I'm a summer baby. I've always been a Cancerian in every sense of the word. {Throughout the course of this post, I will most likely be a contradictory mix of happy, loyal, caring, moody, oversensitive and clingy. I'll also have a hearty appetite and love everything in sight.} Who am I to defy astrology, ya know?
In keeping with the Zodiac, the Twinados made their grand debut exactly one week after my special day. {My lucky hubs had many months to prep for 2 mini versions of me, and I nicely co-signed his application for Sainthood that summer.} I did everything in my power to get them to their own big day. Oh, how I did truly long to have b'day buddies, but I knew they'd always have to share their birthday with each other, so I nixed the triple party dream, saw myself out, and parked my watermelon belly right on the couch for a full seven {infomercial-filled} days.
Fast forward to their 1st Birthday Party {Sweet Shoppe!} and keep going past their 2nd {Lady Bugs!} and scroll back a few posts to read about their 3rd {Strawberry Shortcake!}. I prepared for these parties for about a year each time. I'm truly thrilled to celebrate these little chicks. I'd decide on the theme and work on it for the whole year. {Nothing nutso...just kept the color palette on my mind.} The confetti, streamers and 2-layered smash cakes would just sort of fall in to place after that.
They threw me for a loop for their 4th. "Froze" me right in my tracks. After their S.S. party {literally, the day after it...ask Ange!}, I had Dora + Diego on-deck. The girls agreed and started their own styles of planning. My heart swelled! They'd point out things in stores and say, "Bert Day!" Thoughts of a tasty taco bar, backyard scavenger hunt with maps, a troll bridge, safari hats and homemade purple backpacks swirled in my mind for the next several months...until December 28, 2013. We took the tiny Twincicles to see FROZEN and a cold front swept them right off their feet in the middle of Regal Cinemas.
During the second half of this new frosty flick, in a quieter than quiet movie theatre, T-1 says in her highest, happiest, chirpy baby bird voice, "I want da snow man to come to my 4 year old pahty!" {She can't be serious?} "Mama, I yuv dat pwincess!" {Ear muffs. Not listening. La la la.} "Ma, can we have bwaids for our pahty?" {I can't do this to that munchkin explorer. How dare!} "MA??!!" {Is this girl talking to...me?}
It was too soon! How will we explain this to our favorite creepy-blinking friend with the oddly timed pauses and unnecessary voice inflection? We had been serious for about 6 months! {I'm a lova, not a fighta.} I resisted the chilly urge for a few months until March hit, and my eye caught a translucent aqua bowl at The Christmas Tree Shop. The baby bird voice was strong to my left again, "Ma! For da birfday?!!"
Adios Dora.
Helllllooooo Team Arendelle! I gently {but speedily} put both girls in the cart, scooped up any item remotely resembling winter and raced toward all-things blue, purple, silver and white. It was madness. Mama Bear was on a mission. {Move over, lady!! Scram, worker dude!!} The excitement was intense. The presh was on because there was NOTHING on the market relating to this movie. NOTH....ING. I vividly remember chatting with friends about their shared dilemma. What were we all going to do? Well, we'd check Etsy, eBay, Target, Party City, Walmart and Oriental Trading every dang day, that's what we'd do! It was a blast.
Here's how the Big 4 turned out. Hope you like some of these ideas/can use them at your snowy shin dig. Show me some of your pics too!
{Entrance}
We decked out the front entryway to the pavilion with fake Christmas trees. They're super easy to find on Craigslist! We spray painted the branch tips of a few for extra fun. {Note: Hobby Lobby sells fake snow spray in the summer!} Some of the trees we used here were passed down from my in-laws. We ordered the sign from Vistaprint.
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| It's Coronation Day! |
{Yummies}
We love a good pun - and we were planning on subs and pinwheels - so The Aren "Deli" just made sense! We love some awesome alliteration - so The Blizzard Bar made it's fateful way right onto a 3ft. slice of vinyl faster than I could order it!
{Backdrop}
See those shiny ice crystals in the back?! It took a village, and I am forever thankful! {Props to my homegirl Mary Beth for ordering a fab picnic table and gifting me the scrap cardboard. Even more props to my dear chica Jenny-Jen for helping me cut them out. In the garage. On a scorching, rainy, foggy Sunday morning...with 5 minutes notice!} We cut out ice crystal shapes in 3 sizes, wrapped them in aqua + silver gift wrap and made those 2 sisters in the corner feel right at home! We added some fake snow at the base and propped up a few tabletop-sized Christmas trees just for added oompf.
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| Thanks Ange for the panoramic! |
{Tablecloths}
Party City sells table skirts...and I can't get enough! They have sticky backing, and it works great for double layering. I wanted to add some "snow" to the tables, so I added a white table skirt to the tops of the aqua and purple bottoms and cut jagged triangles out to resemble frost.
