Plan an awesome kid’s birthday party!
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One of my favorite things in the world is planning a really great party. I love picking out the invitations, planning the menu, and all the little details that come along with it. For me, one of the perks of having kids is planning their birthday parties. Crazy I know, but I love it! Now don’t worry, I’m so not one of these parents who throws an extravagant party for a three year old. I’m more of the traditional backyard birthday party girl. I am not a fan of the “we’ll do it all for you birthday places”. I mean how much fun is that? I love picking out a theme and going from there. Since my son and daughter both have birthdays during the same week in September, I get a little antsy this time of the year. I have two parties to plan for one week, so I try to give myself a big head start. Luckily, there are tons of great resources on the web. You can plan a party from start to finish in the comfort of your own home. Here are a few of the sites I heart for birthday parties.
Invitations
Tickle Bellies was created by a mom who was looking for a unique birth announcement for her daughter. When she couldn’t find anything she liked, she decided to design her own and Tickle Bellies was born. You can also find cute family address labels, sippy cup stickers, and notepads here.
Inviting Smiles has some of the cutest invites out there. I love the ribbons and vellum embellished invites. If you are looking for something unique then you will find it here. They also carry a wide variety of other items including wedding invitations, note cards and some really cute baby shower gifts.
Cake
Who doesn’t love cake? While I usually hire a friend to create the most amazing birthday cakes for me, this year I think I’m gong to attempt to make these adorable, Hello Kitty Cake Pops. You can find this recipe and directions (and many more sweet ideas) at Bakerella. This woman is so talented…and she makes it look easy. Her cake pops have even been featured on the Martha Stewart Show and you can see her segment from the show here. Wow is all I can say!
Party Goods
When the Birthday Express catalog arrives in my mailbox, my son goes crazy. He’s a little bit like me and starts planning his party the minute it arrives. He loves picking out his theme. This year it’s going to be Star Wars…unless he changes his mind again??
What I love about the site Birthday in A Box is that you can order everything from the paper goods to party favors for any given theme with the click of one button. You’ll get all the basics covered and will be able to find a theme to please every girl or boy. They package them together as party kits and favor boxes (see their Star Wars Ultimate Box on the left). The favor boxes are a huge hit with the kids (and many of the parents) and they cost under $5 a piece.
Party Games
I have a hard time coming up with party games on my own, but luckily for me I’ve found Amazing Moms. It’s a great site to visit to find the perfect party games to go along with your theme. My son will be having light saber races and Jedi training at his Star Wars themed party thanks to this site.
Do you love to throw parties? I would love to hear some of your favorite party themes and party planning sites – for children and grown ups!
Contributor and wht member, Tiffany, is a wife, mother of two and photographer who throws the best birthday parties in her neighborhood! Check out her Austin based, gorgeous family photography at tiffanyhicks.com.
This article couldn’t have been more timely if you tried. I have my son’s 5th birthday party coming up on June 20th…I am in the planning stages for his party. The theme this year is Wolverine and The X-Men. I go absolutely nuts from April to June picking things up for the theme du jour. He’s had Cars, Superman and Spiderman birthdays so far…not forgetting the big denim 1 for his first birthday.
I make lists for EVERYTHING…people, supplies, food. I start by looking in the Birthday Express catalog and by stopping by the local Party City store (which is sometimes less expensive, but doesn’t have the expansive collection that Birthday Express has). You can get awesome deals on-line at other sites. I found a site that was actually 25% cheaper, had more stuff in the theme AND had free S&H on my purchase(www.birthdaydirect.com, I think), so I was like a crazy person…ordering this, that and the other thing. Everything has already been shipped and I can cross it off my list!!!! I was so happy to have found the theme that Evan wanted because before 2 months ago NO ONE had Wolverine stuff…thankfully the timing couldn’t be better since the new movie came out and they released the Nicktoons series on DVD. Evan was really excited when the items started arriving.
I also wanted to thank justmarvelxmen.com for being so helpful. They were the only place to have a pull string pinata with the theme. It was a little more expensive than what I would normally spend, but their customer service is above and beyond the call of duty.
I’m definitely going to check out Amazingmoms to find some ideas for party games. We have a slip and slide, but in case it rains I’ll need to have something to keep the little buggers occupied so they don’t destroy my house!!!!
Ok, is it crazy that I want to check these all out for my husband’s bday in June?
Oh actually, I’m starting a thread in the forum right now. I need easy picnic food ideas…
I absolutely adore Bakerella! I made her Oreo Truffles and gave them away as gifts this past December and EVERYONE loved them! She is one awesome lady.
She has quite the following Rebecca. I love her stuff. Stef I think you should totally make some. They would be the hit of the party. Check her site out for all the other adorable designs she has made. Michele thanks for the great links. I’m going to add them to my birthday links file.
Those Hello Kitty pops are freaking adorable!!!!! Now I’m going to have to make them. I will make up a holiday/reason for it because they’re too darn cute! How does National Krista Appreciation Day sound???
What do you mean? I celebrate National Krista appreciation day every year! Doesn’t everyone?
Tiffany – thanks for some great resources. I totally want to plan a kids party now – maybe my cat might enjoy a Hello Kitty 2nd birthday party. That way I can attempt those adorable Cake Pops as well! So cute – and the ears are a stroke of genious!
You will have to post a picture or two of the results of all of your hard work once September rolls around.
Oh, and I’m totally behind a National Krista Appreciation Day as long as I get a day off – we can do that, right?
I am the worst cook ever. I mean, I burn chicken nuggets, but I was planning to make myself an apple pie for my birthday in two weeks. I’m starting to think I’m in over my head. Maybe I should just find something on Bakerella and try that out instead! Plus those hello kitty pops would look way more cute than a pie would right?
What a fun post! I’m ready to start planning a party for my nieces right now. And I totally want those cake pops right now. What a cute idea – totally original, little clean up and perfect for a party.
Excellent! Good post. Very useful. Thank you for sharing. All the best. You are awesome. I like the theme cake idea.
What a fabulous detailed article. You have all the information to really put together a great party right a your fingertips! I absolutely love the Hello Kitty Cake Pops — I’ve never seen them before and they are soooo cute!
.-= amber@Kids Birthday Party Planning´s last blog ..Party Planning Guide – The 5 First Steps For Planning a Party =-.
I found all the suggestions above great. We were having my daughters birthday party and I had no idea what to do for hello kitty. We decided to have pizza, chips, koolaid krazies, hello kitty cake and games such as hot potato hello kitty, pin the bow on hello kitty and a three legged race. Plus we did a pinata and each child went home with a baggie.