Birthday season's over!

With my two daughters' birthdays falling one month apart, February to April is a pretty crazy time in my house. I am always a little relieved but also a little sad to have finished another year of the most special birthday parties in my life. I am already planning next years!

I have a habit of biting off more than I can chew, a habit that I am trying to manage. This year I chose an Alice in Wonderland tea party for my oldest daughter and a carnival theme for my youngest. It was exhausting in the best and worst ways. Each time I start a little earlier, it gets a little easier, and I get a little bit more sleep. The biggest lessons I have learned are:

1. Narrowing down early will save me time. I have a million ideas, but at some point I have to stop looking and start planning and get down to business. Forcing myself to say STOP keeps me from wasting precious time.
2. You really can't start prepping too early. The earlier I start, the more little touches I can actually get done.
3. Set up early, so I have time to deal with what I didn't expect.

4. Sometimes you can't set up too early. Setting up tents for my daughter's carnival birthday seemed like a good idea until we got a crazy storm and the two tents cracked under the strong winds. Some things just can't be done in advance. NOTE: Having run through the building of the tents earlier made it a breeze the morning of and probably saved me an hour of figuring it out.

Here are a few pictures from the parties. You can find more on our FaceBook page. Enjoy!

ALICE IN WONDERLAND

I baked these cupcakes and made the toppers using a marshmallow fondant recipe I had found a while ago. It is so yummy and easy to make! Not bad for a first time fondant!

These are tissue paper flowers that decorate the apartment. 

 The bright and colorful lanterns that hung over the table.

 I printed a few of my favorite quotes and framed them for the party.

The birthday girl in her Alice inspired tutu with hand-sewn belt.  

I had to include the drink me and eat me tags somewhere!

THE CARNIVAL

Cotton candy cupcakes that tasted oh-so-good! Everyone loved them!

My birthday girl!

What to serve at a sweet pink carnival? Pink lemonade!

I spray painted tin cans to make the inexpensive version of the game fit in with my colors and look just a little nicer. I also though of wrapping them with paper, but this was my favorite idea.

Spray painting the Corona bottles for the ring toss made the games look like they belonged together at the party and not in the recycling bin.  I wrapped dollartree bracelets in ribbon that matched my colors.

Handmade pinwheels were so easy and one of my favorite details. They lined the driveway into the backyard.

The birthday girl having fun with some hula hoops.