Fire Truck Party: Part Two

I revealed the invites and several key themed accessories in Part One . Now on to the actual event! It was so much fun (& easy!) to plan, plus it didn't cost a fortune. Birthday party success!

I used the birthday boy's Ikea easel to welcome our guests. Yellow chalk and a couple of printable party logos instantly set the theme. (more on the logos below) Aren't the polka dot balloons fun too?!

I pondered how I was going to create this year's birthday banner...I wanted something simple but all of my ideas were complicated. Thankfully a trip to Dollar Tree saved the day! I found this red and black banner, and the only flaw it had were monster truck icons on each end and the center - ha! I simply had Maureen of AndersRuff create a firetruck and "3rd" circle printable logo to transform my bargain banner. Themed perfection!

Now on to the cupcakes...mmmnnnnn! In the past I've created a themed cake, but again, I wanted to keep things simple this year. Cupcakes are so easy and fun for all ages. There are SO many adorable decorating ideas floating around, so I decided to jump on board the toppers craze. My pal Maureen of AndersRuff created the cutest printable toppers. I had so much fun punching, cutting and assembling - you can't beat no mess decorating!

Our dining room buffet was the perfect display for the cupcakes. I used red and white polka dot fabric to highlight the scene. Big thanks to my mom for supplying the cake stands and white trays. And I couldn't resist using a favorite fire truck, firefighter and accessories to round out the table!

I'd love to say the cupcakes were made from scratch, but alas they are from cake mix. However, it's seriously the best cake in my opinion! Dr. Oetker makes the yummiest organic flavors and are my go-to for special occasions. I used Jacinda's Decorator Icing recipe from Prudent Baby and piped it on in sweet swirls. (I used the butter + vegetable shortening minus transfat + meringue powder version, and it was ah-mazing!) They were absolutely delicious and happily consumed by all...especially by this pregnant mommie!

Party day was super, including the weather. The firetruck and it's crew were prompt, gentle with the kids and achieved near rock star status. After the cupcakes, ice cream cups and "fire extinguishers" (aka juice boxes) were consumed, everyone kept busy with indoor toys or the backyard playset. We are so lucky to have such great friends and family - kids and adults alike!

After the birthday blitz settled, it was time for thank you notes. (Proper Southerner here!) I re-printed the backside of the party invite to use as a notecard and used the same envelopes and labels as before.

Thanks again to all who celebrated the big day with us, and thanks to you for taking the time to check it out!

Resources

Party Printables including Invites, Toppers & Logos - AndersRuff Custom Designs

Printing - Office Depot and my home HP PhotoSmart

Polka Dot fabric & balloons - Hobby Lobby

Basic Banner, Yellow Napkins - Dollar Tree

Cupcake Liners & Topper Sticks - Michaels

Dr. Oetker Vanilla Cake Mix - Earthfare

Red Plates - Target

White Napkins - Ikea

Vanilla & Chocolate individual Ice Cream Cups - WalMart

Photography - Maureen Anders & yours truly ;)

and 

Fire Truck Party: Part One

Calling all firefighters to the station! It's time to share the 3rd birthday celebration!

This year's fire truck theme has been on my mind almost since the close of last year's party. My boy loves a service vehicle, so I knew a home visit by the neighborhood fire crew would be a great way to celebrate. A couple of phone calls had us on their schedule and I was ready to work on invitations!

I worked with Maureen of AndersRuff (another super creative mommie & great friend!) on this adorable personalized invitation. I had the red envelopes in my craft stash from a previous holiday card, created mailing labels with a coordinating font to the invite, and made 2" circular return address labels.

Once the invites hit the mail, it was time to applique the birthday shirt. I found this great design over at Applique Alley. It's especially nice because it can be personalized with a number or initials. 3 is the way to be!

The party favors were also an exciting part of my planning. I'm always cruising Target for clearance bargains, and happened upon these repositionable sticker sets last summer. I wrapped them in solid yellow paper, tied on an organic lollipop with red raffia and included a personalized thank you tag.

And it just so happened that one of big boy's smaller toy bins matched the color scheme and served as a useful container to store the favors. I kept it on our foyer table so we could pass them out as our guests departed.

Stay tuned for Part Two of the party details. I can't wait to show the cupcake display, birthday banner and more of the actual fire truck visit! It was such a fun day!

