"Little Mommy" Birthday Party

A few weeks ago I was looking around Flickr and found this twist on the classic Barbie-in-a-dress cake. Instead of a princess, make it a "Mommy" party for her four-year-old daughter, Emma! How cute is that? I contacted the photographer, and Laura agreed to share some of her ideas here. She writes: "This was such a fun party, I hope someone else can be inspired by it." I hope so, too! Thanks again, Laura!

For the invitations, she made miniature purses from scrapbook paper and slipped the invitations inside. They invited all the girls to bring their favorite
baby doll with them to the party. The even brought all the doll furniture into the living room and "set up a little nursery so the mommies would have somewhere to take care of their babies during the party." Awwww.

For the cake, she used the Wilton pan, but with only one box of cake mix, saying she "felt the shorter skirt really gave her a retro mommy look." I think her attention to detail is gorgeous! She covered the plate with about two inches of fondant decorations. I love the addition of the baby wrapped in a fondant blanket! Creative babywearing mamas could make a pouch or ring sling to hold the baby.


Emma's Mommy birthday cake
Originally uploaded by scottandlaurahilton

The party lasted about three hours, and there were 3 adults presents to help with the festivities. The afternoon was full of pampering and mommy time. I wish I had a party like this for me! Laura explains:

Once all the girls arrived we started with manicures. I had a friend of mine there so we could both be working on nails at the same time. And the girls who were waiting just continued to play with their dolls. I let each girl pick a nail polish to put in their purse and take home. Then they each got to pick a lip gloss that we helped them put on and then those went in the purse, too.

The party included the obligatory cake and ice cream time, and then the afternoon ended with a neat surprise scrapbooking activityy!

I had my husband take pictures of the girls the whole first part of the party (We took photo ops: each girl getting her nails done, each girl with their baby, all the girls with their rings, each girl giving the birthday girl a
present, and eating cake.) I then had him quickly upload and print about 6
wallet sized pictures for each girl. After cake and ice cream the girls gathered around the a table and did a little scrapbooking. We did the gluing while the girls stuck on stickers and colored with crayon.

Emma and her friends
Originally uploaded by scottandlaurahilton

It sounds like a fun, frugal time! Laura's resourcefulness included many homemade items. She got almost all of the manicure supplies from the Dollar Spot at Target, and she made the purses from some extra fabric she had on hand. She made mini scrapbooks by cutting down card stock and scrapbook paper and binding them with ribbon. Sitckers and other craft supplies were from the Dollar Store. She made the purses herself by sewing 6X8 fabric bags with ribbon handles.


The Birthday Girl
Originally uploaded by scottandlaurahilton

Happy Birthday, Little Mommy! It sounds like you had a great party!

Ladybug Picnic Party

Yesterday, my son received this adorable handmade invitation in the mail to his friend Miss Scarlett's first birthday party:



Miss Scarlett's mom has chosen a picnic theme, complete with ladybugs and a red checkered blanket motif. She wants to make the cake herself, and I thought I would throw out some ideas here on the blog.

At one point, she mentioned making a cake in the shape of the number 1 covered in red checkered pattern, similar to the invitation above. Here's a Checkerboard Cake which suggests making the squares using pieces of fruit leather! Brilliant!

I suggested adding ants crawling across the cake, but she says ladybugs and flowers are cuter. She's right! (I suppose I'm already accustomed to planning for a boy!)

Here are some more cake ideas I found around the web:

A very cute Ladybug Cake, which you make using Junior Mints!

A Gumdrop Garden Cake, which has a similar theme

Finally, in the "Why not?!" category, a Hotdog and Fries Cake!

For decorations:
Checkered tablecloths, of course! She's having the party at a local park, during lunchtime, so anything that is easily transportable and easy to take down is essential. I'd suggest a few blankets for the smaller children to sit on and eat their food.

Nature, of course, is the best decoration of all, but it would be easy to make some paper ladybugs using red and black cardstock to put up around the picnic area. You could hang them from trees or a pavilion, if available. Streamers are also easy to carry, but be mindful of the weather. Wet streamers are never fun to clean up!

Here are some other, similar themed parties:

Huggable-Bug Party with ideas for bug crafts and goody bags.

Garden Party, which includes flower-related activities and snacks.

Do you have any ideas to share with my friend for her Ladybug Picnic Party? Be sure to leave a comment below!

