The Birthday Party

My daughter had her Birthday party last weekend.  Her birthday was actually at the beginning of January, but because I haven't been well, it was delayed.  We did a sleepover with 6 of her friends..call me crazy (I am).  It was actually good because I was able to meet all her friends and decide who I wanted her to hang out with and who I definitely didn't!

The birthday cards we sent out was a free printable that I found at The TomKat Studio, to get your own please click on this link: The TomKat Studio.  They come in multiple colours and the chevron stripes are super trendy right now.

Here's how I decorated:

Instead of a tablecloth, I put paper on the table where they would be eating, so they could colour and draw...it was a huge hit!  I just used a roll of paper that you buy for kids art easels, I bought it at Michael's with my 40% off coupon, the price ended up being $8.99 but it is a BIG roll that we will definitely be using for tons of other art projects.

Then I took 2 mason jars and covered them in some pretty paper and filled them with pencil crayons and crayons.

I finally joined the bunting bandwagon!  I wasn't a huge fan for a while but they have definitely grown on me.  I made this pretty one and it looked super cute...I didn't want to take it down!

It was super easy to make, I printed the designs, cut the paper, folded and glued over some string.  You can download the FREE printables to make your own by clicking HERE or you can right click on the images below.

For the food we went simple.  Hot Dogs, Pop and Junk Food.  I feed my kids healthy all year round, but for their birthdays they're allowed to have anything they want on the menu (within reason!).

Here's what the eating area looked like when I was done:

I also made the polka dot bunting banner you see on the back wall, you can find the free printable for it HERE.

The Cake:

Instead of a birthday cake, Maya decided she wanted a trifle.  Trifle is a British dessert that I grew up with, my mom would always make it for special occasions.  Since my mom passed away last year, I have taken over the trifle tradition (minus the Sherry!).  It is SO EASY and very yummy.  It's best to make it in a glass bowl so you can see all the layers.

First layer....white cake.  I made a small round cake then plopped it in the bottom of the bowl.  (Hey, I never claimed to be Martha! :)  This is where my mom would cover the cake in sherry and let it soak overnight, but I like it better without the alcohol and of course, not for a kids party!

On top of the cake you spread a layer of jello (I like strawberry), then a layer of fruit (we went with peaches and mandarins), and then a layer of vanilla pudding (or custard).

Then you smother the top with fresh whipping cream and decorate with fruit.  Make sure you get a bit of each layer when you serve it, that's the best!

I make these little signs from another free printable that I downloaded at The TomKat Studio Blog.  To download your own, click on this link: The TomKat Studio.  Kim has some amazing freebies on her blog.

We played a fun game, where you make a mound of flour on a cutting board with a chocolate on the top.  You go around the table and each person has to slice away part of the flour without making it crumble.  The person who make it crumble has to put their arms behind their back and pick out the chocolate with their mouth.  It's always a favourite.  (Sorry about the blurred out faces...I haven't received permission from the parents to publish their faces here).

After all the food, games, "cake" and presents they got into their pj's and watched movies.

I had bought some cute popcorn bags from the dollar store and they each had a bag of popcorn for the movie.  This thrilled my daughter (sometimes it really is the little things!).

The next morning, we made pancakes and everyone left with a thank-you bag.  As you can see, the tag I used is from the printable above.

 I must admit it took me a few days to recover!  But is was totally worth it to see my daughter so happy!

I have linked up at these great blogs: