Let me share with you this sweet fairy 1st birthday party that we pulled together in 48 hours, for under $100 total!!!

Whenever you see beautiful party spreads and pictures online, one of the first things that may pop into your mind is cost....how much did the party cost? How much did the decor run? Is it possible to throw my child an amazing party within my budget?

Whenever I help parents plan an event for their child(ren), one of the first things I always ask for is their party budget. The cost of a party is dependent upon a number of factors; guest count, party location, food served i.e. lunch/dinner, favors given out, etc.

What I will share is that parties can be planned on virtually every budget!

The party shared in this post ran slightly under $100 total (20 guests), including desserts!

Let me share with you some of the simple DIY projects that helped keep this 1st birthday party on a $100 budget:

-The purple floral table runner shown was $1.50 from Michael's Crafts; it is the perfect size to act as a table runner and worked to pull the party's color scheme together
-Printable files $15 plus $13 printing costs at FedEx Office
-We used grocery store cupcakes and added decorative paper toppers ($3.99 per dozen)
-2 hydrangea bunches- $8.99 each
-We chose a small smash cake also from the grocery store. You never know what you can find out there! For example, our Whole Foods offers small smash style cakes that you can easily dress up in 3 flavors for $8.99
-The hat was a $1 sheet of paper with adornments...a sweet surprise for the birthday girl
-The fairy wands were paper toppers added to white food sticks, with decorative ribbon attached ($3.99/spool)
-She borrowed fairy wings from her neighbors for the guests to play with during the party
-Paper cups from the Dollar Store (12/$1)
-Paper straws ($1.50 for a pack of 10 from Michael's crafts)
-Favor boxes- 59c each with tags.....filled with bulk candy

With these money saving ideas, we created a sweet 1st birthday celebration for this adorable baby girl! Hopefully these tips help inspire your next celebration!!

One of my favorite party items to create is a custom party hat. Not only is it a simple DIY project, but it is an affordable way to add a "Crowning Detail" to any party theme.

What you will need:
-Solid color party hats or square paper (Shindigz is one of my favorite online party supply stores for solid color hats; Michael's has an amazing selection of fancy and patterned papers)
-2" round cupcake toppers or decorative party decor pieces
-Pom-poms
-Satin Ribbon (elastic can sometimes hurt prek kiddos as they don't often understand that it can hurt if they play with it)
-Hole punch
-Glue


When creating your own party hat using the template provided below, simply trace around the template and cut. When assembling the hat, use 2 staples along the seam to hold (please note that with heavy card stock or thick papers, glue will not be strong enough to hold it together).

Next, cut out your 2" decorative piece and attach it to the hat using tacky glue or scrapbooking tape. Then, glue your selected pom pom to the front, top portion of your hat. And finally, punch 2 holes on either side of the hat and tie your satin ribbon into knots (make sure that the ribbon is long enough to tie the hats onto your guest's heads).

Some of the highlights of this 3rd birthday party included the pirate gear dress up station greeting guests upon their arrival, the "Dig for Buried Treasure" stations where guests could fill their Loot buckets with treasure buried in sand and the "Fairyed Treasure at Mermaid Lagoon" sensory pool for the littlest guests.

Now that I have a son in preschool, I have to admit that I get a kick out of coming up with creative ideas for holiday favors to pass out to his classmates; call it a new creative outlet of sorts.

This Easter favor tag concept isn't new, however, we came up with an interesting spin on the design that we are excited to share with everyone.

The "Bunny Tails" concept works best with confections such as white gumballs, marshmallows or even coconut macaroons. Simply fill your favorite container or bag with white bunny treats and add this tag with ribbon. It is that simple!

Happy Easter!!

As room mom for my son's preschool class, I am always looking for fun, easy treat ideas to pass out to his classmates for each holiday.

To make these simple Easter Basket Treat cups, you will need the following:

• Baking Cups (shown as pink with white polka dots)
  
• White card stock for the handles
• Green Easter grass filler
• Jelly beans or other egg shaped candies
• Double sided tape or glue

To begin, cut 1/4"-1/2" strips from your white card stock. Glue or tape these strips to the inside of your baking cups. Wait 5-10 minutes before filling the cups to ensure that the handles have had enough time to set. Next, fill each cup with a handful of the green grass filler; you may need to trim the strands for a more uniform look using scissors. Finally, fill each cup with Easter candy.

To personalize each Easter Basket treat cup, tie a favor tag on with ribbon.

Stay tuned for more simple DIY projects for Easter!!

For those of us with small children, Easter is often filled with family photos with the Easter bunny, multiple egg hunts and egg coloring. And while all of these activities are super fun and an important part of how our family celebrates the holiday, we also take the time to focus on the reason for the season with our children. 

To that end, today's free download is our Christian Easter cupcake topper set. These are great as-is; 2" round cupcake toppers, or can be added to gift cards, gift enclosure cards or other decor items just in time for Easter.

Enjoy!