In my previous post I mentioned that I went a bit overboard with Bastian's birthday party... and well, I have proof. Proof which I am about to share with you... But first let me just say that while, as most parties do, this cost us a bit more than we had hoped, most of it was all done via the DIY route and I was surprised by just how much circus related stuff we already had hiding around our house!
After last year's party food fail in which I spent WAY too much time worrying about creating clever adult friendly versions of kid foods only to barely have time to get myself dressed before guests showed up... I decided simple is best. So I tested out that pin that I've seen everyone pinning about hot dogs in the crock pot for large gatherings, and guess what? It worked a charm! Perfect for a backyard circus extraordinaire! In addition to that the husband used the corn dog maker that he got for Christmas to make a few corndogs and was in charge of running the popcorn machine all afternoon. I made The Fresh Orange Birthday Cake from The Cake Mix Doctor Returns! ebook the night before and my sister helped the day of in mounting the elephant and creating the mini pennant banner garland for the top. The cupcakes were straight from the box, no alterations at all (which is not like me but I heard they turned out great) and everything else was snacky stuff and sweets I bought on Amazon and put in serveware the day of. All if minimal hassle and maximum rewards. Take a look for yourself!
Above Photo by Lindsay Grace Designs
Above Photo by Lindsay Grace Designs
As for the decorations, a lot of what we used was stuff we already had or things I made by hand. I already went over the supplies we used to make the photobooth and the pictures will pretty much explain everything else. Banners made out of cupcake liners and circus themed papers. Printouts in a circus-y font to greet people at the "ticket" booth and "Tattoo" tent (in which kids of all ages adorned themselves with temporary tattoos depicting bears riding unicycles and the like). I pulled out all of my extra hula hoops and all of Bastian's ride on toys that fit the theme. Unfortunately I did not get any pictures before they were dug into but I also had a bucket full of dress up derby styled hats, stick on mustaches, clown noses and a few handmade stuffed bowties. (If you were there and snapped some shots please email them to me!) The rest were basic party store supplies. Balloons streamers and some circus cutout characters that we stuck to the side of the house and garage.
A quick note about the chair in the above picture... $20... Twenty freaking dollars! I found it a little over a week ago at a Habit for Humanity Restore where they sell home stuff that doesn't get used from old furniture to light fixtures, tile and full kitchen cabinetry sets complete with granite counter-top in some cases... all on the majorly cheap. If you have one in your area GO! Very, very worth it. This baby is my new favorite piece of furniture!
Above Photo by my Sister-in-Law Jenna
All in all, it was awesome, but admittedly a bit much for a two year old. Don't get me wrong, he had a splendid time and it was all totally worth it in the end, BUT there begs the question "how do we top this?" And the answer is... "we don't". At least not for a long while and not until another milestone birthday. This was in all actuality my attempt to make up for what I felt was an unsatisfactory 1st birthday experience. Not because we didn't have a great first birthday, because we did, but because this Momma, looking back realized that she was in quite a funk at the time and wasn't quite mentally present to celebrate the way she had always hoped to.
So there you have it... or at least most of it. Don't think I forgot about the people doing the celebrating! Because what's a party without people?? A wrap up post is on it's way with a rundown of the real stuff. The laughter, the hugs, the FUN! And of course the love. Stay tuned and enjoy.
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