Bucket List and Retirement Party

I am a teacher at a local school. My team and I hosted a retirement party in honor of one of our team members, Karen, who will be leaving after 32 years. We are so sad to see her go but were excited to throw a celebration in her honor. We put our minds together and quickly had the perfect theme and layout planned. These table settings and decor ideas would go great with really any party, baby shower or get together.

{Texas Craft House} Bucket List Craft and Retirement Party Ideas

The team decided to go with an antique-y/rustic theme. We usually host showers and parties at our school in our library so we would be working with two tables and a small area. Most of the decor and materials we decided upon we already had in our own homes. This made the set-up easy and inexpensive (which is great when you are working on a budget). One of the crafts we needed was for a bucket list idea. We wanted guests to enter the party and write a retirement bucket list idea and clip it to a frame. Then, when our friend Karen retired she could use some of the bucket list ideas to plan her time off. I went to a thrift store and found a used frame for 99 cents. I like to think that the frame found me. It was PERFECT! I'm sure it was so cheap because there was no backing, picture or mirror with it. This just worked in our favor. I snatched it up and ran to the register.

{Texas Craft House} Bucket List Craft and Retirement Party Ideas

The chicken wire was needed to use as backing. It also goes with the antique/rustic feel of our theme. You could use strips of ribbon instead or maybe even a cork board and this same idea.

{Texas Craft House} Bucket List Craft and Retirement Party Ideas

This craft required some tools... a wire cutter, a staple gun and a screwdriver...

{Texas Craft House} Bucket List Craft and Retirement Party Ideas

First the wire hanger was unscrewed from the frame. Then the chicken wire was cut to size and the staple gun secured it to the frame. Just be careful that the staples are shorter than your frame width or you could make some holes. I would suggest taping down the edges so that chicken wire doesn't snag anyone. It can be sharp.

{Texas Craft House} Bucket List Craft and Retirement Party Ideas

{Texas Craft House} Bucket List Craft and Retirement Party Ideas

{Texas Craft House} Bucket List Craft and Retirement Party Ideas

Next we needed some tags for the frame. I already had a stack of white tags in my craft room. I found a case of at least 500 tags for $1.00 at another thrift store. We had twine already handy. Just cut and tie, cut and tie. We had maybe 50-75 guests so we had to make sure we had plenty. Many guests wrote on more than one tag.

{Texas Craft House} Bucket List Craft and Retirement Party Ideas

{Texas Craft House} Bucket List Craft and Retirement Party Ideas

This hardly took any time at all. Here are some pictures of the bucket list frame at the shower and some of the other decor items. The frame inside an old trunk...

{Texas Craft House} Bucket List Craft and Retirement Party Ideas

A sign telling guests what to do when they got to the table...

{Texas Craft House} Bucket List Craft and Retirement Party Ideas

Doilies... lace table cloth... burlap runners...

{Texas Craft House} Bucket List Craft and Retirement Party Ideas

Old books and a book with folded pages (tutorial to come soon!)...

{Texas Craft House} Bucket List Craft and Retirement Party Ideas

Mason jars... flowers...burlap ribbon....

{Texas Craft House} Bucket List Craft and Retirement Party Ideas

The lovely cake...

{Texas Craft House} Bucket List Craft and Retirement Party Ideas

Galvanized bucket filled with water and Dr. Pepper (Karen's favorite)...

{Texas Craft House} Bucket List Craft and Retirement Party Ideas

The school staff chipped in money to give Karen two Cracker Barrel rocking chairs and cushions as her retirement gift...

https://texascrafthouse.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/bucketlistcollagef.jpg

Team pictures...

{Texas Craft House} Bucket List Craft and Retirement Party Ideas

{Texas Craft House} Bucket List Craft and Retirement Party Ideas

Here are some pictures of the bucket list frame after the party.

The bucket list frame is a great idea for any party or event. You could even just use frame and tag idea and alter the use... maybe write wishes for the bride and groom at a shower, parenting advice at a baby shower, or memories written down for a reunion, anything!

{Texas Craft House} Bucket List Craft and Retirement Party Ideas

What would be on your retirement bucket list?

{Cassie}

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