Saturday, June 14, 2014

A Spa-aaah Party


After booking a couple massage therapists to come to our school for Teacher Appreciation Week, I got the idea of having a Spa theme as my monthly dinner.  This school year has been a stressful one for me, and with all of the end of the year activities and banquets, I am still super busy.  I wanted just one night to relax (after all the planning and prep of course), so I decided on a Spa-aaah party.


Invite: My original plan was to scrapbook masks with the party details on the back, but since I was short on time, I created this mask-inspired invite on PhotoShop instead.


Entry Decor:  I wanted to keep the relaxing mood throughout the decor, so I stayed simple on the entry.  I made the entry sign on foam board and cut the letters on my Cricut machine.  The rocks I bought at the Dollar Tree (it took me a little less than 2 bags to do this).  I simply glued the rocks on with hot glue.  


Table Decor:  I used a light green tablecloth and placed the $5 Target mirror from my bedroom along the center of the table.  Then I added more Dollar Tree rocks and white candles on top of the mirror.  Simple, but it really set the mood.

Here's another photo of the entire table...



As place cards, I made these super easy figures of each of my guests.  I found a photo of a girl with a spa towel on her head and a different girl with arms.  Then I just used PhotoShop to combine them and add in my guest's face.  The robe is made using 4 makeup remover cotton rounds and two emery boards.



Besides wine, I served water with cucumber slices.  I also used lemon and cucumber slices as wine charms.  I have two of each etched design, so this was all I needed to distinguish them.


Relaxation:  One thing I splurged on for this party was hiring a massage therapist from Massage Envy to come.  She gave 10 minute chair massages to each guest, and they were amazing!!  All the girls are already asking to repeat this at every monthly dinner!


Another relaxation station was facial masks. I was originally planning to make my own masks (there are plenty of recipes on the internet), but I thought it would be more cost effective and less waste to just purchase Freeman masks. I did set out cold cucumbers for guests to place on their eyelids.  Tip:  They work best if they are super cold, so I recommend putting them over ice.


We also did foot soaks.  I bought the white bins and towels for each guest at Dollar Tree.  The rose petals I pulled from my garden.  I set out Epson salts for guests to spoon into each bath.


The jars of Eucalyptus sugar scrub were the favor for guests to take home at the end of the evening. It was very simple to make. I used a recipe found on Pinterest. The jars I bought at Michaels.


Menu:  My favorite part of the menu was the Avocado Face Mask appetizer.  It was not only so cute and fun, but it was also delicious!!  Here is the recipe I used:

2 (8 ounce) blocks cream cheese, softened
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1-2 tablespoons taco seasoning
(season it to your taste)
1 fresh mozzarella cheese roll
1/2 cup guacamole
2 slices cucumber
1 roasted red pepper
In a bowl, combine cream cheese, cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese and taco seasoning. Stir well to combine.  Mold the mixture into the shape of a face. (I did this freehand, but the recipe I had said they purchased a face mask from Michaels.)  Slice the mozzarella cheese roll and lay it along the forehead to create the towel.  Spread guacamole over the face. Try to spread the guacamole in an oval over the face, leaving some of the pale orange cheese ball showing.  Cut cucumber and place on the eyes.  Cut lips out of roasted red pepper and place on face.  Serve with crackers.

Whenever I go to a spa I also crave a sandwich and salad, so that's what I decided to serve as my main course.  The salad was a BBQ Ranch Spa-licious Salad which included corn, black beans, tomato, avocado, cheese, and tortilla strips.


The sandwich was a Caprese sandwich served on focaccia bread. It was a grilled chicken breast, mozzarella cheese, and tomato with a pesto spread. Yum!


For dessert, I made a mud pie.  I designed a spa mask on top and called it a Mud Mask Pie.


Favor:  I made the sugar scrub as the favor, but I also made these cute spa "treat"ments for guests to take home.  The polish bottles are marshmallows rolled in melted candy chocolate with a tootsie roll on top.  I used a cut toothpick to hold them in place.  The files are just wafer cookies.

As usual, if you would like any of the templates for this party, just comment on this post.  I would be happy to email them to you!