Resources

Printable Invitation & Thank You Tags - AndersRuff Custom Designs LLC

Envelopes - Paper Source

Gray t-shirt - Garanimals

Applique - Applique Alley

Fireman Sticker Play Set, Raffia, Toy/Favor Storage - Target

Yellow Gift Wrap - Dollar Tree

Yummy Earth Organic Lollipops - Earthfare

Party Mode

Our household is eagerly preparing for a fun 3rd birthday weekend. I can't wait to share this year's party! While I'm away crafting, baking & celebrating, I thought I'd share some pics from our boy's first two parties. I'll do my best to create dedicated posts to each party eventually, but for now, please enjoy the abbreviated fun!

A frog theme kicked things off for the 1 year old celebration. I handmade the invitations asking everyone to "hop over," served themed food and packaged themed favors. My mom and I had a blast creating this cake!

Double layer cake with cupcake eyes and peanut M & M feet.

Then, turning 2 was all about the Choo Choos. We set up the train table and hosted a train inspired party. I appliqued this shirt for the occasion, and made bag tags as part of the party favors. Here's the front door welcome sign. I was fortunate to only have to add the "2" portion as it was a fantastic borrow from another crafty mommie from her son's transportation birthday bash - thanks Maureen!

I tried to make as much of the decor as possible, including this birthday banner. I crafted it by tracing train cookie cutters onto card stock, printing the letters, cutting & threading through raffia.

There was also a train cake...a main engine with lots of cars. It was a bit of a task, but worth it in the end!

As a child I always loved birthday parties, so having my own child to celebrate is such fun...tiring for a mommie at times, but fun! I am constantly amazed at the number of other moms out there going all out for parties. The blog-o-sphere is just full of 'em - have you seen the insanity?! Tons of inspiration is floating around, and I'm excited to pair it with my own spin for a happy and easy celebration. Now off to make some birthday magic!

Birthday Blanket

A preschool buddy invited us to party on the Fun Bus last month, so we just had to go and check it out. What a clever and great birthday party idea!

I always enjoy making gifts for said occasions, but with boys it can get tricky. Luckily I had this blank fleece blanket in my stash just asking for personalization!

 

I used Monogram Wizard's Blackboard font. Cute for a boy I think!

My little guy loooves his many blankets. We have lots of favorites that mostly include those made by his great-grandmother. A flannel Thomas the Train print is the current snuggly of choice, but we rotate often. I hope the birthday fleece is proving to be cozy now that the weather is finally chilly!

 

Bag Tags

With all of the back-to-school preparations buzzing, I thought I'd share the bag tags I made as favors for my son's 2nd birthday party.  Bag tags are a GREAT favor because they are easy to make, inexpensive, can match any theme, and are totally functional. 

I got this sweet idea from a fellow crafty mommie friend who made super cute tags a month prior for her son's birthday party favors.  (keep reading for more about this creative chica and her adorable biz + freebie!) When I unexpectedly received matching blank calling cards alongside my order of party invitations, I knew just what I had to do!

Tag Construction:

I just so happened to have the green gingham scrapbook paper in my scrappin' stash. Then I found the adorable King Cool font at dafont.com.  I liked that it was child-like and loosey-goosey similar to the train tracks!  I printed out the kids' names and mommie phone numbers onto the gingham paper, then cut rectangles for the names on front, and circles for the mommie info on back.  After gluing the personalized info onto the train calling cards, I laminated them at an office store.  Once back home I cut them out and punched a hole in the side to add the ties.  Done!

This post isn't complete without a BIG shout out to my crafty pal Maureen!  We met years ago in a smocking class (the youngest 2 there - hee!), and have been fast friends ever since. Thanks Maureen for your constant inspiration, help and creativity! For super cute free bag tag printables, check out her terrific blog. And don't forget to cruise her Etsy store too:  AndersRuff.  Viva personalization!

Creativity Emerges

2010 has brought about surge of creativity for me. So much so that I finally bought a blank journal to log the never-ending ideas I seem to keep coming up with and stumbling upon. My mommie-brain just couldn't keep up! While eating dinner tonight, I picked up a section of the weekend paper I had yet to read, and stumbled across my horoscope: "Your creativity emerges. Observe an unusual abundance of feelings that exists between you and others. Enjoy the moment." How fantastically fitting AND it gave the day 5 stars! I love finding these kinds of things. Just like I enjoy déjà vu because it makes me feel like I'm somehow on the right path...but I digress. This particular horoscope corresponded with my son's 2nd birthday which was a GREAT day. Full of fun, family, friends, and my creative efforts outfitting an adorable (if-i-do-say-so-myself!) train party. I enjoyed so many moments, both in preparing for the big day and during. More to come on the train party soon!