Combining design with movies gives me a unique opportunity to bring a fictional world to life. From recreating props to hunting for typefaces, I love putting myself in the shoes of different designers, time periods, and Earths. See some of my favorite themed parties below.
Alice in Wonderland
Follow the white rabbit to a very, merry unbirthday in Wonderland. For my sister’s birthday, I threw her a mad tea party. From the colorful leaves to the door knob to the “eat me” cookies, I brought the many curious characters and props from Wonderland to life, complete with a trivia game to end the night.
Mad Tea Party lanterns
I designed the “Merry Unbirthday” banner, as well as recreated the leaves you’d find outside the Alice in Wonderland ride in Disneyland.
Which way do we go? Who’s to know! I created the pole and arrow signs inspired by the actual wooden signs in the film.
I recreated the Door Knob character in Illustrator to bring our very own door knob to life.
Pencil Birds perched above
Along with the Glasses Bird
I recreated each of the cookies from film, using texture, shadows, and an icing-like font to make it feel real.
"Twinkle, twinkle little bat…"
I recreated the “Drink Me” tag from the film. Beware, this drink will make you shrink!
Even our flowers came to life
Bread and butterfly
I had characters and playing cards hanging along side the colorful lanterns, the Queen of Hearts card, of course.
I like to hide a minor character in the corner. One of my favorites is the hedgehog from the croquet game.
I devoted a wall to the great work of Mary Blair, the concept artist for “Alice in Wonderland”, whose vibrant colors and flat shapes set the tone for the unique style of the film.
A sneak peek at our trivia game, designed by me.
Vintage Disneyland
Is it Dapper Day? Hopping back in time to 1955, I threw my sister a vintage Disneyland-themed birthday party, complete with nods to attractions of the past, $1 tickets, and most importantly, Mickey-shaped pancakes.
I recreated the Disneyland Dedication Plaque, which was read aloud by Walt Disney himself on the opening day of the park in 1955. Today, the plaque is located at the end of Main Street at the base of the flag pole. I created an emboss effect on the type and used a gradient to give it a realistic look. This is printed on a metallic gold paper.
The heart of the park—the castle itself! I cut out this Disneyland castle by hand using gold metallic poster paper. It doesn't quite measure up to the real thing, but stood at 22.5 inches in height as the main decoration piece. Of course, you can't forget the Mickey-shaped balloons.
For this directional post, I referenced the original typography used for each of the lands within the park. I kept it historically accurate by only including lands that existed in the park on opening day. That’s right, no Toon Town yet!
Not only is it the Happiest Place on Earth, but it’s also the Happiest Day on Earth. For our table setting, we have everything from fresh Mickey-shaped pancakes to a throwback photo of the birthday girl meeting Mickey for the first time, topped with a sprinkle of pixie dust.
Since we were mid-pandemic, I ordered a blank “Happy Birthday” button online for an authentic Disneyland birthday experience and threw in my own classic Mickey ears hat.
I found the original 1955 Disneyland brochure online and I recreated the original Disneyland ticket, which sold at a whopping $1 a pop. This truly made us feel like we were in a “Vintage Disneyland”.
The outside of the original Disneyland brochure. I stitched together different images I found online of the brochure.
The inside of the brochure, which features the first map of Disneyland. I printed this double-sided on 11x17 paper.
The historic first ever ticket sold at Disneyland! I hole punched the guests tickets as they came in.
Posters of the attractions of Disneyland’s past.
I cut out the "Partners" statue of Walt & Mickey holding hands on gold metallic paper, to make it feel statuesque. The real statue stands in front of the Disneyland castle.
Bates Motel
You're in luck, there's a vacancy at the Bates Motel and you're in for a screamin' good time. From the guest book to the key wall to a very suspicious newspaper, I transformed our kitchen into the infamous Bates Motel from Psycho for my sister's birthday.
I referenced the props outside of Norman Bates’s office. This is the key box that sits outside of the office. I constructed the box from wooden patterned paper and recreated the type from stills of the movie.
Another small sign outside of the office. I also photoshopped a “door bell” that resembled the one in the movie.
The neon “office” sign replica that sits above Norman Bates’s office door in the film. I created the type myself using strokes with rounded caps and added a white glow to the type.
12 keys for 12 vacant rooms. I used command hooks to stick to the wall, ordered numbered key tags online, and used a Cricut to cut out gold paper keys that I slid onto the split key ring.
The table setting at Bates Motel is complete with yellow flowers to match the poster, as well as a black and white gingham table cover, similar to one found in Norman’s mothers home, and more. Let’s get into the details…
An important prop: the Bates Motel guestbook
On the left page, I used various handwritten fonts with easter eggs of different Hitchcock characters from his many films. Can you guess which of his movies these characters star in?
The right page is nearly identical to the real guest book in the film. I took a still of the guestbook page and photoshopped the handwriting from the still onto this page.