Scooby-Dooby-Doo Double Birthday Parties for Two

Scooby-Dooby-Doo, Where Are You?
We got some work to do now.
Scooby-Dooby-Doo, Where Are You?
We need some help from you now.

My longtime friend Jamie Lyn sent these photos of her recent Scooby-Doo themed double birthday party to me a few weeks ago. Her two children, a boy and a girl, celebrate their birthdays close together in April, and she always has a separate party for friends and family, so this year she hosted TWO parties for TWO kids within a few days. Way to go! She's graciously allowed me to share her advice here. Hopefully, some of you with children close in age and birthday will be able to benefit from her creativity!



On this amazing Scooby-Doo cookie cake for her son:

Scooby was a free coloring sheet that I found online, then blew up on my scanner. I used that to make a template out of wax paper, then cut out the cookie with a knife before I baked it. I decorated it using my coloring sheet as a guide, but there was some element of freehand to it.

On the small daisy cakes, pictured above, for her daughter (I love how the flowers keep the groovy Scooby Doo theme, yet make it girly!):

The daisies are obviously just seven mini cupcakes arranged together. This size was ideal for the 2-4 set, who get a little crazy on even the smallest amounts of sugar! You could use the same idea for other, more "sophisticated" events, though...petit fours or cheesecake bites would be cute for a shower or tea party.

On the table decorations and being frugal:

I did spend more this year on "themed" goods than I have in the past, but considering we served 42 people over the two parties (and the second included a meal), it was still very reasonable. I only bought a few "high-impact" items in the pricier themed versions (tablecloth, invitations, one small package of cups for the kids, one package of napkins), then interspersed them with less expensive solid colored goods (plates, cups for everyone else, more napkins). That crazy centerpiece thing was there only because I found it on clearance at the party store for less than $2; I would NOT have paid the $12 that it cost normally. I also skipped Party City's Scooby Doo themed goodie bag items, except for one thing that I found on super clearance. That kind of stuff is just so much cheaper elsewhere, and half the stuff doesn't survive the trip home anyway.

We already had the special Scooby Doo plate and cup that Will used. I've discovered that if you're doing a theme because your child is into something, you usually have a lot of that stuff around your house.

It's true! Before you go all-out for a kid's themed birthday, think of all the character toys, plates, cups and other items that you might already own.

As an added bonus, JL dispenses some all-around good advice on cake toppers:

A friend of mine taught me that you can be creative and frugal even if you don't make your own cake. A couple of years ago her little boy was into tractors, but the bakery was going to charge her an extra $5 just to add a couple of cheap, plastic tractors (that looked like they came from the quarter machine) to the farm cake she'd ordered. She told them to skip it, and instead added a couple of small tractors they'd planned to give their son as gifts once they got the cake home. The cake was very cute, and her little boy was super excited to actually get real toys to play with, rather than those cheap things with plastic sticks on the bottom. You could do the same thing with cars, Polly Pockets, Little People, etc.

This just popped into my brain: how fun and simple would it be to spell out "Happy Birthday" using Legos on an elementary-aged kid's sheet cake!? (Of course, you'd have to wash them or any toy before AND after using them on a cake, but that could be easily done by putting them in one of those baby-stuff baskets or a mesh bag in the dishwasher.) I might even enjoy something like that on my birthday cake, to make me feel like a kid again! I think I still have a box of Legos in my parents' house I might just have to go recover. :) And I know a grown-up friend who would probably love a Transformer on his June birthday cake.

If you have a good idea, please share with us! You can e-mail me or leave a comment on any post. Thanks, all! And thanks Jamie Lyn for sharing your inspired birthday ideas! More birthday ideas coming soon!

Party Inspirations from Children's Books

Our homes are filled with books of all kinds! What better way is there to find inspiration for a party than in the charming illustrations and events of your child's favorite stories?

Over at plumpudding, Megan blogs about her unusual carrot cake inspired by the delightful book Shall I Knit You a Hat.

She draws all sorts of ideas from her bookshelf, listing the work that inspired each one, ranging from bite-size cookies, a face-painting station, a pinata, to, of course, a book corner! Plans were in the works for a craft project, and I think it was a fantastic idea. I only wish I'd had a party like this when I was a little girl!

