A is our precious diva, and when she turned four, we threw her an epic dress up themed birthday party. She loves putting on princess clothes, covering herself in jewelry… you get the idea! So this was the perfect theme for her.

This was a smaller birthday party, with mostly family coming, along with some family friends. It wasn’t a class party where I had to entertain full-time. It was more of a buffet party, with open-ended activities and cake at the end.

My goal with birthday parties is always to keep it realistic. There will be some moderate DIY (and yes, I own a Cricut and various other forms of craft tech) – but nothing that’s crazy or irreplaceable. If you don’t have the equipment or the skill to DIY those few things, you can buy them or skip them.

Dress Up Birthday Party Decor

We really went easy on the decorations for this party. A few strategic items were placed to give the party some atmosphere. Since a focal point of the party was the dress up station, that was really the most decorated, but we’ll discuss that later.

The general color scheme and tableware

My goal was to just keep things glam and colorful, and I really mixed things up here. I used lots of gold and then found rainbow metallic plates. From there, I picked things up from those colors. We went with solid color paper goods (blue, yellow, purple, pink) although next time I’d probably stick with just gold, purple, pink with the rainbow metallic, just to keep those bold colors from detracting from the glam nature of the party.

The tablecloth was a happy accident. I had purchased one tablecloth to cover our dining table, not realizing that I needed one for the dress up table too. That one was a metallic foil one (which you’ll see later). I ended up finding in my paper goods stash a lace tablecloth that was just perfect for the dress up vibe!

I normally have my dining table full of food and centerpieces but this time I didn’t – I left space open for crafts and activities. The food was all on the countertop, besides for a few desserts on the table.

The Decorations

For decorations, I really stuck with purchased items. I got a balloon chain kit in gold and silver, where you connect the balloons in a chain. I thought it looked a lot like a beaded necklace. I also got a circle garland for that same bling bling effect.

And to stay true to our tradition, I of course got a 40 inch number balloon. I try to photograph my younger set (I just didn’t think of it with my older two) each birthday with the balloon to show their growth.

I also got a metallic foil Happy Birthday banner that went perfectly with the other things, and a rainbow pom pom garland also looked like a string of beads and fit right in.

Dress Up Birthday Party Food

Some of my birthday party ideas feature more themed food than others (like these farm party food ideas) and for this one I didn’t really go all out. I mostly just served a good lunch buffet for family and friends. My general template is usually a couple of pasta dishes or bagels/spreads, a few salads, some chips and dips… Plus some snacks and drinks.

The Cookie and Dip Board

The one really themed idea that was so cute was to “dress up” cookies – we made a cookie board and served it with dips! The ideal cookies are simpler ones – like graham crackers, plain petit beurre biscuits, Oreos – and we also did chocolate chip cookies. We served it on a large wooden board.

Next to it was a few cookie dips. My favorite (and a bit too dangerous – I wanted to eat all of it) was this hot cocoa dip. We also put out plain old Nutella and this peanut butter dip too. It was one of those things that wasn’t so obviously on theme (you can make a “dress up your cookie” sign) but was just so good.

The Cake and Cake Topper

We have a family tradition as I’ve shared in the past (see this one cake topper) to have a “birthday babka” instead of birthday cake. No, we don’t do it for the kids who really want piles of frosting, but it’s a fun take for birthdays – and lower key (cheaper!) than custom cakes.

I make a topper and we just stick it right in. And it’s yummy. It has a “naked cake” look. For A, I made this Happy Birthday cake topper and added a string of pearl beads to the bottom to blend it right into the theme in a super cool way!

Dress Up Birthday Party Activities

The activities are really my favorite part of every birthday party. Some parties feature more guided crafting (like this sleep mask decorating craft and DIY sleepover bookmarks from A’s un-sleepover 5th birthday. Yes, we’re working in an odd order.)

Family-style parties, however, tend to be ideal settings for open-ended crafts and activities. I set these up, let the parents know that they exist and leave it alone. I leave these out for the entire party so that people can have what to do, but do it at their own pace.

The Crafts

I love it when kids have something they made to come home with. At a party like this, where family means that the kids were all different ages (from toddler through teen) having options that are as open-ended as possible really is the way to go.

Dress Up Doll Stickers

I stocked up on various dress-up-doll sticker books and sheets. I even found manicure sheets! These were laid out on the dining table in small piles – no fancy arrangement, just simple entertainment that fits the theme.

Beading x2

We love jewelry making and I set up a little beading station – just simple pony, letter, and other kids’ beads on plates and in bowls. I provided elastic and scissors – and that’s it. If anyone needed help, I provided it. Read more of my tips for beading with preschoolers if you feel you need extra guidance on this.

I also put out a container of pop beads (a fabulous fine motor tools) for kids. Note that even if you intend for that to stay as it’s a reusable toy, kids may take them home. I allowed for that – and I recommend only putting it out on the craft table if you’re okay with that.

In the past, I’ve set up a separate themed “toy station” (like the themed books we put out at my son’s science party) to allow for themed independent play to fill the time. Having it with toys would signal more that it’s a toy to stay rather than a take-home project. But again, I didn’t care.

The Dress Up Station

The highlight of the day was, of course, the dress up station (and yes, you can even print the signs for yourself.) I put out so many accessories like tutus, glasses, bling, and we even had a kid-friendly manicure setup (parent-led.)

I even allowed kids to take home some of the costume accessories at the end. Since it was family, as guests left and took off their costumes, I pointed out certain accessories they can take home (why don’t you keep that necklace and ring? It’s yours!)

We didn’t do party favors at this party, so this was a fun way to include a take-home – and we didn’t need so many dress-up stuff after! Make sure to read the full dress up station post where I share much more about this.

The trick is to get large packs of cheap items to cover a big crowd. We added ambiance by covering the table in a metallic cloth (it was gold on the main side but we opted for the silver reverse!) We added an LED lamp in the center to add to the vibe.

More Dress Up Themed Birthday Party Ideas

Here are a few more ideas for throwing an epic dress-up party for kids!

Photoshoot and accessories

Did I mention that I get a 40 inch balloon for every party to take photos? We also got A a sash that says “birthday queen” to wear. It was a bit big, so she didn’t wear it throughout the party, but it was so cute for the photoshoot.

She also wore her favorite tutu for the party – with a comfy tee because that’s her vibe. Right off the bat, she chose a crown that she wore throughout, and eventually she swapped her sash for a costume too.

More things you can include

Whenever I throw a themed birthday party, there’s always a huge list of ideas that I didn’t do and I figured I might as well share some!

• With the dress-up factor, this party is perfect for a photobooth! If you have a printer that prints on adhesive material or any instant printer (we love the Liene printer) you can give prints instantly. Attach a magnet to the back for a fun favor.
• These princess party crafts also make fabulous dress-up party activities!
• We made our own bracelets as the dress-up, but you can make any costume accessories – especially fancy costumes. Stick gems onto sunglasses, decorate cosmetic pouches (a cool tween adaptation), do Decoden hair brushes (or glue-on gems)… you can really do anything!
• If you want more formal party favors, get things like cheap rings, dress-up stickers in individual sheets, mini jewelry making kits
• If you have a budget, you can get really cool with a candy bar. Many gumballs look like pearls, and you can get more candies that fit that theme.
• Red carpet – you can lay out a red carpet leading away from the dress-up station for kids to walk down.

