Birthdays: Tips for creating a magical day, simply
Kate and I share a birthday, which we celebrated last week. Kate turned 3, and I turned a little older than that... I will be the first one to admit I enjoy a beautiful party table. I find great joy in reading blogs, pinning pictures, and browsing a party supply store's website for ideas and products that would make a celebration come alive! It makes me happy and gives me a creative outlet.
But, I'm also a real mom. And if I've learned anything over the past 6 years, it's that simplicity is imperative and anything that requires more than a couple hours TOTAL of preparation, isn't a great return on time investment for me.
Fact: My children love feeling special on their birthday (who doesn't?). They love decorations for their party, a themed cake, matching wrapping paper and birthday outifts, and a bouquet of balloons. It's magical and makes them feel important.
Fact: I love it, too. And I have learned a few tricks that have allowed me to offer this to my family, without the hours and hours of prep time, stress, or spending crazy amounts of money. Ready? Here we go!
1) Have one or two simple traditions. Emily Watts, in her book Being the Mom, states:
The point is to understand what traditions and routines and rituals are for. At heart, they're just a way of saying "I love you"...This sense of belonging, of being part of something stable and reliable and lasting, is the whole reason for creating traditions. Whether they're as simple as hot chocolate on Saturday mornings...find the traditions that work for your family and you will find a great shield against the winds of uncertainty that blow unceasingly around us all.
Growing up, when it was someone's birthday, my parents made chocolate waffles for breakfast, with strawberries and whipped cream as toppings. We have carried on this tradition in our home and it has become a highlight of the day and a great way to start off our celebrations! So, how much money and effort is involved? This costs me about $5 ($1 for the chocolate cake mix, $1 for store brand cool whip, and $2.50 for strawberries) and requires mixing eggs, oil, and water to the mix, pouring the batter into the waffle iron, and slicing the strawberries. That's it. And my children LOVE it.
Cost: $5 | Effort: Minimal | Success: Maximum
2) Party staples. My kids LOVE themed parties (and I do, too), but I've learned that you only need to make or buy a few new things that would be considered "on theme" and the rest are party staples you keep in your cupboard.
For me, these are:
a) A good white table cloth. I bought mine from Target and it covers everything well, is a neutral color for any theme, and washes easily.
b) Generic birthday banner. A few years ago, I purchased a white cardboard paper pendant banner and added gold letter stickers to say "Happy Bday" (I didn't have enough pendants for "birthday". It may look ridiculous, but we've come to like it that way. Simple traditions.) Again, it is neutral enough to work with any theme and easy to put in a ziploc bag and store it for the next birthday. We also have some gold and silver star banners I found at Target to add with the birthday banner.
c) A sturdy vase. I use this for almost every centerpiece I create for a party table. Add flowers, stick balloons, cutouts, etc. for easy, simple, and effective decor!
Cost: Nothing (if already purchased) | Effort: Minimal | Success: Maximum
3) Easy ways to create a birthday theme. Okay, your child has told you what kind of theme they want for their birthday party and you've looked online and in stores and you really don't want to spend a fortune, because let's be honest, party supplies can be expensive! My motto is to spend what little money and time you have on what will create the biggest impact.
For me, that is:
a) Balloons. I think this is one of the BEST ways to add color, texture, and theme to a birthday party! Zurchers is one of my favorite places to get balloons, because they have a wide variety of colors, patterns, sizes, etc. They also offer the option to buy single balloons, instead of having to purchase a whole bag, when you only need a few of that color. Each 11' latex balloon costs around $0.23 each.
Of course, the pricey part of balloons is the helium. At Zurchers, it's about $1.07 to get a balloon and fill it up (without hi-float). The past couple years, we've bought this helium tank (it comes with ribbon and balloons, too) which ends up costing less than $1 per balloon! We typically get about 18 balloons, because we have a balloon for each family member. This is for a tradition called "Balloon Wishes", where everyone writes a wish they have for the birthday girl or boy on their balloon, then we let them go at the end of the party. It's a magical way to close a special day!
Cost: $5-$17 | Effot: Minimal | Effect: Maximum
b) Centerpiece. This can be as easy as getting a bouquet of flowers, putting them in a vase you already have, and adding some cutouts to the bouquet, a stuffed animal, toy, etc. inside or next to it! For Kate's party, I bought my bouquet from Costco, found some sparkly gold stars from Zurchers (although, you could use what you already have or find free printable on Pinterest to make these) and taped them onto sticks, and added a darling stuffed unicorn toy I found at Target (you could also use a toy your child already has that works with the theme). It's simple, but effective.
Cost: $5-$20 | Effort: Minimal | Effect: Maximum
c) Birthday Cake. Okay, I have tried the make-your-own cake route AND buy the themed cake route. The former required A LOT of time, stress, and frustration. The latter required more $$$. So, I found a happy medium. I simply purchase a pre-made cake from my local grocery store (my favorites are Costco and Harmon's) without ANY decor. For Kate, I ordered white frosting and white borders. Then, I buy some sprinkles, candles, and some simple, inexpensive toppers to add, and....Voila!! I can't tell you enough how effective this is. To save even more money, find some figurines in your child's toybox (make sure to wash them first) or print off free printables from Pinterest to cutout and use as cake toppers!
Cost: $20-25 | Effort: Minimal | Effect: Maximum
d) Simple Wall Decor. I think this is what requires most of my time. We typically push our table back towards the sliding door, which provides a great space for creating a birthday table. We have some wall space around the back door, so I like to add some decor to those empty spaces. For Kate's party, I found these balloon unicorns on Pinterest and decided to recreate and tape them up above the banners. To be honest, this took me a couple hours, even with Brandon's help! This is totally unnecessary, but fun to add! And they didn't cost a lot of money- just time.
Cost: $5 | Effort: Medium | Effect: Maximum
c) Utensils, Napkins, Plates, and Presents. This is an easy way to add to the party theme! You can typically find these for fairly cheap and adding the presents guests bring to the table is a great way to fill up the table itself and add a fun dimension of celebration!
Cost: $3-$10 | Effort: Minimal | Effect: Maximum
d) Birthday Outfit. This is something that's pretty easy and doesn't have to cost a whole lot! Go to Walmart or Target and find a cheap character shirt or dress that fits the theme! Again, not necessary, but my children love it. I found this dress for Kate from Target for $15 (the cardigan and bow we already had) and the unicorn headband for $2.
Cost: $5-$20 | Effort: Minimal | Effect: Maximum
Birthdays are a big deal at our house. For me, I find great joy creating a magical celebration! But, I've also realized I don't have to spend $100+ and/or spend countless hours to accomplish that. Do you love throwing parties, but don't have a lot of money or time to spend? Share your tips with me on Instagram!
-Megan