Mad Men party in detail

I thought I made a pretty good Joan.

Well lovelies, the Mad Men party was a success! I highly advise you to have one of your own. This post will go through everything from snacks & drinks to activities that can make your party a blast.

As you now know, I went as Joan Holloway. My costume included a can of spray-in temporary hair dye, gold pen necklace, black/pearl brooch, a black 60s rocket bra, a genuine 1960s black velvet gown, red nail polish and light gray 60s slingbacks.

Prices: $4 for the hair dye, $18 for the necklace, $2 for the brooch, $1 for the nail polish, $4 for the black rocket bra, $6 for the hair dye, the dress was free from my great aunt and $3 for the shoes.
Total costume cost= $38

I'm thinking of possibly going as Betty for Halloween, but I think I made a pretty good Joan! What I love about her character is her curves---she is by no means a pencil, but that is what makes her sexy! So I embraced my curves and went for it--so glad I did!

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Our Mad Men cast-- including Kinsey, Joan, Roger, Harry, and Ken

I set up a small card table for snacks. I used bright daisies to add some color (a few dollars at the local dollar store). Beforehand I went to thrift stores and picked up some silver platters/bowls. We served chex mix, chocolate shortbread cookies, chips with two different dips (spicy cajun & chives/garlic), dinner mints and little smokies in barbeque sauce.

I'll admit, this was my first time creating globe string lanterns---and it was a ridiculous mess! But I did get two made, and they did add a nice pop of color to the room. Next time, I'll make sure to wear a smock (I was covered from head to toe in elmers glue when I did these).

I was probably most proud of my photo booth. It was an entirely DIY project that turned out quite well. I used 8 3/4" pvc pipes ($1.40 a piece), 8 3/4" 90 degree elbows and 8 3/4" pv tees. Then I bought two premade striped curtains from the thrift store for $2 a piece and a queen-size gray flat sheet for $3. I cut the sheet in half and used neon paints to paint a cityscape. The other half I cut a square into and used my computer and the free chrome app Pixect to create the "photobooth". The Pixect app lets you send your photos to facebook/email or download. I used a bench I already had, two work lights for adequate lighting and a box full of "props" (I printed Betty & Joan's heads out on cardstock and used popcicle sticks to create masks). Total cost for this project came to around $35 and took only about 20 min. to set up PLUS it is easy to take down and store for another party!

I went to the dollar tree and purchased an assortment of frames for under $10. Then I printed off a bunch of 1960s advertisements and framed them up. They made great decorations and also could be used as party favors for the guests!

I used small circular frames from the dollar tree to frame drink recipes. The recipes included a classic martini, old-fashioned and the manhattan.

My friend Derek (who dressed up as Harry Crane---and very well at it by the way) volunteered to play bartender for a little while. I used an old desk from the 40's as our "bar". The desk cost $10 at a local garage sale and has wheels on the bottom for ease of transporting.

Derek using the photo booth.

Our well-stocked bar was complete with a 60s ice box, cigarette dispenser, garnishes such as cherries and lemons and a large assortment of booze. I purchased 16 vintage 60s glasses and a 60s ice crusher. We had each guest bring a little something-something to add to the selection such as bitters, vermouth, gin, bourbon, brandy and schnapps. The bar was a definite hit.

We ended up going down to the bars for part of the night, and BOY did we get noticed!! I would overhear people say, "That's Joan!" or "It must be a wedding..." Haha, we got a lot of attention and it was so much fun! We also played a Mad Men drinking game which is described below and listened to some great big band & jazz 60s music on Pandora (what a cheap and virus-free way to get swingin' party music).

Mad Men Drinking Game
This is a fairly basic game and all you need are some episodes of Mad Men (available on Netflix or DVD/Blu-ray), some drinks and these rules:

• For every sexist comment made, guys take 1 drink.
• If Pete Campbell gets shot down, take 1 drink.
• For every cigarette lit, take 1 drink.
• If Betty gets angry at someone, take 1 drink.
• For every time Roger cracks a joke, take 1 drink.
• If Bert Cooper takes his shoes off, take 1 drink.
• If someone cries, take 1 drink.
• For every time Peggy seems frustrated with her job, take 1 drink.

A word of caution---we all went through about 4-5 drinks doing this game...so be prepared!

The party was such a success, I think I'll have another one next year after season six :) I hope you enjoy and feel free to comment or leave suggestions for more Mad Men party ideas!