Thursday, October 8, 2015

My Hippie Dippy 60th Birthday Party!!!

I turned 60 a couple days ago...Happy Belated Birthday to me!!!

I'd been wondering how to celebrate, and finally settled on a combined joint birthday party (with my husband, Alan, who turned 60 this past June) and an Open House. We invited our pals to drop in, see our new "pad", and celebrate with us.

We decided on a "Hippie" theme, since we grew up in the 60s and 70s. Groovy, right?


The "dippy" part of the invitation referred to the food. I invited guests to bring their favorite dips (the kind you eat, not your date). I love dips of all kinds! I also made Alan's favorite food - sloppy joes - and updated them by doing sloppy joe sliders with yummy Hawaiian rolls.

I encouraged/invited guests to wear hippie clothing, and told my family they HAD to wear some groovy hippie threads for the big night. And here's what went down...from left to right....


Husband, Alan, ordered a giant Afro wig that I vetoed, but he wore anyway (sigh). Ali (oldest daughter) wore a vintage mumu from her friend's grandmother's closet. She did a leather headband, and looked very "flower child" to me (and I would know...I lived through the 60s!).  She also crafted a little fringed leather collar for her dog, Henry. That's me in the middle with my love beads and John Lennon rose-colored glasses. Sarah (youngest daughter) is wearing my friend's vintage dress from the 60s. It reminds me of something Twiggy used to wear - so authentic it makes me think of middle school. Son-in-law, Jeff, was rocking the love beads, glasses and some giant bell bottoms!


We greeted everyone at the door and handed out funky love beads to get them in the hippie groove. 

And guess what...some other hippies showed up at our party, too! This groovy couple was practically unrecognizable to me!  Jean (left) is usually in conservative banker clothes...but who knew about her inner hippie? I'm still finding strands of her luscious blond hair around the house. Her husband, Dennis, is always hilarious, but his "tattoo sleeves" were a real hoot.


These flower children were also a big transformation from our usual longtime friends, Steve and Saundra. It was hard to tell who was hiding under all the punk hair and heavy beard. Their sparkly glasses were definitely very "Elton John-ish".


The ladies below won the prize for coming the farthest, for a non-relative (my daughter and husband came from Chicago). Look familiar? It's Lindy and Mona from The Silver Needle in Tulsa. Thanks for making the long trek to/fro Ta-town on a Saturday night.


Here are some other hippies enjoying their dippies in our living room. 


And a few more hipsters hanging out in our sunroom. Check out the open windows...the October weather is gorgeous. I just love having my birthday in October, because I never know what the weather will bring.


Alas, all groovy parties must come to an end. So we ended with a "selfie"(below). Clearly "selfies" weren't around in the 60s, but they're sure a part of life now, and so much fun.  



Thanks, everyone, for making our 60th birthdays a really groovy affair! It's back to daily life, so we're trading in our John Lennon specs for our "readers" and our platform shoes for comfy, sensible shoes!


12 comments:

  1. Looks like you had a wonderful time, thanks for sharing pictures of your day!

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  2. Happy Birthday to both of you! Peace and Love

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  3. October birthdays are always the best!

    http://needleworkerssamplings.blogspot.com/

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    1. Glad you had such an awesome day. Happy birthday to you and your husband.

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  4. Happy Birthday from another October baby.....mine is tomorrow, Oct. 9.
    I'm 8 years older than you guys but I sure remember the 60's and the 70's very well.

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  5. What a great idea! Happy 60th to you....I'm a fellow LIbra and I'm turning 60 this Saturday the 10th. Our high school class president started a Facebook group for our graduating class and last month they held a group 60th birthday party. I thought it was a cool idea although I couldn't attend since I live very far now from my home town. Loved your hippie photos...when I was in high school we all coveted a fringed suede jacket LOL

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  6. What a great party! Happy Birthday and I really have to give your husband a thumbs up!

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  7. What fun! Happy Birthday to you and your husband.

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  8. Happy 60th birthday to you & your husband! I just turned 60 a week ago, so I remember the 1960's style very much. I dated a "bad boy" rocker-type in my senior year of high school (much to my parent's chagrin!), & I attended quite a few concerts at the Los Angeles Forum. Elton John wore his rose-colored glasses & came out on huge stilts dressed up as Uncle Sam. I don't know how he was able to walk on them; they were enormous! Also saw The Moody Blues (remember "Nights in White Satin"?), Rod Stewart, Fleetwood Mac, Joni Mitchell, C.S.N.&Y., etc. I know there were others, but my 60 year old brain can't remember right now! Congratulations on your new home as well.

    Warm Regards, Lizzie*Kate fan Lisa in Oregon

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  9. What a fun evening! Happy belated birthday wishes to you!

    Robin in Virginia

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  10. Oh wow, I am in love with this 60th birthday party. I would love to host such a special birthday bash for my mom that will turn 50 in Feb. To keep this party a secret event I would prefer some outdoor Chicago event space.

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  11. Thank you for sharing it's really amazing post Happy Birthday Wishes

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