There is NO shortage of cute parties that can be found scowering Pinterest so naturally I was having no problem finding ideas while planing one for my girl’s birthdays. However, when push came to shove I just couldn’t find something that was going to be easy, flexible and not over the top; meaning in money and time. Also since the girls are still so young I wanted to have a party for family and close friends to come celebrate with us so like Sara’s it needed to work for all ages.
My inspiration for this party finally came as I was wondering around Target and found some confetti, paper pails in the dollars section. I loved the idea of confetti dots and also the color scheme of the pails. So I grabbed a couple of those pails and ran with it, continuing on to the party section to grab balloons, paper lanterns and plastic table clothes. I walked out of Target with my party theme and most of the decorations for around $20. Thank you Target!
What I was able to learn from this experience is to not rely TOO heavily on things like Pinterest for my ideas and let the things around me by my inspirations. As a perfectionist, it became so much easier for me to create something new instead of trying to duplicate something someone else already did perfectly.
The invitations for this party were completely free as I made them myself on the computer and printed them from home on cardstock I already had. It also helped that we weren’t inviting that many people. I always prefer to have smaller and more intimate parties rather than huge friend parties for birthday’s which not only saves on the costs but makes for a little more meaningful and relaxing party.
As Sara mentioned in her post, I made this confetti dot, birthday banner for us to use for our party decorations. If you missed it you can download it
HERE.
For the menu I wanted something that my girls really liked so of course we had Mac and Cheese; an all around kids favorite. However, since there were going to be mostly adults I put a “grown-up” twist on it and did a Mac and Cheese bar with different mix-ins. I used
THIS recipe from Paula Dean but left out the eggs like most reviews suggested. It was a big hit with everyone young and old at the party!
A Mac and cheese bar is also a meal that is very affordable and easy when feeding a crowd of people.For dessert we had to have cupcakes since that’s all my daughter kept asking for whenever I asked what she wanted for her birthday. I made Strawberry Confetti cupcakes following
THIS cake recipe by Heather Baird on her blog Sprinkle Bakes.
After stressing about the party and wanting it to look and go perfect, in the end I decided to just enjoy it and the people who came to share in the girl’s special day. So even though I couldn’t hold my party outside as planned and I didn’t get everything set up in just the right way I wanted I think it’s safe to say fun was had by all!
Lastly, if you’re wondering where I got Mia’s blue and white striped dress, I made it using the Sweet Simple Dress pattern by Allison at
Freshly Completed. If you’re wanting to make a fun, summer dress for your little one then I HIGHLY suggest using this pattern. It only took a few hours to make, was super easy to follow and I’m just in love with how it turned out.
So here’s to a coming year with an adventurous 1 year old and a strong willed 3 year old. Should be fun…or at least interesting! Advice on how to survive these wonderful ages is always welcome. 🙂
Linked to:
http://theblissfulbee.com/work-it-wednesday-no-45/
http://www.tinysidekick.com/makers-link-party-15/
http://bloomdesignsonline.com/2014/05/link-party-71.html
http://craftdictator.com/2014/05/01/craft-frenzy-friday-37/
http://www.thepinjunkie.com/2014/05/friday-link-party-65.html
http://www.thecraftedsparrow.com/2014/05/creative-collection-link-party.html
