Happy Friday! Now that I’ve had a couple of days of staring off into space with little in the way of brain activity, I’m in industrious mode and am preparing for K’s upcoming sleepover birthday party that’s happening tomorrow. Her actual birthday was at the end of July, but due to the unfortunate scheduling of book stuff, I’d promised her that I would organize a fetê to remember after I completed my big deadlines. I think it’s telling that she said, “Well, even if everything goes wrong, we’ll have a good story to tell.” That should give you an idea of how my party-planning efforts tend to end up.

I’m sewing up some goody bags from this luscious metallic knit fabric (purchased from Drygoods many, many moons ago) that I originally meant to use for the book. It turned out to be too blingy for the look I was going for, so now I can make little glam pouches that K’s friends will be sure to love. In the coming months, you’ll start to see all the fabrics that I intended for the book that never made it. To say I went a little crazy fabric shopping is an understatement.

The theme of the birthday party: Hotel Extravaganza. But not just any hotel, friends. We’re modeling the event after The Comfort Inn, that economical and wholly nondescript chain of accommodations in the vein of Holiday Inn (Express), Quality Inn and Best Western. It’s K’s all-time favorite lodging, and thank goodness she hasn’t experienced the Four Seasons, because it’s already proving to be more than I bargained for to transform our house into a lower-to-mid-level hotel for five girls.

There will be a lobby for check-in (complete with a plate of cookies at the counter, just like The Comfort Inn), keycards to the “suites”, and room service. We’re taking some creative liberties with the theme and throwing in a little spa pampering with mani/pedis and a “media + party room” for movies and karaoke — M will resurrect his college DJ days and get a dance fiesta going (I heard him mutter something about getting a disco ball for the living room; maybe I should just drape this fabric over a rotating fan for a similar effect).

So I’m off to assemble goody bags (with miniature bottles of shampoo and conditioner, soaps, etc.) and to bake and clean and pump up the air mattresses. Perhaps I’ll be able to show you the fruits of my labor next week — but no guarantees since I’ll probably be running around like a madwoman. Have a wonderful weekend, all!

When our guests arrive
Saturday evening en masse
They’ll see: “K’s Hotel”