Create a Fiesta with Flair!

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Nothing screams fun like a Fiesta-themed party. Between the brightly colored decor, festive mariachi music and delicious Mexican faire…what’s not to like? Honestly, the guacamole alone is enough to count me in!
Especially living in Southern California, I’ve found myself using this theme in multiple variations for everything from work functions to school gatherings, birthdays and, of course, rapidly approaching Cinco de Mayo.
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Because of this, I’ve long since made some purchases that have served me well and are boxed, labeled & ready-to-go when needed. A couple basics that I own: 2 large serapes and a sombrero purchased on a trip to Mexico years ago. A smaller sombrero with pom poms that I honestly think was from one of my kids’ teddy bears. And multiple colored wooden maracas acquired along the way like these.
For this particular occasion, my dad was turning 85 and asked to keep the guest list small and the event “simple”. (Does he even know his daughter?! LOL…but I tried.) To honor his wishes, we kept it intimate and I reigned in some of the decor but added just enough touches to make it look put together and special. I mean come on…85!
Invites:
The guest list was kept so small I technically could have just reached out and called each of them. But instead I tried something new and used a digital phone invitation that was easily editable and sent via text. I used this one on Etsy, but there were lots of great options to choose from.
Decor:
After pulling out my “fiesta” labeled box, next up was looking at what else I had in my arsenal that I could use in a fresh way for the birthday bash. Reuse. Refresh. Repurpose. Yes. Yes. And yes!
I’m a huge proponent of using what we already have then just adding a few new items to make it look and feel fresh. I pulled out votive candles and coordinating lanterns I’d used for a Favorite Things party. I also had two “pom pom trees” (for lack of a better description) I’d made for another party that would work perfectly with the color scheme.
To add just a little extra flair, I ordered brightly colored Papel Picado Banners and Mexican Yarn Garland as well as an “85 Years Loved Banner” on Amazon. All the linens, serving dishes and baskets I already owned.
For an extra “pop” of color at each place setting, I got out the handy dandy glue gun and added a pom pom to bows I’d made of brightly colored ribbon (yep, I already had that, too). I used them as napkin rings and per my daddy’s wishes, kept it simple with paper napkins and plates.
**As a side note, it would have been a perfect time to use my red ceramic plates from the Dollar Tree. I’ve used them for Christmas, Valentine’s Day and the 4th of July, and pulling them out for the fiesta would have been perfect, too. LOVE getting multiple uses from one purchase!**
Flower
I sound like a broken record, but for my floral arrangements, I headed to my “go to” Trader Joe’s to see what they had in stock. (A local farmers market or grocery store are other great options.)
In keeping with the fiesta theme, I went for brightly colored flowers such as Gerber daisies and mums using ornamental St. John’s wort and Veronica for filler. [Be sure and check out my tutorial on how to take market flowers and make them into beautiful bouquets here!]
Besides bouquets for the dining table, I also like to have one for the food serving area. Also, an often overlooked location…don’t forget small vases with fresh flowers for the powder rooms. If there’s room on the counter without it being cluttered, I’d also add a votive candle and/or hand towels in “theme”. It’s those little touches that elevate your party!
A simple way to keep that fiesta feel going.
Flower:
I sound like a broken record, but for my floral arrangements, I headed to my “go to” Trader Joe’s to see what they had in stock. (A local farmers market or grocery store are other great options.)
In keeping with the fiesta theme, I went for brightly colored flowers such as Gerber daisies and mums using ornamental St. John’s wort and Veronica for filler. [Be sure and check out my tutorial on how to take market flowers and make them into beautiful bouquets here!]
Special/Personal Touches:
When I’m entertaining, I always try to make it spesh for the honoree. While I didn’t go too crazy (yes, I can go overboard), I definitely added some personal touches for the birthday boy.
My dad went to the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and while his career path went another direction, he still is quite talented…and a hidden talent to most. So, I pulled out one of his pieces I’d framed from his school portfolio and centered it above the fireplace as a huge “Ta da!” for all to see. In addition I added a couple of older photos to the mantel and hung some garland and the birthday sign.
Next I went through some old pictures of my dad over the years trying to include each of the attendees in the selected shots. I simply color copied them and pulled out my stash of small frames (like these from Michael’s) and scattered them around the tablescape.
Next I went through some old pictures of my dad over the years trying to include each of the attendees in the selected shots. I simply color copied them and pulled out my stash of small frames (like these from Michael’s) and scattered them around the tablescape.
Music:
And while mariachis would be fitting in most cases, the tuneage we played was all about my dad and his favorites: Neil Diamond, Carol King, Jim Croce and the like.
“Themed” Pre-Game Text:
The day of the party, I also wanted to send the guests a text letting them know we would be dining al fresco so they could dress accordingly. Being near the coast it can cool off in the evening. (Though I do always have plenty of cozy blankets at the ready should we need them.)
Instead of just sending a basic boring text, I instead used this fantastic E-greetings App called Poppynotes. You choose the theme, type in the text and push send. It’s that easy and look how adorable it turned out!
LOVED keeping with the theme and getting the guests excited about what was to come.
Beverage:
When it comes to drinks, variety is the name of the game. My dad doesn’t drink, so we had lots of non-alcoholic options for our guests. I do love that mocktails have become so popular now. Waaaay more beverage choices these days. For this go-around I had fresh brewed sun tea, sodas, flavored seltzers, lemonade and water.
For those wishing to partake, margaritas and brewskis were also available. Again, trying to keep things simple. But Mexican food and a yummy marg (another fav) just really go hand in hand, am I right!?
Food:
Food for a fiesta…That’s the best part! God bless ya if you can cook Mexican food that rivals that of a mom and pop Mexican restaurant. If not, dial up your favorite family-owned Mexican restaurant and let them do the cooking. Love to support the local biz plus…it’s easy AND delish!
Appetizers:
Chips, salsa and of course guacamole were set out for appetizers.
Dinner
For the main menu, I ordered chicken and cheese enchiladas, ground beef and chicken tacos with rice and beans aplenty. In addition, I made a large portion of my Mexican Caesar Salad which always seems to be a hit.
***I also made decorative food signs so no one is guessing as they cruise through the buffet. Another nice touch, always keeping your guests in mind.***
For some additional jeuging, I used brightly-colored fabric I already had in my stash to wrap around some of the aluminum dishes from the restaurant catering to make it a bit more festive and inviting.
Dessert:
Dessert was a no brainer…Birthday Cake! Made extra special as my daughter made it with love for her Papa Richard, and that girl knows how to BAKE! It was gorgeous and delicious.
Dessert:
Dessert was a no brainer…Birthday Cake! Made extra special as my daughter made it with love for her Papa Richard, and that girl knows how to BAKE! It was gorgeous and delicious.
For an extra surprise, I made my daddy’s favorite…Homemade Ice Cream. Just plain ole vanilla, but it’s so good, trust me vanilla is all ya need. It’s our family recipe I grew up making on special occasions, especially the 4th of July. (Subscribe below to get in on the action!) He was blown away and it perfectly rounded out the evening…though we were all at maximum tummy capacity! 🙂
Favors:
Can’t have your guests leave empty-handed! (Well, ya can…I just didn’t wanna.) Homemade chocolate chip cookies, another one of Papa Richard’s favorites, were bagged up and tied with bows and tags with a fiesta flair as our way of saying “thank you” to the attendees.

