livialovia
Live. Love. Do.
  • About
    • About the Creator
    • My Family History
  • My Etsy Shop
  • Custom Costumes
  • Dinosaur Capes
  • Contact

A Birthday Party for the Birds

6/12/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
My baby is turning 2 on June 12 (today!).  And, like the first time around, I started planning her birthday "theme" six months in advance --yes, really!

Livia's first birthday party had a preppy, east coast, nautical motif -- navy blue, bright pink, stripes, boats, pinwheels...you get the picture.

But, for her big #2?  Well, it's for the birds.  Literally.  A bird themed birthday.  After I chose the theme, I scoured the internet (mostly Pinterest and Etsy) for ideas.  I was flooded with inspiration.  Everything from DIY invitations, printables, felts, food, and fancy.  It was hard to know where to begin, but I decided upon:  venue, invitations, decor, giveaways, and cupcakes.

First things first:  Venue.  Last year, we threw her an over-the-top first birthday party at a local park, which was perfect because we invited everybody and anybody who knew we even had a baby. Having it at a park was all good, except for the transport, of well, everything.  Note to my blog readers:  never have a huge event at a park, unless you drive a Mack Truck to transport everything. We, quite thankfully, do not drive a Mack Truck; therefore, we had to rely on friends and family (thank you!) to haul over all the extras we couldn't fit in our Jeep (pretty much everything except the decorations).  This year, we are throwing Livia two separate birthday parties to keep it more low key (yes, two = more low key) -- a "friends" birthday party (all her toddler friends from my mother's group) on a Wednesday morning, and a "family" birthday party (just grandparents and aunties) on a Sunday morning.  Because I was slightly scarred from the park scenario the year before, I decided to just have it at...drumroll please...home.  Our backyard is perfect for hosting -- we have a kiddie pool, water table, grass, and a shaded, fenced in deck perfect for the parents.  Venue set:  home.
Second obstacle:  Invitations.  I was so proud that last year I handmade all of the party decorations, but as for the invitations? I relied on Etsy (I honestly couldn't have done better if I did them myself--they were perfect).  This year, though?  I was determined to make my own.  I found an amazing website, How To Nest For Less, that provided a free birdie invite template.  After downloading it to my computer, I uploaded it to FotoFlexer (a user-friendly, free photo editing website) and added my own text. After visiting the local Kinkos for printing, and our local scrapbook store for birdie-themed cardstock, the couture invitations were ready to put together -- a few fancy brads here, and a few sparkly gems there, and voila -- the invitations were ready to mail!
Picture
Livia's sample invitation for her Wednesday party.
Third:  Decor.  After browsing Pinterest for an hour or so, I found all the inspiration that I needed to make some really cute bird decorations.  I decided to go with the tissue paper pompoms, felt birdies, felt flower and tissue paper bouquets, a yarn-wrapped door wreath, a yarn-wrapped "L" and "2," colorfully painted birdhouses, and my favorite...a colorful birdie branch.  Paper-and-String provided a really cute DIY tutorial for making the felt birds, and Boho Wedding provided a really easy tutorial for tissue paper decorations.  The felt flower and tissue paper bouquets were my own idea, as was the yarn-wrapped birdie door wreath, "L", "2," birdhouses (found at Michaels for a buck each!, and then painted by me), and the birdie branch (branch found outside on our lawn, randomly, and painted and Mod-Podged by me).  All the decorations blended so well!
Picture
Tissue paper pompoms, felt birdies on a twine line, and birdhouses hung on top of the pompoms.
Picture
Felt birdies (I made at least 50, all different sizes and colors)
Picture
1 out of 7 different birdhouses.
Picture
2 out 7 different birdhouses.
Picture
1 of 7 different tissue paper/felt flower bouquets.
Picture
2 of 7 different tissue paper/felt flower bouquets.
Picture
Yarn-wrapped "L"
Picture
Yarn-wrapped "2"
Picture
Yarn-wrapped birdie door wreath
Picture
Colorful branch with felt birdies and flowers.
Picture
Prepping for the party
Fourth:  Party Giveaways (which I completely forgot to actually give away -- sorry friends!).  Again, Pinterest gave me the idea to make bird treat ornaments, and bird seed bags -- How To Have It All provided an easy recipe and tutorial for the ornaments, and as for the birdseed bags, I just put some seed in a tiny, clear plastic bag and tied it with some colorful yarn (easy peasy).  Livia loves to watch birds, so what better than to give away treats that attract more birds?!  
Picture
Birdseed baggies.
Last, what makes a party more of a party than really great themed cupcakes?!  I first got the idea of putting Peeps on the cupcakes from my Aunt Jill.  She threw a Peep themed birthday party for my cousin Phoebe -- so cute.  The Peep theme stuck in my mind when I crossed over to the bird theme.  How cute would it be to place Peeps laying eggs on the cupcakes?  VERY!
Picture
Picture
Picture
And in the end, the two birthday parties were successes.  The weather was wonderful, the kids were in great moods, the food was great, and Livia received some pretty amazing gifts.  

Whew.  I'm glad I get a breather for the next six months.
Picture
Cousin love
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Just A Glimpse

    A glimpse into my personal DIY trials and errors, mommyhood, and my worldview.
    Picture

    The Creator

    Hi!  My name is Nicole, and I'm a full-time wife and mother, and a part-time dental hygienist and crafter. Creativity runs in my blood, and after 30 (plus) years, I am finally devoting the time to realize my own artistic talent (and having so much fun in the process!).  Want to know more?  Click here!


    Love Livialovia?

    livialovia

    Check It Out --My Favorite Baby Crochet Books!

    Or, search below for other favorite crochet books and accessories!


    daily boutique deals
    Free Shipping over $75
    First Order ships for $2.95
    Free crochet patterns - download today!
    Stride Rite

    Archives

    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    September 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013

    Categories

    All
    Apple Pie Recipe
    Baby Crochet Hat
    Baby Shower Gift
    Barter
    Bonding Over Bumps
    Crochet
    Crochet Projects
    Crochet Scarf
    Diy Christmas Decor
    DIY Hair Barrettes
    Easter
    Etsy
    Fabric-Lined Crochet Purse Pouch
    Free Pattern Round Up
    Free Pattern Round-Up
    Frozen-Inspired Crochet
    Hello IVF
    Hooded Scarf
    Hypothalamic Amenorrhea
    Mommy Marvels
    Numb To The Negatives
    Pet Costumes
    Repurpose
    Sewing Projects
    Thanksgiving
    Tooth Fairy Pillows
    Vinyl Stool Covers
    Welcome
    Where The Wild Things Are

    RSS Feed

    Powered by Jasper Roberts Consulting - Widget
Picture