Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Birthday Party

My baby is getting ready to turn 5 in a few weeks.  I literally can not wrap my head around FIVE.  I just keep turning it over and over in my head wondering how it has went so fast.  (And then I read this by Katie and this by The Nester and I basically just sob because it never stops.  Parenting is so lovely and strangely hard. #bittersweet)  Anyways, back to the point at hand - Ninja Turtles!  When my nearly-5 baby was nearly-4 he desperately wanted a TMNT birthday party.   Because I take a long time to process my thoughts and am a terrible blogger who doesn't post things anywhere online in a timely fashion this post is a year late.  But somehow it feels ok to share this party in honor of his upcoming birthday, which I know makes no sense to anyone but me.  #thatsok

I love, love, love being a boy mama.  I love the loud, dirty, wrestling around, skinned knees-ness of boys.  But one of the things I struggle with HARD are characters.  Oy, the characters.  And boy characters pretty much all follow the same themes - they fight, they defeat bad guys, they have super powers &/or are weird.  So when TMNT came up I fought it.  I am fighting the good fight for all of us character-disliking mamas out there - and I am epically losing.  Bleh.  So when this came around as the toy/character of choice I decided that I would be ok with the fun-happy-silly turtles of the 80's, not the mean, aggressive, grunting TMNT of 2014.  (I'm hoping that I'm not the only mother out there who has grossly over thought this.)

But I digress.  So, how about if I actually talk about the party?  After over-analyzing if we should do this theme or something else I knew that our kiddo would love it the most and we went for it.  Honestly I had no idea how to make it fun.  I wanted it to be interactive and not just a lot of cutesy decorations. I decided pretty early on that I needed a few basics to do this party.

Pretty simple, right?  This party was very easy to set up.  We created a maze that had Turtle silhouettes on foam core at the entrances.  The maze was made of plastic electrical conduit that was cut in thirds, Dollar Tree pool noodles, and crepe paper streamers.  The whole maze cost around $20.  We had clothes line poles at our last house and we hung balloons at varying heights from the clothes lines.  That was the biggest hit of the whole party with the kids!  At the entrance of the maze we set up a tub with foam swords (also from the Dollar Tree) and DIY TMNT masks.  We didn't have many girls at the party but I can attest that the boys LOVED the swords and fighting the balloons.  Those things didn't stand a chance!  If you are throwing your own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle themed party this is the one thing that you have to do!

I wish that the pictures of the yard weren't so blown out.  But that's what happens when you have to shoot in full sun, you get the harsh sun/shade shadow.  To do the maze take your 10 foot electrical conduit and cut it into 3 pieces with a saw.  Then take a rubber mallet and tap them into the ground.  Slide your pool noodle over the tubing and then wrap the paper around streamers around different sections of the noodles making 'walls'.  Seriously, the possibilities are endless with this idea.  For the turtle silhouettes I picked up the black foam core from the Dollar Tree (#unofficialsponsor) and had my friend from Sprinkle The Kindness make me the turtle silhouettes.  She also cut the letters for the Happy Birthday sign behind the cupcake/gift table.

The rest of the party was just as simple.  I did paint the TMNT peg dolls for the cupcakes, but those were mostly for me because I thought it would be cute (my son declares that he 'hates peg dolls') and I wanted to do them.  For something similar you could look for something on Etsy or just use smaller figurines.  I had grabbed the green 'Pizza' banner after Christmas because I had a sneaking suspicion I would end up doing a turtle party.  I used some striped washi tape to spell 'Pizza'.  I used a scrap piece of wood to make a 'Mutagen' sign for a batch of green punch.  

And that's that!  If you are planning a TMNT themed party what are your plans for the day?  

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Looking for more birthday party inspiration?  You might enjoy these too:

Reading Themed Birthday Party

Little Mister Birthday Party

TMNT Pinterest Inspiration Board

Valentines Day Family Party (2014)

Well I couldn't help but start this blog post with that picture because seriously, those faces.  See these little baby munchkins?  These are the kind of pictures that grab at a mama's heart and never let go.  This was our Valentine 2 years ago (yep, I'm that kind of blogger - late!) when H was just a few months old and our Davis was 2.  BABES.  Chris and I got this picture and knew we'd better stop while we were ahead because this was just too perfect.  I found this free 'LOVE' PSD overlay on Pinterest and the simplicity of it was too much to resist.  

The same year as we did this picture, Davis hosted a Valentines party.  He was just old enough to kind of grasp the idea and he was ALL IN.  At the last minute he even put on a sport jacket on his own free will.  I can't make this stuff up people.  This kid was born with the hospitality gene because he loves to have people and arrange parties and stuff.  It's adorable and hilarious. 

We basically decided about a week before Valentines day to host this party so we didn't do invites and it was all pretty basic.  Which is just about all you need for a little family stuff Valentines party.  We cut up some paper hearts and I think we made a simple banner.  We decided on some minute-to-win-it games that were really fun (men get into competition no matter what the game).  