Got any dress up themed birthday party ideas to add to the list? Comment below!

The post Dress Up Themed Birthday Party Ideas for Kids appeared first on Moms and Crafters.

When my daughter’s friend’s mother hired me to run crafts at her daughter’s party, we chose two fun princess party crafts for them. One was spot-on for that age group, and one was a bit challenging, but still fabulous. I’ll give a bit more specific guidance and feedback, but first the two crafts:

1. Decorate your own crowns and
2. Princess poke art

Both follow my main rules for party crafts: they need to have zero or almost zero dry time, include a take-home that will double as a party favor (though in this case, she did have full favor boxes available), and it needs to be something functional that they can use.

Decorate your own crowns Princess Party Craft

Our first craft was fabric princess crowns that we decorated with gems and rhinestones. This craft was such a hit, and as you can imagine, the kids wore it for the rest of the party.

This was our main “original” craft. It was the first choice for the party and it was a good one.

Why we chose it

Open-ended decorating with stickers is one of my favorite party craft types. Give kids gems and they can really sit for a long time with them.

We did gem decorating activities at A’s birthday, with the same group of kids, and they sat with it for a long time. They were mesmerized, carefully placing each gem, and feeling so proud of their work. You really can’t go wrong with this one.

We LOVE party crafts that include wearables because the kids take such pride in it, and wear it for the rest of the party. It doubles as a party hat and kids wear it for the rest of the day. When they go home, it goes into their dress-up box for continued use.

The crown base is a fabric one, with an elastic, so it’s a costume-quality craft.

How it went

The kids loved it. It was a similar crowd to A’s party when we also did gem decorating and they really went with this one too. I did add in foam stickers to change things up a bit, and the kids enjoyed both.

The crown pictured on A is the one that she actually made. Adding the foam stickers DID shorten the time that the craft occupied, because the kids felt like their crowns were full earlier.

As with any party craft, some kids will finish earlier than others. It’s good to be prepared with something extra for them to do in that time.

Alternatives and tips

With this kind of open-ended party craft, it really is a good practice to have lots of options for kids to choose from. I personally don’t think I’d put out foam stickers next time, but I might do what I did with our sleep mask craft – that is, provide a big initial or some other focal piece, but allow kids plenty of surrounding space to get detailed with their gems.

You can definitely pull out other decorations for this but I really recommend you stick to self-adhesive no-dry-time ones. Some examples:

• Decorative patches (small ones)
• Flower rhinestones
• Smaller foam embellishments
• Self-adhesive pearls – we had some mixed in with our stones, but I’d definitely provide more as its own decoration next time
• Lace washi tape

Test supplies in advance to make sure they really work (the only ones I really tested are foam).

Princess Poke Art Party Craft

The second one we did was princess poke art. These are printed foam princess figures that have notches in them. Use a stick to poke little bits of fabric into the holes to look like a ruffly dress.

This princess party craft was a bit less successful. It’s still a cool craft, though, or I wouldn’t be sharing it. I WILL share with you what we should have done to make it more of a success.

Why it’s such a cool party craft

The reason we chose this to begin with is for the cool effect factor: kids are fascinated by the fact that they are creating a ruffly dress. They enjoy playing with and displaying the dolls after.

In fact, they even come with little acrylic stands to display the princesses. And since they come with sticker jewelry there is even more crafting value.

How it went

I’ll be honest: most of the kids didn’t finish it. And a few even got a bit frustrated, though they were very determined to finish it. There were a couple of older kids (6-8 years old) there who really spend a very long time on it and finished the whole thing.

The age listed on the craft was 4+ and most of the kids were age 4.5 to 5. I tested it on A, who was the oldest in the group (besides for the two big kids) and she did fabulously. But… she’s a bit of an advanced crafter.

The kids loved it. Some asked to bring home their sticks and some extra fabric and finish it at home. Even the ones that just poked in a few were very proud of their work. It’s a bit harder to learn and a bit more fine-motor-skills focused, which is why we still love it. It’s a real fine motor challenge, and is great for pre-writing skills.

What we’d do different next time

So what would we change to make it more of a success?

The biggest thing is: I’d do it first. The kids need to be fresh, with all their patience intact to really enjoy this. We had chosen this as an extra time-filling project, but it really needs to be a main project. The kids need to have their focus and be shown properly how to do it.

On that note: another thing I’d change is to really walk around the room and one by one show the kids how to poke it by finding the hole and poking it in.

Two Fun Princess Party Crafts to Make

Here’s a quick breakdown of everything I purchased and included in these activities beyond the basic kits, as well as how we ran the workshops (I did have one teenage assistant to help).

For both crafts, we used acrylic bins and containers spread out on the table for the supplies. This way it’s fully contained, but kids can clearly see what’s inside each.

We also brought gallon sized Ziploc bags and a Sharpie, and immediately gave each kid a bag with their name on it to store the craft in.

Craft Number 1: Decorate your own crowns

Supplies Needed

• Base crowns
• Gems
• Foam shapes – only include very small ones

Process

1. Right when you get the crowns, test the elastic. Some were a bit loose. A bit of hot glue or a second in the sewing machine fixes it, but you’re best off doing that in advance rather than finding broken crowns at the party.

2. Stick on gems and foam bits! That is really all. Some kids worked within the frame work of the pattern on the crowns, and others totally ignored it.

Now kids can wear their princess crowns proudly!

Craft Number 2: Princess Poke Art

Supplies needed

• Princess poke art kit: note – we only used the princesses, and not the larger wraparound ones. Consider this when buying your kits.
• Extra sticks. They’re basically scratch art sticks – like a larger, thicker toothpick. The kit came with two – check your kit details.

Tutorial

1. Proper instruction is key with this princess party craft. Point out to kids how the holes have a center.

2. Kids should place the fabric over the hole, roughly centered. Show them this detail. It doesn’t need to be perfect but they should know that it should be over the three-prong shape in the middle of the fabric.

Then they need to poke it in that shape (they can see it through) all the way to the table.

3. They can keep going, playing with different colors until all the holes are filled – or as many as they’d like to fill.

4. They can finish it off with the jewelry and tiara stickers if they want. And then they can display it on one of the stands (or rather, take one home to display it with).

I hope you enjoyed these princess party crafts! Comment if you have any to add to the list.

The post 2 Fun Princess Party Crafts – DIY Gem Tiaras & Poke Art! appeared first on Moms and Crafters.

I’ve been sharing different ideas from A’s second birthday party over the past couple of years, and I wanted to sum it all up in one skimmable post so that you can see it at-a-glance!

Some of these farm party ideas already have their own dedicated posts, and for some I’m sharing it for the first time. If I’ve already written about it, it’s because I felt that I had so much to share on it, that I had to go over it more thoroughly. Those I’ll go over quickly now and link to the post for further exploration if you’d like to learn more.

The ones that I haven’t yet shared, I’ll be sharing in depth.

Farm Party Ideas for Decor

When setting the scene for your farm party, you can take a few different approaches. One of those is the cow print approach, another is a general farm theme. I primarily took the first approach as you’ll see below.

Color Scheme

One of the key ways to create an atmosphere with a party is to choose a good color scheme. For our farm party, I treated black and white cow print as its own color, and complemented it with solid pink and green.

This theme was repeated throughout – with all pink and greens representing as solids, and the only black and white being the cow print.

