a party.  Good job Neil!