Wednesday, July 1, 2009

big top circus carnival party!

come one, come all
enjoy the fun
kaden and gavin's
birthday circus has come!!!

the circus party i've been planning for months for my two june babies came and went with a BANG!
Take a seat, grab a snack...this post is LONG, so scroll down and sit back!

{most photo's are courtesy of my photographer, Lyndsey @ seenboxphotography.com. it was SO hard to pick out my favorites. that's why this post is so long!}





Open the curtains and......
i made/painted the ticket booth...it used to be a plain wooden puppet stage!










we served hot dogs, chips, lemonade, and sugar sugar sugar!
the bunting flags i made were purchased on parties by hardie... notice the cups...they're cute circus animal noses as well as matching 'welcome to the circus' cups...


the clown cupcakes i made...
i found the cute clown heads and clown shoes online. they made the cupcakes so adorable!...




here's my snow cone cupcakes and popcorn cupcakes!
as i said in a previous post, i wanted to serve snow cones at the party but didn't want the work and mess. so after brainstorming one night, i came up with these! fun, huh?!
i made the popcorn cupcake sleeves out of cardboard popcorn boxes...and then attached a popcorn label to the front. the 'popcorn' is marshmallows {i cut an x into each marshmallow with kitchen sheers} sprayed lightly with yellow food coloring spray...
and here's the cake i made {more detailed pics below}. since this party was suppose to be last week {we got rained out BIG TIME and had to cancel/postpone it a week} the bottom part of the cake was kinda hammered. i re-made the top part though.
i made the fun happy birthday banner in photoshop {the paper was a mix of adorable circus paper}...
you can also see the napkins/napkin rings
i made out of tickets {got the idea from hwtm}...
and the cake stand..it's a tub that i painted to look like a circus elephant step! i got the idea from one of my followers, briattany {perfect harmony}. thanks brittany!...


i ordered the water bottle labels through, pumpkin petunia.
SO cute!...


and, one of my favorite parts of the whole party....the photo booth {i made it out of painted cardboard, polka dot fabric, and small chairs}!...
the clown bibs i had out for the little ones...















they won goldfish soap at the goldfish toss {i made the soap out of glycerine, scented oil, and plastic goldfish, and small plastic bags!}. i tied little tags on {also made in photoshop} with cute circus ribbon.







zoltar the fortune teller...








time to sing happy birthday! here's the boys blowing out their candles...

127 comments:

Tara said...

INCREDIBLE!!!

Enchanted Expectations said...

Oh this was all I dreamed it would be. You did a fantastic job. So many details, I don't know which is my favorite. I loved the body boppers. Super cute! Thanks so much for sharing.

Shelley@divinepartyconcepts said...

WOW!!! What a great party! You did an amazing job!

Unknown said...

Truly INCREDIBLE party! You have an amazing eye for detail and are so creatively talented!!

Chris @ Celebrations At Home said...

Holy Cow! That looks like more fun than the Real circus!! ; )

amy & lisa said...

This is an AMAZING party!! WOW!! You did such an awesome job with every single detail! Just amazing! I'm saving this....and most likely will give a shout for ya on my blog. :)

Hope said...

WOW...I'm turning 35 next month and I would love to have this party!!!! HEHE..You did a great job. I loved all your details and thanks for telling where you got everything. Those baby boppers are a hoot! The pictures are fantastic as well.

Brittany said...

WOW!!!! That is all I can say! It puts my little carnival party to shame! Thanks for the shout-out though!

D. Goddess said...

Insanely Cute! I'm in awe...

Jenn Hardie said...

Kara I'm blown away. Every detail was just amazing. I can hire you for my boys' parties right ;)

Unknown said...

Wow! This party looks like a TON of work! You did an AWESOME job!!. How fun! Your hard work surely did pay off!

Cassie said...

Wow! What a fun party. I bet you were busy planning for a while. What are you going to top it with next year?!?

Unknown said...

Kara~ this is the most well thought out and done circus party I've seen! Every detail was amazing!!

Jenna said...

sooo cute! you must have spent a fortune! and i can't even begin to imagine the amount of time you spent working on every little detail!

Rachel@oneprettything.com said...

WOW. I am SPEECHLESS. So, so amazing!