These pics are pretty rough - I will never paint a room yellow again.  This was the first room Chris and I ever decorated and we chose the paint at the store (mistake).  I don't think it read bad in person but it did make the room a lot harder to photograph.  Of course not using some sort of external light while photographing at night in a yellow room *probably* isn't a recipe for success anyways, today I'm going to blame the yellow paint.  ;)

Pretty basic set up - a light dessert bar with a chocolate fountain.  The dining table was set for games.  We did a few games with conversation hearts, including one that seemed to be a hit where you were paired together and had a minute to stack as many hearts together as you could.  The other fan favorite was trying to fly an airplane into the heart 'target'.  Sarah got a pretty great action shot of that one below from her phone.  I love how serious all of the men are!

I kind of remember thinking right before people walked in the room that I should take a few pictures of the set up.  Oops.  So this is what I have to show for my efforts.  (Yes I know I photograph details for a living.  You can totally tell in these pictures can't you?!)

That's my main mister there in the middle.  Love that guy.

My little mister was such a great little host that night!  After the party his dad made sure to take some pictures of the two of us (Happy Valentines to me!).  I adore these, he looks so proud!

What are your Valentine plans?  Do you ever do silly things like this with your family?

Purple Craft Baby Shower

During my blogging hiatus I had the great joy of hosting a baby shower for a friend of mine from church.  This mama is crafty and her favorite color is purple.  Instead of doing an elaborate theme I decided to keep things simple with everything tied in through the color palette.  I used purple fabrics that had accents of brown to make tassels and sew pillow covers, did a white themed dessert buffet, and set up a onesie craft station for the guests.  It came together well and was the perfect amount for the guest of honor, which means it was just perfect.

To make the tassells I simply ripped strips of fabric and tied them with yarn.  I chose not to cut the fabric because I wanted them to have a more relaxed feel.

Anytime I throw a shower where I know there will be lots of guests I do a Bingo game.  It helps keep guests interested in what is happening and helps the gift opening move a little faster.  

For the craft station I picked up several plain onesies and set out a variety of different craft items (paint, buttons, iron on patches, stamps).  Because I knew that not everyone at the shower would be able to come up with an original idea quickly I also printed out some prompts and set them on the table for inspiration.  The craft station was lined with brown craft paper.

My shower was in the mid afternoon, which meant that a full menu wasn't necessary.  Instead I opted to do a dessert bar tied together with a neutral color scheme.  I focused on white desserts and served water and coffee.  I found the chalkboard several years ago and painted it for the coffee house bridal shower.  It gets a lot of use whenever I host events, usually as a menu sign.

I really enjoyed being able to host this shower.  I loved the simplicity of the decor and the opportunity to use a looser theme.  If you are hosting a similar event here are some tips to keep in mind:

• When using colors as your theme vary the shades and patterns
• Always remember to add texture.  In this shower I used cotton fabrics, pom poms, paper, and purposely tore fabric.
• Think about how you can switch up your normal decor to tie in the event.  For this shower I sewed a few pillow covers to match the party.
• Don't go over board on your menu.  It's easy to over think food and feel like there won't be enough but many showers aren't held at a typical meal time, which means that you don't need to serve a full meal.  Also remember that many people won't eat one of everything you put out.
• Shop your house before buying!  For this event I purchased the wooden letters to spell 'BABY' and 2 bags of purple and tan pom poms (not counting food).  When you purchase entertaining supplies throughout the year try and keep them neutral (white and clear glass always work well for me) so that they can be used over and over again.  
• HAVE FUN!  There is no point to hosting the event if that means that you aren't going to be a part of the event.  Do everything you can as early as you can so that once your guests arrive you can relax and enjoy the day!

Rustic Glam Baby Shower!

I'm in today with the final photos of the baby shower I co-hosted for my sister-in-law.  You can see the invitations here and the inspiration board here. The starting point for this shower was 'rustic glam' but honestly by the time we finished setting up I'd say it was more of a 'pink+gold+mint"' recipe, and you know what?  That's ok - it turned out very cute!

I know I've mentioned that I live in an older home.  One of the things you get in an older home are lots of little rooms - no open floor plan here!  So we set up the main shower area in the formal living room and the food in the dining room.  

We debated about taking down the wreaths on the doors but felt that it looked too empty when we did, and they tied into the shower so they stayed.  The ribbon banner was a DIY (seriously SO easy).  The pink mason jar drink favors were from Micheal's (2.99 each) and we used a heart punch on glitter paper to dress them up.  I created all of the printables for the shower games using the same Craftberry Bush design as the invitations.  The custom name glitter cake topper is from my friend Jeanette's Etsy shop, Sprinkle the Kindness.

I printed these calendars out and had our family write their name on the date they think the baby will arrive!  Printable calendars from Coco & Mingo.

I just love hosting these little celebrations and love it even more when it is simply the backdrop for genuine relationship with others.  Overall the shower was just the most wonderful afternoon spent with our family.  Which in my book counts it as a win. 

BONUS!  Since I already had the shower games designed I figured I'd post it here as a free printable for anyone else hosting a similar baby shower!  Click here to print the PDF!  The PDF includes cards for Wishes, Advise, and the Price is Right game.  Also included are the questions asked for 'He Said, She Said'.  Enjoy!

