Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Planning a Girl's 9th Birthday Party - Part One

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The Mueller Family


I have been a step-mom for the past 5 years to a beautiful little blond bundle of questions and spunk. We have been so blessed to have her laughter fill our home every other weekend. I have had the joy of watching her grow from a bashful four year old into an energetic 8.5 year old.



In the past her birthday parties ranged from family gatherings at home to roller skating rinks to  an entire day at the local amusement park. Her birth mother has graciously footed the bill for these extravaganzas without a second thought. This year my husband and I felt a growing need to be more proactive in this field. So we offered to take on this years birthday party. 



For sometime now she has been set on celebrating at an indoor water park, since her birthday is in the fall. Then she attended a party at a children's gymnastics/dance studio. She went on and on about playing tag, and running through the obstacle course with her friends. All I could think about was how much it would cost to set something like that up with 20 of her closest friends


So in an effort to keep things as frugal as possible, I made some of my own suggestions.

I suggested a party at our home, which quickly earned me a disappointed glare. I described a theme that was based off of our favorite books to read together, Fancy Nancy! She didn't show much more enthusiasm as I went on to describe decorations that rivaled the illustrations and activities based off of Nancy's many misadventures. Still, I only detected that she was half heartedly listening when I got the part about the sleepover. Now, I had her attention! I explained that she could invite up to 4 friends due to the limited amount of space our 2 bedroom apartment offers. Nothing would sway her excitement now! She made sure I knew the colors she wanted, Blue Purple and Orange, and the guest list was rattled off in a single breath. 





I knew all I had to do was sell my idea to move forward with the plans. Now that this was accomplished, I could get moving on the preparations. I was happy to take on this challenge. I absolutely love party planning, even more than the execution of the plans. Pulling pieces together to create an atmosphere thrills me! Scheduling an itinerary brings joy to my heart. Preparing the snack bowls, hors d'oeuvre platters, main course and dessert options are a true labor of love. So much time and thought goes into every detail: Do these colors compliment each other? Will these cookies taste OK after a swallow of this juice? Animal print, glitter, or both? 



I researched the Fancy Nancy Books and pulled activities from them like fashion shows, tea parties, make overs, ballet lessons, and decorating your own cupcake! Decorations will look like a fancy tea party with catwalk glamour. There will be purple zebra print and glitter chandeliers. Crackers and cheese next to a sparkling punch bowl. Frilly Tutu's and neon hair extensions! I already whipped together the Tri-fold, die cut, zebra print invitations and I'm working on the bunting now. The balloons will be clear with confetti inside, there will be streamers everywhere, and a dessert table full of candy, chocolates, and cookies.






I will post more as things start to come together as well as tutorials for my hand made decorations and photos of the big day! Visit my pinterest board to see my ideas! Ready for the next step? Click here for Part 2! After that check out Part 3!

I just can't wait to see all the girls smiling faces! I confess, I may be living vicariously through my step daughter this year. I hope that the story book character sharing the same name and hair color as me doesn't give it away too readily! 

Until next time!
~Nancy

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