TidyMom said...

AWESOME!! you did an amazing job!! how long did this all take to plan and get ready for? LOL all I kept thinking was "this must have taken almost a year to plan" LOL

Thanks for sharing
~TidyMom

Unknown said...

I mentioned your "over the top" party on my blog today-loved all your amazing ideas!

denise @ little ant design said...

great party - I shared it on my party blog...littleantdesign.blogspot.com

You did a great job with the circus theme.

Kate @ The Gaines Gang said...

OMG! What a great job.. and I know a lot of work. Thanks for sharing!

Bethany said...

WOW!!! What a FUN party!! I just adore your blog!! I too am a lover of all things party and it is fun to come here and see someone else who is just as into it!!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE those snow cone and popcorn cupcakes!! Genius!! You did and amazing job!! You should be proud of yourself!!

Jessica said...

Amazing!!! I love every part of this fabulous party, and it's great that you also used some internet resources to get you there. Yippiee! What a success!

Liz McCoy said...

YIPPIE!!! so glad this post happened before our party. You've given me lots of inspiration and I see that we were thinking along the same lines with some of our ideas too!!

vmcbean said...

the carnival party looked awesome.

Jen @ SecondCitySoiree said...

Fabulous! I'm actually in the midst of planning a circus/carnival event for 800 adults, and I might borrow some of your ideas!

Amy @ Living Locurto said...

You are crazy (in a good way:-)! I thought I went overboard, but this is just awesome!!! How fun! Let me know if it's okay to feature this on my blog. You rock!

Lisa said...

I'm so happy I found this post. I'm actually having a carnival birthday party for my son in 2 weeks. He's turning 2 and I've been working on this party since his last birthday party. You have so many cute ideas. You had an over the top party and I loved everything you did!! I loved the entire post. Fabulous job!! How did you make those snocone cupcakes??

Alejandra said...

Wow!!! You did such a great job!! Everything looks so nich and colorful!! I had a couple of questions for you, do you have an email I can reach you at?

Visions Events said...

Wow best party these year! Love every detail.

jessica said...

unbelievable! so, so inspiring! you didn't miss a detail. how i love details! i loved looking at everything...and am definitely taking notes! haha! :)

adiaha said...

OMG! You pay such attention to details. What a lovely idea and your execution is incredible! Your boys are lucky to have such a creative and tireless mother....

Anonymous said...

you just made me so happy with this post! i am in love-L.O.V.E. i want to steal every idea you had for this party!

Debbie said...

your attention to detail for this party is unsurpassed. truly inspiring. quite possibly the best birthday party i've seen yet! thank you!

BKicklighter said...

This is absolutely amazing!! Can I ask you two quesitons? The picture op (stick your head in the animals' picture) - - where did you find that? Also, the Body Boppers - where does one find those??

Rainy Day Farm said...

That was amazing. I am speechless! Great job!

Sue said...

WOW! Your circus party is over the TOP!!! What lucky little boys! Love theme events!

Katherine Marie! said...

Most incredible KIDS party in the UNIVERSE... every detial is spectacular. Absolutely FABULOUS. You must become a professional party planner (if you aren't already) because I you would be SERSIOULY in demand! Once your kiddos are older you can fly around the world and plan unique parties for rich folks. Wouldn't that be fun?!

sarah said...

amazing my friend referred me to check this party out because she thught it was so fabulous!!! great great job!!! not a detail left out! i love it

Baking Momma said...

Wow girl you rock! I am so jealous lol. I want a party that is that cool. You most def have a great talent for party planning detail.

Cant wait to see whats next!

Creative Minds said...

Oh my goodness, that is the most awesomest party ever! I love it!

Lynsie said...

Hands down best party ever... I LOVE LOVE LOVE the cupcakes...so creative with the popcorn cupcake!!!

tiarastantrums said...

that looks like one amazing party - where did you find all that "stuff"!!!

Rebecca said...

PERFECT birthday! :) I've been wanting to do a circus theme birthday for years and I've never seen one this great! :) I wanted to do one for my daughter's 1st birthday but we're building a house right now so I'm planning on doing it next year.:) This is the best I've ever seen!! :)

Jessica said...