To read more about Megan's party and her many book-ish inspirations, click here. Her blog, plumpudding, is a crafty resource on its own, so be sure to add it to your regular reading!

This reminds me of a party I didn't attend but only heard about: a friend threw a Dr. Seuss-themed first birthday party for her son, Sam, complete with Dr. Seuss books as party favors. Of course he wore a custom tee with "Sam I Am" on the front, from the infamous Green Eggs and Ham. A similar idea could work well for twins, especially if you get those "Thing 1" and "Thing 2" onesies and perhaps make a Cat in the Hat Hat cake.

Some of my favorites children's books that I think might make great party themes:

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

The Real Mother Goose

Where the Wild Things Are

The Little Engine That Could

The Tale of Peter Rabbit

Not to mention the many books for older kids that could spark imaginations, from Harry Potter to The Chronicles of Narnia. I could write a whole series of posts on this. Perhaps I just might!

What favorite books would you use for your kids' party themes?

HT: The Motherload.

Jamie Lyn's First Birthday Balloon Cake

My longtime friend Jamie Lyn sent me a series of amazing pictures from her children's birthday parties. She is especially talented at making her own cakes! I'll start with the first and include more pictures and ideas in subsequent posts. Believe me, you are going to love her latest frugal kids' party ideas! She reminds me that the first birthday is easy, but by the second, the kids usually want to have some say in their theme!

This balloon cake was for her son Will's first birthday three years ago:



Simple, cute, but also very creative! The balloon "strings" are actually licorice strands. She tells me she found affordable balloon napkins and plates at the Dollar Store. I could even imagine making a small balloon cake just for the birthday boy or girl...though they would probably have too much fun with the licorice to even get started on the cake! And wouldn't this be cute for triplets or other multiples?

First Birthday Party Ideas and Beyond

Over at the cradle, a website for new parents, the Hostess with the Mostess shares three theme ideas for a first birthday party. She includes great ideas for using pictures of your child as well as tips on how to tie it all together.

Her first inspiration, Modern Tyke, includes bright colors and soft toys. Using your baby's favorite playthings are always good starting points for themes or centerpieces.

My Variation: Construction Toy Party I'm thinking next year we might use a dump truck as a centerpiece to hold candy or flowers or even a little mini-cake. Just wheel it right up to the birthday boy! I would scatter a few more construction-themed toys around the yable or decorations. You would have the added bonus of being able to use the centerpieces for playtime after the party is over!

Her Bedtime Story sets up tables to look like colorful, made beds with bright place settings.

My Variation: The Un-sleepover Party I think this setting would work well for a sleepover party for little girls, even if you didn't actually sleepover! The girls could come in PJ's and bring their favorite stuffed animal, enjoy a meal "in bed" and then gather on blankets to watch a movie before their parents come pick them up. Probably good for ages 6-8 when they might not be ready for a full night's sleepover just yet.

The Modern Zoo chocolate/pink theme she describes would work equally well for a baby shower! The idea of using animal cookies is just too cute, and with the modern twist, it adds just enough sophistication for a grown-up fete!

Carnation Garland

Although some of the beautiful edibles showcased in this baby shower post at Bluelines may be a bit out of our frugal price ranges (though I'm sure you could make many of the foods at home), there was one idea that caught my eye.

Cindy DiPrima, a stylist, crafted this beautiful flower garland from some cheap carnations. You could also use silk flowers or homemade paper flowers and achieve the same effect, I think. What a beautiful way to honor the soon-to-be mom (or a birthday girl, or a grandmother, or a bride-to-be!

The Mad Hatter Would Be Proud

Elizabeth over at A Purposed Life wrote in to share with us her latest celebration of her daughter's 6th birthday: a tea party for under $35!

I love the idea that the little girls can take home their own teacups, which means the next time they get together, they can have a tea party of their own!

She also made individual cupcake holders out of glasses and decorated them with cute blue and brown polka dot ribbon. In fact, she used grosgrain ribbon throughout the decor! She even snazzed up a plain bowl with ribbon!

(If you are looking for an inexpensive ribbon resource, I buy mine at Garden Ridge when it goes on sale for $.25/roll and dig through the bins until I find ones I like. My husband wonders why I have so much ribbon stockpiled, but this is one of the reasons!)

Be sure to visit Elizabeth's blog to see more of her tea party ideas, including pretty pictures!