Cowgirl Party

Well giddy on up and mosey on down the birthday girl has come to town! What better way to celebrate a birthday than by creating a party that inspires and encourages your little one to learn. My little Kaitlyn loves everything cowgirl. So when choosing her 4th birthday theme it was a real no-brainer. She loves horses, and western wear and especially loves her cowgirl boots. By finding what interests your children have you can build upon their natural curiosity, laying a foundation for early learning. Kaitlyn's natural curiosity about horses has led to several teachable moments, from where they live, what they eat, to how fast they run.
 We had a real cowgirl party complete with a  pony for her little friends to ride. This was such a fun party to create and it really turned out beyond my expectations. I hope you enjoy!

Invitations etc.

The invitations were my inspiration for this fun cowgirl party. The pink, green and brown were such great colors to use. I especially loved the bandana pint and the pennant banners. I love printing this design onto linen paper at www.mpix.com. They have stunning quality!
Invitations and party designed by Magic By Marcy

Food

We had a southern favorite Cowgirl cocktails, a small styrofoam cup filled with baked beans, coleslaw, and topped with smoked pulled pork....yum yum yum! My mouth is watering already.
To add a special touch I placed round labels onto the cups designed by Magic By Marcy

Small paper bags were the perfect fit for our mini grilled cheese star sandwiches. They are so easy to make and are a great crowd pleaser for the little ones. Just take white bread and add your favorite sliced cheese. Use a star cookie cutter to cut out a star. Place on a panini press for just a few seconds and then place in bags, add a sticker for a special added touch.....as you can see I had a hard time getting my stickers to align correctly in the printer...technology!!! But I think they turned out pretty darn cute despite the white border.

I used individual cups ( found at walmart for just 2.59) for the Ranch dressing. Small slices of carrots, zucchini, and squash were placed in pink and brown polka dot cups. I also found these at walmart, they were perfect for our decor.

What's a cowgirl party without S'mores. These were a definite hit with the kiddos. Just take a strawberry marshmallow and place on a graham cracker,  heat in the microwave for a few seconds. Add a graham cracker top, dip into melted chocolate and add your favorite colored sprinkles. These are a great no mess solution to making s'mores....they will definitely leave your little cowgirls & cowboys wanting some more!

I added folded food labels to help with the food. These help to add a special colorful touch to your food table. Pretzel sticks were used as hay.

We had a Cowgirl Candy station, complete with strawberry marshmallow pops. We also had old fashioned pink rock candy and chocolate ropes
( chocolate Twizzlers).

Drinks

The watering trough.....pink lemonade in mason jars and root beers on ice. Custom root beer bottle labels are so easy to make you can purchase a custom design from Magic By Marcy  and then just print onto cardstock on your home printer or at your local office supply shop. Use clear packing tape to apply onto bottle. If you need them to go in a cooler just add clear packing tape across the entire piece of paper.

 

Decorations

Picking a few colors and sticking to a theme help to make any party pop! I used pink green and brown with country cowgirl accents. I used lots of metal buckets for a rustic feel as well as natural fibers like chocolate brown burlap as table runners. I also used twine to tie to the balloons and 3 bales of hay to decorate our watering trough area. Fresh sunflowers added a special touch to the tables.
I used pink, green and brown coordinating fabrics to make pennant banners for the tables. These are so easy to sew and take just an hour or so to make. If you aren't up for the sewing pinking shears and tron on hemming tape will do the job. Just cut out your pennants with the pinking shears and use the iron on hemming tape to adhere the pennants to your favorite ribbon.

Cake

For the cake I used my favorite cake designer Miss Marilyn. My local Tallahassee friends know how much I enjoy her work. She takes the invitations I design and makes them come to life with the cake. Each design is truly a work of art!
For the cake topper we found a number 4 at our local Hobby lobby for just a few dollars and I used twine to wrap around it to give it a more rustic feel.
The cake was strawberry, my little cowgirl's request. With cream cheese icing....and ohh was it yummy!