Came by way of Kelly's Korner. LoVE your boys circus party!!! You did a great job. Love all the details and thanks for sharing the sources! This is my favorite so far :)

Mommy said...

OH MY!!! You really know how to throw a PARTY!!! I am so impressed!! How long did it take to organize this??? I want this theme for one of my girls, but not sure how girly I can make it...any ideas??? LOVED all the details...you are AMAZING! Thanks!

The Chrysanthemum said...

Oh my goodness, where were you about a 1 1/2 years ago...I was planning a Circus Party as well...I am so impressed, everything looks amazing...I kinda wish I had been there! :)

Joanna said...

WOW. I am speechless. This is an awesome party! I love the snow cone and popcorn cupcakes!!

Amy said...

I've been working on plans for my daughter 3rd birthday this coming fall. It's also a circus party...it seriously looks like you and I visit all the same websites!! My plans look almost identical. Fun to see how it all came together for you.

LaQuita said...

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is by far the best decorated themed party I've seen yet. You did such a great job. I've also taken some ideas from your Circus Theme to add to my little girls Super Hero Party she wants. Thanks so much for sharing.

I BLEED PINK said...

Wow, this party is amazing. I loved all the party games you created.

Marbella Mummy said...

What a mind blowingly fantastic party! You should be so proud of yourself! x

Teri Glass said...

You do not know me but, but all I can say is Wow!!!! I will say that my kids are 19 and 26 and I always planned great parties with great themes and no one ever topped me, but this was the best party I have seen in a long time with such creative ideas..... Great job!!!!!!! Your boys are lucky to have parents that put such effort into planning their special day. I miss those days......

Anonymous said...

I really love the theme that you choose!! I am interested in doing the same for my son. Where the tickets with each childs name on the box favors made by you or they ordered on line?

Doris
email star_dk21@yahoo.com

Corine (@ComplicatedMama) said...

what a beautiful party!

Im doing a carnival theme for my daughters 1st bday next month. Lots of ideas here!

Its so hard to keep things on budget with this theme- i just keep adding and adding and adding lol

Michelle said...

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the great ideas! I was blown away by your very classy circus party. This is exactly what I want my party to look like but didn't know how to get there myself. I was so excited that my dollar store still had most of the circus prizes, ceramic banks, candy, and top hats. Thanks for posting so many pictures. It looked like everyone had a great time.

stagemom said...

OMG! you are my hero! do you have a price list?

SW said...

AWESOME!!! I would love to know where you got the template for the photo booth sign and invitation.

Thank you!
Natalie
livvydoos@verizon.net

JessicaLGiles said...

Hi! Can you tell me where you got the red and white tissue paper fan bunting? Thank you!!! jessicalgiles@gmail.com

sarah said...

hey this looks amazing i'm throwing my kids (son will be 3 and daughter 2) in december a circus party but indoors in a gym type large building do you have any pointers or ideas for me since you've already done this for two kids lol i have so far the tableware set from OT clown noses OT big clown glasses OT popcorn games and carnival banners from hobby lobby hotdog holder red and white striped popcorn boxes hobby lobby i have tents to set up a popcorn machine just any ideas would be wonderful i'm getting kinda overwhelmed

email is treehugger7@hotmail.com

Anonymous said...

awesome, I love it! I also love to plan parties, and this really caught my eye, (best Ive seen online thus far) Im looking for last minute ideas for my son's 3rd bday party "clowns" great job!

La said...

I have a few questions. Can you please email me at blackbarbie5213@gmail.com

Sherry said...

Hello, I just wanted to know where did you get the elephant clipart for the labels on the lollipops and the candy dishes?

Thanks
lynaesb@hotmail.com

Alexis said...

oh wow !
This party looked amazing you have such an amazing imagination. <3

Anonymous said...

Wow, I can't stop looking at this party. It looks like it was a blast! Wish I could have gone. XD;

I love parties, and I've become very interested in planning them for my friends and family. You've given me lots of ideas and inspiration. Thank you so much! And keep the awesome parties coming!

Anonymous said...

I have a question. Can you please email me regarding where I can order the banners. Thank you. jjcojeda@aol.com

Anonymous said...

