Such a sweet and pretty birthday party idea by Birthday Girl and Cakewalk Baking (more photos and details to be seen on their blogs). Plus, there’s nothing better than tea sandwiches and petit fours.
Images by Sherry Heck
via Party Perfect
Posts tagged kids birthday party ideas
Favorites: DIY Flip Book
Heidi of My Paper Crane created these fantastic flipbook invitations for her son’s birthday. Didn’t you love these kind of mix n match books when you were a kid? I know I did.
I like this idea for invitations, but I think I like this idea even better as party favors.
Images: Heidi Kenney / My Paper Crane
via Party Perfect
p.s. See my Last Minute Mother’s Day Gift Ideas on Design Mom!
Birthday Party Round Up
A few shots of Rosa’s birthday party details, plus a party favor idea that I think is my favorite yet:
Perhaps you saw these ABC Paper Cups (by Korean company “He was born” previously “I am design”) when they made the blog rounds earlier this year? I’d forgotten about them, then found them again about a month ago and impulsively ordered them from Pint Size Social. They are awfully cute, and I can’t bear to use them with any liquid that might ruin them.
Floral garland kit ($11.95) by Paper Source. This kit is a bit tedious to put together (you have to punch out all the flowers, then thread them on a ribbon), but perhaps I shouldn’t have waited until the night before the party to bust it out. I do love how it looks, and I love how long it is (30 feet), so I haven’t taken it down yet. The kit comes with four different color flowers: cream, a blush pink, white, and a pearly white.
The kids decorated these cardboard robots and paper snowflakes I found at the craft store.
I bought three of these giant (36″) balloons to decorate the house. It was hard to take a nice picture of them, because they are so large (and are still so large, three days later!) If you are considering them for a party, you can buy them online, although the party store might carry them too. Have them filled at your party store, which likely has the right kind of equipment to fill them up (the dollar store had no clue what to do with them) and also the expertise to tie them off (which is not as easy as you might think). Also, if you drive a Prius, or a similarly small car, make sure the balloons will actually fit (they did, barely).
Inspired by these chalkboard labels (purchased here – note all the different shapes and sizes), I found some great tins at the craft store for party favors, and Rosa wrote her friends’ names on the labels.
Then we filled them with fun stuff: chalk, modeling clay, a punch balloon that we put in an old school vending machine capsule (from Hey Yo Yo), a mini shape puncher, and some candy.
Elena’s friends will be getting a very similar favor, but in mason jars instead of the white tins.
There wasn’t a theme to this party – I kind of threw it together haphazardly this year. I relied on the old standards for party games (freeze dance, simon says) and a few others that I found online, and the party flew by quickly. Rosa’s friends all brought donations of new kids’ books to the party in lieu of gifts, which Rosa and I are going to donate later this week to a shelter for domestic violence victims. I’m so proud of Rosa for willingly (and eagerly) forgoing gifts this year to help out others.
Now, on to Christmas, and then to the almost-10-year-old’s party in mid January before I can put this crazy birthday/holiday season behind me until next December. Whew!
All images: Charlotte’s Fancy
Easy Felt Art Pouches
I was puttering around this weekend, thinking about what crafts we might like to make, when Elena presented me with one of these little art pouches that she made out of felt from her DIY Kids book. They are simple to make and can be filled with all kinds of fun things.
Supplies
- Felt (regular sheets of it from the craft store)
- Ribbon (about 18″ – 20″ long)
- Glue gun + glue
- Buttons, trim, other decorations
To make a pouch with two pockets, fold the bottom flap up to get a sense of how tall you want your pockets to be (for this one, I folded the flap up about halfway):
Unfold the flap, and with your glue gun, draw three lines of glue – one on each outside edge and one in the middle (see pic below) – and then fold back up. Press down on the glue lines to make them stick:
Turn the piece of felt over so that your newly-made pockets are facing down. Hot glue a piece of cloth ribbon across the middle of the pockets you just made (that is, do not glue the piece of ribbon across the middle of the full length of felt because it will be too high when you fold up the kit):
Once the ribbon is glued down, flip the piece of felt back over so that pockets are showing.
Now comes the fun part: fill your pockets with whatever art supplies or trinkets you like. We used colored pencils, a mini notepad and stickers:
To finish, fold the top flap down over the pockets, and fold the whole kit in half:
Tie your ribbon and you’re done!
These little pouches take about 5 minutes each to make, unless you want to get fancy and decorate the outside of them a little more, like this ice cream cone pouch:
(Be sure to glue the ribbon on first, then glue your decorative felt, buttons, and other trim on top of the ribbon.)
