A Fire & Ice Party

My friend Mary loves to entertain and when she throws a party she puts her heart and soul into it.  I’ve shared a few of her past parties here and here. The American Heart Association is a charity near and dear to her heart (no pun intended).  I had the opportunity to attend a Fire and Ice Party she hosted last month to raise funds for the American Heart Association.  I thought it was such a fun theme and took a few photos of her set up, although the photos don’t really do the party justice. I asked Mary to share some of the details of the party and her involvement with the AHA.

My husband, Matt, and I are passionate volunteers for the American Heart Association (AHA). I have volunteered for years for the AHA, chairing the auction for their annual Heart and Stroke Ball, and helping with various logistics and fundraising for the Ball. I currently sit on the AHA Board, and my husband is part of the Executive Leadership Team for the Heart and Stroke Ball. Together, we try and generate funds for the KC Heart and Stroke Ball which brings in hundreds of thousands of dollars every year for the Kansas City community…money that is used for educational programs, research for science based treatment guidelines to provide to healthcare professionals, and advocacy initiatives.
The AHA has a simple mission:  BUILD HEALTHIER LIVES FREE OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE AND STROKE.
I became involved for a very simple reason….my husband, Matt, and my children, Maddy, John and Maisy. I want them to lead happier, healthier lives free of heart disease and stroke. I WANT US TO HAVE MORE TIME TOGETHER.

Many people do not know:
1. Heart Disease is the #1 cause of death in the U.S., claiming more lives than ALL forms of cancer combined.
2. Stroke is the #4 cause of death and is the leading cause of disability in the U.S.

I often feel guilty asking family, friends and total strangers for money and auction donations for the AHA. There are so many amazing, wonderful charities that need funds, and many people allocate to a cause they personally have been touched by. Therefore, Matt and I decided to make it fun and have a fundraising party. (WHO DOESN’T LOVE A GOOD PARTY SURROUNDED BY FAMILY AND FRIENDS?!…especially in the January arctic tundra of Kansas!!) We themed it “Fire and Ice,” and had our daughter Maddy design an invitation that would make people come pounding on our door. Well, it worked. 175 replied “yes” and many donated to the cause when they couldn’t even attend. WE HAVE THE BEST, MOST GENEROUS, FRIENDS AND FAMILY!!!!!

Next to the invite, I find the entrance to my home should really set the tone of a themed party. I ordered the “Fire and Ice” vinyl  decal from Lucy Lews on Etsy. She personalizes whatever you need and is prompt and efficient. I repurposed an old boxwood wreath by spray painting it silver. I then framed the invitation in a repurposed frame spray painted red and hung it up. Voila! There would be no question that you arrived at Fire and Ice.

I also have two angel statues surrounding my door that I decorate often….they have donned graduation hats, leis, tutus, birthday crowns, pearl necklaces and a Lone Ranger mask… Hi-Yo Silver…..

Our food was provided by Crazy Good Eats BBQ and devoured by our guests.  Bruce and his wife Maggie generously donated pulled pork sandwiches, bacon wrapped meatballs and bite sized cheddar sausages….all of it was to die for.  Check them out HERE.

The amazing generous Boulevard Brewing Company provided us with plenty of their Unfiltered Wheat beer and Pale Ale. We supplemented with a little vodka, whiskey and gin and had plenty of red and white vino. We had KU students generously volunteer their time behind the bar, and they were the hit of the night!!! It’s amazing what young, beautiful, kind, intelligent bartenders do for an event.

I picked Fire and Ice because one,  it was so dang cold in Kansas and two, I thought everyone could “heat up” at our party. I turned half of our basement into an inferno (Fire) and the other half, our bar, into an Ice Palace (Ice).
The only reason my parties happen is because of the generosity of my family and friends. First, hubby puts few limits on my entertaining budget mainly because I am frugal, and it makes me happy. Second, I borrow, borrow, borrow from my friends and family.   My designer friend Lori was integral to Fire and Ice….she cut flames for the Inferno (from butcher block paper) to fit the perimeter of my basement in 3 different colors…talk about paper cuts. We then covered the walls with black paper (cheap at Hobby Lobby) and spray adhesived the flames. I’m burning up just thinking about it.

My father and mother-in-law made these amazing fake fires from wood logs, orange Halloween lights, tulle, fabric and a small fan.  AHA is close to my in-laws hearts too. I finished up the fire theme with red candles, red glitter garland and some anatomical heart art, and we were good to go.

I use my children and their friends to help my parties go smoothly. My son Johnny and his friends work the door (coat check) and have trash duty (lucky them), daughter Maddy designed the invitations while at college and made the music play list. Maisy  helped me with weeks of prep and snuggles when I was heading to Crazy Town because of the stress.

For the “Ice” part think LED Christmas lights, mirrors, mercury glass, glitter galore and these killer submersible battery LED blue lights to put all over the bar. Finally, I finished up with 100 paper snowflakes I ordered on Etsy (from Rondatreis1 and windypoo and vinylLettering). A friend told me when she walked in she got the shivers.

My husband and I won this red dress print at one of the Heart and Stroke Ball Silent Auctions.

The “red dress” is a symbol for the Go Red For Women ad campaign for the AHA. It is a reminder to support women and break the barriers against heart disease and stroke.  It is displayed prominently in our great room, and I walk by it numerous times a day..a gentle reminder.

I literally wrapped the canvases I had on the walls with wrapping paper and applied a photocopy of an anatomical heart or a thank you to my guests. I do this a lot with my parties–think skeletons for Halloween, old-fashioned Santas for Christmas, and collegiate mascots for graduations.

The heart print below was a Christmas gift I gave to Matt by the most amazing artist and jewelry designer, Garnet Griebel Booth. Garnet lost her mother to heart disease.  Years ago she designed a  “Heart Noveau” necklace for the AHA  where 15% of each necklace sold went to the mission of AHA. This generous soul owns Gigi Moon Gems here in KC, and you can check her out on Facebook here.

Music for a party is key, and with the guest list for Fire and Ice ranging in age from 18-85 we knew we needed variety…hence, my daughter Maddy to the rescue. She designed a playlist and every song had to have something to do with “fire” or “ice.” Here’s a sampling:

Ice Ice Baby
Ring of Fire
Smoke on the Water
We Didn’t Start the Fire
Let It Go (Frozen) lots of laughs there
Heat of the Moment
Disco Inferno
Baby It’s Cold Outside
Cold as Ice
Hazy Shade of Winter

Finally and most importantly, thanks to the generosity of our family, friends, AHA supporters, my amazing friends on the auction committee, and the AHA (specifically Angie, Stacey and Christina) we raised over $5,000, with every penny going to research and advocacy right here in Kansas City.

I always think of a quote my recently deceased father used to say:  “Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.”–Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Our friends and family gave….and someone out there will benefit. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Thank you for the inspiration and for giving back Mary!