Kara,
I have posted a few comments after viewing your themes. I just finished the circus. AMAZING girl! I was wondering if you have any future plans for My Little Pony? hint hint. :) As of yesterday, my soon to be 4 y/o wanted Strawberry Shortcake, but now she wants My Little Pony, but on the way to Grandma and Grandpas....It's back to Strawberry Shortcake! She still has about 5 days to decide before I order the invites. I would LOVE to hear any ideas you have for the MLP though- You have a true gift- Love it!
Can you email me? baa50@bellsouth.net
Thanks and Happy New Year!
Michelle

heidipgale said...

Wow! Wondering where you got the body bumpers (I think that's what you called them) and the tickets you used for the name tags on the favor boxes.
Thanks!
Heidi

Carolina Della Valle said...

i just discovered your blog and am so impressed and inspired! You are amazing!!

Anonymous said...

You did such an amazing job on this party! I'm planning my daughter's 4 bithday & we're doing a carnival theme as well. I've gotten so many great ideas from these pictures, thank you! Would you mind sharing where you found the striped top hats? I can't find anything similar anywhere! Thank you!

carla bouckaert said...

What a wonderful party! What a great memory you've created. I am planning a similar party for my daughter's 7th birthday. It won't nearly be as extravagent, but I am certainly inspired by this lovely photo. Thanks for sharing!!!

Anonymous said...

What great ideas! Can't imagine how long it took and how much it cost!!

Mindy said...

OH-MY-GOODNESS...you're killin' me here! I'm seriously in awe of your creativity. {{mouth ajar}} I just love it all.

Wow.

:P

Anonymous said...

Hi I was wondering if you wanted to sell any of the leftovers from the party? Can you email me at jasmin21sd@live.com. Thanks. Jen :)

Victoria said...

Hi. I saw your party on the creative hostess, how lovely! Just wanted to let you know I am running a contest where you can win $100 gift card to Anthroplogie- I think your party would be a great addition- http://thecitycradle.com/throw-an-imperfect-party-win

blessings

Anonymous said...

I found someone who outdoes me! Love it!

Stephanie said...

Hi Kara,
I found your blog a few weeks ago, and have already started planning my sons 2nd b-day party (which isn't until the end of Sept) I just love your ideas sooo much, and can't wait to incorporate them in my son's party. I wanted to see if you would be willing to sell or rent any of the larger props/items? I have been looking for a few of them online, and can't seem to find them. You can email me directly at stephanie_walter0409@hotmail.com

Again, you are AWESOME and such an inspiration to party planning! I love throwing parties too, and your ideas are the BEST!
Thank you,
Stephanie

Donna S said...

This is a long overdue THANK YOU post!

Thank you for sharing all of your great ideas! I was planning my son's 1st birthday party to be a football party until I came across your post and my brain went into overload. I did a double take when I saw your photo booth background because I had the exact fabric in my closet... so that sealed the deal for me and I went ahead and planned our little guys 1st party with many of your great ideas as inspiration.
Here's the post if you want to see http://anothernewseason.com/?p=963

Party Supply said...

Very creative .You did a very lovely job and amazing . You did great ..!

Birthday Gifts said...

great post and a great party indeed.. :)

D&D Love4Ever said...

about 6 months ago i decided on a Circus Theme, for my sons 3rd birthday party. I came up with this theme because my son's nickname is PEANUT (you get it peanuts at the circus??) Anyway so here recently i started surfing the web for ideas and i came to your post and I'm going to borrow a lot of them! you went OVER THE TOP! You certainly get the MOM OF THE YEAR AWARD!!!

Anonymous said...

Amazing Ideas, I was wondering if you would please let me know where you got the invites from? or what template did you use? thanks!

cornejoapril@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness!!!!! With two kiddos Kara, how do you find time to do all of this? I want to know your secret! AMAZING party!!!!

Anonymous said...

We're planning a carnival party for our boys who will be 3 & 4 at the end of the summer...what a fantastic job you've done and what great inspiration! :)

Monique said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Monique said...

I'm in the planning process of my daughter's 3rd birthday, and I'm having a Carnival Theme. As I was making my list of ideas, games, party favors, etc. from places like Birthday in a Box, Oriental Trading, and eBay I didn't see any invites I loved. Invites are so important to me. They set the stage for the party. In searching for carnival booths and invite ideas, I came across your blog. Truly amazing. Awesome planning and fantastic ideas. The party is awesome, and I loved your invites! Would you please share your invite and label templates or are you willing to sell. Thanks!

