Addie's Unicorn Fest '16

Way back in January (yes, a whopping three months ago) we had a little Unicorn Fest for our Addie girl's 6th birthday. She started asking for unicorns in the fall, so we went with it. Apparently, she has no memory of her epic Pony Party to celebrate her 3rd birthday (?!) but I think she'll remember this one.

I know it's common to say, but this girl has grown so much in the last year. She's bigger on the outside, and the inside too. I am so proud of the choices she's making and the spicy little lady she's becoming! A strong-willed, independent thinking, gorgeous, curious, kind, day-dreaming artist you are my sweet (Lord, give me the patience to wield these beautiful qualities in the right direction!).

Marbled balloons tied with ribbon, unicorn figurines, castle blocks, a sprinkle cake made by Dad, paper crowns, candy skewers and a giant unicorn portrait came together to make a special day. At the last minute, we decided we needed a little something more, so we threw some sequins on the table and called it good :)

Thank you to those who came out to celebrate our girl! We love you Addie and are so thankful you are in our family!

Resources: balloons, unicorns, unicorn portrait, sparkler candles, castle blocks, gold foil treat bags

Ellie Jane, Age 8 (Colorful Karaoke Party Reveal)

It's that time of year.....my sweet Ellie rings in her birthday at the very start of the Christmas season, which always leaves me feeling nostalgic, a bit chaotic, and like time is moving entirely too fast. This girl never ceases to amaze me. So aware, so alive, and so determined. There is so much I could say, but mostly I am so very proud to call her mine and have the privilege of learning from her and watching her grow.

For the invitation I had the wild idea of hand stitching a design on to each one. I soon realized that was insane, but not before falling in love with it and so I soldiered on and completed 15 of these bad boys. It was totally worth it. I have been so in love with the Japanese stitching technique called sashiko (more on that later), and this design was very much inspired by that!

I offered to do her party at the gymnastics place like the rest of her class, but she told me she still wanted a party at home (high-five!). Not just any party though, a karaoke party with lots of balloons. If you know my family and how much most of us love to hear ourselves sing, you would know how great of an idea this was! I twisted by Dad's arm and convinced him to DJ (he also ended up throwing down a little Hall & Oates and Steely Dan on the mic).

The decor was simple-green garlands with pops of color in the form of balloons and honeycomb balls, and lots of confetti on the tables and lots of balloons on the floor. We made some fun tassel necklaces and covered our bodies in flash tattoos (not pictured!) while the girls took turns singing tunes at the TOP of their lungs. This party was not for the faint of heart (or for those who are easily-over stimulated)!

Dad came through once again with an awesome cake that was WAY better than what I would have made. The treat bags were made by adding a strip of copper tape to small brown bags and I used this tutorial to make a million tassels while Netflix binging the night before the party (I modified it to make the tiny tassels even tinier and added a ring to the top of each one to make it easy to string on a necklace).

I also painted hot pink stripes onto butcher paper for easy table runners for the table and dessert table. My Mom came through with an amazing array of kid food, straight from my childhood-biscuit pizzas, mini hot dogs, sandwiches in fun shapes and cups of veggies and fruits. Seriously, that woman is the best.

Happy Birthday Ellie-we could not love you more!

Three years of Jack.

This sweet, curly-haired boy turned three years old this last week. I can't imagine our home without him in it, yet I can hardly believe he's already lived three years! We often joke that he is the most rewarding, yet demanding child. Always by my side, and most likely attached to me in some way, this boy brings me so much joy. It's a lot of work, but I love our relationship. I've never met another child who will (gently) turn your face towards their own just to make sure they can "wook in your eyes" while you talk to each other.

Over the years, my birthday party philosophy has evolved from all out-shindig, to simple parties with a few fun elements, but a focus on people and simplicity. This time around we made a large and in charge golden whale piñata, and a few zigzag streamers and called it good.

We also ordered a few extra swimming friends to play with at the party and send home with guests. For the record, it took about 20 minutes for this water display to get out of hand (with Jack leading the way) and be removed, but it was fun while it lasted.

Watching Jack's face and reaction to everything from the cupcakes to the presents was so fun. I forgot how easy it is to knock the socks off of a three year old (it's a little harder with those older kids)!

We love you Jack and can't wait to see how you grow this next year!

Springtime Flowers Party (sponsored by Cricut) Reveal

A little over a year ago, I hosted a little shindig in honor of (and sponsored by) the kind folks at Cricut and their new machine, the Explore. Unfortunately, I didn't snap a lot of pictures during the party, but couldn't resist taking a few after it was over. Life goes on, and those pictures have sat on my memory card for a a year in hopes that I would have the time to put together a little tutorial before sharing.

I am still in love with these paper flower arrangements-they totally made the cut for keeping around in the party closet! I made everything using the Explore, but all of it utilizes basic shapes, so don't despair-no machine needed! Although, I must say, having the machine saved me from some major hand cramping.

A handy tip I discovered when using paper flowers, is to fill the container you're using with sand. It holds the paper upright and keeps everything in place really nicely.

For the flowers: I used this tutorial, which uses a million little circles (here is where a Cricut comes in handy!). I wanted something different than glitter in the center, so I pushed a small dowel through the middle and added a wooden knob on the end that I have painted yellow using acrylic craft paint.

For the paper succulents: I used this tutorial with my own drawn shape.

For the snake plants: Cut various sizes of a long leaf shape out of green card stock. Fold each leaf in half to give it dimension.

For the yellow craspedia: Paint wooden knobs from the craft store yellow and place on the end of plant stakes or small dowels.

Thank you Cricut for such a nice time!

Addie's Rainbow Ice Cream Party

My sweet Addie girl turned four about a month ago. Today I thought I would share a few photos of the last minute party we threw in her honor. She turned four the day I left for my week at Alt, so we put her party on hold. To be honest, I wasn't really in the mood to throw a large party this time around, but we did end up putting together a little afternoon with family and a handful of friends. Addie loves to be the center of attention, but prefers a small group, so this was perfect for her! She asked for ice cream and rainbow colors, and that's what she got.

The night before the party I raided the local party store for rainbow colored balloons, colorful gumballs, and party favors. While in SLC, I discovered the loveliness of Zurchers and happily bought a handful of colorful honeycombs to throw in my suitcase...

Thankfully, my party closet is always stocked with colorful straws, party hats, and candles. Last minute parties like this one help me justify my random purchases and overabundance of festive supplies. I just can't stop.

Over the past few years we've developed a tradition of making a tiny cake for birthdays in addition to cupcakes for guests. My girls look forward to seeing what their Dad will do with their cake each time! Sometimes I laugh at how different their childhoods can be from mine at times. I can't even imagine my Dad making me a cake, but I love him all the same.

We also enjoyed some ice cream from Molly Moon's and gave away a few little prizes to friends. Happy Birthday to my sweet, funny, opera-singing four year old!

Resources:

Party Hats-Target
Honeycombs-Zurchers
Large wooden "A"-Hobby Lobby
Gumballs + Balloons-Party City
Stripey Spoons-Sucre Shop
Pinata-Hobby Lobby
Party Favors + Small party horns-Party City
Fringed Party Horns-Tops Malibu