Mermaid Swim 2nd Birthday Party

Is everyone as ready for summer and warm weather as I am? I think I’m in trouble..I still have a long wait until pool time! This adorable MERMAID SWIM 2ND BIRTHDAY PARTY was submitted by Krista Ryken of K to Z Design. I love the aqua and pink mixed with the chevron stripe. And look at that darling mermaid cake!

Krista said-- “I created this mermaid pool party for my precious baby girl for her 2nd birthday. Zoe's birthday is in late July in Arkansas and that means it is HOT! We had a breakfast pool party in order for the water to not feel like a bathtub! Luckily breakfast is Zoe's favorite meal and all babies are usually happy in the morning!

I wanted to create a fun mermaid party with all my own original designs. The mermaid graphic and all the paper goods were created by me. I started out with the invitation and then everything followed from there! We had a breakfast spread of fruit, breakfast casserole, bacon, monkey bread, donuts, muffins, and cheerios. Activities included temporary tattoos, bubbles, and of course lots of swimming! We finished off with a cake, cupcakes, and ice cream served in push pop containers. Guests were treated to a goody bag of bubbles, more tattoos, stickers, candy, and chalk paint! We snapped a cute picture behind the photo prop and then the guests were on their way out to sea!

I created the large 2 for the backdrop by tweaking the idea I found on Oh Happy Day from this tutorial http://ohhappyday.com/2011/04/diy-fringey-monogram/. I created the party hat headband, tattoos, party favor tags, and invitations as well. My most time consuming project was painting the photo backdrop. I created the wreath as well from plastic shell bras from the dollar store! It is amazing what a little spray paint can do!

My husband was part of the party as well. It is a family affair of course! He created the white cake stands following the tutorial found here http://www.beeinourbonnet.com/2010/09/project-wedding-cake-stands.html. He also made gigantic bubbles at the party for the kids by following the tutorial I found at my favorite blog Tatertots and Jello! Gotta to love Jen! Here is the easy tutorial http://tatertotsandjello.com/2010/08/summer-project-make-giant-bubbles.html.

This party was a lot of work, but it was worth every single minute watching my Zoe's face when she arrived at the party! I can't wait to do it all over again for the big 3!”

Vendor Credits:

Party headband,Toppers, tattoos, tags, wreath, photo backdrop, large 2- K to Z Design
Photography: Melissa Reibe Photography
Balloons, striped bags for donuts, straws, fans: Shop Sweet Lulu
Swimsuit: Flyduds
Cake: Lisa's A Cake Boutique
Chalk Paint: Sidewalk Sensations

Purple Farm Birthday Party

I wanted to showcase a fun and different party today. This PURPLE FARM 2ND BIRTHDAY PARTY submitted by Kaci Uipi of Parties By Kaci is SO cute & original. Who would have thought that 'purple' and 'farm' mix-- love it!

PARTY DETAILS told by Kaci--

"I wanted to give everything as much detail as possible to make this party extra special! This included...litle green flags on the drink straws, tiny fabric flowers glued on the lollipops, burlap and ribbon tied around flower vases, wooden labels for the milk bottles, etc. I made everything from scratch--including all the desserts, banners, signs, and backdrop.

Sweet Table-I wanted this table to definitely have an over-load of sweets and candy! I used different shades of purple and lilac for a monochromatic feel. And again, I painted and spray-painted everything (baskets, crates) with different shades of purple. I accented with touches of chartreuse...   


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"The cake was the focal point and I wanted this to be the tallest thing on the table. So, I actually went to Home Depot and cut wood so I could construct a custom box for the cake to sit on. I then painted it with lilac acrylic paint. On either sides of the cake were the cupcakes. I bought wooden crates and spray painted those, and then had the cupcakes on identical cake pedestals (from Crate and Barrel) which I placed on top of the crates.

Kids' Tables-I covered the kids' tables first with burlap, then with a dark purple "runner" made with taffeta. I added one green ribbon going down the center. I placed small vases of purple and green flowers mixed with painted candle holders on the tables as center pieces.

Kids' Lunches-I purchased quart-sized wooden berry baskets from online and spray-painted them purple (of course). I then tied a piece of twine and a little barn silhouette (that I found online and printed on brown paper) on each one. I wrapped the lunch in a square piece of lilac satin and tied in a double knot. Inside were almond butter and strawberry sandwiches cut out in cute shapes.

I also found the milk jars online and had my husband drill a hole into each lid where the straw would go. (These were 2 year olds, so I knew there would be spillage!) For an extra detail, I made hand-painted wooden labels that said, "Milk" for each jar.

Adult Food Table-I covered this with burlap, and then placed moss all around the white platters of food. The menu included:


1. sandwiches of roasted organic chicken, arugula, pesto, sun dried tomato mayo, and fresh mozzarella
2. sandwiches of roasted turkey breast, bacon, roasted red pepper mayo, and spinach
3. vegetable tray with spinach herb dressing
4. fruit tray
5. cheese tray
6. fresh tortilla chips with guacemole and heirloom tomato pico de gallo
7. salad of organic mixed greens, roasted red beets, toasted walnuts, goat cheese, bacon, and champagne vinaigrette

I made 2 large banners to hang on either side of the adult food table: One that said "EAT", and another that said "YUM".