Monique
tadara5@aol.com

Anonymous said...

This is amazing! Did you make the cotton candy with that cotton candy maker? I was wondering if I should just buy prepackaged or make?

kara's party ideas said...

Thank you very much. I actually ordered the cotton candy off ebay :).

Please email me at karaspartyideas@yahoo.com for the template to the invite :).

Jenni said...

This is absolutely adorable/amazing/inspiring and FUN! LOVE IT! And, would love to share some of these on my blog... feel free to contact me!

VeryVera said...

YOU ARE AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My mouth is wide open. I can't believe how beautiful your party came out. What an absolute inspiration. :)

Monique said...

How did you make the snow cone cupcakes?

kara's party ideas said...

thanks!
i made the snow cone cupcakes with snow cone liners, and metal sno cone holders found at target :)
i frosted the tops and rolled 'em in sprinkles.

Christina said...

I'm having a Carnival-themed party in a couple of weeks and would like to know what your experiences were like with the Airblown “Lightning Ball” Inflate Game (blow-up skee ball game)? I saw this on Oriental Trading, and the reviews were not the greatest. It's just so cute and would be perfect!

Kara's Party Ideas said...

ya, no problem! the lightning ball game worked great...we used it a few times and the kids had a blast. now however, the blower has stopped working as well and it won't infalte {only a little more than half way}. but like i said, we used it quite a bit before it went out. hope this helps!
thanks!
kara

rachael said...

How elaborate and beautiful! It's exactly what I'm working on! I actually saw the animal nose cups on the Oriental Trading Company website earlier this year and was inspired to do a circus party for this coming September. Unfortunately they have stopped making them now that I am ready to purchase. You wouldn't happen to have any leftovers?!

Ashley said...

All I can say is WOW and my family always does big parties... I'm impressed! What do you recommend for a one year old girl? :D If you have any great ideas can you e-mail me at: bluecrest@bellsouth.net it would be sooooooo appreciated!

Minikins said...

This is exactly what I ambition for my son's b-day party. Do you have any of the games and other things for sale? Please e-mail me at minikinsphoto@gmail.com
Thank you.

Ashley said...

Wow!! This is amazing! I'm planning my sons Carnival/Circus party in September, he will be turning 4. Is there any other suggestions or ideas that you have? If so, please email me at littleasher@gmail.com Thank you so much! -Ashley

Unknown said...

WOW WOW WOW!

What attention to detail. This is absolutely amazing. This must have taken forever to put together!!! You can tell that this is a passion of yours, you put so much heart into it. Your boys are very lucky to have a mom like you!!! AMAZING job and I look forward to seeing your future parties!

blueskiesandgreenlights said...

You are AMAZING!!! I hope you don't mind if i borrow some of your ideas for my kids' joint birthday party this summer. i will be sure to link your page to my blog. I am so impressed with your attention to detail. We could be great friends....he he he...Great minds think alike!!! thanks for your help!!!!

Cheers,
Tabitha

www.bsandgl.blogspot.com

TotallyPinkaholic said...

So many cute details in there! I´m impress! Love the body boppers! do you rent them or bougth them?
Everything is so lovely and perfect!
Just the most perfect circus party in the world!:)
XOXO
Totallypinkaholic

kara's party ideas said...

Thanks very much everyone! I bought the body boppers on orientaltrading.com!

Anonymous said...

Wow! I needed inspiration for my daughter's circus/carnival-themed party, and now I have it!

Did you mention where you found the adorable animal photo-op panel? I love it!

Laurie said...

Amazing! I am going to try to replicate this as closely as possible....Thanks for the amazing ideas! Can you come to Colorado and set it all up :-)

Anonymous said...

Such amazing Kara!!!!

Kss from Buenos Aires Argentina!!!

Anonymous said...

WOW! Now that's what I call a party! I bet your children will the most popular in School.
I'm a new follower, LOVE your blog, you have some fantastic idea's, thanks for sharing :)

Unknown said...

