I know I say this every single time I have a party, but this time it’s for real. I think this is my favourite party ever. Well, this or the Monster party. Or the Shake it Up party. Or the…
From the soft pastel blue-greens and purples, to the yarn decor everywhere, I think I loved every detail about this adorable Lalaloopsy party. The backdrop? Wrapping paper sky, tablecloth curtains, fleece clouds, and a pretty wood cutout frame for an enlarged picture of the birthday girl. (This was done as an “engineered print” at Staples and cost about $3 for a 2’x3′ print!)
Everything was so easy to create – it had to be. I didn’t get home from SNAP until five days before the party, and when I left, the only thing I had completed was the design of the printables… which were one of my favourite elements. At first, I designed them with the dolls further back so you could see their whole bodies on things like the signs and invitations, but I loved how it looked when I zoomed in and off-centered them. Much more whimsical – like the dolls themselves. The “table clothes were just white sheets with a wrapping paper runner. (Seriously folks, wrapping paper is where it’s at when it comes to party decor – both of these rolls came from the Michaels dollar bins!)
The food had to be simple too – my husband is the main food prepper in our house, and let me tell you, he is getting TI-ERRRED of my elaborate parties. So we went with what the birthday girl requested – hot dogs and chips.
Remember the Lalaloopsy cake from my post a few weeks ago? That was decorated by my husbands uncle, who showed up for the party an hour early to help – little did he know he would be decorating the cake – but that’s how simple it was to decorate! I also shared a post on creating the washi tape banner cake topper – I also used the same type of banner on the wreath I hung on the front door!
I used the Lalaloopsy dolls she already owned to decorate around the party. I put the bigger ones on the food table, and some of the Mini Lalaloopsy adorned the favor and activity centers in the basement.
My husband’s cousin is in junior high, and she has been dabbling in cake decorating lately. I asked her to create some yarn ball cake pops, and she totally nailed it. I love them! I put foam in these baskets and then filled them with batting to look like clouds. I also dusted a little purple and aqua glitter on top of the batting so it had a little shine.
Water bottle labels are one of my favorite elements of party design. They are so simple to make, take no time at all to prepare, and they make such a huge difference, I think. It’s just one of those nice little details that adds the little extra touch.
I also like to cover up juice boxes. Why? Well, they are red, and my colour scheme is purple and blue-green. Not red. So I printed some juicebox labels and we were off to the races.
Now, in all of my years as a mom (that will be 9 years in June), we have never, ever, ever had bad weather on either of my girls birthdays. Never.
Well! That was a streak that ended this year. Even though my daughters birthday is in May, it rained, poured, drizzled, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it even sleeted. It was cold, miserable, and dark. And I was having something like 16 preschoolers and kindergarteners over for a party. The thought of having it inside my house terrified me, but it had to be done. At the last minute, I moved the couch in my family room and quickly (we’re talking less than an hour – I was really holding out for the weather here folks!) I whipped up a little activity area and favour station for the kiddos. The pictures are a little dark, since (a) we were in the basement and (b) the sun was nowhere in sight, but hopefully you get the idea of how much fun we had!
To create this backdrop, I grabbed some paper fans that I had purchased in the Michaels dollar bin, and used some more of the cutout frames that I had lying around. I filled them with the purple wrapping paper and added a monogram to one. The white curtains will still up from my Cricut DIY Workshop (which happened about a month before this party) so it was perfect. I grabbed a scrap of blue flannel from my fabric stash and used it as a cover.
I shared these Lalaloopsy favors a few weeks ago when I shared my tips on creating budget friendly party favors. They contained a customized notebook, coordinating pencil, cupcake eraser, lip gloss, and candy necklace. The total cost? Just under $1 per person – and that’s Canadian!
These two activities were also a last minute addition – usually the kids just play on the play structures and trampoline for Stella’s party, so I have never planned formal activities for her. This year however, I was not letting all of those children go free in my house. I had to think of something fast! I cut up some paper straws and placed them in baggies with some yarn and beads, and the kids created these Paper Straw Beaded Necklaces.
I also printed out some Lalaloopsy colouring sheets from the Nick Jr. site, and placed them on another table with some pencil crayons. Easy peasy and it really did entertain them for the whole time! You would honestly never know I had so many kids in my house – it was calm, collect, and relatively quiet!
Aren’t you in love with it? I am still swooning. If you’re looking for some Lalaloopsy-inspired printables for your birthday party, you can check my Etsy store – if they aren’t listed, it means I may have just sold a set and haven’t relisted it yet, so just send me a message. I can also create any other princess or fairy or superhero inspired package your heart can dream of – just shoot me a message, I take custom orders! I wish I had more parties to throw so I could create them all. (Shh! Don’t tell my husband I said that!)
Do you have any secrets to a budget friendly party?
Virginia Fynes says
Super cute party ideas! Those cake pops look perfect, yum!
jessica says
My daughter loves Lalaloopsy dolls. This party is adorable! I love the cake pops!
Sarah says
Thanks Jessica! They were my favorite part too!