I merely color copied some leftover blank fiesta invitations from years ago and cut and pasted them onto white gift tags. Once again pulled out the handy dandy glue gun and attached a brightly colored pom pom to give it a little pop of FUN and keep with the theme.

With a little jeuging, favors were placed in a straw basket with brightly colored artificial flowers I already had on hand. It made for a nice presentation as the guests headed out the door after a fun-filled fiesta. Inexpensive, but a nice touch.
The party was a huge success, mostly because my dad was surrounded by people he loves…but we also knocked it out of the park with all the little touches that made him feel special on his Big Day.
I had such fun reimagining and reusing my old decor in a new way by just adding a few items to the mix. It was definitely a Fabulous Fun-Size Fiesta!! Thanks so much for stopping by. For more tips and entertaining ideas, subscribe to Fun with Fun-Size today! You can also follow me on Instagram @funwithfun_size and Pinterest
Me with the Birthday Boy…Happy 85th, Daddy!

Nothing screams fun like a Fiesta-themed party.  Between the brightly colored decor, festive mariachi music and delicious Mexican faire…what’s not to like? Honestly, the guacamole alone is enough to count me in!   

Especially living in Southern California, I’ve found myself using this theme in multiple variations for everything from work functions to school gatherings, birthdays and, of course, rapidly approaching Cinco de Mayo.

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Because of this, I’ve long since made some purchases that have served me well and are boxed, labeled & ready-to-go when needed.  A couple basics that I own: 2 large serapes and a sombrero purchased on a trip to Mexico years ago.  A smaller sombrero with pom poms that I honestly think was from one of my kids’ teddy bears.  And multiple colored wooden maracas acquired along the way like these. 