The impact was fantastic – it was cheerful, on-theme and fun enough for a toddler. And it looked fabulous enough for the adults in the room.

Here’s a quick overview, but you can learn more about our cow party decorations here.

Room Decor

More specifically, I set things in three layers: background, foreground, and table level.

• In the background, behind the table, we had lots of balloons. I got a mix of pink and green balloons, plus cow print latex balloons, and set the stage with those. A cow pennant banner hung between the balloons.
• Over the table, I had a big number two balloon. I get a 40 inch number balloon for each birthday to use as a milestone photo prop, and use it as decor as well. We also had two mylar cow balloons hanging on either side.
• And finally, in the foreground, we kept it simple with more cow-print pennants.

Notice how in the three tiers, the background had the most. This keeps the actual space where people are mingling uncluttered while still filling the room.

Table Settings

We continued the theme on the table with a cow print tablecloth serving as a backdrop for pink and green paper goods. I also got cow print napkins but those weren’t necessary.

And as a really cool final touch, a bouquet of pink roses with green leaves made the space feel festive and feminine.

Farm Party Food Ideas

While I don’t always theme food to the party, this theme was begging for appropriate foods! We focused on keeping things in a farm fresh theme, and it was a healthy, wholesome approach.

You can read more details about our farm party food ideas here, or check out y quick overview below.

Brunch

When I throw a younger kid’s party, we usually have lots of families who stay and mingle the whole day – kids and adults. It’s more the vibe of this type of party.

For that reason, I like to serve something that feels a bit more like a meal and can actually fill people.

We did lots of farm themed foods here, including:

• Deviled eggs
• Corn salad
• Romaine-based salad loaded with veggies
• Green veggie sticks (hot house cucumbers, celery, green beans) served upright in a dish to look like grass

Drinks

Some themed drinks include chocolate milk and orange juice, and while I don’t even remember if we served those, they are a fabulous idea as part of a brunch at a farm party.

Treats

Again, treats don’t need to be themed, but cow print cookies are totally easy if you are okay with them looking very homemade. Just use black cookie icing to make black splotches on a regular cookie. Chocolate chip cookies can also do the trick.

The cake topper

As usual, instead of a birthday cake, I crafted a cake topper that’s on theme. A cow print background and pink text was all we needed for this one. We stuck it into a babka because babkas are awesome.

Activities & Crafts Farm Party Ideas

I absolutely love setting up craft tables at parties. Kids LOVE coming home with something that they made and it gives them something to do. Even family get-togethers in our house usually have an independent craft table set up somewhere.

In fact, I love it so much, I started doing craft parties professionally! You can grab the full list of farm party activities here, or scroll through for the quick overview.

Puppet Making

I’m a big fan of paper puppets because they’re super easy to make (just color, cut out, and stick on a stick) and I designed this set special for this party. I put out crayons to accommodate the toddlers in the room, and placed double sided tape on the sticks in advance.

Stickers, Stickers, Stickers…

Toddlers do great with stickers, and older kids do too. I got some foam farm themed stickers as well as some build-a-farm-animal stickers to put out alongside sheets of plain paper. The kids spent time on it, and mixed it up with the crayons from the other activity too.

More Ideas

While I didn’t do it at this particular party, I also have some fun craft stick farm animals on the blog, as well as these farm puppets (just print, cut, assemble – no coloring) that can be included in your farm party ideas too.

Farm Party Favor Ideas

To finalize things for our farm party, let’s talk favors! I createdthese adorable cow favor bags that double as puppets. Of course, you can also just add spots to a white bag, or get cow print bags.

I try to put things that are as playable as possible in party favors. For this one, I got cow bracelets, cow bath toys (I’d ditch this next time), more of those build-an-animal stickers (big win) and circle farm animal stickers, plus cow shaped crayons.

It’s really easy to find favors for this theme so look for usable items you’d like to give, and find them in a farm theme.

Got any farm party ideas to add to the list? Comment below!

The post Farm Party Ideas – For a 2 Year Old’s Epic Birthday Party! appeared first on Moms and Crafters.

A’s big brothers often have sleepovers, so when we were looking for a theme for A’s fifth birthday, a “sleepover” theme was the perfect choice! This unslumber party (or “sleepunder” party) was an absolute hit and such an adorable party.

The primary activity as well as party favor was sleep mask decorating with kids – we made this easy sleep mask craft that doubled as a party favor too.

This is a hit both as a party craft but also as something for kids to make at home, at sleepaway camp, or anytime this is a fit!

The kids absolutely loved it. It was very engaging, and they spent much longer on it than anticipated. In fact, they spent so long on it that I didn’t even have time to do all the planned activities!

And they wore them for the rest of the party, and some kids even wore them to school the next day (the kids ranged from 4-5 years old).

In this post, I’ll be sharing with you how to make this sleep mask craft (which isn’t much of a tutorial – it’s self explanatory) but also my tips for decorating them with kids and setting it up as a party activity.

Tips for sleep mask decorating with kids at a party

This makes such a good party activity because:

• There’s no dry time
• It’s open-ended – kids can really be creative
• It’s special – it requires specific supplies that are more affordable in bulk and isn’t just another thing they can make at home any time
• It doubles as a part favor.

Activity Setup and Guidelines

I decided to get a stick-on varsity initial to make it special and personalized for each kid. Make sure to get enough letters for each participant (I needed two packs of initials). You can purchase letters individually.

I also got a big pack of stick-on gems. These stuck really well and did make for a semi-permanent application (kids can pull them off but they won’t come off on their own.)

When the kids arrived, they each had a plate set up with their name, a mask, and the initial on it. The gem sheets were scattered across the table. Be generous with your gems – I regret not getting two packs. They’re great for other crafts too and inexpensive, and that way kids have more choices.

I find that having an open-ended (unguided) craftivity set up for kids right when they arrive is a great way to warm them up for an at-home birthday party. It helps them jump right in when they’re stil feeling a little shy and makes them excited about what’s to come.

Since everything is effectively a sticker, the kids just jumped right in and got VERY busy. They did not need any instruction at all. They were hypnotized by the activity, dedicating themselves fully to blinging their sleep mask crafts.

Just a quick seating tip: I seated the two friends who weren’t in her class next to A and the classmates together, just to make things less intimidating for those two.

Make sure to have a sample on the table for kids to follow (the upside down w “M” one you see was my sample).

Sending them home as favors

Especially when the activity doubles as a favor like by this Dog Man party – but even when it’s just a craft-heavy party – I like to have bags prepared in advance with the kids’ names.

That way, as they complete their crafts, I can simply slip it into their bags. Most of the kids wore their masks after but I did get bags for them regardless. The masks came in bags, but most of them tore when I took the masks out so I recommend getting separate bags.

Each bag was prepared with this laser heart keychain, and two scrunchies, and had plenty of space for the sleep mask crafts and the bookmarks they created (which I’ll share at a later date).

When they finished decorating the masks, they went to the reading corner (again, I’m going to share all the details in a later post) and I collected any masks that were left behind to put in their labeled bags.

The sticker was a Canva design (the same one I used for the invitation), printed on sticker paper.

You can see that the favor bags and labels were really inexpensive. While the sleep mask craft was a bit pricier, it was balanced out by savings in other areas, AND it was both the primary entertainment and the primary favor.

More tips for making a sleep mask craft

Whether you’re crafting this at home, at camp, at a party, or for any other occasion, I figured I’d share some tips and tricks for making this.

