For anyone who’s lived in Atlantic City, the Miss America pageant by the sea is a tradition that is close to their hearts. This September we celebrated two occasions – the homecoming of the Miss America contest to Atlantic City, and our always pageant-ready grandmother's 84th birthday.
In honor of Miss America returning to the Jersey shore, we threw her a party fit for a beauty queen and reminiscent of all things vintage Atlantic City: old-school bathing suits, lifeguard rings, salt water taffy, and seashells, along with a seaside feast of lobsters followed by make-your-own ice cream sundaes. We had a good laugh playing our version of the “Question and Answer” portion of the contest - and no, we did not make our grandmother model in a swimsuit competition ;)
Here are some DIY ideas from our vintage seaside party:
On the playlist
1. In the Good Old Summertime
2. By the Beautiful Sea
3. On the Boardwalk (in Atlantic City)
4. a mix of jazz and ragtime, including "The Entertainer" by Scott Joplin, "Alexander's Ragtime Band" by Ella Fitzgerald, and "Jubilee Stomp" by Duke Ellington
Decorations
1. For the place settings, we collected clam shells on the beach, then painted wooden craft balls in white with dabs of silver for "pearls".
2. I wanted to incorporate a bit of a nautical theme using red, navy, and aqua blue. The striped napkins and straws I found at Target fit in perfectly.
3. An authentic-looking DIY lifeguard ring really set the scene (instructions here from the Clever Nest blog). Mine didn't look so great in the back, but it was propped up against the wall anyway :)
4. The "Atlantic City" sign was made from Circus font and tacked to the wall with removable poster tape.
5. I found photos of vintage bathing beauties, made them into postcards in Publisher, and printed onto plain cardstock. Each guest wrote their birthday wishes on the postcards - a really fun memory!
Till next time!
xoxo
