This party is gonna be AWESOME!

Hard to believe that our biiiiiiig My Little Pony Birthday celebration is right around the corner! Invitations just went out and the RSVP's are starting to come in. (A huge thanks to Pixelicious Creations for her amazing Invitation and Thank You card design!) I’m in full swing planning mode and really getting down to the nitty gritty of layouts, how many of this or that will I need to make, etc. etc.

This whole theme has been tough for me. Last year’s party was totally made up by me, so it was easy for me to create things. This year I have to work with this whole character thing…and I won’t lie, its been challenging. I know its weird – it should be easy because everything is all done for me but that’s what I *don’t* want….a cookie-cutter, seen-it-before party. I want everything to be over-the-top and awesome. Thankfully, the ideas are really starting to come to me. Unfortunately for Sean, my ideas are grandiose…which means a lot of work for him.

For instance, I decided several days ago that I want larger-than-life-size Pony cutouts all over the place. Like, 6 or 7 of them. I bought some overhead projector transparencies and traced coloring book pages of the girls' favorite ponies and then used those and some huge paper to draw the ponies. I still have to paint them, laminate them, and then back them with cardboard to give them some stiffness. Sean will build bases for them. I’ll surely post a tutorial on it in the coming weeks! And bonus, we can keep them and use them in the girls’ playroom. I’m sure they would LOVE having some giant ponies around all the time. :)

I’m also going to attempt a couple of balloon decoration items – a balloon arch for the front yard (complete with “Welcome to Ponyville” sign) and quite a few Balloon Trees (I watched this YouTube video and they look really easy!) <--- Isn’t that what they all say?! LOL You know I’ll post a tutorial for those as well…that is, IF I’m able to pull them off. What scares me about them is how close to party time they have to be done (36 hours or less) so if I screw it up, what will be there to replace them? I’ll definitely be practicing ahead of time.

Leading inside the house will be pink & purple horseshoe printouts (thanks to elevencupcakes!) on a glitter-ized walkway. Our guests are going to be parked all over the cul-de-sac and in the black lot across the street, so we’ll probably glitterize the whole dang driveway. As guests enter, they’ll be greeted by a Pony Cutout welcoming them to the shindig. More pony horse shoe prints will lead guests through the house to the backyard. Along the way, they’ll pass the food table (in our dining room) which will feature all kinds of pony-themed foods like “hay bales” (French fries tied together with a string) and Uni-corn dogs. We’ll also serve Unicorn Horns (Bugles)and Pony Punch (pink punch – I’ll post the recipe). I need more food ideas so if you have them, throw ‘em my way! The food table will be decorated with Ribbon Topiaries and Balloon Trees. (Tutorial for the topiaries can be found here.)

As guests enter the backyard, they’ll go through our screened porch, which will be the Gift Table and Favor Table area. Its small and sort of a waste of space, so its perfect as a pass-through spot. We’ll have assorted boxed favors for the kiddos and cupcake bath bombs for the Moms. (Tutorial for those found here.) I always provide a Mom-Favor. Last year it was homemade bubble bath and this year its bath bombs. I want to get away from the bath stuff, but it fits perfectly with my idea of “thanks for bringing your kid to this wild and crazy thing. Now go home and relax.”

Another side note: we never open gifts at our parties. Opening gifts (in our opinion) should be done when there is quiet and calmness. We want our kids to open presents and ENJOY them. We want them to think about who they are from, take a picture with the gift to include in a thank you card. BE APPRECIATIVE. It shouldn’t be this mad rush of rip it open, yell “thanks!” then grab the next one and repeat. We feel like that teaches poor values about gifts and birthdays as a whole. Birthdays aren’t about gifts…so their party follows suit. Birthdays are about spending time with 50 or 60 of your closest buds and partying like rockstars at a totally extravagant bash. ;) (Good Lawd…I am SO in for it with Sweet Sixteens, aren’t I?)

Outside guests will find our long rectangular kiddie table (we’re building it ourselves…I’ll provide a tut if I can) decorated with ribbon topiaries, glitter, and fresh flowers. Guests (ie. kid guests) will sit on haybales instead of traditional chairs, but I’ll cover the tops with fabric or placemats or something (haven’t decided exactly what yet) so their hineys don’t get pricked by the hay. I’m also thinking of decorating the bales with ribbons and flowers. Again…all depends on time and the number of bales I have to decorate. LOL

We’re going to create several areas in the yard for different things. They’ll be roped off with little stakes and some ribbon connected t the stakes to create areas so guests know where to go to do certain things. Pony horse shoes will lead to all the areas around the yard and each area will have a sign. We’re going to create our own “Sweet Shoppe” to house the cakes, cupcakes, and other sweets. We’ll have a “decorate your own cupcake” station with pre-iced cupcakes and edible glitter, sprinkles, etc. along with some “Cloud Bites” (marshmallows) and other yummy treats like Pony Cones (mini ice cream cones). That will all be under a purple pop-up tent I have left over from my business. It will create an actual “shoppe” that guests can enter. I’m contemplating having a bunch of candy for “sale” and giving each kid a little bag of “pony money.” Hmmm…I’ll think more on that.

Our “Craft Corral” will feature a Magic Glitter Dough-making station (I’ll make a huge batch of Play-Doh and color it pink, purple, and blue and then the kids will mix in glitter) and possibly some other stations with Pony Tattoos, Sand Art, and Glitter Paint. I have a make-your-own lipgloss station left over from my business so that will definitely be out there. :)

“Pony Playland” will have our jump castle, our two backyard climbers, sandbox, an apple-bobbing bucket, a game of horse shoes (rubber, of course) and (if I can get everything else done) a pin-the-tail-on-the-pony game. That’s also where our Pinkie Pie Pinata will be. :) We’re also trying to work out having a real pony come for pony rides…but we’ll see. I hear that’s pricey.

In addition to our “area signs” I’ll also be making signs leading to our house from the front of the neighborhood. “Hensley and Daycie’s Birthday Bash” with an arrow or “This way to Ponyville!” I think it will create an excitement for guests as they come in to the neighborhood. I’m sure more ideas will come…I need to get to work on all of this so I have time to finish everything before the big day! Its going to be a messy and busy couple of weeks around here…paint and glitter and ponies everywhere. LOL

Thankfully we don’t have to worry about a ton of our party supplies because Discount Party Supplies stepped in and sent us plates, cups, napkins, tablecloths, a Pinata, and balloons for the shin-dig. How awesome , right?! Of course everything they sent is My Little Pony-themed and the girls have been begging to “eat off the pony plates” ever since they arrived. I finally just hid everything (call me a bad mom…that stuff is for the party dang it!)

I am thrilled to be working with Discount Party Supplies. Their prices are fantastic, the website is easy to navigate, the service was phenomenal, and the shipping was super fast. They have TONS of themes with super-easy Party Packs in a variety of sizes to accommodate your party needs. Just choose your number of guests, your theme, and they provide a party pack that includes everything you need!

Even more awesome, Discount Party Supplies is giving one lucky TCC reader a Deluxe Party Pack in their theme of choice! WOO HOO! Enter below using the super easy Rafflecopter Form…  





Disclaimer: I received the products stated above free of charge to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not monetarily compensated for this review.