Embellishments and ideas

The only embellishments we provided were:

• An adhesive initial per person
• Sheets of adhesive gems.

That WAS enough, but if you’d like to offer more, here are some more ideas. Some are suitable for parties, and some should only be done in a one-on-one crafting scenario.

• Adhesive shapes – many initial sets come with more chenille style stick-ons. Those can be fun too, but you’ll still only want 1-2 per person.
• Adhesive patches – again, unless doing this at home, stick with adhesive, but you can get loads of embroidered patches for a cool look.
• Glue-on gems – you can do larger glue-ons but again, you’ll need more supervision with this and it’s best for when you’re just crafting at home.
• Buttons – bigger kids can sew on fun buttons.
• Paint markers or fabric markers – kids can color and decorate their sleep masks. Just test the markers in advance of the activity.

Favorite occasions and themes to make this craft

IF you spotted this craft not for a specific occasion, but just while browsing, here are some fun times to make them, besides for an unslumber party!

• An actual sleepover party
• A sleepover with one or two friends – you can get more detailed if you have an adult handling the hot glue gun.
• A take-home activity at a larger gathering, such as a school event
• This is so cool as a get-to-know-you icebreaker at sleepover camp
• Or if you’re having an overnight for day camp
• It’s cool for pajama day at any school or camp

How to assemble this sleep mask craft

The assembly process is very basic, but you’ll enjoy seeing the kids actually putting theirs together!

Pay close attention to my guidelines for the materials to use.

You’ll need

• Sleep masks: good quality satin ones make a big difference, especially if it’s a party favor. HOWEVER, the ones I got were adult sizes and too big for preschoolers. I did run them through the sewing machine for a second to take in the elastic at the back. You can also get adjustable ones.
• Gems: get enough gems in a good mix of shapes to go around – at least 2-3 sheets per kid. You’ll have extras for another project, but you want the kids to be able to choose.
• Initials: one for each kid. Double names still got one.

Tutorial

1. Stick the initial in the center of the mask.

2. Decorate with gems.

That is all! No dry time, just stickers. The kids had a blast! I hope you enjoyed!

The post Sleep Mask Craft – Decorating with Kids appeared first on Moms and Crafters.

It’s amazing to me that I haven’t even finished sharing my daughter’s dress up party from last year (you can see our dress up station here) and I’m already working hard on sharing her next birthday – a sleepover party! I designed this heart keychain laser file as a fun and inexpensive party favor to hand out, however, I figured I need to share it in time for Valentine’s Day because it’s perfect for that!

These are so quick and easy to engrave, cut, and put together and they use inexpensive basswood plywood sheets. And yes, you can also use acrylic! But I’m getting ahead of myself – let’s go through the details of this heart keychain laser file so you’ll know how to use it well!

How to Use This Heart Keychain Laser File

Laser Cutting them

These are designed for laser engraving and cutting. I used myLaserPecker LX2 – my full-sized Diode laser engraver. You can read my full review of the LaserPecker LX2 here and of course, I’ll share full tips for how to do it below. Use code momsandcrafters at checkout at LaserPecker’s shop for an extra 5% off your machine!

Ultimately, laser engraving these gives you a ready-to-go result. You just pull them off the engraver, assemble them in minutes, and you have a finished product. It’s the best way – but not the only way to use this heart keychain laser file.

Cricut Crafting Variations

You CAN Cricut craft these! If you have a Maker, use the knife blade to cut it from wood. You can use a pen to draw the design right onto wood (I share how to do this in this or balsa wood Cricut tutorial). The design an outline so it’ll go over the whole thing twice – which will make it nice and bold.

Cricut cutting wood is quite inefficient but doable, so definitely opt for a laser if you can!

Some more ideas for how to Cricut craft this heart keychain laser file:

• Engrave leather bookmarks with the details, and cut them from leather. You may want to mirror the design as well to make it two-sided for added sturdiness.
• Cut the design from vinyl and attach them to round acrylic keychain blanks. You can make a two layer design with the details. You will need to remove the hole.
• Slice the details from the base design and make it from vinyl on a keychain blank. You’ll once again need to remove the hole.
• Same as the above – but try it from stiff felt and glue it onto a wooden keychain base.
• Engrave the design using your Cricut on an acrylic keychain blank (learn how to engrave acrylic on the Cricut here.)

There are so many ways you can use this heart SVG – you’ll just need to be a bit more creative!

More ways to finish them off

I added tassels that actually came with my acrylic keychain blanks to these. They are simple leatherette tassels – and yes, you can make your own leather tassels too!

Some more ways to finish this off and make it polished:

• Paint the wood before cutting and engraving. Use basic acrylic paint. I kind of regret not doing this.
• You can stain and/or seal your keychains after as well. If painting, use a thin wash and make sure it doesn’t fully color the insets.
• Leave it unfinished and let recipients color it themselves with paint markers (this is great if you’re making this for a party!)
• Use fun colorful keychains.
• Add hanging beaded charms to the keychians.

I made this on a whim with what I had but you can absolutely craft it cooler than I did!

Cutting this Heart Keychain Laser File on a Laser Engraver

I used my LaserPecker LX2 to engrave and cut these and I have so many tips for how you can do this. I used this laser as the best suited for the job, because it has a large bed, and as a gantry laser, you get good smooth cuts. In addition, the air assist feature helps minimize charring that often happens on wood.

Which type of laser can cut these?

Any Diode, CO2, or UV laser can cut wood. If crafting from acrylic, Diode lasers work beautifully on many shades of red and pink (read: which colors acrylic can a Diode laser cut for more tips on doing this).

A gantry style laser (the kind with a large bed and a module that moves around on a track) is better suited to cutting jobs than a galvo (the more compact kind where the laser moves around using mirrors – like the LaserPecker LP5 I reviewed here) because you get a straight-down cut, vs. the angled cut on a galvo.

It’s small enough that you CAN cut it on galvo lasers, and there are no parts that need to fit together. So it’ll cut very nicely on both types, although more efficiently on a gantry.

More cutting tips and tricks

While I made some mistakes on earlier rounds and did better on later rounds, I figured I’d offer you feedback on how to better cut this. If you’re new to laser engraving, I recommend you read my tips and guide for engraving wood with a laser where I share so much advice.

Meanwhile, here are some pointers:

• Score don’t engrave – on my earlier ones, I engraved the design. On later ones, I scored it. This moved so much faster and made a better line, while still retaining all the detail. Since the details are quite fine, it didn’t look outlined.
• Air assist – I sometimes forget to turn on air assist. If you have that feature, it can get you such a fabulous, clean finish, without charring.
• Secure your wood – If cutting multiples, it’s always worth taping or clamping down the wood you’re working with, just in case it shifts.
• Paint first – as I mentioned above, I regretted not adding a couple of coats of paint to the wood before cutting and engraving.
• Mask your wood – If you don’t have air assist, masking the wood with masking tape sheets first can help get you a cleaner cut. You may need to adjust your settings a bit to get the result you want through the tape.

How to make your keychains using the Heart Keychain Laser File SVG

This tutorial is based very specifically on how I crafted it. Of course, adjust for any of the variations I shared above.