For this particular occasion, my dad was turning 85 and asked to keep the guest list small and the event “simple”.  (Does he even know his daughter?!  LOL…but I tried.)  To honor his wishes, we kept it intimate and I reigned in some of the decor but added just enough touches to make it look put together and special.  I mean come on…85!

Invites:

The guest list was kept so small I technically could have just reached out and called each of them.  But instead I tried something new and used a digital phone invitation that was easily editable and sent via text.  I used this one on Etsy, but there were lots of great options to choose from.

Decor:

After pulling out my “fiesta” labeled box, next up was looking at what else I had in my arsenal that I could use in a fresh way for the birthday bash.  Reuse.  Refresh.  Repurpose.  Yes. Yes.  And yes!  

I’m a huge proponent of using what we already have then just adding a few new items to make it look and feel fresh.  I pulled out votive candles and coordinating lanterns I’d used for a Favorite Things party.  I also had two “pom pom trees” (for lack of a better description) I’d made for another party that would work perfectly with the color scheme.

To add just a little extra flair, I ordered brightly colored Papel Picado Banners and Mexican Yarn Garland as well as an “85 Years Loved Banner” on Amazon.  All the linens, serving dishes and baskets I already owned.

For an extra “pop” of color at each place setting, I got out the handy dandy glue gun and added a pom pom to bows I’d made of brightly colored ribbon (yep, I already had that, too).  I used them as napkin rings and per my daddy’s wishes, kept it simple with paper napkins and plates. 

**As a side note, it would have been a perfect time to use my red ceramic plates from the Dollar Tree.  I’ve used them for Christmas, Valentine’s Day and the 4th of July, and pulling them out for the fiesta would have been perfect, too.  LOVE getting multiple uses from one purchase!**

Flowers:

I sound like a broken record, but for my floral arrangements, I headed to my “go to” Trader Joe’s to see what they had in stock. (A local farmers market or grocery store are other great options.)

In keeping with the fiesta theme, I went for brightly colored flowers such as Gerber daisies and  mums using ornamental St. John’s wort and Veronica for filler.  [Be sure and check out my tutorial on how to take market flowers and make them into beautiful bouquets here!]

Flowers:

I sound like a broken record, but for my floral arrangements, I headed to my “go to” Trader Joe’s to see what they had in stock. (A local farmers market or grocery store are other great options.)

In keeping with the fiesta theme, I went for brightly colored flowers such as Gerber daisies and  mums using ornamental St. John’s wort and Veronica for filler.  [Be sure and check out my tutorial on how to take market flowers and make them into beautiful bouquets here!]

Besides bouquets for the dining table, I also like to have one for the food serving area.  Also, an often overlooked location…don’t forget small vases with fresh flowers for the powder rooms.  If there’s room on the counter without it being cluttered, I’d also add a votive candle and/or hand towels in “theme”.  It’s those little touches that elevate your party!

A simple way to keep that fiesta feel going.

Special/Personal Touches:

When I’m entertaining, I always try to make it spesh for the honoree.  While I didn’t go too crazy (yes, I can go overboard), I definitely added some personal touches for the birthday boy. 

My dad went to the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and while his career path went another direction, he still is quite talented…and a hidden talent to most.  So, I pulled out one of his pieces I’d framed from his school portfolio and centered it above the fireplace as a huge “Ta da!” for all to see.  In addition I added a couple of older photos to the mantel and hung some garland and the birthday sign.

Next I went through some old pictures of my dad over the years trying to include each of the attendees in the selected shots.  I simply color copied them and pulled out my stash of small frames (like these from Michael’s) and scattered them around the tablescape.

Next I went through some old pictures of my dad over the years trying to include each of the attendees in the selected shots.  I simply color copied them and pulled out my stash of small frames (like these from Michael’s) and scattered them around the tablescape.

Music:

And while mariachis would be fitting in most cases, the tuneage we played was all about my dad and his favorites:  Neil Diamond, Carol King, Jim Croce and the like.

“Themed” Pre-Game Text:

The day of the party, I also wanted to send the guests a text letting them know we would be dining al fresco so they could dress accordingly.  Being near the coast it can cool off in the evening. (Though I do always have plenty of cozy blankets at the ready should we need them.)

Instead of just sending a basic boring text, I instead used this fantastic E-greetings App called Poppynotes.  You choose the theme, type in the text and push send.  It’s that easy and look how adorable it turned out!  

LOVED keeping with the theme and getting the guests excited about what was to come.