VENDOR CREDITS:

Party Stylist: Parties By Kaci
Food: Parties By Kaci
Photography: Caitlin Nalder
Venue: Tolmachoff Farms in Glendale
Cake: Anna's Cakes
Berry Baskets (for kids' lunches): Wasserstrom
Candy: Sweeties of Arizona
Milk Bottles: Specialty Bottle
Cupcake Toppers: Clementines Cupcakes
Drink Labels: Envy Couture
Purple Striped Paper Straws: The Party Fairy
Purple Popcorn and White Cotton Candy: 1890 Caramel Corn Company
Barn Sugar Cookies: The Talented Cookie
Fabric: Sas Fabrics
Paper and Die Cuts: Scrapbooks Etc.
Glass Drink Dispensers: Bed Bath & Beyond
Mason Jars and Flower Vases: Walmart
Mini Hay Bails: Michael’s
Wooden Tags (used for milk labels), Moss, and Wooden Crates: Joanne’s
Cake Pedestals (used for cupcakes): Crate and Barrel

Red and Turquoise Elmo Party

My next party feature goes to this darling RED & TURQUOISE ELMO THEMED BIRTHDAY PARTY submitted by Tiffany Grimal of Cupcake Dream. Such a cute set up! I just love the non traditional turquoise color mixed in with the red. Those Elmo cake pops couldn't be cuter, too. 

Here is what Tiffany said about the party- "Every morning at 9am, Katelyn runs to living room for “Elmo time”. She has become quite obsessed with the furry, red, loveable monster. So, when it came time to plan her second birthday party the theme was not a mystery. However, I didn't want to recreate the usual primary colored Sesame Street theme. Instead, I wanted to design a unique “world” just for Katelyn. We'll call it... “Katelyn's World”.

After the invitation was complete, all the other design elements followed. I used the same details to put together water bottle labels, favor tags, cupcake toppers, and straw tags. The invitation design inspired everything including the cake and cookies from Sugar Boo Sweets. Since the theme was Katelyn's World, and mommy had already taken over the color scheme, I thought it was time to add a few more of her favorites. Party favors included a favorite snack, goldfish, and her love of reading. With some adorable glass bowls from Favor Days, even Elmo's fish Dorthy was ready to join in on some Katelyn's World fun! The party guests could also sit down for a good story thanks to the Elmo miniature book set we found at Lakeside Collection.

Not wanting to stop there, the other do it yourself projects started. A quick review of my Pinterest board gave me some great ideas. I loved the idea of a crayon wreath but instead built it to be the bottom of the cookie stand base. Unable to find a reasonably priced red cake stand, I made the trip to Hobby Lobby for a large wood candle stand that could be spray painted for much less. Martha Stewart's great website gave me step by step instructions for the red and blue paper poms. The Elmo cake pops was by far the most interesting DIY project I've ever attempted. After the fourth try and many bags of candy melts, I am happy to say that my husband and I are now “Bakerella in training”. These fun elmo treats were the talk of the party and tasted absolutely yummy!

A lot of sweat, blood (remove fingers before cutting tissue paper), and hair loss went into creating Katelyn's World. Fortunately, more smiles and giggles came out! I can't wait to do it all again next year.

Vendor List:

Paper Products & Event Design - Cupcake Dream: http://www.etsy.com/shop/cupcakedream
Elmo Cake & Cookies – Sugar Boo Sweets: http://sugarboosweets.blogspot.com
Elmo Dress - Caterpillar Kids: http://www.etsy.com/shop/kandybarnett
Glass Fish Bowl (Favors) – Favor Days: http://www.favor-days.com
Elmo Books – Lakeside Collection: http://www.lakeside.com/
Aqua Tinted Mason Jars: http://www.etsy.com/shop/gaelgallery
Elmo Pinata & Polka Dot Balloons – Party City: http://www.partycity.com
DIY Cake Stand – Hobby Lobby: http://www.hobbylobby.com

Princess And The Pea Party

I'm so excited to share today's feature with with you. My jaw dropped to my desk when I received this PRINCESS AND THE PEA BIRTHDAY PARTY submission from Beca K of My Paper Lily. Can you believe your eyes? What a darling party!! The layered beds with fun quilts and fabric...the cookies from dainty delights...the sleeping masks...the slippers...the cake...the pea pillows...I can't believe it all! The theme is just too perfect. So, so, so cute. 

Here is what Beca said about the party- "My daughter Elaena is the youngest of three, so of course she is the baby - my little pea. I didn't want to give her just a party based on sweet peas alone. When I recalled the story "The Princess and the Pea" I thought it was perfect! I am a mom on a major budget, so the photography, every crafted detail and edible item I made/did myself ....except those gorgeous cookies! It was actually quite easy to sew the pillows and sleep masks, hopefully I can get a tutorial up soon! The mattresses are actually toddler mattresses! I went through 2 1/2 weeks of searching for them on craigslist. The girls got to draw (fabric markers) on their own pea pillow. You can get all the printable items here in my shop: my Paper lily."

Vendor Credits:

Frame: Ikea

Animal Slippers: Crazy for Bargains

Bunny Slipper: Bunny Slippers

Cookies: Dainty Delights Inc

Quilt: The Red Pistachio

Princess Pajama Dress: Embellish Kids Boutique

Birthday girl crown: Miss Ruby Sue

Fabric: Joann

Green Frame: Joann

Printables: my Paper lily

Amazing cookies were ordered from Dainty Delights. Shipped to your front door!

All the children decorated their own pea pillows. So cute!