This is the suspicious newspaper that Marion uses to hide her stolen cash. To match the layout of newspaper in the film, I stitched together live type with images from a 1959 newspaper.
A classic vintage car serving tray that resembles Marion's car in the movie.
I photoshopped my sister into the official poster, as well as added her name in. One of my favorite things is finding the fonts used and matching it seamlessly into an existing design.
It’s not a motel without a service bell, a real key, and a complimentary notepad. The key and notepad came from this great site called Herb Lester Associates that sells a collection of fictional notepads.
Recreating the calculations Marion does in her notebook.
I printed out various art pieces that matched the antique paintings of mallards and other birds that hung in Marion’s motel room. I photoshopped them into brown wooden frames to give them a realistic aged feel.
It’s not a Hitchcock movie without a cameo from the man himself. I used a Cricut to cut out this silhouette of Alfred Hitchcock on black construction paper.
One Engagement Party To Rule Them All
When my sister got engaged, I knew there was no better way to celebrate her new ring than to honor our favorite movie, The Lord of the Rings. We celebrated like hobbits in The Shire, complete with the One Ring itself, Gandalf’s fireworks, dinner and supper!
"No, thank you! We don't want any more visitors, well-wishers, or distant relations!" The single most important sign to post on your front door the day you're throwing a Lord of the Rings-themed party. Bought from the Weta Workshop.
If you know, you know. “Oh, it’s quite simple. If you are a friend, you speak the password and the doors will open.” I had this sign at the entryway to the party. I gave it a Lord of the Rings-style border, used the official typeface and the aged paper texture for the background.
Under the banner, I added a clothes line with Hobbit-like clothes, to transport guests to The Shire.
I found this wall decal made by Weta Workshop that I printed out myself to put on one of our doors.
For the directional post, I matched the existing light posts in the film and put locations you’d find in and around The Shire.
For the table, I photoshopped my sister and her engagement ring into The Fellowship of the Ring poster. I grabbed some flowers from the store that looked like they were plucked from The Shire, added some moss on top of our candle coasters, and threw in our “Sting” mail opener.
Maybe the most important prop of the night, “The One Ring” itself.
I bought sparklers to celebrate the engagement Gandalf-style and made the label to match the rest of the decorations.
To no one’s surprise, I have visited the actual Hobbiton in New Zealand. I remember seeing a message board with many handwritten signs posted to it. I grabbed my photos of the Hobbiton message board, vectorized it, and printed it over various aged paper textures.
A closer look. I wonder if anyone’s found that hammer yet…
Of course, I had to include the book that started it all.
I found an image of an actual wooden sign of “The Prancing Pony” and printed/cut it out to put above the drinks station.
I also found a wooden sign for “The Green Dragon” that I cut and printed out to put over the food area.
I made Lembas bread from scratch.
“One small bite will fill the stomach of a grown man.”
The table has been set, complete with my Prancing Pony mug, bought in Hobbiton.
I created tent cards that each referenced the movie to label the food.
To keep it true to The Green Dragon, I served Meat Pies for dinner (as well as Vegan/Veggie Pies to cover all my bases) and created a Hobbit-style menu that listed all of our pie options.
"Boil em, mash em, stick em in a stew…"
Cheers to the happy couple!
Pride & Prejudice
Welcome to Longbourn Estate, where classical music fills the home, oil paintings are hung on the walls, and a fresh cup of tea awaits on the dining room table. For my mom’s birthday, we took it back to the early 1800s and celebrated Pride & Prejudice-style, her all-time favorite TV show, even Mr. Darcy was in attendance.
Welcome to Longbourn Estate, the home of Elizabeth Bennet. I made this plaque with embossed type and nail heads on the corners. I printed this on gold paper to match the actual plaque in the show.
The open window overlooking the rolling English countryside is comprised of an isolated window layer and a separate layer of the English countryside landscape that was printed at poster size.
On either side of the window is a candle sconce, to transport you back in time. I photoshopped the wall mount to the rest of the candle.
What's an English home in the 1800s without a chandelier? I ordered this acrylic 3D chandelier online to hang from the ceiling.
Various editions of the Pride & Prejudice book covers feature silhouette portraits. I made one silhouette portrait for the birthday girl and one for Mr. Darcy. I overlayed their portraits on top of scanned pages of the book itself and put an ornate gold frame on top. I designed a banner for each of their names, using an old-style serif for their names to match the text on the book pages.
Oh, just a casual every day dining table setting…
What better way to wake up on your birthday than to a handwritten letter from Mr. Darcy? I wrote this letter using a handwritten font that just so happened to be named “Jane Austen” and added an aged paper texture to the background.
Flowers picked from the garden.
I found works of art from the 1800s that fit the time period and read “English countryside”. Then, I laid a gold frame on top to make them look like real oil paintings.
My sister made this life-size cardboard cut out of our special guest, Mr. Darcy, who joined us for some English breakfast and tea.
I found these Jane Austen word searches online for a fun activity for later.
