Isabella's "movie night" birthday...a bit belated

Okay...so Isabella's birthday was a few months back...and I am just now posting it.  I should probably just let it go, but it was such a fun night, that I wanted to share it with you : )

My girls' birthdays are exactly 6 months apart from each other, and inevitably, as soon as one party is being cleaned up, the other child is telling me what they want their next party to be.  Isabella blurted out "movie night" pretty quick, and surprisingly, stuck with it.   

I was dealing with my broken foot in the month leading up to her birthday, so I did have to revise some of my plans.  First things first...we needed a theater : )

I borrowed a tent...more like a sun shelter...and set it up in the back yard.  It was 10'x10' which I was pretty confident would be able to contain a dozen little ones.  I bought some drapes from IKEA- two blue drapes and two lace drapes.  I created a swag over the entrance with the lace, and I clipped the blue drapes to the corners of the tent, to make an entrance. This photo was an in progress shot...leaving the swag valance like that would have driven me crazy.

Jason borrowed a screen from work, and he was solely responsible for all sound/movie/electrical needs. I have no clue about any of it. Once again, soooo thankful that he helps execute all the crazy ideas I come up with!

We considered many different options for seating, but in the end, bales of hay with my grandmothers' quilts tossed over them, won out.  They were the perfect height for the kiddos and three grouped together could hold 6 kids.  

I knew I wanted some marquee signs, because every proper theater has marquee signs right? 

I decided to make two- one for the front of the house...

...and one for the concession stand. These guys were pretty easy...but time-consuming...to make.  Materials needed: foam core board, exacto knife, outdoor globe string lights and paint.  I LOVED them, even though I was gritting my teeth by the time I got done.  

To create the concession stand, I put an old door on top of a console table, and attached a thin curtain rod to the bottom of the door.  Using some extra clip rings I had hanging around, I hung pink corduroy material to cover the front of the console and to add a little "candy counter" feeling.  

Using vintage wood crates, I bagged up common theater food, with some healthier options thrown in : )  Pretzels, goldfish, popcorn (buttered and kettle corn), skittles, twizzlers, gummi bears, tootsie rolls and of course, whoppers.

When we have a party, we usually serve a meal, and this time Isabella chose a burger bar!  I was super excited about this idea.  We had three types of burgers- Hawaiian burger with grilled pineapple, sauteed onions, lettuce and hoison sauce, Guacamole burgers with guacamole, of course, fresh salsa and pepper jack cheese, and Southern style with chili, slaw, diced onions and mustard.  We also had fresh fruit, veggies and dip, chips and pasta salad.  

Please forgive the photo.  I was slowed down this go round and didn't get a good pic before it was time to eat.

We served punch and lemonade in mason jars to the kids.  I swear, I use those things at every party. It's so easy, just change the paper on top and tie a different ribbon to match each party.

Adult drinks were served in a wheel barrow : )

And that is all the set-up.  Now on to the fun part! The kiddos jumped right into the rope swing while we grilled up the burgers...

...and they played with the gigantic balloons...

And they snacked on some stolen goldfish from the concession stand : )

After chowing down, it was time for cake! Isabella requested ice cream cake, so Nutella Cruch Cake was the obvious choice.  It was super good and VERY easy to make.

And as it was getting dark, it was time to make selections from the concession stand.

Each child was given 4 tickets when they arrived to "buy" some treats.  I WAS trying to control sugar intake... at least a little.

 After selections were made, everyone chose a seat...

 And we started the movie!

We had a great time! Isabella asked me to leave her sign out in the front yard "just a little longer" : ) At two weeks, I took it down.  She still has it sitting in her room though. 

I think we can confidently say another party was a success.  And as we were cleaning up and taking down the tent, Ava says "Mom, I've got it!  I want a Frozen party!"  Shaking my head : )

An Art inspired Birthday party...

We celebrated Ava's 8th birthday with LOTS of paint and LOTS of art...which I think would have been my dream birthday as a kid : )  What is it that they say about living vicariously through your children? Anyway...

It all started with the invitation which I LOVE.  My friend Carolyn helped me out with her amazing graphic design skills.  Pantone color books were the inspiration for the invitation.  Ava is obsessed with them, so it seemed like the perfect way to get her excited about the festivities to come.  You can see more about the invitations and find out where to order them here. 

I had seen many art parties where the kids painted on individual canvases, but I wanted to try something different.  In the weeks leading up to the party, I bought some insulation foam sheets and had the hardware store cut them into various sizes.  In all, I had 8 pieces.  I then painted them white.  I looked up "famous artwork coloring pages" online and found a lot of choices.  I took my favorites and projected them onto the foam sheets and then traced them with a large sharpie.  

The result looked like life-sized coloring pages.  I LOVED it.  And who could go wrong with Vincent Van Gogh, Mary Cassat, John Singer Sargent, Claude Monet and Piet Mondrian as inspiration? 

I really wanted the back yard to feel like an art studio, but I had no clue how to display these really large "canvases"...so I gave that job to Jason : )  And he had the amazing idea to make easels out of ladders.  We gathered 8 ladders of various sizes, some wood...some metal, and he attached wood dowels to them and made them into easels. We then took canvas dropcloths and draped them around the bases of the ladders, so it would feel like a messy art studio. 

In the center of all the easels, we had a table set up with all of the art supplies- aprons, paint brushes, tempura and acrylic paint and pallets. 

The weather was going back and forth between cold and warm in the week prior to the day of the party, so we had a space heater on standby, but it ended up being a beautiful day.  To chase a way the last bit of cool in the air, we had hot chocolate and apple cider for the kiddos..

I had a little sign to greet everyone that said "Ava's Art Studio" as they came into the backyard. 

And then it began...

Everyone selected their apron, paint brushes and paints and then chose the artwork they wanted to paint.

The canvases were large enough for the kids to work in pairs which ended up being a lot of fun to watch.

A couple of them got a little carried away and started to paint each other...

 ...but most stayed pretty focused : )

After the masterpieces were completed, it was time to eat.  Ava chose everything on the menu- veggies and dip, fruit salad, cheese and crackers, orchard salad...and to throw a bone to the people who eat meat, she consented to corn dog muffins : )

We served lemonade and punch in mason jar glasses.

I use these glasses at every party now, but try to make them look different with new toppers, ribbons and straws.  This time, I used the same artwork coloring pages for the toppers. I colored them in with the pink, green and yellow that Ava picked out, and then tied a ribbon around each one, and added a classic yellow chevron paper straw. 

I made silverware packets by gluing two paint cards together (that I picked up at Home Depot) and then stuffed it with a napkin, fork and spoon. 

After all the food was eaten, it was time for cupcakes!  I thought a good way to carry on the art theme, was to let the kids decorate the cupcakes themselves.  Each child got their own paint pallet with a rainbow of colored toppings to choose from. 

The last thing to do before everyone left, was to give away the favors. 

Carolyn made me these cute little thank you cards to match the invitations.  I clipped them to the bags with each child's name written on the back.  Everyone took home their art apron, paint brush, paint pallet and an artist clipboard. 

I bought small clip boards that were perfect for 5"X7" paper at Office Depot, and painted them white.  I then sewed a piece of elastic to hold one pencil and six crayons for each clipboard.  I love that the kids' can take their clipboards with them wherever they go, and create their own masterpieces : )

It was a crazy day, but Ava had a blast!  The party wasn't even over before she started telling me what she wanted the theme to be next year.  She is her mother's daughter : )

Happy Birthday my sweet Ava!

You are a treasure that your dad and I have been blessed to call our own for 8 wonderful years.  We LOVE you to the moon and back : )