A Small House with Big Dreams

I wish you could see the room where I keep all of my party supplies. Well, actually I don't. It was once the crown jewel in the basement, my huge walk-in closet, carpeted and decked out with IKEA wire shelving that I kept exposed for easy access. Flash forward to today and my daughter now uses a part of that room, and shelving units with my party supplies take up the rest of the space.

On any given day my daughter could walk into the room and walk smack into "Captain Skinny" the life-sized skeleton I dress up as Jack Sparrow. (That's a step up from the mannequin I had from my e-Bay seller days. We were lucky if she was even dressed, most days. A long red wig, slightly askew on her bald head, did not count as "dressed.") Other obstacles now present might be a huge pink chest with dress-up clothes, some fairy wings, a karaoke machine, a Darth Vader cardboard cutout, a bag with face painting supplies, or a butterfly net (useful in both Rainforest and Castaway Challenge parties).

Yes, I think back on the days before I heaved a dozen or so boxes of supplies onto those shelves and wonder what I used to do with me weekends. Heck, what I used to do with evenings, before I stained treasure chest invitations, crafted thank you bookmarks, or filled "loot bags." By loot bags I mean "gift baskets" because these have been lovingly thought out and put together, each occasion a moment of wanting to do better than with the last batch and hoping the children will be entranced.

I do love the shopping that requires me to scout out items of quality for each theme, while at the same time maintaining a semblance of a budget. My team of helpers and I often exit a store with multiple bags with every combination and permutation of party supplies. Occasionally I'll go to a fair and while chainmail would be a rocking addition to any party, have you ever priced out chainmail? When something is out of my reach financially, as in it's a bad investment, I'll try to think of ways to create the item on my own. Like the cardboard castle. It took some help from those who better understood how to replicate stone walls using tape and paint, but I'm proud of the result. The acquisition of a new large piece means rethinking my storage options.

My dining room is often the staging area where photo shoots, crafting and assembly take place. The living room becomes the temporary storage facility the night before a party because I want to know before I go to sleep that everything is ready to go. The laundry room is where I recently installed more shelving to accommodate loot bag supplies and prizes.

I didn't think the house was big enough to accommodate five people and two dogs, let alone a home-based business. I was wrong. It's a small house, but it contains big dreams.