Easy & Inexpensive Ways to Make Your Child's Birthday Special - A Recap of Kali's 2nd Birthday!! Part I

Hello friends!! 

I am SO excited to finally have everything that I need together, so I can share all the fun details of my little girls 2nd birthday party!! 

It was a blast!!  And we had SO much fun putting together all the details for the party!!  So.....without further delay.....here are my thoughts on......easy and inexpensive ways to make your child's birthday special.....  

I think that I will have to break these thoughts into two posts, since one might get to be a bit too long (like War and Peace long).....so let's call this Part I.....

So....the back story.....birthdays are a BIG deal around our house....and it all goes back to my Mom and Dad.....they made a BIG deal about birthdays!!  And when I say that I don't mean big lavish birthday parties or gifts.....actually there was very little of that......

We had very simple birthday parties and got a couple gifts.....but my parents made us feel so incredibly special on our birthday and they always got us gifts that we really wanted and had waited to get.....sometimes for a very long time......so it was a SUPER special day!!

So....I'm a little crazy about birthdays.....mine included....I still start a countdown with reminders to family members about a month out....LOL.....but seriously.....I do.....

So.....when we had our little girl.....oh boy.....was I ever excited about her birthday!!  So......I wanted so much to make here feel as special as I did as a kid on her birthday!!

So.....here are my thoughts.....

1. Start with an Adorable Invitation

Ok.....so your child may or may not be into invitations....some children love picking these out....some could care less....but either way....the invitation sets the tone for your party....so be sure to spend some time picking out something that will give your party goers something that will make them excited about coming to your party :)

Also....I am old school....so I love sending invitations in the mail!  I think there isn't much more special than getting something (besides junk mail or bills) in the mail.....and children get really excited when there is something just for them!!

So.....I use Shutterfly to make my cards......and I've already shown you the cutie patootie invitation that we sent for Kali's birthday HERE......but what they heck.....just for fun (and because I love it)....here it is again.....

 

Source:  www.shutterfly.com

2. The Party Theme Should be Something that They LOVE

Ummmmm.....Duh!!  This one seems like a no brainer....but I have to admit that I almost messed up on this one.....

I guess it's the fact that people kept asking me....what is the theme for Kali's party....and I started feeling pressure to come up with a theme....to conform.....and you know it would have been so easy just to pick something.....Strawberry Shortcake or Elmo or Princesses or whatever.....and don't get me wrong....those are all great themes for a party!  BUT....Kali isn't really into any of those things.....

So....instead....the Hubs and I sat down and talked about the party.....and what the theme should be.....and we ended up talking about things that Kali loves.....dancing, music, and balloons......yep.....that's my girl :)

I'll talk more on the balloons later.....but concerning the dancing and the music.....well....we decided to do something a little fun and a little crazy for a two year olds party!!  We decided to turn our formal living area into Club Kali!!  LOL!!  And....it turned out to be SO MUCH FUN!!  And the kids ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!

Here are some pics.....

We supplied some fun party favors to use in Club Kali....mainly glow in the dark necklaces and bracelets....and bubbles....lot's of bubbles!!  We had little containers of bubbles for the kids to use and a bubble machine for the room.....did I mention that Kali also loves bubbles.....oh yeah....she does!!

Here's our Club Kali sign and party supplies with the room before our party goers arrived.....

Oh yeah.....I forgot to mention....we got the lava lamp and the "disco" ball going too!!

And here's a pic once our party was getting started.....

My awesome sister-in-law took this picture...no idea how she did it....but I love it SO much because it truly captures the moment!  The kids were having a blast with all the glow sticks and the bubbles and the disco ball!!  We played Kid Jams....which my sister supplied.....which was really cool.....it is today's music, but with kid friendly lyrics.....

And here's one more....with the birthday girl joining the fun.....

The room isn't full here....but trust me....it was for most of the party!!  Kali had an absolute blast.....And she danced the whole time!!