Supplies Needed

• 3mm Basswood Sheets
• Laser Engraver (I used the LaserPecker LX2)
• Keychains
• Pliers
• Tassels

Process

1. Upload your file to your laser software and resize it to the size you want. Set the outline and hole to cut. Set the internal design to score.
2. Prep your wood as needed, load your wood, preview, and make sure that your environment is safe – properly ventilated, no laser light leak, etc. Engrave and cut your wood.
3. Remove your cutouts. Attach a tassel and keychain.

Your heart keychains are complete! I hope you enjoy this FREE heart keychain laser file and SVG!

Download your free heart keychain laser file

To download, fill out the form below. You’ll be signed up for our free newsletter – unsubscribe at any time in the footer of the emails. I respect your privacy and the law and won’t share your information with anyone.

The post Heart Keychain Laser File SVG (Free Download) appeared first on Moms and Crafters.

If we could bottle the look on our kids’ faces at a great birthday party, we probably would. An art party comes pretty close though. It turns your table into a mini studio, lets kids get messy in a good way, and gives everyone something real to take home.

An art themed birthday party DOES NOT need to be a party where the main focus is making things. It’s a theme that sets a mood – and does not need to be overthought. Think paint, color, simple projects, and a few active games to balance out the sitting.

It works beautifully for mixed ages and for both boys and girls. We planned ours for an 8-year-old boy and his whole class, and it was a huge hit even though it was far from “Pinterest perfect”.

I already shared detailed posts with our favorite art birthday party activities and separate art party decoration ideas. In this guide, we want to zoom out a bit, walk you through the whole party, and show how the decorations, activities, food, and favors all fit together into one doable plan. It does not need to look magazine ready to be the best day ever for your child.

How to Plan an Art Party Without Getting Overwhelmed

Before we talk about paint and balloons, it helps to make a simple plan. A few choices up front can save a lot of stress later.

We like to think about three things first: color, head count, and where the mess will actually happen. Once those are set, the rest of the art party ideas fall into place much more easily.

Choose a color palette and style for your art party theme

Art parties tend to drift into “all the colors” territory. That can be fun, but it can also make shopping and setup feel chaotic.

For our son’s art party, we started with primary color tableware, then we fell in love with some paint palette plates. The look did not match perfectly and that is totally okay, but it did remind us how much smoother things go when we pick a color palette first.

A few easy options:

• Classic rainbow
• Primary colors (red, yellow, blue)
• A more on-trend and intentional color scheme like teal, lime, and fuchsia

Once we pick a direction, we try to match tablecloths, cups, banners, and even favors to those same colors. It does not have to be exact. Keeping things in the same “family” is enough to make the room feel pulled together without any fancy styling skills.

Decide on party size, timing, and help

Here is the honest part. We invited our 8-year-old’s entire class of boys to an in-home art party with paint, outdoor games, and more. The kids had a blast. We were wiped out. I regretted some of my life choices.

Messy supplies plus a big group need more hands. If you are planning a large guest list, I highly recommend asking another adult, a grandparent, or a teen helper to be on paint duty with you. Even one extra pair of hands to refill water cups and watch the drying table makes a huge difference.

For timing, two to two and a half hours is usually plenty. Parties can be 1.5 hours long too. A simple flow might be:

• 20–30 minutes for arrival and a “settling in” first activity
• 15-20 minutes for the main art project with boys. For girls it’s more like 25-30 mintues
• 30 minutes for outdoor or movement game with boys.
• 20–30 minutes for food and cake or fruit
• 10–15 minutes for a quick game and goodbyes

We also like to allow a little time at the end of activities for projects to dry and to help kids pack them safely. As our kids have gotten older, we sometimes trade big class parties for a special day out (yes, a school day!) so it is also fine to decide that smaller is better for your family this year.

Easy Decorating Ideas That Turn Your Home INto an Art Party vibes!

Decor for an art party does not have to be complex. Color does most of the work for us. Many of our favorite decorations also double as games or activity stations, which saves time and money.

If you want every step and supply list, we laid it all out in our full art party decoration ideas post. Here, we will keep it short and practical.

DIY paint splatter decorations on walls, floors, and tables

One of the quickest art party ideas is to cut big paint splats from colored paper, poster board, or removable vinyl. We scattered some on the floor right inside the door. The kids honestly thought there was wet paint on the floor for a second.

More ideas that you can try with pain splats include

• Big paint splats on the walls.
• Add a line of splats along the wall behind the food table
• Tape a few to tabletops under clear plastic tablecloths

If you cut them from poster board in your party colors, they can also become part of games. For our “floor is lava” style game, we used huge poster board splats as the safe zones, so they were both decor and play space.

Spilled paint centerpiece and colorful table setup

Our favorite centerpiece looked dramatic but took just a few minutes. We used a small garbage pail (reuse this after for its intended purpose), stuffed it with bright plastic tablecloths, and let them spill over the edge to look like flowing paint in primary colors. An empty paint can works too if we want a more “artist” look. Bonus points if you have one to repurpose!

We set that in the center of the table, then added:

• Solid primary color cups, plates, and flatware
• Fun paint palette plates for an extra touch

Because the centerpiece spreads out over the table, it fills a lot of empty space. In our case we skipped balloons totally since J was a baby and they’re a choking hazard… and the table still looked lively and party ready.

And so, instead, we bought a simple party kit from Amazon that again, did NOT match the colors (whoops) and filled in with that.

Game posters and giant number balloons that double as decor

We like decorations that actually get used. Our “pin the paint splat on the palette” poster hung on the wall as a main focal point the whole time.

To make it, we cut a big palette shape from white poster board, glued it to black foam board, then arranged colored paper splats around it and traced outlines. The kids used matching splats with their names for the game.

We also have a little tradition of getting a 40-inch number balloon for each birthday. We photograph the birthday child next to it every year. It fills up visual space, gives us instant milestone photos, and works well even if the rest of the decor is simple.

Fun and Doable Art Party Activity Ideas for Kids

Activities are the heart of most art party ideas, but they do not have to be complicated. We like projects that kids can mostly handle on their own once we give simple directions.

We shared all the details and extra options in our full art birthday party activities post, but here are the ones that worked especially well.

Tape resist canvas painting on mini easels

For our main project, each child got a mini easel, a small canvas, a paint palette, and a selection of washable paints. We set out different widths of masking tape and washi tape.

The basic process:

1. Kids tape out their initial or a simple design.
2. They paint over the whole canvas, tape and all.
3. Once they are done painting, they peel off the tape to reveal crisp white lines.

We made a couple of sample canvases ahead of time, and honestly, that was enough instruction. Kids understood what to do from the examples and jumped right in.

Outdoor chalk paint and big movement games

To balance all that sitting, we sent the kids outside for DIY chalk paint and a high-energy game.

We poured it into deli containers, handed out big paintbrushes, and let the kids paint the driveway and patio. They did splash it on each other, but it washed off easily. We told parents to send kids in junk clothes regardless.

For movement, we played “the floor is lava” in the living room using huge poster board paint splats as the safe spots. We turned up the music, shut the lights for a bit, and let them hop and run from color to color. It broke up the party and helped everyone reset between projects.

Pin the paint splat on the palette party game

This one is a quick classic with an art twist. Each child gets a paper paint splat with their name on it. We blindfold one child, spin them very gently, and have them try to stick their splat on the correct color spot on the big palette poster.

Our one big tip is to test the blindfold before the party so it actually fits and blocks vision. This game is perfect near the end, when some kids still want to play but we are done with wet paint.