Beverage:

When it comes to drinks, variety is the name of the game.  My dad doesn’t drink, so we had lots of non-alcoholic options for our guests.  I do love that mocktails have become so popular now.  Waaaay more beverage choices these days.  For this go-around I had fresh brewed sun tea, sodas, flavored seltzers, lemonade and water.  

For those wishing to partake, margaritas and brewskis were also available.  Again, trying to keep things simple.  But Mexican food and a yummy marg (another fav) just really go hand in hand, am I right!? 

Food:

Food for a fiesta…That’s the best part!  God bless ya if you can cook Mexican food that rivals that of a mom and pop Mexican restaurant.  If not, dial up your favorite family-owned  Mexican restaurant and let them do the cooking.  Love to support the local biz plus…it’s easy AND delish! 

Appetizers:

Chips, salsa and of course guacamole were set out for appetizers.

Dinner:  

For the main menu, I ordered chicken and cheese enchiladas, ground beef and chicken tacos with rice and beans aplenty.  In addition, I made a large portion of my Mexican Caesar Salad which always seems to be a hit.

***I also made decorative food signs so no one is guessing as they cruise through the buffet.  Another nice touch, always keeping your guests in mind.***

For some additional jeuging, I used brightly-colored fabric I already had in my stash to wrap around some of the aluminum dishes from the restaurant catering to make it a bit more festive and inviting.

Dessert:

Dessert was a no brainer…Birthday Cake!  Made extra special as my daughter made it with love for her Papa Richard, and that girl knows how to BAKE!   It was gorgeous and delicious.

Dessert:

Dessert was a no brainer…Birthday Cake!  Made extra special as my daughter made it with love for her Papa Richard, and that girl knows how to BAKE!   It was gorgeous and delicious.

For an extra surprise, I made my daddy’s favorite…Homemade Ice Cream.  Just plain ole vanilla, but it’s so good, trust me vanilla is all ya need.  It’s our family recipe I grew up making on special occasions, especially the 4th of July.  (Subscribe below to get in on the action!)  He was blown away and it perfectly rounded out the evening…though we were all at maximum tummy capacity!  🙂

Favors:

Can’t have your guests leave empty-handed!  (Well, ya can…I just didn’t wanna.)  Homemade chocolate chip cookies, another one of Papa Richard’s favorites, were bagged up and tied with bows and tags with a fiesta flair as our way of saying “thank you” to the attendees.  

I merely color copied some leftover blank fiesta invitations from years ago and cut and pasted them onto white gift tags.  Once again pulled out the handy dandy glue gun and  attached a brightly colored pom pom to give it a little pop of FUN and keep with the theme.  

With a little jeuging, favors were placed in a straw basket with brightly colored artificial flowers I already had on hand.  It made for a nice presentation as the guests headed out the door after a fun-filled fiesta.  Inexpensive, but a nice touch.

The party was a huge success, mostly because my dad was surrounded by people he loves…but we also knocked it out of the park with all the little touches that made him feel special on his Big Day. 

I had such fun reimagining and reusing my old decor in a new way by just adding a few items to the mix.  It was definitely a Fabulous Fun-Size Fiesta!!  Thanks so much for stopping by.  For more tips and entertaining ideas, subscribe to Fun with Fun-Size today!  You can also follow me on Instagram @funwithfun_size and Pinterest

Me with the Birthday Boy…Happy 85th, Daddy!

10 thoughts on “Create a Fiesta with Flair!”

  1. Kate

    Wonderful ideas and I’m in LOVE with the cake and your party favors! Can’t wait to give these ideas a go myself.
    Thank you for sharing
    xo

    Reply
    1. Fun Size

      I can’t take credit for the cake as my daughter Mackenzie rocked it! But the favors were definitely a hit and kept us within budget, too. Let me know if you give them a go! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Jan Padilla

    I love all the bright colors and all the special touches for your dad. Definitely a birthday he will long remember.

    Jan

    Reply
    1. Fun Size

      Thanks so much. Love how the fiesta theme can be for any occasion & worked perfectly for my dad’s birthday! Really appreciate your sweet comments~

      Reply
  4. Cheryl

    You are SO talented, Shelley! I know the bright colors created a super HAPPY environment for the celebration. Always appreciate the way you combine things you already have with a few added items. What a “fun” party to celebrate your Dad!

    Reply
    1. Fun Size

      Oh, you’re so sweet. Love to get the creative juices going instead of going on a spending spree! Thanks so much for stopping by 🙂

      Reply

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