And the best part.....this little set up cost us very little.....we did buy the bubble machine $10 and the glow bracelets / glow necklaces, which you can get at the dollar store and I think I spent $10 on those too.....so for $20 Club Kali came to life!!  :)

3. Serve Food that Your Child Loves Even if it's a Little Odd

Ok....first....we did serve a good dinner for everyone.....we had Fajita's and all the fixins (as we say down south)....AND we had chicken strips and french fries from Raising Canes for all the kiddos.....YUM....I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.....

But where we had some fun was setting up our dessert table....ok....our girl LOVES cake....but she also has a few other favorites.....she also LOVES chocolate and marshmallows.....

Anyway....we had so much fun setting up our party table....here's a look at our "Chocolate Bar".....

And here's a look at our "Candy Bar"....complete with LOTS of marshmallows.....

In case any of you missed it....you can find out how to make the little chalkboard signs HERE....

And here's a look at our whole party table....

Ohhh....so happy with how this cute birthday party table turned out!!  And.....again....it wasn't expensive....I used glass containers that I already had around the house.....so really the only cost was associated with the cost for the chocolate and the candy.....the little DIY chalkboards.....and I did buy a few paper plates and napkins too :)

4. Outsource the Things that You Aren't Good At....

Ok....so maybe outsourcing isnt' cheap....I'll admit that....BUT....if you outsource things (especially those you aren't good at), then it will GREATLY reduce your stress level and even better give you more time to spend with your child on their birthday and during their party.....which is sure to make your birthday girl or boy feel SO special!!

So....I outsource the cake and cupcakes for our party EVERY year....and of course....every year I think....we'll maybe I could make it this year....and then I think....are you crazy!!  LOL!!  Don't get me wrong....if you are skilled at cake making, then by all means do it yourself!!  I would too!!  I however have no skills in this area....so outsource it is....

And this is what we got this year......

Soooo cute!!  We got the cake at a bakery called Cakelicious.....and it was SUPER delicious!!  So many people raved about how delicious this cake was.....it was chocolate and SO good....YUM!!

And we also got some of these delicious birthday cupcakes....

They were really good too!!  AND a huge hit with the birthday girl!!  I think she ate three of them....and by ate I mean she licked all the icing off and then gave the cake back to me....LOL!!

Here's the birthday girl enjoying on of her cupcakes...

That girl!!  She is such a hot mess!  LOL!!

5. Set the Tone for the Party with Your Front Door Decor

Decorating your front door should be fun!!  So....don't stress!!  You can use almost anything!!  The key here is to set the tone for your guests and of course to let everybody know....woo hooo.....we're having a PAARTAAY in here!! 

A super easy way to decorate is with balloons and streamers....a banner....something that ties in with the theme of your pary (think picture of Elmo, etc)....

Or if you are feeling a little creative, then you can make something!!  Since we were having a little girl's birthday party....I decided to make a super girly wreath for our door......and here it is.....a deco mesh happy birthday wreath :)

I added the "K" in the middle to give it a more personal touch.....and the cool thing....this baby can be recycled for say.....an Easter wreath.....oh yeah.....I love things that can do double duty!!

Of course....you guys know I've been on a deco mesh wreath kick for a while.....but if anyone is just tuning in for the first time.....then you can see the other ones I've made (and how to make them)  HERE , HERE, and HERE.

I made this one a little differently than all the others.....and here's how.....

First I made a wreath form.....using two crafting circles and some pipe cleaners.....then I covered the crafting circles with some tulle to make it look a bit prettier....

And then....just like all the others....you just fold and bunch the deco mesh.....and attach it to the form by tieing the pipe cleaners around the mesh....

Here's a close up of the the mesh tied onto the form....

And here's a look after adding the purple layer and then the pink....

And soon......TA-DA!!  You've got yourself a cutie patootie little wreath for your front door!!

Sooo....whew......with that we've covered my first five easy and inexpensive ways to make your child's birthday special..... 

So....I've got five more to go.....but since it took me like a week to get these first five ready....well....it might be a while.....