We also had a few marshmallow pops...these might just be the easiest dessert for your table. Just take marshmallows ( we used strawberry of course) and add a stick, dip into melted chocolate and add sprinkles, let dry and then serve.

 Favors

For favors I used iced flower cookies on a stick. I found these at my local Dollar tree....yes your heard me my Dollar tree. I took them out of the package and added them to my own cellophane treat bag. I added some ribbon and a custom Thank you tag. They were very delicious and the best part they were only $1!

Attire

Kaitlyn's cowgirl outfit was made using fabric scraps for her skirt. I just took some elastic and tied fabric scraps onto the waistline. I layered it with her bright pink tutu.
I had her shirt made here in Tallahassee at Bela Lili
They were fabulous to work with I went in and chose my design, customized my fabrics and picked it up two days later. It was a perfect touch for her party!
My little cowgirl had a great time celebrating with all of her friends. This will be a birthday I am sure she will never forget!

Party Designed by : Magic By Marcy
Cake: Designed by Marilyn Gingerich

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Birthday Celebrations

Birthdays are so much fun for our lil sprouts. We have a special birthday today in our house. Our little girl is turning 4. Our morning was filled with a breakfast birthday celebration. There were balloons all over Kaitlyn's room and hanging from her door, just waiting for her to wake up. She celebrated with her favorite... pink party pancakes.
They are so simple to make, just make pancakes using your favorite recipe (mine usually includes a box :) ) then add a splash of pink food coloring. Make them smaller by pouring a small amount into your pan using a measuring cup to control portion size. Stack them up, add your favorite fruit and a little syrup then top with powdered sugar.....they are sure to be a yummy treat!

For a little birthday fun change out your items in your sensory bin for some birthday exploration.
We added the number 1, 2, 3 and 4
letters K-A-I-T-L-Y-N
balloons,  ribbon, small boxes, fabric cupcakes, wooded cookies, small bowls and mini spoons, candles, tissue paper
(when looking for birthday related items gather items with various textures, sounds and sizes)

We played games, finding the numbers and placing them in order 1 - 2- 3- 4 and also found all the letters in her name and matched them to an index card with her name on it. We counted cookies, balloons and she named the colors for the different tissue papers andribbons. You can also group items according to function or size. So many learning possibilities!

 How do you celebrate birthdays with your little ones? What traditions do you have? We would love to hear from you. Leave us a comment :)

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Little Man turns one! Party Planning on a budget

It has been a busy week of party planning.....so many ideas so little time. Between fabulous party blogs and Pinterest I can spend hours lost in a creative coma. My only problem is my inspiration and my budget usually don't align. I love getting ideas from Kara's party ideas and other sites like hers, however I have to remind myself that these parties are usually professionally designed and have a budget that's out of this world......so when I wake up from my creative coma and drift back into reality that's where the frugal party planning begins.

Here are some tips I used to throw my son's first birthday party on a very frugal budget. 

The best tip is start planning early that way you can spread out your purchases and take advantages of sales and coupons to make your purchases. Around party planning time the Hobby Lobby folks know me by name, I think I am in there once a week with my coupon in hand (on my phone of course)
I like choosing colors for a party and going from there. That way you can save by reusing supplies from previous events. By using one unifying color you can even utilize items for both sexes. I usually use green a lot for both my son and my daughter. That way I am not purchasing new items for each party.
The first was I like to save some money is by designing my own invitations...if you aren't a designer no worries stop by my shop Magic By Marcy for some custom invitations that you can print at home or at your favorite photo site ( most of them run specials monthly on prints) My favorite place to print is www.mpix.com they have great shipping rates, print on cardstock and include envelopes (25 for $19)

 

The best way to make a visual impact is to incorporate your invitation into your actual party. Food tags, favor tags, cupcake toppers, water bottle labels & candy wrappers ( just to name a few). Printing these on cardstock at home is a great money saver. 

 

Favors

The party favors were my favorite part they were so deceptively easy and definitely didn't break the bank. I took Nila wafers ( 1 box was plenty) and used royal icing  (made from scratch... meringue powder, powdered sugar, food coloring and water) to ice the cookies before placing them in plastic favor bags and stapling a favor bag tag on the top.