Reading Themed 2nd Birthday Party

Davis LOVES books.  He had a favorite book at 6 months old.  So when we started thinking about his 2nd birthday party we decided to base it on his favorite thing - books.  Our alma mater, William Jewell College, has an adorable little schoolhouse on it's campus (the Dale Patton Schoolhouse) that is available for rent.  It was the ideal setting for the birthday party.  It's also when we discovered how great it is to host events not at your house!  

I decided on a red, white and blue color scheme.  I was thinking primary colors would work well - unfortunately Davis's birthday is a few days before July 4th so as I was buying all the things I was really afraid it was going to look like a big USA bash.  It turned out ok but it definitely makes me think twice about what colors I use for his birthday from now on.

We read two books during the party.  One was 'Little Blue Truck', which Davis was really liking at the time, and the other was an older book called 'The Traveling Coat'.  We made a book report for 'The Traveling Coat', but inadvertently made it WAY to hard!  I'm pretty sure that most of the guests gave up by the second question!  (Also washi tape makes everything more fun.)

I pulled together 2 banners for this party.  The one above is the easiest thing EVER.  We strung a piece of jute twine across the room and then used clothes pins to pin open vintage Golden Books.  Easy and adorable, just what I like :)  The other banner was a pennant that I quickly sewed together.  When I make pennant banners I use premade bias tape from the sewing department and stick the pennants between the fold as I'm sewing, no pins required.  The banner across the chalkboard was made with navy bias tape and vintage book pages from a book I found at the thrift store.

The party was at 2 in the afternoon so we served a handful of snacks.  I was very worried that we wouldn't have enough food but it ended up being the perfect amount.

My main mister and I waiting for our birthday boy to arrive.  I was about 5 months pregnant in this picture and look how tired I look!  Even though I look a little rough and we're dressed like an ad for USA it was a wonderful day spent with our family and friends celebrating our oldest little mister.  

Breakfast at Tiffany's Baby Shower

Remember me telling you that Sarah was throwing me a Breakfast at Tiffany's baby shower?  Well it turned out fabulous! 

(For those of you not in the know, Holly Golightly, the main character in Breakfast at Tiffany's keeps her telephone in a suitcase to muffle the sound.  So the little set up above is just perfect!)

To see the full run down on the shower check out the CES blog for lots of eye candy and inspiration!  (And make sure to check back on Thursday for the second half of the shower pics)

Oscar Party 2011 Recap

Our 2011 Oscar party went off without a hitch and I do believe it is the best one we've thrown to date!  To start things off though Sarah brought me her copy of the invitation for me to share on the blog.  Here is the front...

And here is the inside....

We always lay out a 'red carpet' for our guests to walk down, but this year we added 2 large tripods (paparazzi) to catch everyone's arrival.

Next to the red carpet we had a station with a sign that read, "And the winner is..." and a frame filled with nametags that listed different awards and the guests name.  I won Best Director!  You will also notice that the official sponsor of the 2011 Oscar party is Chris's Film Blog. 

Here is a view from the formal living room (where guests entered) into the Voting Booth (dining room).

In years past the voting booth has only allowed for two people to vote at a time.  This year we changed it up a bit to allow for 4 people to vote at a time. 

The inside of the voting booth.  I really love this tablecloth but find it can be a bit busy.  To help our guests not be so dizzy while in the booth I set each station with a simple red napkin. 

From the Voting Booth guests entered into the food room to find Red Carpet Snacks.  Food was kept simple with just four menu options, cupcakes, bruschetta, cookies, and popcorn.  We kept everything on the food table consistent with the color scheme of red and white.  The cupcake stand was made from empty boxes wrapped in gold wrapping paper.  The Oscar statue at the top was something I already owned (true story), but could be purchased at any party store for $5 or less.  I also made some very simple cupcake toppers out of left over red paper, toothpicks, a star punch, and rubber cement. 

The Oscar viewing area (family room) was also outfitted in red and white.  Generally when we host events at our house nothing is sacred, furniture gets moved, pictures get taken down, etc.  Although I had planned to drape behind the couch and TV and remove the rest of the wall decor it didn't end up happening since I wasn't the one doing much of the manual labor this time around.  Overall though I still thought it turned out well.  We covered all of our throw pillow with extra while pillow cases we had on hand.

Chris subscribes to Film Comment magazine so we laid out several of those for our guests to read through.  I felt like the table needed a tray, but had already used my gold tray elsewhere.  SO an extra black frame got a bit of gold wrapping paper and there you go!

Chris also owns several vintage movie cameras, so placed those around for decor as well.  The two movie projectors flanked the TV.

This is a bit of a misc decor item, but whenever we have large amounts of people over (especially if some have not been to our home before) I like to keep things as straight forward as possible, so I whipped up a couple of theme related Restroom signs to direct people to the facilities.

Last but not least I thought I'd leave you with this awesome picture of Chris and I's debut down the red carpet.  It's hard being this famous.

Here's hoping that 2011 will be host to enough decent movies that Chris deems it ok to host the party again next year!