Five on Friday: Party edition

I'm so glad this is back! These types of posts allow me to get out all sorts of random ideas I have floating around in my head.

My son turned 3 last month. And as I have always maintained we don't do big parties every year but rather small, intimate celebrations for the birthday person and I kind of like them that way. But alas, the party planner in me have some sort of idea of what I would do if I would've thrown him a party!

The cake most often seems to be the show piece of the party. If someone can't stay for the whole party they will likely say "I have to go after they cut the cake". No? Am I the only person who know people who does that? Cake has evolved so much from decorated sheet cakes to show stopping 3D structures. It makes me wonder if some of these cakes actually taste good. When I got married, I was actually more concerned with the taste of the cake and ask the baker to do a separate sheet cake so I could have the type of frosting that I wanted because you can't decorate with whipped cream. We didn't actually do it (cause it would've been way too much cake left over) but I gave it serious thought. I wanted something nicely decorated but I don't quite care for the taste of fondant. Anyway, we took cupcakes to my son's school but I still wanted it to look like a cake. The top collage is my inspiration photos and the bottom pics is the outcome. I was pleased with it and my son LOVED the decorations.

I love giving party favors. I think it shows appreciation to your guests for coming and is that one last impression of your party theme. When I saw this one I was hooked! This is a great idea for anyone who is throwing a construction themed party. PLUS boys and girls alike would love it. It might drive their parents crazy but I'm sure they would eventually hide them or pray that they break.

Food! Who doesn't love good food?! I often have trouble finding food to match a party theme. I often forget that taking elements from the theme will give you food ideas. I love how "boulders" and "drill bits" are used. And the use of props take it over the top! Next year, I'm going to ask if I can host snack time at my son's school since he likely will not get another party until age 5. Hosting snack time at his school will get the "party" bug in me out!










Paper! Invitations, thank you cards, sings, decorations. These contribute to the "wow" factor of the party. For my son's first birthday party I had directional signs posted up of where the bathroom was. Guests were appreciative- especially if you are in an unfamiliar environment. Signs labeling food, games, and other party elements are always a hit. It keeps the guesswork out of things. Since you can end up using a ton of paper, I like to be eco friendly and recycle everything used after the party is done. If you plan ahead properly you can save money by printing and cutting at home. And if that's not your style then Etsy is always helpful. I love Etsy because you have the option to have priting done for you or you can get the digital files if you aren't good at graphic design and print and cut at home.

The birthday shirt! For the past three years I've gotten him a birthday shirt. I think it gives them that "stand out" feature on their special day and this year was no different. This year I worked closely with the deigner to come up with the perfect design for him. It's going to look in his pictures!

Sharing these ideas with you is making me excited! I asked hubby what he thought about me giving my son and his friends a pumpkin carving party. If that doesn't work out, I might have to consider actually throwing a party for him next year!! This post is included in