I'm curious though.....what do you all do to make your child's birthday special?  Do you have family traditions or are you making it up as you go?  Do you follow a similar pattern each year or is every birthday completely different?  Ah....please do share :)

I'm looking forward to hearing your ideas!!

Until next time.....

XOXO-

Kristal

DIY Deco Mesh St. Patrick's Day Wreath

Hello friends!! Well....we are on the downhill slope now heading into the weekend!! Yahoo!!

And the weekend means St. Patrick's Day (better get your green on!).....of course I've already showed you guys our St. Patrick's Day Mantle and front door decor HERE.....and I promised in that post that I would show you guys how I made the wreath for the front door.....

You might remember that I made a ton bunch of deco mesh wreaths around Christmas time.....you can see those HERE and HERE if you missed them the first time.....

And.....after Christmas I got this cool green deco mesh type material half price (score!)....

I had plans to use it next Christmas.....but then a little old thing called St. Patrick's Day came around and I remembered that I had this stored back....and I started thinking that this stuff might make a great St. Patrick's Day Wreath.....

And then I hit a snag in my plan.....What was I going to use for the base of the wreath???

Hmmmmm.....the Christmas wreaths were so easy....those little fake pine/cedar wreaths made a perfect base with all their bendable branches!!

But....I just couldn't see myself using one of those types of wreaths this time of year.....

SO.....I did what I always do when I need to know something.....I googled it.....LOL.....but seriously.....I did.....

And I found these things....

It is a Work Wreath Form and it can be found HERE at the Mardi Gras Outlet and it is pretty cheap at just $7....

BUT....I would have to order it.....and wait for it to come in....gah!  I was in the mood for some DIY action!!  SO....I decided to improvise.....

SO.....I headed out to Michael's and I found just what I needed to make my own Deco Mesh Wreath Form.....

It is a basic floral wire form plus some colored pipe cleaners (tied onto the form)....yep.....looks a lot like the ready made wreath form that I saw online.....cool!!

Once you have the form put together....it's really simple to finish out the wreath.....just take your deco mesh and attach it to the wreath form by tying the pipe cleaners around the mesh......like so.....

And then you just simply continue folding / bunching the mesh up and tying it onto the form with the pipe cleaners.....

And soon you'll have this.....

Ohhhhhh....Love It!!

And then I added the little cross with an Irish blessing to the middle.....

And....I've already shown you the finished product....but just for fun....here is the wreath hanging on the front door :)

Soooo.....this is a St. Patrick's Day Wreath.....but.....you can use the same process to make any type of wreath that you like....and you know Easter is just around the corner..... ;)

So....anyone else made a wreath like this one?  Anyone thinking about making one?  I'd love to know about it and see some pics if you want to share....

But for now....it's late....so I better run....

Until next time....

XOXO-
Kristal

I'm linking up here.....

Thrify Decor Chick

St. Patrick's Day Decorating Fun

Hello friends!  It's Wednesday Thursday.....but for some reason it feels like a Friday to me.....which is weird.....but otherwise good.....

How are ya'll doing?  I hope your week is going well :)

Yesterday I put the finishing touches on my St. Patrick's Day Decor and I really like how it turned out.....it was easy to put together, cheap, and turned out cute.....what else could I want?

The funny thing is.....I used to be one of those people who NEVER decorated for holidays (except Christmas)....and I think I might have even said a couple hundred times that I would never decorate for holidays.....

But here I am.....decorating for the holidays.....and I have to say......it's FUN!!  And really that's about it.....it's fun.....so why not do it?  BUT....I do have some rules that I follow for all holidays except Christmas.....1) Keep it simple 2) Keep it cheap 3) Only do it if it brings you joy (ok....that one applies to Christmas too).....

SO....enough with the rambling.....and on to the pics......

Here is my little St. Patrick's Day Mantle.....

And here's a couple up close pics.....

First....my cute framed St Patrick's Day printable......