Colorful Art Party Food Ideas Kids Will Actually Eat

Food for an art party can be simple and still feel special. We kept ours bright and light instead of baking an elaborate cake. We didn’t do much themed food and stuck to basic party food, with a couple of themed items.

Build a bright fruit “paint palette” platter

We put together a big fruit spread that looked like a painter’s palette. We used green and purple grapes, blueberries, mango, and watermelon, each in its own little section of a deep section tray. Y loves fruit so it really did feel special to him.

Fruit works well when we are feeding a big group with different allergies, and helps break up the candy consumption. If you want to lean into the theme, you can serve the fruit around a plate shaped like a palette or add a simple label card that says “fruit paints”.

Cupcake toppers that look like paint splatters

Instead of a cake, we bought bakery cupcakes. We kept them very simple and dressed them up with toppers. We cut paint splats from colorful cardstock on our Cricut, glued them onto toothpicks, and popped them into bakery cupcakes. It took much less time than decorating an on-theme cake. You can also get premade paint themed cupcake toppers.

On some, we glued two uneven paint splatters back to back for a really cool look.

Simple Art Party Favor Ideas That Do Not Create Clutter

We are not big fans of bags stuffed with random little toys that end up in the trash. For this party, we chose one main favor that kids could actually use again.

Watercolor paint palettes as budget friendly take home gifts

Our favor was a simple watercolor paint palette for each child. They fit the theme, were inexpensive, and encouraged more art time at home. We tossed in some watercolor paper cards as well.

To finish them off, you can tie on a tiny tag with a line like “Thanks for making my party colorful!” It feels personal without adding more clutter to anyone’s home.

Optional add ons: colorful fidgets, art themed favors

If you want to bump things up a bit, there are easy options that still stay practical. Kids can take home (depending on the age)

• Skittles or similar colorful candy
• Tiny canvases
• Fun stacking crayons
• Crayons and mini coloring books
• Art themed party favors – opt for those that are more useful – like bubbles and fidgets rather than toss-aways
• Anything rainbow – like a fidget – can also be an on-theme part favor

Try to remind yourself that one thoughtful art-themed item is enough. Quality takes priority over quantity. When we threw our video game party we also stuck to one better quality favor too and it was really a hit.

Of course, the canvases that they painted also double as a party favor!

Bringing Your Art Party Ideas Together

With so many fun art party ideas, it is easy to feel like you have to do everything. You really do not. A simple formula works very well: one or two main activities – one of them an art project, one movement game, a “just-in-case” filler activity or two, a few bold but easy decorations, colorful fruit and simple treats, and a single creative favor like a watercolor set.

Mix and match what fits your space, your budget, and your energy level.

Most of all, remember that kids care far more about feeling celebrated than about perfect decor. A slightly messy, homemade party filled with color, laughter, and paint splats will stick in their memories in the best way.

If you want more party ideas, check out our other hit parties, like this spy themed birthday party, the LEGO themed party that we did twice, and a really insanely cool science birthday party.

Got any other art party ideas to add to the list? Comment below!

The post Art Party Ideas That Busy Parents Can Actually Pull Off appeared first on Moms and Crafters.

Our four-year-old, one-and-only girl among boys is such a little Diva (so much for nurture vs. nature) that we just HAD to throw her a fancy dress-up party for her 4th birthday!

It was SUCH a fun and easy idea that pretty much planned itself – I honestly was not in the mood for going all out there. It was much more shopping (add to cart) than crafting, although we did craft a little.

And the coolest part of it is that it wasn’t consumables – a lot of things we still have to pull out as needed!

One of the biggest hits of the party was the dress-up station. This was essentially a table with different spots that partygoers could dress up in. We focused more on things that are easy to throw on over clothing, and kept things fancy. A still loves playing with all the elements, and some of them even still serve as toys for her.

I’m going to take you through the dress-up station bit by bit. I recommend starting with what you already have (if you do) and then filling in. I’m going to share links to what we used as much as possible, but if you have a dollar store near you, DEFINITELY hit that up too!

The Dress Up Station Signs

Did I mention that I was not in the mood and keeping things easy? Yet still, I decided to illustrate some dress-up station signs for no good reason at all. But the good news is that you can just use mine – no extra decorating needed.

About the Signs

The signs were digitally illustrated by me (that’s when you actually draw it with a stylus, but instead of on paper, you do it in your device. So it’s “hand drawn” but digitally.)

I kept things feeling playful and artsy with hand-drawn chalk/crayon finishes.

The signs are letter-sized in their full-size format; however, you can also treat them as a photo and print them two to a page (half-size). I did that. You simply use your photo printer software (on Windows: select all, right click, more options, and print… It’ll open the photo viewer where you can choose size, layout.)

I laminated them so that they can stay intact for the duration of the party.

Get the signs

This is a premium download, available in my shop or on Etsy. Your purchase helps keep this blog alive and the tutorials coming.

Setting up the Dress Up Station

I set the party up on a table. There are so many other ways that you can do this. You can have a series of card tables with a basket for the larger things. You can have a clothing rack for the larger items. But I did it on a folding table, so I’ll share my ideas for that.

Basic Setup Supplies

Hopefully, you have some of these in-house already, but I’ve linked recommendations for those you don’t. Even if you need to stock some of these, they’re mostly basics you’ll want to have around anyway!

• A folding table (or two)
• A mirror metallic tablecloth to set the vibe
• For ambiance, I used a mini LED lamp – it’s cordless – a must for this setup! This style looks so chic and fashion-forward. You can plan better (I did it on a whim) and tack on decorative trim temporarily.
• The signs (print them here), laminated (optional but recommended)
• Dress up stuff, which I’ll list below!
• Optional: I kind of regretted not pulling out some acrylic organizers to bundle things together and keep them neater!

Putting it Together

Cover your table with the metallic tablecloth. Add the light in the center. This gave it a fancy dressing room vibe.

You’re going to create zones for each thing. Start by laying out your signs, guesstimating which categories need how much space.

Lay out relevant items around the signs neatly, laying them out in rows. I do recommend having acrylic containers to put things together, like the necklaces, bracelets, sunglasses, tiaras, gloves, etc. Acrylic won’t take away from the super glam look – it’ll just add to it.

Invite everyone to come and dress up!

Not shown: I also have a bonus basket with additional tutus and costume props. I added some slightly less fancy, more boy-friendly costume accessories there, too – they didn’t fit with the aesthetic, but I wanted everyone to feel comfortable grabbing a costume!

Some boys attending were good sports and did humor the birthday princess and pile on that bling!

Section-by-Section Breakdown of our dress-up station

Here’s the list of what we had out. Some we had, most we bought. I recommend starting with what you have, hitting up the (used to be) Dollar Store, and even Temu for what you can find for cheap!

Tip: Allow guests to bring home the cheaper items that you don’t need so much of in lieu of party favors. I’ll outline below what I sent home with guests. I’ll also point out that my nieces were in attendance and I passed on some duplicates to them, too :).

Get Dressed Up

We mainly put tutus and fairy wings in this category. We did have a few additional princess dresses and tutus in a basket nearby as well.

Accessorize

The accessories category possibly had the most. We had filled crown headbands (which my daughter has been enjoying since), tiaras, and crowns. We put both cardboard glasses and fun kids’ sunglasses, which she’s also been loving since.

We tossed in a few fun pairs of fancy dress gloves, some masks, and even a few hair extension headbands in fun colors!

