Thanks for coming back! I had so much to share in the last post that I had to split it up into two parts. So here we go!
WAYS TO KEEP YOUR GUESTS ENTERTAINED
I tried my best to have enough for the kids and adults to do during the party without breaking the bank. Here are a few things I did and what they cost.
Pool/Ball Pit - I borrowed the pool and the bag of balls from a relative & a friend. I added in a bag of balloons too. I probably could have used more than 100 balls though. The pool was larger than I expected.
Cost: $1.00 for bag of balloons at Dollar Tree.
Crawl Tunnels - these just happen to be in the party room we rented. However, IKEA sells them for $14.99 if interested. Then you can keep them for your kids play area at home afterwards.
Cost: $0
Kiddie Tables & Coloring Fun- I borrowed these from relatives as well so the kids could color. To make it even more special I downloaded these alphabets in Spanish so I can make a personalized ABC Book afterwards. I printed them at home on some extra cardstock I had. Everyone colored a letter and some left her a cute little message on the back. :)
Cost: $3.00 for crayons at Dollar Tree.
Word Search: I searched for a garden themed word search online and there it was! I did do a little extra work and dressed up the design in Photoshop and added flowers. I placed a few on each table so the adults and older kids would have something to do too; printed these at home.
Cost: $0 (I already had paper and ink at home)
Special Guest - I didn't want to spend a whole lot on a character, puppet show, etc. But, I did want some music and singing fun for the kids and Gianna; she LOVES music and dancing. So I asked my super sweet cousin to dress up, bought her a funky wig and a few accessories and there you have it, our "Rainbow Friend". LOL! Special shout out to her for being such a trooper!!!
Cost: $8.00 for wig and accessories, $3.00 for downloaded kiddie songs (played off of our cell phones).
WAYS TO KEEP YOUR GUESTS ENTERTAINED
I tried my best to have enough for the kids and adults to do during the party without breaking the bank. Here are a few things I did and what they cost.
Pool/Ball Pit - I borrowed the pool and the bag of balls from a relative & a friend. I added in a bag of balloons too. I probably could have used more than 100 balls though. The pool was larger than I expected.
Cost: $1.00 for bag of balloons at Dollar Tree.
Crawl Tunnels - these just happen to be in the party room we rented. However, IKEA sells them for $14.99 if interested. Then you can keep them for your kids play area at home afterwards.
Cost: $0
Kiddie Tables & Coloring Fun- I borrowed these from relatives as well so the kids could color. To make it even more special I downloaded these alphabets in Spanish so I can make a personalized ABC Book afterwards. I printed them at home on some extra cardstock I had. Everyone colored a letter and some left her a cute little message on the back. :)
Cost: $3.00 for crayons at Dollar Tree.
Word Search: I searched for a garden themed word search online and there it was! I did do a little extra work and dressed up the design in Photoshop and added flowers. I placed a few on each table so the adults and older kids would have something to do too; printed these at home.
Cost: $0 (I already had paper and ink at home)
Special Guest - I didn't want to spend a whole lot on a character, puppet show, etc. But, I did want some music and singing fun for the kids and Gianna; she LOVES music and dancing. So I asked my super sweet cousin to dress up, bought her a funky wig and a few accessories and there you have it, our "Rainbow Friend". LOL! Special shout out to her for being such a trooper!!!
Cost: $8.00 for wig and accessories, $3.00 for downloaded kiddie songs (played off of our cell phones).
A FEW MORE INEXPENSIVE DECOR TIPS
Banners: At Dollar Tree they have 24 packs of foam shapes that come in different colors. I was lucky that they had a flower shape. So I used those to make all of my banners pictured below. These foam shapes come in hearts, squares, circles, you name it. I've also seen them at Michales but for around $7.00 for a 32 pack. Nothing beats a $1.00!
Banners: At Dollar Tree they have 24 packs of foam shapes that come in different colors. I was lucky that they had a flower shape. So I used those to make all of my banners pictured below. These foam shapes come in hearts, squares, circles, you name it. I've also seen them at Michales but for around $7.00 for a 32 pack. Nothing beats a $1.00!
Highchair Decor: I used the same foam flower shapes for the highchair banner and made a skirt out of streamers. Each roll of streamers runs $.89. The highchair seat cover is from Dollar Tree as well. They had 2 different designs available.
Card box: I saved our empty garbage bag box from Costco to make this. I bought a roll of wrapping paper from Dollar Tree and decorated it with paper decor. Cut a slit in it with an Exacto Knife and you’re done! Below is a picture of the supplies I used. As you can see those foam flowers went a long way for the decor.
BIGGEST TIP!
Overall my biggest tip is to go to Dollar Tree and just walk around! You will be surprised how many items they carry that you can use for your party. Anything from decor to food tray racks, burners, utensils, etc. It really amazed me! I would also recommend going 1-2 months in advance of your party. They are pretty good about putting seasonal things out ahead of time and you can get first dibs. And lastly, visit different locations, they all carry different items.
Overall my biggest tip is to go to Dollar Tree and just walk around! You will be surprised how many items they carry that you can use for your party. Anything from decor to food tray racks, burners, utensils, etc. It really amazed me! I would also recommend going 1-2 months in advance of your party. They are pretty good about putting seasonal things out ahead of time and you can get first dibs. And lastly, visit different locations, they all carry different items.
Thanks again for reading. Please comment and share your party planning tips below!