 

Decor and more.....

 

My next money saving tip is to keep the decor simple. I used fabric scraps to make a wreath, a table runner and table squares for the tables. If you have pinking shears you don't even need to know how to sew. No sew iron on hemming tape is another way to avoid the sewing machine.

To make this wreath simply cut fabric (4 to 5 different types) into 1 1/2 X 4 inch strips, then tie around a styrofoam wreath. I added a cardboard 1 that I painted with some craft paint.

I love using tissue paper pom poms for decor, they are bright and visual and very easy to make...and for 99 cents a piece who can beat that! I like using one whole pack of tissue paper for a pom pom.

 I also love using things from around the house, simple mason jars and some flowers from the yard make gorgeous simple centerpieces for any occasion.

 For the cake....remember to utilize local talent. You can often find people right in your area that make cakes for half the price of a fancy bakery or local grocery store. My last and most important tip...Keep the food simple. 3 or 4 options are best that way you don't have a lot of food that goes to waste. I like to pick foods I can use the next day for a meal if we have leftovers. My favorite party leftover recipe is Texas Caviar (at the party) / Southwest Chicken (next day)

Texas Caviar: 1 can black beans, 2 cans sweet corn, 1/2 a sweet onion finely chopped, freshly chopped cilantro, a dash of red wine vinegar, a dash of lime juice and a sprinkle of kosher salt

Southwest Chicken: Marinate your chicken breast in lime juice and your favorite seasonings. Cook chicken and set aside. Cook 1 package of yellow rice add chicken on top cover generously with your left over texas caviar and then sprinkle with mexican shredded cheese. Bake at 350 for 10 - 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

I hope that you are inspired to create a one of a kind party that will leave your guests talking and some money left in the bank. Everyone knows that Amanda and I love a good party if you need ideas or want to hire us to create your next one of a kind occasion contact us at simplysprout@gmail.com

 

To view the entire party go here

Invitations and Party Printables can be found at:Magic By Marcy

Kaitlyn's Dress made by: HootyCutie Designs

Party Hat Created by:  Julia at Bows and Holders on ETSY

Cake By: Marilyn Gingrich

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Dr. Seuss Classroom Party

New book, old book, little book, big book…it doesn’t matter! Just grab a book because March 2nd marks Read Across America Day and it just so happens to be the beloved children’s author, Dr. Seuss’ birthday. Classrooms across the country will be cracking open their favorite silly Seuss stories for this special occasion. We all know that a celebration wouldn’t be complete without a party!

Here are some Seuss-gestions of how to celebrate the Dr.’s birthday in style:

*Have a read-a-thon. Encourage children to bring in their favorite books and snuggle up and read. Take it an extra step by inviting parents and grandparents to join in on the fun. If you make it a pajama party, you are sure to be the favorite teacher of all!

*Invite celebrity readers. Reach out to well known community members to read aloud stories to your class on this special day.

*Create your own Seussical. Have students act out their favorite Dr. Seuss stories. Too shy for the stage? Allow students to write a rhyming story full of fun nonsense just like Dr. Seuss.

*Have a big buddy read. Invite former students that are now in middle school or high school to join your students in reading. What a great way for students to act as a role model!

*Oh and of course throw a party. Make sure not to get icing on those book pages!

If you can’t think of a Thing 1 or Thing 2 to do for a party, you can find all these Suesstastic items in the Simply Sprout Etsy shop here.

Want to win a Dr. Seuss Read Across America Day package for your class?
* Simply leave us a comment and tell us what your favorite Dr. Seuss book is.
* Like us on Facebook.
We’ll be drawing a winner on Monday!

Thing 1 Thing 2 cupcakes made with blue cotton candy

 

Purchase, Print....Party! It's as easy as 1-2-3. Simply purchase your Dr. Seuss party pack here and print items on cardstock. To assemble the banner we used different types of ribbon found at a local Hobby Lobby.

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