Continuing with my
theme of handmade celebrations, I would love to share with you a craft that I made to help decorate for my husband’s 40th surprise birthday party. It was a small celebration, with just a few friends gathering for pizza, beer and ping-pong. But I pulled off the surprise (both the party, and his gift: a ping-pong table- not so easy to hide, let me tell you!), which has to count for something!
![](https://staging.newengland.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/IMG_7925-e1316993875549.jpg)
When he walked in the house after work, all of our friends were waiting, and the dining room was decorated with party hats and balloons. But the very best decoration….?
![](https://staging.newengland.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/IMG_7923-e1316994550499.jpg)
Personalized place cards! Using pictures of my husband, I made up several of these to scatter across the table. There were adorable baby pictures, hilarious college photos, and a few current gems!
![](https://staging.newengland.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/IMG_7926-e1316994761353.jpg)
Not only were they great for the table top decor, but they also made for fun conversation pieces. Everyone got a kick out of seeing my husband through the different (and occasionally awkward) stages of his life.
![](https://staging.newengland.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/IMG_7919-e1316994081797.jpg)
If you would like to make personalized place cards for your next celebration, all you need is some card stock, a computer program that allows images and type (I just used Microsoft Word), and a printer. You also might need a scanner if you would like to use pictures that aren’t digital.
At the end of the night, a few friends asked to take home their favorite card- a little memento of a wonderful evening!