Brielle's Blossom Birthday Party

The party was flower themed and I was really excited to try making the Martha Stewart flower pom poms I've seen and love looking at.  They're just so fun and girlie.  They were a lot of fun for the party but did take a long time to make.  Which would only be a bad thing if I didn't like this stuff so much!  But that was all I did for decor. around the room after how long they took.

If anyone's ever interested in making them, I followed the instructions from this web site: http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/article/pom-poms-and-luminarias

And I bought the tissue paper from a bulk store online at this site:

http://www.nashvillewraps.com/ShowSearch.ww?Query=TISSUE%20PAPER%2020X30&page=4

A pack of 24 sheets of the same color is $2.50.  It takes 8 sheets per flower, so I paid $10.00 to make 12 flowers (plus shipping).  Beats the prices the florists charge to buy them from their shops!

We hung them all above the party table with ultra fine wire.

The party started shortly after school got out.  Brielle's always starving when she comes home from school, so as kids arrived they got a flower sandwich and a picture to color until everyone arrived and was ready to start the activities.

Once everyone was there and had eaten, we started on a flower pot project.  One thing about my parties, I REALLY don't like games with a prize.  At least not unless everyone gets one- like a pinata.  I like everyone to "win" if there is an activity.  And Brielle would do a craft any day over a game. So her parties are all about being creative.  If I can make a game out of that, I do.  (I'm sure Ashton's parties will push my comfort zone with games- being a very active and competetive little boy.)

Anyway, so the first two activites were painting a pot and making 3 tissue paper fowers for it. I used the little round sponges on a stick to let the girls dab poka dots on their pots.  I had painted them yellow the night before to brighten them up a bit (they were white).   The girls were very careful with the paint and did a REALLY cute job!

Ashton was part of the party, of course.  Todd helped him make Bosie State colored flowers.  I should have at least bought him some blue paint or something. 

Here are his and Brielle's:

Once they painted their pots (dried fast by an open window), and made their flowers, they tried putting the flowers in the pot with a piece of styrofoam in the bottom from the packaging the pots came in.  But the piece was too light-weight and everyone's flowers kept toppling over- foam and all.  I sent them all out to our box garden with a plastic cup to fill it with the pebbles around the garden boxes, to then fill their pots with the pebbles.  That kept their flowers in place.  Hope nobody had a pebble spill in the car on the way home!  Sometimes we have to wing these things on the spot!

With their potted flowes set, their flowers were missing one thing... a butterfly!  So they each got a cheesy little butterfly net (also from the online party store) and I told them all to hunt for butterflies in the back yard.  (This was the game and a nice way to burn off their energy mid-way.)  They were SOOOOO excited thinking they'd really catch real butterflies that I realized I'd need to change plans quick...  Originally, I planned to have them kill some time outside hunting for "mission impossible"- catching real butterflies.  Meanwhile, Todd would clean up their place mat and set a little fake butterfly at each place and some markers to decorate it.  But it was suddenly obvious they'd be severely disappointed  if they had to give up on their hunt outside and come in to these lifeless butterflies. 

So.  The girls went out back and I quickly placed the butterflies in the pine tree out front.  At least this way their hunt would end outside.  I joined them in the back and asked if they'd found any yet. Then I invited them through the gate to look in the front yard.  As SOON as they crossed to the front, they saw a REAL butterfly!  They chased that poor bug all across the yard, in and out of bushes, and finally over the fence.  Then it came back for more!  And AGAIN they screammed and giggled and ran around in sheer delight.  At one point I thought they were gonna get it!  What would we do with the poor thing if they did?????

Finally it flew to safety in the neighbor's yard and I led the girls to the tree.  They weren't as excited about fake butterflies as they were about the thought of their "almost" victory with a real one.  But they quickly forgot about it and got excited when they held these and were told what they'd get to do with them.

After they decorated their butterflies we had cake and presents. 

Looks like I'm ready to bite that cake or Brielle or SOMETHING! 

(Singing the birthday song...)

We ended the day with a flower pinata.

So much fun.  I can't take the flowers down from the ceiling yet.  They need to be up at least as long as they took to make!