finn is 1

           i'm a girl of my word, here is my nephew finn's 1st birthday party. told you he's cute.

they made a "hook the fish" game, like pin the tail on the donkey.  my boys loved it

and here is my sweet annie-p.  she wanted to match the party for her buddy finn.

he loves her to 100

i am so grateful to report that i have been super busy with my etsy orders.  thank you to all of you out there who are trusting me with your parties.  
as the school year was winding down i  really wanted to do something nice for jack's preschool teachers.  with some help from a friend we put together a special gift for them.
let me set the preschool scene:

it's september, he has just turned 4.  we help him put on his backpack and walk him into his new class.  jack has never been to preschool, daycare and rarely has had a babysitter.  he knows no other children.  i have no idea what he's thinking but i can sense that he's nervous.  i fight back my tears as i help him put his things in his cubby.  he's unsure of what to do,  when his new teacher takes his little hand and helps him choose a book.  i remind his other teacher about his epi-pen and how it's in his backpack, this time my hand was held.  she looked into my teary eyes and told me she would take care of him.  with a quick hug we left.

a few months ago he said, "mommy, i love mrs. sherwood to 100."  i told him that i loved her and mrs. comer to 100 as well.  how could you not love these women who are loving him so well during the day? 

so as a little thank you to them for loving all of our children we  made them flowers.  i adapted this from  family fun magazine.  all you need is a potted plant, paper flowers, wooden dowels, hot glue gun and gift cards.

each child wrote his/her name on a flower, and i attached that and a gift card to each wooden stick

   graduation was a wonderful night.  he was so proud, not nearly as proud as his mama.  yes, i cried and he's not even going to kindergarten.  since he will be turning 5 after the new school year begins we're letting him go to the other preschool class.  i told you i loved that place.  thank you again mrs. sherwood and mrs. comer for loving, teaching and inspiring jack.

e-i-e-i-o

i feel like i should have a petting zoo in my yard.  i have been busy working on barnyard animals for a couple parties which all happen to be for little girls.  here are just a couple of pictures to show how you can customize your party.

these are for the yard, they are 5 1/2 inches tall. 

menu tags

                                                 centerpiece items

high chair banner

favor tags

if you like something on my esty site, but want it to be a little different for your party- send me an email.  i'd love to create exactly what your party needs.  thanks for stopping by- stephanie

barnyard bash

so, i am super excited about this party set. it's the first party i have created for an etsy customer! i am super grateful to cole's mama for trusting me with this task. i know how special first birthday parties are. i hope she loves this as much as i do!

these animals will be added to buckets filled with hay used as centerpieces

these are cole's cupcake toppers.  the little hay bales are from michaels.  i think they would be perfect as menu cards or place card holders

i am packing up this party to send to ny.  this little muslin bag can hold all of your party memories.

listen, i know parties can be stressful.  i want you to enjoy yourself.  you have everything that you need.  happy 1st birthday cole.  enjoy your cupcake, and i will cross my fingers that your day is full of sunshine.

thinking about throwing a barnyard party?  i have the perfect idea for favors-  Barnyard Dance by Sandra Boynton or her other classic, Moo, Baa, La La La.  i've never know a little one not to love those books.  ok, so a little fact about me...i taught school before i had my babies, so i always like to incorporate fun, educational things where i can.

m-i-c-k-e-y mouse

jack loves fire trucks.  as a surprise  i bought fire fighter themed party items.  i contacted the local fire department about stopping by our house so the kids could see a real fire truck.  when i sat jack down to let him know about this crazy fun party i had been planning,  he said, "yeah, mommy i think i'm gonna have a mickey-swim party. "  (yes, my heart did sink, and yes, my husband did laugh at me.)

 i had to put plan b into action. once i got into the theme, it was a lot of fun to plan.   here are some details from jack's 4th birthday bash:

each guest had a bucket with his/her name on it.  i used vinyl lettering so the buckets could be reused   

i know this will be tough, but  if you look past my nephew ty's sweet face you can see the favor buckets hanging on the fence.  the kids loved finding their names.

we named our menu after the characters

jack is 4! 

and while i can take credit for making all of the party decor, i have to say that the memories were captured by my sister and chris.  yes, i know, it's great to have them around....and not just for their cameras.   

i would love to recreate this party for your little mouse.  if you're interested, send me an email and we can set up a custom etsy listing. 

i am already talking up this fire truck party for his 5th birthday!  stay tuned...

la, la, la, la- will's two

 for will's second birthday i was pregnant with anna michael.  i struggled with figuring out a way to provide a special celebration for my sweet boy with the limited energy i had .  for the very first time i decided to do a birthday party away from our home.  let me stop right here and say it was wonderful! everything was included in the price, so i actually didn't have to do anything.  that's just not my style when it comes to birthdays- so i created a little party on the go. 

we held his party at the local kid's gym. here is my example of personalizing a party away from home.

 oh, and wait- here's a little side note:  the cupcakes are ugly.  listen, i tried, i really did.  my sisters, mom and i cracked up in my kitchen as we tried to recreate these characters.  i would have trashed them and quickly made some cute paper cupcake toppers- and i wanted to. but, those brown eyes lit up when he saw his cupcakes.  so, who was i to argue on his special day?

here is will christopher

cookies from sweet la la's  

        the favor tags say:  this party has been brought to you by the letter W or this party has been brought to you by the number 2the adults filled these bags with cookies

 

ok, if you want to recreate these characters i would suggest using peanut m&m's for some of their noses.  we have nut allergies in our family, so that's not an option.  i really think that would make them more realistic.  better yet- we can set you up with a custom listing on my etsy site....and we can top your cupcakes with paper elmo's!

thanks to a few little helpers on that day:  sweet la la's out of charlotte, nc made the cookies- super yummy.  i have used them several times, and have always been a happy girl.  the  picture of will is courtesy of my sister jennifer and brother-in-law chris.  yes, that's the chris in will christopher.

finn's gone fishin'

my sweet nephew finn will celebrate his very first birthday this month.  time flies, doesn't it?  i remember walking into his nursery and peering over his crib at this little snuggled bundle of perfection.  i cried when i saw him,  he was that cute.   with a name like finn, the only logical theme for your party is this:

a fishing party must include two snacks: goldfish and gummy worms.

the smaller fish bowls are for food labels or place cards

at finn's party this sign will be used for a game.  we'll play that game where the kids "fish" for prizes.  all you need are fishing poles (sticks or dowels), string, magnets, paper clips and prizes.  create your fishing poles by attaching the string to a stick.  glue or tie a magnet to the end of the string.  attach a paper clip to all of your prizes....now go fishin'!  remember, kids will need to be assisted with this- and make sure your really little ones don't try to get the magnets or paper clips.

this sign could be used to welcome your guests.

thank you notes.

i will be sure to post pictures after the actual party.  everything is always cuter in action.  and wait till you see this birthday boy- still just as cute as ever.  happy birthday jacob finn.  xo, aunt steph