I found the printable on Pinterest and you can find it HERE.  This website also has tons of other cute printables and they are all FREE :)

So to bring it all together.....I just printed out the printable....used some green wrapping paper to make a background....and then used some double sided tape to hold it all in place (I already had the picture frame.....found it on clearance for $6 at  Hobby Lobby a few weeks ago....SCORE!!)....

And here's a look at the centerpiece.....a big Shamrock....

I found this at HomeGoods a few weeks ago....it was originally a placement on sale for $2.50....but with the addition of a ribbon.....it became the focal point for my little mantle.....

And here's a look at the Pot of Gold....

Yes.....I added a little "gold" of my own.....Yuuummmmm Ghiradelli!!  The gold coins just weren't quite doing it for me.....LOL.....

And here's a look at the "flowers" up close....with a little deco mesh mixed in to give them some "pop"!!

AND OF COURSE.....I had to have something for my front door.....so I put together a cute little St. Patty's Day wreath.....

And here's an up close look at the "Blessing"....

And here's a few more pics.....just because I love it so much.....  :)

AND......my front stoop wouldn't be complete without some St Patrick's Day pumpkins....

And now you are thinking that I've LOST MY MIND.....ummmm.....pumpkins??  Well.....we've kept these lovelies since Halloween last year....ha!  And we've just been changing them up for each holiday!  SO....now it's kind of become a "thing" to see how long we can keep them going.....

I would have thought they would have rotted by now.....but nope.....here they are in all their St. Patricks Day glory!

And here is look at the whole picture.....

And yes....that's my precious little angel standing at the window....being really unhappy because Mommy wouldn't let her come outside too :)

And here's a BIG picture look.....

Ahhh....so happy with my little green decor :)

Soooo....anyone else out there decorating for St. Patrick's Day?  I'd love to see what all you're up too!!  Please do share!!

AND....if anyone is interested in how to make the wreath....I'll put up a tutorial on that in a day or two....

Well.....I've gotta run....

Until next time....

XOXO-
Kristal

I'm Sharing Here.....

Thrifty Decor Chick, Lil Luna, 

The Fourth.....And Final Wreath.....Revealed.....

Merry Christmas Week friends!  We are now T-5 and counting.....whew......the big day is almost here!!  I made a serious dent in my Christmas shopping today......thank goodness!!  I was seriously starting to get worried that I wasn't going to be able to pull it all together this year.....but......I'm feeling MUCH better now :)

SO.....since I'm feeling all good right now....I thought it would be a good time to reveal the fourth and final wreath that resulted from our Thanksgiving Craftfest that I told you guys about HERE......HERE.....and HERE.......

The fourth wreath is a bit similar to something that I've already shown you....remember when I showed you the centerpiece that I made for my dining table HERE......well....if you remember.....that centerpiece was actually supposed to be a wreath......but my wire was not cooperating......

SO.....I decided to give the ornament wreath another try.....and this time I used a better wire.....and......yes......success!!

So......here it is......hanging on my Mom's front door......

I think it turned out really cute!!  I especially like the silver ornaments mixed in that have a little detailing on them....they just give the wreath a little extra dimension.....too cool!!

So.....in my post on the centerpiece......I sorta gave directions for making one of these......but I didn't include any pics....and since I've gotten some questions on the "how to".....I thought maybe I should give a few more details......

So.....here's the step by step directions.....with pics!!

First.....get the ornaments......I like to use plastic for safety reasons (these came from Wal-Mart).....

And then some wire.......just make sure you use some sturdy wire, so the wreath will be able to hold it's shape.....I used some old wire my Dad had around the house......

Next....start putting the ornaments onto the wire.....

And here is how it will look after you get a few ornaments threaded on the wire.....

And after a few more.....you can see how it's starting to come together.......

And after a few more.....it's almost done......

Now.....all that's left is to bring the ends together and tie the wire.......make sure you pull the wire tight.....

And then.....just like magic.....it's finished!!

I just love this project!!  It's SO easy!!  And the result is awesome!!  Too fun!!

And here's one more look at this beauty hanging on the door.....