90's Prom Night
For my birthday party, I wanted to recreate a true 90's prom (Think 10 Things I Hate About You, She’s All That etc.), complete with metallic fringe, disposable cameras, and an official prom backdrop with those Grecian columns…you know the ones.
The Paperless Post invitation. It wouldn’t be a 90's prom without a cheesy theme name. I used a classic system font, Edwardian Script ITC as the primary font for the party branding and Baskerville as the secondary font.
Welcome to “An Evening Under the Stars”. I referenced several movies/TV shows that used these easel stands to welcome guests to the prom.
This party wouldn’t be complete without disposable cameras. I made labels with the guests initials to keep track of whose camera is whose.
The dining table set up.
We used a 90's cocktail book to come up with different cocktails served throughout the night, with 90's references galore.
We hung these silver stars on fishing line in all party areas to stay true to the theme of the night.
Our official prom photo backdrop! From the drapery, to the starry background, to the Grecian columns, you can’t get any more classic prom than this.
Photoshoot props: Prom King and Queen sashes, crowns, and a red rose bouquet.
I made these admission tickets as part of the goodie bag for guests to take home to remember the night.
The official prom banner. I kept it simple, as most prom banners are.
Stars and moons all around.
The main wall. I decided “1994” was the year our prom was set in, since it’s my birth year. I stuck with a metallic blue and silver color theme for all decorations. For proms, metallic fringe and balloons are essential.
I put together a slideshow of all of our guests’s prom photos. It brought back all of the memories.
I had hanging stars all throughout the party, as well as a sky light projector to further make guests feel like they were dancing under the stars.
*Cue Dido* As apart of my "Thank You" cards, I included the official full and wallet sized prom photos from the party.
I mailed everyone their official photos, complete with that classic lower third with the harsh drop shadow to commemorate the night.
Far, Far Away
Once upon a time in a kingdom far, far away, there lived an ogre named Shrek. For my sister’s birthday, I threw her a Shrek 2 themed party. That’s right, not the first one, but the sequel. From the store names on “Romeo Drive” to the Fairy Godmother’s business card, I recreated many of the props you might find in Far, Far Away.
A look at the entryway to Far, Far Away.
I recreated banners that hang outside of the castle.
The main birthday banner is based off a medieval banner hanging in the castle, that also used an Old English-style font.
One of my favorite parts of Shrek 2 are the store names in Far, Far Away. I added a few of my own that weren’t in the movie. I had a lot of fun finding the official fonts for each of the stores. The design of the directional post is based off actual posts seen in the movie.
The Shrek movies, much like classic Disney princess movies, often begin with a classic storybook. Around the storybook, I had other Shrek-like props, including garlic, moss, and the Fairy Godmother’s business card.
For the storybook pages, I took stills of the storybook and distorted them to flatten them out. I also cut out the artwork to get rid of any of the shadows from the book itself.
For those who know Shrek 2, this hero prop is an important part of the sequel. While the “Just a Tear Drop Away” side was recreated completely in Illustrator, parts of the “Happiness” side were taken from illustrations of the Fairy Godmother in the movie. Recreating this card proved to be more challenging than I thought, but in the end, it turned out almost identical to the actual card.
A cut out of one of our favorite minor characters, Reggie.
“Beware ogre!” Taken from a still of the movie.
Toy Story
After feeling cooped up mid-pandemic, I threw my friend a surprise Toy Story-themed birthday party because…he’s got a friend in me. As a big fan of all things Pixar, I brought in every Toy Story reference I could think of, from Mr. & Mrs. Potato Chips to the Pizza Planet pizzas.
For the entryway, I cut out the “Sean Story” banner by hand using different colored sheets of paper.
Directional signs with locations from the movie. For the Pizza Planet and Al’s Toy Barn logos, I used assets I found online. The “Sean’s Room” sign I created from scratch in Illustrator.
I created the “Etch A Sketch” frame from red foam board, the bottoms of white paper cups, and cut out letters by hand. I bought photoshoot/costume props that are all from Toy Story.
I bought nicely designed paper plates and made alien cups with googly eyes and sharpie.
As a table center piece, I photoshopped the birthday boy’s face onto Woody and Buzz.
I made these punny tent cards for the food table and illustrated Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head on Procreate.
“Hamms in a Blanket”, oink oink!
While lumpia doesn’t exist in the Toy Story universe, they do exist in the Sean’s Story universe.
“Ooooooh”
My friend made these fun “jell-oooh” shots.
For the bunting banner, I combined solid colors and patterns, based off the character costumes. I designed and cut out the banner by hand.
I found the Zurg targets online, cut them out by hand, and placed them around the house.
I took the “Andy’s Room” sign and swapped out “Andy’s” with “Sean’s”. I created the new letters using Photoshop.
We pretending we were eating from “Pizza Planet” by printing out these “Pizza Planet” to place on our pizza boxes to further immerse ourselves in the Toy Story universe.
We had fun taking photos with all of our Toy Story props!