KARA! this is amazing. I am throing a carnival party for my daughter...wondered if you might want to clear some space in your party closet and seel some of the decorations...I'd buy them off you? IS that something you'd be open to? All best, AUdrey

Cha Taylor said...

great! my daughter will surely love this birthday party theme! she loves Disney Jojo's Circus. Thanks for the post!

Anonymous said...

Hello. Where did you find the Big Top cardboard boxes you placed the cotton candy in? Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Wow! Perfect party! Dreams come true.

That´s THE PARTY!!!!!!!!

Where did you buy the top hats and the bow tie? I tried some stores that you mentioned, but...

LB

Unknown said...

you did an amazing job!!!!! you are very lucky for being so creative and your babies are lucky to have you. I was wondering how you did the names on the tickets if you can share the idea i would appreciate it very much. Janet

Unknown said...

Do you have a email address or a way I can contact u PLEASE ur party is amazing ty aleasha

Catherine & Sofia said...

I am just starting to plan my daughter's 5th Birthday party and this is the theme we are going with. Thank you so much for sharing all of your wonderful ideas!!!

Unknown said...

this is such an inspiration n i have now successfully completed my little one's 1st bday party wth a similar theme....u helped m alot wth the ideas...hats off 2 u...

Fiestera Chic said...

Love your blog!!!
Everytime I see this party I found something new and useful..
I´m from Colombia and run a blog about parties and ideas, and I'm featuring your photo booth in my site.
Visit me @ http://fiestascreativas.blogspot.com/
Cheers!!!
PS. It´s very likely I´ll feature again this party in the near future :)

Leah said...

Hi Kara! I am planning my son's 1st birthday party, which isn't until Sept 4th 2010. I am doing a carnival theme and I came across your blog.......you did an outstanding job and such great detail!!! I am going to use alot of your ideas :) Do you think you can email me your invitation template and I have a few other questions...

leahrhaeg@aol.com

Mandy Cyr said...

What a great birthday!! Do you sell the decorations that you used after the birthdays? If you still have some of the circus decorations I would definitely be interested!! Please let me know what you do with all the leftover stuff!

kara's party ideas said...

Thanks! I found the cardboard boxes at the dollar tree!

Sabrina said...

You did an amazing job!!!! It all looks so adorable! I am planning my daughter's 5th birthday to be circus theme for April. I was wondering how you made the goldfish soap? Do you still have any of your games and decorations that you would be willing to sell? Where did you get your cotton candy from and the red tents used on your tables? You have basically the same stuff that I was going to buy so I was just checking!!! You can email me at roselillieb@yahoo.com if you want to !! Thank you!!!

Anonymous said...

This is totally Wicked!! I have chose a circus theme for my boys 1st party and i would love to create something as good as this x

Tati Barros said...

ESTOU SIMPLESMENTE ENCANTADA COM SEU BLOG, TANTAS IMAGENS LINDAS E COLORIDAS QUE ENCANTAM QUALQUER PESSOA,AS MAMÃES ENTÃO NEM SE FALA...NÃO CONSIGO SAIR DAQUI,RSRSRS.ESTOU TE SEGUINDO!
BJ
TATI
bytatibarros-al.bogspot.com

Dominique said...

i am in love with this party- it looks amazing... my little boys 1st birthday coming up in july and this theme wins hands down!

Alisha said...

OMG, My little girl will be one in a couple of months and I have had this circus party planned forever but I just needed something like this to really get me excited about it and give me some really good ideas! You did an amazing job, I'm such your cute little boys had a ball:)

Tosha Brown said...

Amazing! I am throwing my 2 year old a circus themed party! Where did you get the body bopper?

Monique said...

Oriental Trading has the Body Boppers and a bunch of other carnival supplies.

Jillian said...

I know this is a way old post, but I have a quick question for you. I'm planning a circus party for my triplets who are turning 6 and I was wondering...did you have someone manning each game booth, or did you just have the games out for the kids to play at the leisure? I'm trying to get all this crazy stuff figured out! Thanks!

kara's party ideas said...

Hi Jillian,

Yes, I asked my adult family members to man each activity station :]. Thanks!!

Kara

Emma Perry said...

oh this is amazing! Where did you get the clowns and shoes for the cup cakes from - they are too cool!!!

Anonymous said...

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