Add Some Bling

We totally could have done more with the bling, but what we put out was still a huge hit. For bracelets, I just put out a lot that I had made recently.

You can also get piles of stretch bracelets, plastic bangles (or even cheap metal bangles) that people can then take home – or you can enjoy them after!

We also put out piles of Mardi Gras beads – these participants should definitely go home with! and I got a tray of rings, which we shared some of, but A is still enjoying what was left.

Do Your Nails

And finally, one of the biggest hits of the dress-up station: Do your nails! We put out a kids’ nail polish set with loads of colors and a nail dryer.

This was a party with parents – all the guests were family friends and family. I told the parents about this in advance so that they can be on top of it.

If you’re doing this without parents present and want to have a place to do nails, I recommend having someone in charge of doing it rather than just setting it out. It really made things so much fun, but it does require supervision, and you’ll have enough on your hands.

I hope you enjoyed hearing all the details of our dress-up station at A’s party! If you have any to add – just comment below! Just a reminder, you can get the signs here.

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When I designed baby J’s one cake topper SVG, I actually put together a few styles. I chose the one that said “one” for that event, and laser cut it from plywood as I had planned.

But then, for A’s fourth birthday, I decided to make this Happy Birthday cake topper! The number on the balloon is added externally, so that you can do it for any age group. I’ll share more details below.

Get the Happy Birthday Cake Topper SVG files

This is a premium download, available in my shop and on Etsy. Your purchase helps keep this blog alive and the tutorials coming.

About the Happy Birthday cake topper

The party theme

A’s fourth birthday was done in a dress-up theme. She’s a fancy dress kind of girl, so we made a fancy dress kind of party!

While I did not go with a solid color scheme, I did incorporate lots of gold, pink, and other metallics, just because she loves that. So I crafted the cake topper in those colors.

I also added some pearl beads in the form of a “pearl necklace” pennant banner on the bottom to fit with the theme.

Why cake toppers?

We have a family tradition that is relatively new to have a “birthday babka” instead of a birthday cake. It’s just that babkas are delicious – much yummier than birthday cake, much cheaper than birthday cake, and look pretty with a cake topper!

The simple babka really lets the topper shine.

Cake toppers really “crown off” a cake, and allow you to incorporate a theme without getting a custom cake (or making one yourself).

I like toppers because I’m more of a crafter than a cake decorator, so if you’re the same way, you may prefer it too.

Crafting the Happy Birthday cake topper

While I did not record a proper tutorial (this is a “make it to suit YOUR event kind of craft), here are some general crafting guidelines.

Materials you can use

Wood is one of my favorite materials to use for cake toppers. However, I decided to make this one from cardstock so that I can use my Cricut to cut it.

I chose glitter cardstock and metallic poster to go with the theme. If you’re making yours from cardstock, definitely use straws or skewers as the sticks – don’t rely on the spokes in the template. But your file does have spokes in case you’re using acrylic and want it to be in one piece.

Assembling the basics

Your file comes in a few layers, ready to cut however you’d like. I used a hot glue gun to connect the parts, and straws to place it in the cake.

When sending the file to your machine to cut (whether it’s a laser cutter or blade cutter like I used), you can add and attach, or slice elements to the balloon. Type the number of the birthday, add a first initial, or even try attaching a name to the bottom of the “Happy Birthday” portion.

Making it your own

You’ll want to tie your Happy Birthday cake topper into the party theme. Choose papers to match. For me, it was going all glam with the fancy dress theme.

You can choose patterned scrapbook paper to match your theme, and include it only on the smaller parts. For example, get leopard print paper for a safari theme and use it on the balloon only. Then use it in more of your party decorations too.

If you’d like, you can also dangle a banner, like I enjoy doing on my cake toppers. Try a beaded banner or a pennant-style one. On this one, I used glass pearls to give it a dress-up vibe.

If you haven’t yet, you can download the Happy Birthday cake topper right here!

The post Happy Birthday Cake Topper appeared first on Moms and Crafters.

I love throwing affordable and doable birthday parties for my kids, and for that reason, I often do a lot of themed parties. I try for those where I can DIY the theme as much as possible, or those with easy dollar store decorations, but sometimes a kid wants a party that is just such a good idea – but I need to do or buy a little more than I’d like.

When Y asked for an art themed birthday party for his eighth, it was just such a good idea! M had asked for a dog man birthday party for the same, and while that was super cool too, I was a bit over all these characters…and it lent itself to such good activities.

It’s also unusual to see a boy ask for an art themed party, it’s more of a girl theme, for no good reason, so I was happy to be able to meet this challenge and throw more diverse art party ideas into the world.

And yes, it lent itself to some fabulous activities. But for the art party decoration ideas, I did have to be a bit more creative. And since I was on a serious time crunch on the prep end of things, I had to just go ahead and buy things.

This actually might be the last “real” party he’s had, where he invites his whole class for a bit themed bash. It was so overwhelming (though it was quite a success) that I decided that I might be getting too old to keep entertaining large classes of young boys.

I started making an offer to my kids: they can choose from a large class-wide party in the house (like this was) or a day off of school with me! Yes, I spend a whole day with them. Y just celebrated his 9th birthday (I’m late writing this) and chose the day off. We went to the Lego store to choose his birthday gift, went out for Sushi, went thrift shop hopping, and went to the grocery together so that he can pick out snacks for a small at-home celebration (unthemed) with family.

It was really nice. So birthday parties definitely have their place, especially for younger kids, but we’re phasing them out for the older set – unless they choose otherwise!

Art Party Table Decoration Ideas

My first thing to do with every party is to choose a color scheme. I usually like to keep the palette relatively simple (like I did for baby J’s neutral first birthday party and Y’s 7th video game party). Withthis I totally failed, and in part because I didn’t DIY it all.

It’s therefore not quite picture perfect. I’m sharing anyway, because I might as well share valuable feedback, better strategy, and what you can do to make it better.

In addition, because we had a crawler in the house, I outlawed the usual balloons that set the scene.

My best birthday party decorating tip: pick up some balloon ribbon, balloons in the simple color scheme of your party, and a hand pump and you’ll create a cheerful party spirit on a budget, filling the space with the decor.

Instead, to set the art party theme, I set the table initially with a “spilling paint bucket”. This is done by taking a small garbage pail (or specially purchase an empty paint can) and some colored tablecloths spread out to look like paint in primary colors.

This created a really cool effect that filled the space on the table.

I used coordinating primary color tableware – plastic cups, flatware, etc. but then I went ahead and purchased adorable paint palette plates!

This already broke from the simple color scheme. I also realized quite quickly that I needed some more decor to take the place of balloons…

The hanging decorations

I could have gone with streamers, I could have gotten a mylar balloon banner, but no, I had to complicate things further…. So I went ahead and purchased from Amazon a paint party decorating pack in completely the wrong colors…

Now, had I started with that, I would have matched the table stuff to it, but I didn’t…

Anyway, it was fun and easy, and allowed me to fill the room a bit, with minimal effort. Just don’t ask how long it took us to take those decorations off our light fixture…

More art party decoration ideas around the house

Again, I have more art party decoration ideas to share from around the house, that you might do better to coordinate and stick with a great color scheme.

Just because my overall look wasn’t perfect, doesn’t mean the ideas themselves weren’t great.

