Amelia's 3rd Birthday Party

I can't believe my baby is 3 years old! They tell you that they grow up so fast. They were right.

I started planning for Amelia's 3rd birthday party for so many months! I came up with a woodland fairytale theme and ran with it. I blogged about my inspirations for her birthday party here.

I always tend to go a little crazy with handmade decorations.  I may get frustrated while making them but it usually all works out in the end.  Sometimes down to the last minute.

I started buying up flowers from Micheal's back in early spring when they went on sale.  I bought lots of maidenhair fern bunches and separated them then attached them end to end with florist wire to make a simple garland. I bought burlap from the fabric store to use as a rustic overlay on the table.

Lots of yummy food!

Iced coffee and peach iced tea! I used The Pioneer Woman's iced coffee recipe. It was a big hit.

I took inspiration from the Renaissance Faire to make this garland. I dyed muslin fabric different colors then ripped them into strips. I tied the muslin strips onto garden twine.  

 I sprinkled a trail of "pixie dust" onto my plants to lead to the special fairy messages.

Fairy house....naturally.

At the end of the pixie dust trail were pieces of blank paper. Fairies leave secret messages didn't you know? In order to see the secret messages you have to paint the paper with colors from the rainbow of course.

 And like magic the secret fairy messages appear!

 Cool Huh? So fun and so simple. Draw images on watercolor paper with the end of a white candle. Wherever there is wax the watercolor paint will be repelled.

I molded toad stools with fondant and let them dry a day or two. I dipped my finger in water and rubbed the toad stool top until it got a little sticky which didn't take long.  I then sprinkled tiny white sprinkles on top to resemble the spots on real toad stools. I used a leaf tip to pipe "grass" onto the gluten free cupcakes.

My mother-in-law and niece Olivia,

My husband Joaquin and his comical mustache.

Little Miss Olivia.

Favors! Burlap bags filled with cosmo seeds and pixie dust! I made pixie dust bottle necklaces for the little ones. You have to keep your pixie dust close by don't ya know.

I made all of the girls different fairy crowns. They looked so cute in them. I made gnome hats for the boys too.

The kids got to dig for buried treasure! Jewels, gold coins and a few small toys.  They spent a lot of time in the sand box. There was sand everywhere! 

The after math. THE END

Party Inspiration

While researching birthday party ideas I came across some very useful websites.  Catch My Party and The Sweetest Occasion have unlimited amount of ideas when it comes to decorating and planning a party. There is so much to look at that I'm sure it will take me awhile to go through each party. 

Catch My Party categorizes the parties my theme which is very helpful since they have tons of parties to go through.  I can't help but to notice many of my ideas which I thought were original being displayed on Catch My Party and The Sweetest Occasion.  It is so weird to see the ideas you have dreamed up on other people's websites. I ask myself, "How in the world?!"

{Fairy House by Enchanted Gardens}

For Amelia's Fairytale birthday party I want rustic and "realistic" looking fairy decorations instead of the commercial looking party decorations I see for fairy/fairytale themes. Real or silk flowers and natural materials. My local Micheal's craft store has most of their Spring flowers and greenery on sale for 50% off! I had to take this opportunity to buy as many as I could so that I will have them for Amelia's party decorations and for making fairy crowns and clips. So far I see my color scheme being dark blue, yellow, purple, greens and pinks. I may add in some teal.  I spotted a moss table runner and place mats which will add a nice texture to the tables but I'm holding off on those for right now. I seem to always add butterflies to every party I throw. My wedding, Amelia's 1st and 2nd birthday parties. I adore butterflies!

  Since I love adding lots of elements to my parties I have to be on the look out for bargains. I was so pleased to come across a website properly named, Save On Crafts. So many awesome things at great prices. Oriental Trading is always full of fun stuff too.

{$2.99 each! Save on Crafts}

{Moss Sticks $2.99 by Save on Crafts!}

{Roll of Moss $24 by Save on Crafts! Cheaper than Micheal's)

{These are so FUN! There are wild flower seeds in the natural paper! I want to fill these with small party favors and then after they are emptied the guest can plant them in the ground or flower pot and watch them grow.  I am so excited about this!! By Save on Crafts}

{Or I can fill these Jute bags with favors!}

{Or these burlap bags!}

Ideas, Ideas! My head is spinning right now.  I am most definitely leaving my backyard and patio decorated with the Fairytale theme when Amelia's party is over. Kill two birds with one stone.  

I do enjoy going to the Renaissance Faire when it comes to town. One particular decoration that I noticed everywhere were the fabric and ribbon garlands. So beautiful. I want to pull a little from the different whimsical elements that can be found at a Renaissance Faire.  It has that Pixie Hallow feel to it especially when the music is playing. I think I'm going to buy inexpensive muslin fabric and dye it different colors, then cut them into strips. I can then tie the strips onto jute twine and hang them all over the backyard and patio to give the party a whimsical feel that I love.

I better come back to reality for now! lol I could go on and on for hours about all of my ideas.  I have to save something for the actual reveal which won't be until July!