Here’s to all the kindred spirits out there.
I grew up enamored with Anne of Green Gables, I read and re-read the books, had the movies entirely memorized and would pretend I was Diana Barry and my best friend was Anne Shirley.
One time we planned a three day stint out in my family’s playhouse, full on Anne of Green Gables mode. We packed our antiques for days, made bread, picked blueberries, strung a clothes line.
I was in heaven.
Our parents were so proud of us and finally our big reenactment commenced.
We set up our little home just as the storm clouds rolled in. . . .
yep, . . .it absolutely POURED the whole three days.
We had sworn that we would not go back to my parents’ house, you know, “back to civilization”, and we kept our promise.
But, my brother kept worrying about us and visiting us, saying he was Matthew Cuthbert, just checking in.
So, when my daughter turned thirteen last year it was a no-brainer what themed party I wanted to throw.
Incidentally, I celebrated my 39th birthday last week at the Haven conference!
So, I thought a little throw back would be apropos.
The Anne of Green Gables Party
Everyone was invited to a picnic on our property.
We found my daughter a dress off Etsy with puff sleeves, the puffiest in the world (wink), and dyed her hair red the night before as I stirred the raspberry cordial and started the homemade ice cream.
Her guests arrived in character, which of course, proves they are bosom friends.
I wrote on three chalk boards using my How to Write Anything on a Chalkboard post. And made a bunting with paper doilies to hang in the trees. . .
because “I suppose it would impossible to keep house with only thirty-seven doilies.”
We used bedsheets and thrifted dust ruffles for our table cloths and pulled out the heirloom family crystal from Ireland.
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Table decor included old books and seashells . . .
Menu
Sea Shell Pasta Salad
Chicken Salad Sandwiches
“Matthew’s lady bugs” (see the tomato hor’derve above)
Apples and Dip
Cucumber Lemon Water
and, of course the infamous
Raspberry Cordial
Recipes were taken from
The Anne of Green Gables Cookbook
Dessert included carrot cake cupcakes and two kinds of homemade ice cream.
One of which was made by the girls taking turns hand cranking throughout the party.
I found this beautiful painting at a garage sale for a couple of dollars, right before the party! Score.
While everyone was picnicking, I ran around and hide clues all over for the scavenger hunt. The chickens were all riled and kept trying to follow me.
Then, we had to do the three-legged race, I love that the two boys fell down immediately, just like Gilbert and Moody.
The winners got to start us off on the scavenger hunt. . .
There was Dolly hidden in the cabbages. . .
Do you see the Jersey cow?
The Lady of Chalot, down by the creek . . .
and some other fun clues, the final stop was the clothes line, where I had hidden an amethyst broach!
We ended the night with an outdoor movie in the garden . . .
And each guest left with homemade lavender shortbread for their party favor.
If you have never had the pleasure of watching the
Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Green Gables- the Sequel dvds,
I highly recommend them to everyone.
Even my father-in-law says his favorite movie is “Anne”.
Oops, I was probably supposed to keep that one a secret.
Haha!
And if you are now dreaming of throwing your own Anne party, you are welcome to visit my Pinterest board for more inspiration.
Also, I am happy to announce that our winner for the Jord watch e-voucher is Marcia!
Congratulations, my dear!
Wow your place includes great yard, how many acres do you have, and a creek behind too? It looks heavenly.
What an incredible party, one to really remember. Good movie for kids to watch, I always loved them also. The costumes were excellent, helped all to stay in character all day?
Now I need to peruse your “you also may enjoy” posts. Happy daze
Author
JaneEllen, We have just under 4 acres and yes, there is a little creek along one side. It was definitely a selling point for me! Thank you for all your sweet compliments and for stopping by.
There is nothing I don’t absolutely adore about this party! I want to do this for my 47th birthday that’s coming up far too quickly for my liking. Just dreamy, such wonderful memories you have made. And your dress, sigh…
Author
Oh my, you are the sweetest! And, yes to the idea of an Anne party for your 47th!! We never outgrow this theme.:)
We loved the Anne of Green Gabels books and movies growing up! One of my fondest memories is going to my grandparents cabin in the Adirondak Mountains, waking up early so there was still most on the lake, taking our rowboat out and listening to my grandma read to us about Anne. Your party took me back there! Love it! Thanks for sharing!
Katie
-button-jar.com/blog
Author
Katie, that sounds completely dreamy! How wonderful that you have those memories with your grandparents.
This is so wonderful that you did this for your daughter. I know it is something she will never forget. My 3 daughters and I watched the Anne of Green Gables movies multiple times and we always loved them. For my birthday one year, I was given the two complete sets of DVDs. I get them out and watch them when I’m cooped up and unable to get out of the house due to icy weather which doesn’t happen too often in the Dallas Fort Worth area where I live.
Author
What a wonderful birthday gift! I love that you have those memories with your daughters, as well.:)
Oh Sarah, this is the most wonderful and charming party I’ve ever seen! I love all the incredible details & the food looks amazing!!
Author
Oh my goodness, Meg! You are so sweet, thank you so much for all your kind words.
Oh my! Oh my! House fabulous is this party?? You put so much love and effort into this – your daughter must have loved it. So very well done!
Catherine
Author
Thank you, Catherine, it was one theme I have been wanting to do for a long time and it turned out to be such a beautiful memory for our whole family. Thank you for taking the time to read about it. xoxo
Just loved this party idea. When my daughter was around 10 years old I threw her a birthday party that involved a tug of war over a giant lake. The lake was made of a cardboard refrigerator box and I made an alligator out of cardboard as well. We had a three legged race and a treasure hunt map. I so enjoyed those days. Brought back a lot of good memories! I have just found your blog today, how lucky am I?
Author
Oh, Debbie, that sounds completely charming in every way! What a sweet mama you are. I am so happy you have found the blog and look forward to knowing you more. xoxo
OH MY WORD! This is amazing!!! I LOVE every little detail.
Author
Heather, you are the best! Thank you for all your enthusiasm, so glad you enjoyed a peek into one of our parties.
It was absolute eye candy to look on your Anne Party pictures and comments! You inspired me greatly, and I loved that you held yours outside in warm weather! For a very long time my daughter and I have had Anne of Green Gables Parties as well, and it has truly been the highlight of my year. There are usually 10-12 ladies invited, and we start out in our farmhouse dining room for a sit down dinner, move to the living room and sing carols together, and then journey out to our little cabin where dessert is served and we answer Anne related questions (such as….who was your favorite teacher and why?). The last part is where the women share their hearts. My daughter is having an Anne Party on Nov 4th on our Sleepy Hollow Farm, so your Anne blog comes at a perfect time of sweetness. May you continue this God given gift of creativity. Thank you for allowing me to comment.
I love this post so much! I don’t know how I missed seeing these movies and didn’t even know they existed until May of this year when a friend recommended them to me to watch with our 9 year old twin granddaughters. They spent a week with us this summer and we watched all of them sitting atop an old iron bed together. Their little brothers loved watching them with us. You created a magical event and the memories those bosom buddies share will make these girls smile for years to come.
You have certainly sparked my interest to pursue some of these ideas for fun activities. The movie on the lawn on an old sheet is a new thought for me. I’m so glad I found you on MMS blog. God bless!
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