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| Sup, Olaf? |
{Main Food}
Deli delights!! Pinwheels. Subs. Pita wedges. Potato chips. Cheese sticks. PB sammies. GoGo Squeezes. Pizza. Antipasto. SheShe's Macaroni Salad.
{Shugga}
I love a good cake, but it was only later in life {4.5 years ago to be exact!} that I developed a sweet tooth. I grew up a genuine salty girl. Nachos, chips + Heluva Good dip, or french fries for me pretty please. And, Bacon. It deserves to be capped + have its own run-on sentence, ya know? {Hold the chocolate for CoCo or give the frosting to Andrea!}
I think this is why I have an adoration for cupcakes and cake pops - not too big, not too small. Bite size beauties! Anyhoo... I like having the recently mentioned because it gives people some options at the party. They can jump on Team Red Velvet or snuggle up to vanilla bean if they fancy. I like a bunch of sweets because it's easy for little shorties to grab and it's easy for peeps to take for the ride home.
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| Blue raspberry cookies. Rock candy. Slushie cupcakes. Brownies...aka Crownies! |
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| Choco-dipped pretzel rods + Fluffernutter snowflake sammies. |
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| M is for marshmallow. T is for Oreo pop Troll Tributes! |
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| Stuffed cupcakes into an ice cream cone. Cheat method! Swirled blue + vanilla frosting together for tops. Googly eyes stayed put with some melted white choco. Aren't they just a scream? he he |
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| Blue velvet base for Elsa, Strawb base for Anna. Chevron Castle flag toppers from Hob Lobs. Orange cups also from HL. Green frosting with extra green food gel coloring. {Carrots!} |
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| Blue + silver candy spread. |
"Yoooooo Hoooo!!!! Hi Family!!!!" - that guy + his accent are in my top fave moments of the whole movie! Water bottles look cuter with colored duct tape. Mystery punch was ready for the drinkin'.
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| Get it?! |
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| Cheers! |
{Decor}
I took one-liners from the movie and incorporated it throughout the space. {As always, just for kicks!} Lots of chevron because the pattern fell from Heaven.
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| ...because the door's open! {womp, womp} |
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| Bought a snowflake paper punch from Hob-Lob and a gazillion reusable plastic ice cubes + lanterns from The Christmas Tree Shop. |
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| Get it?! {Yeah, this one was a stretch!} We dressed up the trash can in the finest white shade Hefty had to offer. Black construction paper buttons were required on the invite. |
We thought it would be fun for the kids to make + take something home. A.C. Moore had a big foam Snowman making kit. There were strings to turn them into ornaments. 40% coupon. Dunzo!
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| Tilt your head to your right shoulder...the white base plate turned in to a snowman with a flip of some Sharpies! |
Sven had his own little spot at the park. There was a playground there, but we wanted to make sure there were other things for kiddos to do in case all the swings were taken/if the line at the slide was getting too long.
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| Sven asked kids to join in any Reindeer Games. |
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| Troll Toss. Snowling. Polar Plunge. |
{Tattoo Station}
A plate of wet sponges, glitter tats, a Hob Lob mirror and paper towels. Found a table set on Craig's that fit the color scheme. Thanks lady whose kids outgrew it!
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| Gotta have tats. |
{Photo Booth}
Twinter Studios! Because I hadn't overused the twin word enough. {I annoy myself at times. I get it.} I found a chevron shower curtain from Bed, Bath & Beyond for the backdrop. All props were E & A dress color inspired. Sleds, hats, gloves, mittens were there for the wearin'!
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| Say cheese! |
{Favors}
Favors from the Fjords! Carrot candy + bubble lanyards {they were camera shy}. Crowns. Metallic kazoos. Glacier Gloss. One of my new faves was Braid Bands...fold over elastic from Jo Ann's was a fun addition to the table. And, last but not least...Reindeer Hoof Clappers. {I am still apologizing to the parents for the long loud rides home!!!! xoxoxoxo}
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| Open up those purses, Moms! |
{Olaf}
An adorable local character company {with a SUPER kind owner} had the first Olaf in town for rent. So I booked that buddy for a half hour of hot potato playin fun in the sun.
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| The end! |
These days, I still get a little swoony whenever I see aquamarine and grape together. But, alas! Onward toward the 5th! If you read this in the next 3 days, Oriental Trading is offering FREE shipping on any orders. Happy party plannin!
Dee this was an amazing party! We are so lucky to have been a part of it! You are incredibly talented and give me an unreachable bar to attain for my twins bday parties! Thank you for making such a fun experience for me and my girls to have!! <3
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