Paint Splatters All Over

One cool idea that I partially implemented and could have done fully for a cooler effect was to cut paint splatters (using a Cricut or by hand) out of removable vinyl. I put some on the floor right where kids entered and they were fooled by it for a second.

You can do this all over – on walls, etc. But just make sure to test it first to make sure it’ll come off nicely.

The games double as decor

Lots of the activities really can double as decor. For example, our huge “pin the paint splat on the palette” served as a poster as well.

The same went for our “the floor is lava” game (see all these art party activities here.)

The Number Balloon

A new tradition we have is to get a 40 inch number balloon for each birthday to photograph the kid next to.

It’s a great way to take “milestone” photos beyond the baby ones, and to track their growth relative to something consistent in size.

Got any art party decoration ideas to add to the list? Comment below!

The post Art Party Decoration Ideas appeared first on Moms and Crafters.

For Baby J’s first birthday, I wanted to create something that was classy but also had a playful vibe. I ended up going with a “soft theme” as I’ll call it – that is, it kind of has a theme but it’s not “in your face”.

The overall theme was “watch me grow,” and it featured very soft botanicals.

To avoid getting overly beige with it, I created more of an expanded neutral palette. Sage and forest green played a strong role, mainly through botanical motifs, but also in some of the decor.

I also found some Thanksgiving clearance pumpkin spice kind of colors to add a neutral-but-not-boring touch. And it really vibes with J’s hair color.

I’m going to go through all of the elements in this neutral first birthday party one at a time. I’d like to point out that I did share a lot of individual tutorials for these ideas, so I’ll link to those as well. But the idea of this post is to give you an overview to plan your own, not necessarily to highlight individual tutorials.

So I’ll also share “buy” options for some of the DIY ideas.

Neutral First Birthday Party Decorations

The decorations of any party make the atmosphere, and this one was no different. I will highlight the actual table settings separately, and for now, I’ll focus on the decor.

The Centerpiece

First of all, I found the perfect bouquet at Trader Joe’s. It had various types of fresh Eucalyptus together with white florals.

A fresh floral bouquet is the perfect centerpiece for a first birthday party, which is more for the adults.

I placed it in a simple glass vase.

If you don’t see such a bouquet in real life, you can start with dried eucalyptus and add the most realistic-looking white or cream flowers you can find.

The Balloons

Next, we had the decorative balloons. I have a hard policy against latex or similar balloons at toddler parties at home (they will pop and are a choking hazard).

So we stuck to some beautiful matte finished mylar balloons – including a sage green number one and a tan “happy birthday” that we stretched in the large opening between our living and dining room.

Tip: get the same sized (40 inch) number balloon for every birthday and pose your kid with it! Watch as they reach that height – and then get taller!

The one dangled in the middle of the “Happy Birthday” at the perfect angle to get a shot of J with it as well.

The milestone banner with photos

Next, I put up a milestone 1st birthday photo garland that I designed and crafted. It stretched across the dining room (extra string helps accomplish this) and hung over the table.

Hanging it over the table allowed me to hang it low enough that guests can look at the photos without bumping into it.

Again, choosing scrapbook paper that fits with the decor means that I can really make everything blend in. This milestone banner was a huge hit and really made the party meaningful.

The first part of it says “watch me grow”, tying the whole theme together.

The tissue paper decorations

One new thing that I did for this neutral first birthday party that I may repeat in the future was creating tissue paper decorations from scratch. I did this in part to take the place of balloons.

I created a tissue paper tassel garland that hung on the windows behind the whole party. And I hung clusters of tissue paper flower pom poms that softly tied in with the theme on either side.

Again, choosing colors of tissue paper to go with the theme is the starting point for matching any party decor. And tissue paper particularly makes for very soft decorations, perfect for any baby-themed event.

As you can see, I created a sort of layered look with the neutral party decorations. In front, you have the Happy Birthday (the one that wasn’t hung yet in this photo), then over the table we have the milestone garland, and then behind it, there are the tissue paper decorations.

Neutral First Birthday Party Table Settings

The table linens

I don’t usually treat myself to new tablecloths for first birthday parties, but hey, why not? I got this really inexpensive one from Amazon, and use it often enough that it’s justified. And yes, it’s stain-resistant too.

The soft beige fits with the color scheme and allows for the other colors to stand out, keeping things clean visually.

I put a beige and white burlap runner across it to ground the center and add texture and dimension (as in, to make it less boring…)

The vase of flowers stood right in the center.

The paper goods

I mentioned above that I found some brighter almost-neutrals for the cutlery and cups. Look for Thanksgiving colors: pumpkin, spice, etc. The fall tones added a pop of color to the neutrals and really gave it some pop.

The plates were also from Amazon and featured florals, including, yes, eucalyptus. They looked just gorgeous next to the bouquet. They weren’t matchy-matchy, but they fit right in.

For napkins, I got “gold” ones that just worked. I put it in a napkin holder that I laser engraved (no, not special for the party! I did it another time) and filled with sage green paint.

Everything just looked so festive, soft, but with hints of color that made so much sense. And matched J’s hair.

Food for a Neutral First Birthday Party

I NEVER match my food fully up with my party themes. It feels forced, and I honestly just want to have good food. So I figured I’d share what I served so that you can get inspiration for your first birthday party.

But the cool thing is that at the end of the day, I felt like the food just fit right in, too.

The main spread

I served the main food on the counter. I started with a loaded tuna salad with veggies, olives, nuts, and avocado.

In the center was a gorgeous rustic bread bowl of half pita breads (perfect for stuffing with the tuna salad). The bowl is made of olivewood and just looked so good at the party.

Next tot it was more spreads – cream cheese, egg salad, hummus, tahini, guac…

I made a side of salmon, which I placed on a large wood charcuterie board and decorated with citrus slices. Yes, it IS missing piles of herbs decorating I,t too! Ooops!

I also put out a tossed salad with terra chips, a pasta salad, and a broccoli slaw.

The snacks

Now, the snacks really matched, which was accidental and cool considering that it was on the main table. I put out some golden potato chips and various corn chips with salsa. I put out Bamba – a baby-friendly peanut snack (skip if you have someone with an allergy).

There were Trader Joe’s wrapped peanut butter and chocolate krispy bars, a huge hit. And two types of popcorn fit right in as well!!

The cake

We have a family tradition that started when I finally conceded that I’m useless at decorating cakes: we have birthday babkas instead of birthday cakes!

And yes, I do make a cake topper to put in the center!

I designed this one cake topper with its mini garland to go into it, and it is so stinkin’ cute! I do offer tips in the tutorial post for making sure yours is food safe.

High Chair & Baby at our Neutral First Birthday Party

Finally, we have the King Himself and His Throne!

I did make a felt garland to hang on the high chair. Go ahead and pick up a pack or two of felt in the correct colors (pumpkin/spice, sage green, beige…) to make various baby decor.

The high chair garland didn’t quite come out as nicely as I’d hoped, so I did not create a tutorial.

The star of the show was the prince himself, of course, and every prince needs a crown! Again, I designed this felt first birthday crown for the party, and it was quite a beginner-friendly project.

We posed him, of course, with the big 1 balloon – a tradition we plan to keep up! For every birthday, we are purchasing a 40-inch balloon – and it’s going to be cool to see how they catch up to its size – and then outgrow it!

Got any other neutral first birthday party ideas to add? Any questions, comments, ideas? Comment below!

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