Sonja's Third Birthday

Our little Cupcake turned three this week, her friends joined us at the park for an owl themed party.  Sadly, a few of our friends and family couldn't make it, so I'm sharing a few photos here for everyone to enjoy.

It was really bright, but surprisingly not that hot out!  

{above: thank you books for the kiddos and the #hashtag for instagram}

Owl details and a few facts about owls.

Husband took his sweet time showing up with ice, but I promise my guests were well hydrated.

My mom bought that tea towel, and I made the banner.

More table cloths from my mom, an owl mug from here, an owl cookie jar filled with trail mix from here, and caprese skewers with cupcake topper owls.

also on the menu; carrot, celery & cream cheese rolled sandwiches and peanut butter and jelly rolled sandwiches, pasta salad and veggies and hummus. 

Okay.  let me explain the limo.

For my sister in law's wedding we had a limo for the family so there would be a safe and classy way to get everyone home.  Sonja has been begging for a limo ride since the wedding and since no one is getting married or even hosting a major event anytime soon her Nonno rented this limo to pick up and drop off the birthday girl with her family.  She was so excited, I should have just gotten her this instead of the party!

Celebrating my birthing day with an ice cold glass of water.

Aunt Emily made these adorable owl cupcakes!

just a few of the guests.

I love that she's old enough for FRIENDS to come to her parties!

Vera keeping herself entertained.

A few of my favorite owls from the party.

cake from treehouse bakery {vegan}

Mouths full of cake!

More guests and a few gifts {even though I didn't want anyone to get her anything!}

Another one of her requested activities:

A pinata filled with CANDY! {owl pinata from Party City}

Actually, I filled it with chocolate, risky for a September birthday in Phoenix, but I bought tiny baskets for the kiddos and they were the only candy that would fit in them, so I FROZE them the night before, because you know, I'm the smartest.

And that was Sonja's third birthday party. Planning an owl party? I've got a whole inspiration board for you here. Next year? I'm thinking books!

-Jenn

You can also follow along on Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, and Tumblr!

p.s. if you have a moment, I'd really appreciate your vote. Click the banner below and then the owl on the left. {No email required and no spam generated! promise}

Upcycled Scrap Fabric Garland {for Sonja's Third Birthday}

My little is going to be three next month! wow, when did that happen? I guess with the pregnancy and new baby I almost missed the part about my toddler becoming a kid!

Anyway, to finally get into party planning mode, I checked my pinterest board and started this project, along with a few others.  This year is owl themed! And the colors are orange, blue, brown and pink.  that's a lot of colors but I'm also using a lot of prints and patterns featuring owls. So, this garland is mostly blue, while other decor will feature oranges and pinks.

I checked my scrap fabric drawer for fabrics and patterns that matched my theme, and these were what I came up with.  I always save ribbon so I had this white 'string' to use for the garland.

I cut the scrap fabric into strips 1-2 inches thick, no measuring! and about 6-10 inches long, I wanted it to be a mixture of lengths so I simple spaced out the different lengths to create the variation and 'pattern'

I tied each strip into a knot like when you start to tie your shoes and repeat, {over and under the bridge, repeat}once they were all tied, I slid them close together and pulled each strip down so it hung properly.

Here it is completed on the back of a chair, although, I'm not sure how or where I'll be displaying this garland, I think I'm going to have her party at the park this year, so we can have some real rescued owls, without my dogs attacking them.

wish me luck! happy party planning.

-Jenn

You can also follow along on Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, and Tumblr!

p.s. if you have a moment, I'd really appreciate your vote. Click the banner below and then the owl on the left. {No email required and no spam generated! promise}

Sonja's Second Birthday! {Russian Themed}

If you've been following along you've seen all my recent posts on D.I.Y. project for this birthday, and while I can't take credit for EVERYTHING at the party MOST of it was D.I.Y. by myself or someone I know and or love.  So, here's her party in photos!

Starting off with a little D.I.Y. prep. work...

We used a discarded piece of wood to create a photo booth.

I spent well over $200 on organic food for our guests.

I got these adorable cupcake liners from Sur la Table on sale a while back.

Emily had a frosting explosion while making Sonja's Cupcakes.

I outsourced a cake to Treehouse Bakery {a local vegan bakery with the best cakes!}

Husband testing out the photo booth.

The decorations and set up...

left: photo booth, right: Russian banner which says her name in the Russian spelling.

Entrance.

a D.I.Y. coloring book station for the kids, to make their own {it didn't get as much use as I would have like though}

The take home bags had stickers and homemade crayons to go with the coloring books.

The castle we made from old boxes and scrap fabric, covered in unwanted contact paper for the kids to paint.  Supposed to resemble St. Basil's Cathedral.

Dessert Table.

Drinks for the Adults. {it was Russian themed you guys! don't judge}

Homemade Lemonade {left; ginger lemonade, middle; lavender lemonade, right; rosemary lemonade} by my soon to be brother in law; Matt.

Washi Tape Labels!

Paint and Bubbles for the littles! {total cost under $20}

The patio areas.

Homemade Nesting dolls for the kids to take home.

made from scrap fabric and stuffed by yours truly.

The Party...

Moments before guests arrived, snacking with her Aunt Gretchen.

Painting the Castle!

Even the older kids got into it!

The Food...

Homemade Potato Pancakes.

Russian onion salad.

Fried eggplant in a tomato sauce.

The Photo Booth...

Sonja and Grandma.

Stephanie and Tommy.

Aunt Emmy and Tio Rene, and no that's not a birthmark on her shoulder, she told her aunt Emily she wanted a Tattoo for her birthday, so I found her some at the craft store for 50 cents.

Learning how to play guitar.

But, yes, that is green paint in her hair, good thing I bought tempra paint - it washed right out.

Opening her presents.

The Instagram posts from guests...

The After Party...

It took me a few days but I finished that cake!

Oh and incase you wanted links or inspiration for a Russian party of your own here's my Pinterest Board.

And that was her party!  Today is her actual birthday and I still get all sentimental when I think that this time two years ago I was in transition! and pushing! and this year, I'm feeling a new baby kicking.  I can't help but wonder what next year will be like with a new little and a three year old big sister.  I'm very thankful and excited for the future on this second anniversary of my birthing day.

-Jenn

You can also follow along on Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, and Tumblr!

p.s. if you have a moment, I'd really appreciate your vote. Click the banner below and then the owl on the left. {No email required and no spam generated! promise}