Are any of you making ornament wreaths or centerpieces this year?  There's still time....this is literally a 30 minute or less project from start to finish!! 

Or......if you don't have time to make one before Christmas, then you might considering getting yourself some ornaments on sale after Christmas to make one of these beauties for next year.....

We are already planning for some after Christmas craftiness at my house.......  :)

I hope y'all are having an amazing week!!

Until next time......

XOXO-
Kristal

DIY Christmas Wreaths

Yahoo!!  Christmas is just around the corner and we are LOVING every minute of it!!  Ok....so I guess technically it is only December 1st....BUT why not enjoy Christmas fun all month long?

So I told you last week that we did some serious crafting during Thanksgiving....and I already showed you the Santa "Hat" crafts that we made HERE......

We also got a little over zealous crazy excited about making wreaths.....so we made not 1....not 2....not 3....BUT 4 new wreaths!!  Once we got started it was just too fun to see what all we could come up with....

SO.....I can't wait any more.....I want to share.....so here's one that we made.....we called it the "traditional" wreath.....

We were SO excited with how it turned out....sooooo pretty!

AND....I've got two more to show you.....BUT first....let me tell you how to make one of these lovelies....

Stay with me....I promise they are EASY to make....seriously.....you know me.....the queen of "I love easy".....Ha!

SO......First....get your supplies.....

You'll need some of this.....

This "Deco Mesh" stuff really is like magic....it does a lot of the work for you.....I got mine at Hobby Lobby, but I know it is available at other stores too......I haven't seen it at Wal-Mart or Target, but I have seen it at Sam's and some other local stores.....believe me.....this stuff is worth a trip to the store....and one roll goes a long way.....I think one roll runs around $7.....

Also you'll need a very basic wreath....a few Christmas ornaments....and some ribbon that you like (preferably three different types)....

Now....just fluff up the wreath a little bit.....don't laugh....this is an important step.....and for some reason a lot of people forget to do this.....yeah....I know.....those people are weird....but seriously I've seen some sad looking greenery out there.....

The next step is to add the mesh to the wreath.....

You might wonder how to attach the mesh to the wreath....hold on.....this is the best part......NO HOT GLUE....no special attachments.....all you have to do is wind the mesh around the greenery and then simply wrap the green branches around the mesh.....something like this....

And soon you'll have something like this....

Don't worry if you are thinking that your wreath doesn't look too great at this point.....just keep trudging ahead....it will come together....promise :)

Next its time to add the ribbon.....here's an upclose look....

Again....all you need to do is wrap the branches of the wreath around the ribbon to keep the ribbon in place....SO EASY!!

And after adding two pieces of ribbon....you should have something like this.....

Starting to look good....but I decided that I wanted to add one more type of ribbon....to make things a little fuller looking....so I added another type of ribbon and ended up with this....

Ok....we're getting there!!  Next you'll want to add some ornaments or something similar to hide all the places that you've used the wreath branches to hold your ribbon/mesh in place....

So I decided to group three ornaments together....I just tied them together with a piece of string....and then I simply tied them around a branch on the wreath.....

And....we are almost there!!  Here's a look before putting on the finishing touches....

To add a little bling to the wreath and a little soul too.....I added the Joy sign to the middle....and ended up with this.....

The finished wreath!!





And....an upclose look.....

And here is one of it hanging up at my Mom's house....

I just LOVE how this turned out!!  I have to admit that even I was surprised at how great it looked when it was finished!! 

AND....the best part.....when my Mom walked in the room (just as I was finishing the wreath)....she said....OOOOHHHHH....that wreath is Gorgeous!!  Ummmm.....Thanks Mom!!  And right then I knew that this one would have to stay at her house :) 

SO....I've still got three more wreaths to show you!!  I can't wait....b/c they are equally as gorgeous, but yet totally different.....so stay tuned for more to come.....

Are you guys making any wreaths this year?  Something similar.....or totally different?  Anyone thinking about making one like this one?  Ahhhh....please share!!  I'd love to see :)

SO.....

Until next time.....

XOXO-

Kristal