The mini Moleskine notepads, which come two to a pack, and short colored pencils, or Toysmith’s mini crayon or mini marker sets, are the perfect size for these handy little pouches.
This green pencil pouch has one big pocket (in Step One, only glue the edges of the felt, and do not add the third, middle line of glue) so it can hold a lot more – bigger notepads, magnifying glasses, 3D glasses, a spy handbook, band aids, Monopoly money – whatever you can think of:
You can make some of these to stick in the car for roadtrips. They would also make great party favors – fill them with any treats or treasures to match your party theme. So many possibilities!
Alien Invasion!
Here are some fun and easy alien and space-themed crafts when you’re looking for something to do this summer with the kids. These would also make excellent decorations and crafts for kids’ birthday parties.
First, the super talented Lier of the ikat bag blog shows us how to make aliens and spaceships from a handful of kitchen recyclables and craft supplies:
It takes a creative eye to throw together some dollar store items and old toy parts to make a cool space craft like this one, doesn’t it? Obsessively Stitching (via CRAFT) shows us how:
Cute, easy pipe cleaner aliens by Craft Jr.:
And here’s an idea for Star Wars lovers that is really cool yet so simple: tin cans spray painted to look Stormtroopers, by Jennifer over at Classic Play:
Jennifer created an amazing Ewok birthday party for her little guy, including a great game with the Stormtrooper lanterns – and she did it in only a week. Wow. You have to see the slideshow and read all about the party.
Images by their respective owners.
Happy Monday! Did you have a good weekend?
[Surprise Tuesday] Flickr Favorites
Ranunculus flowers by Simple + Pretty. Check our her great blog.
The cutest birthday theme ever. I’m not sure anyone can even compete with this. A Frida Kahlo party, complete with a piñata and favor bags by Miko Design (don’t miss the rest of the photos from this party, especially the invitation.)
Beautiful photography by Cassia Beck. See her Etsy shops Lola’s Room and Cassia Beck Photography.
I’ve been dreaming of tropical beaches lately, and I bet there’s no place more gorgeous than the Maldives. Photo by maapu.
This is a good way to start today, don’t you think?
[Family Friday] Rosa’s Bunny Birthday Party
Rosa wanted a bunny birthday party for her 6th birthday (which is tomorrow). So I’ve been putting things together here and there – it’s turning out kinda cute and kinda wacky.
These were the invites. The scalloped paper and bunny rubber stamp came from Paper Source. We sprinkled purple glitter on the bunny; it looked really cute but I’m certain it got glitter all over the unfortunate/unsuspecting person who opened the envelope.
Our house does not have a great layout for entertaining many people. It’s a little too narrow. So we tend to keep the parties small, and I decorate the dining room and try to concentrate our activities there – crafts, snacks, cake, etc.
I spent last weekend cutting out these bunny “scenes” from construction paper to decorate the walls:
Pom poms (from Orange Kisses) hanging above a carrot patch (and how do you like the candy striped radiator pipe?). On the wall next to the carrot patch is Mr. Bunny and his cottage which Rosa helped me make.
On a different wall, a meadow with sun and clouds, grass and flowers and…
a little bunny hiding in the grass.
The inspiration for the meadow came from Lollychops. I was searching for some downloadable bunny art and came across her Big Bunny week. (The big Mr. Bunny above is also one of her drawings.)
And here’s a little hint about the party favors:
I’m going to show you what’s inside these surprise balls on Monday, and I will also share some party pictures.
I still have quite a bit to do for the party (grocery shopping, cleaning, finishing the decorations, baking cupcakes) and then on Sunday I have to bake six dozen cookies in the morning for the cookie swap I’m hosting in the afternoon!
It’s going to be a busy weekend…
[Family Friday] Birthday Party Planning
Things I already know:
1). It’s only October, which is a full 2 months before Rosa’s birthday and 3 months before Elena’s.
2). I’m nuts.
In my defense, if I don’t start thinking about the girls’ birthdays now, then I run out of time to do something fun and interesting. I don’t know if you know this, but Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s really get in the way of planning two girls’ birthday parties (or one combined party).
So, I’ve been collecting pictures/ideas of what’s inspiring me for this year’s party – a woodland themed party, since we’re all about animals and trees and fairies in this house. Do you have any ideas for me?
Pom Pom decorations by Party Poms
Forest Friends Rubber Stamps by Niko Art
The Tiniest Garden scrapbook/design kit by A Print A Day
Felted Acorns by Fairyfolk
Shades of Fall cookies by Eleni’s
Bird Whistles by Bake It Pretty
Forest Party invite by Paper Culture
Hoo’s Having a Birthday invite also by Paper Culture
Owls Invite by Letterspace Paper
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