5 DIY Surprise Party Crafts + Marriott Rewards Year of Surprises

I participated in an Ambassador Program on behalf of Millennial Central for Marriott Rewards®. I received Marriott Points to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation

I have thrown quite a few surprise parties in my day! I think it’s because I lived in a four bedroom/four bath in college so it was quite easy to get my roommates to attend a party in their honor without much effort. When I heard Marriott Rewards was celebrating its 30th birthday all year long with a Year of Surprises I knew I wanted to share in the excitement!

Unfortunately Pinterest wasn’t around when I threw my last surprise party. So, I missed out on all the crafty goodness that could have made our party that much more fun! I think there are many occasions that are surprise party worthy. I’ve personally thrown surprise get togethers for a few birthdays and a moving-away party. After graduation my roommate decided to move to Europe for a year* (*ehm that was seven years ago) so we threw her a surprise going away party!

Sadly, the pictures from that party were pre-Facebook so I don’t have them at my finger tips. I’m sure they are on some external hard-drive somewhere. But here we are all together at a dinner just before she left, she’s the one on the far left. And also a contributor on Genpink.

Going away dinner with college roomies | Genpink

If I were planning said party now I’d love to add these fun DIY projects to the mix.

DIY Surprise Party Crafts | Genpink

1. Wearable craft: Bejeweled Crown // design love fest

I love this idea, particularly for birthday parties. You can easily customize the colors to fit the guest of honor. If you’re celebrating a milestone birthday you can even include the big number! At the end of her post, Bri shows that they made several different crowns and used them for a photo-booth! {pin it}

2. DIY Colorful Cake Stand // June Bug Weddings

The tutorial for these is on a wedding website but I think these cake stands would be fab for ANY celebration! If you love to bake, I think a homemade cake plus a homemade cake stand would be a perfect gift. Hey, even if you don’t like baking this gift would get used year after year! The blog post also links to several Etsy shops that make super cute, customized stands. {pin it}

3. Photo Display: DIY Paper Chandelier // The Crafting Chicks

I think this DIY project would be easiest if you were throwing a party for a family member. You know you’ve been looking for an excuse to bust out those photos of your sister when she cut her own hair. I’m not sure that it would ever be a good idea to throw a surprise baby shower, but I do think this would be a fun decor addition for one. I can picture a bunch of family members as a babies. You could also make one of these if you are planning the party for a friend or spouse that you have several pictures of. {pin it}

4. Adult Gummy Bears // Shore Saving with Patti

This is not really a “craft” but it’s certainly something you can DIY. Patti soaked gummy bears in alcohol (Absolut Vodka to be precise). I LOVE gummies, so I heart this idea.

5. Fruit and Shapes Ice Cubes // Ann’s Entitled Life

These are super fun! And, the best part – the sky’s the limit on shapes. When I first saw this tutorial, the first thing that popped in my mind these would be fun for a casino night. Yes, I know my brain is random. Hey, you could even get shapes that are numbers to celebrate birthdays or a graduation.

Marriott Rewards Year of Surprises!

If you are considering throwing a surprise party in the future you may want to look to Pinterest for themes, recipes and crafts to add to the experience. I have a party planning board with some of my favorites!

Marriott Rewards® wants to celebrate its 30th birthday by throwing your special someone a surprise party he or she will never forget. Does someone in your life deserve to be celebrated this year? Marriott Rewards is looking for the most memorable ideas you can come up with, so go to yearofsurprises.com and nominate your loved one today for a surprise party. Nominations will be reviewed based on creativity/uniqueness of entry, overall appeal of nomination essay, and feasibility of the surprise party. The first round of nominations ends February 28th. Three winners will be awarded and announced in March and parties will be scheduled each month throughout the year. If you don’t make it to this round there will be a total of three nomination periods throughout 2014.

You do not need to be a Marriott Rewards member to submit a nomination, but if your nomination is chosen, you and the nominee will need to enroll. For more details on the contest, check out the Year of Surprises official rules at yearofsurprises.com/rules.

Voted “Program of the Year” 6 years in a row, Marriott Rewards has maintained excellence rewarding members with points to redeem for hotel stays, flights, exclusive events and shopping. Marriott Rewards has maintained excellence rewarding members with points to redeem for hotel stays, flights, exclusive events, and shopping. Through their membership, guests earn status to receive memorable experiences during their hotel stays with benefits such as priority check-in and complimentary room upgrades.

I think it would be so awesome if a Genpink reader won!  Do you know someone who deserves a surprise celebration this year? You should nominate them! And, since I don’t want to ruin the surprise if your loved-one were to be chosen, I’ll ask – who have you thrown a surprise party for in the past? 

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