Go big or go home, right? Everyone has an area in their life this applies to. Mine just happens to drive my husband crazy and exhilarate my toddlers to no end... parties. I
LOVE planning kiddo parties. Starting months in advance, gathering ideas, making lists, hounding deals to get the most bang for my buck, crafting, thinking outside the box on how I can make what's going on in my head a reality on a tiny budget. The latest extravaganza was my sweet baby Elsie's big number one. My three year old Adelyn insisted on being my planning assistant and decided Our Little Monster must be the theme! This time around I really encouraged my big girls to get involved and they helped pick out the menu, make decor and come up with games. We did nothing but dream and talk about monsters for months and we loved it. Here's some pics...
Watermelon monster
Orange Dream Monster Cake Pops
Candied Monster Mouth Favors
Birthday Girl's Personal Monster Cake
Monster Cupcakes
Ham, Turkey and Cheese Monster Sandwiches
Monster Bones
Monster Toenails and Dip
Monster Cutlery Holder made out of a tissue box
Girls Monster Art and Handmade Birthday Sign
Sign for our bounce house
Pin the Eye on the Monster. The girls and I made the eye magnets
Monster Puzzles I found at Michaels on clearance
Make Your Own Monster Station with pre-cut eyes and teeth. This was Adelyn's idea :)
The favors. Clearance monster masks, bath toys for babies and notebook for our older kids.
First Year Birthday Banner
This guy was the girls favorite. Made him out of foam board and acrylic paints. They named him Gobie (see the nametag...) and the kiddos took pics with their face in his mouth.
Don't you just want to eat her up?!?!?!?!
However, our outdoor party was quickly thwarted the night before to Missouri Bipolar weather. We had to quickly improvise to an indoor venue (which included garage space because of our lengthy guest list) and Daddy surprised the girls with a Little Tykes Bounce House that could fit inside since our big rental was going to be a no go. They were ecstatic and since we are practically a daycare center I figured it was going to be a great investment on those rainy/cold days that have me daydreaming of being shipwrecked on an island completely isolated and loving it...
It's blurry because they refused to stop bouncing for a photo op...
The garage, however, really bothered me. I couldn't have my guests eating in a garage after all this careful planning! So I spent four hours with 150 balloons, ribbon and thumbtacks. All hung from the ceiling to disguise where we really were. A wave of color. Bright table cloths, corresponding galvanized tins with hand sanitizer, napkins and cutlery as center pieces. It was awesome and I have no pictures of it... You heard me. There are very few things that make me want to cry anymore and the fact that the party came and went and not one single pic was taken of that space makes me want to hurl... So if you attended and happened to snap a photo I will sing your praises forever. Until then I will have to fervently hold onto the memory and you will just have to trust me on it's awesomeness...
