{ Birthday: Toy Story & Buzz Lightyear }

The Party Pugs had the pleasure of attending this particular birthday in the curly-tailed flesh.


Considering it was in honor of our 3 year old human, and all.


He's a pretty awesome kid, in that he likes to feed us treats and doesn't pull our ears. 

There was a balloon wreath for the front door, in lime, purple, white and silver. It came out so cute and was the perfect welcome for our guests. Or backdrop for a (person) family photo (We understand. Party Pugs are hard to wrangle).

And inside we go.


This (non-working) rendition of "The Claw" dangled over favor bags....

... made to look like little green aliens. Ooooooh.

The bags were filled with a container of Play-Doh, bubbles, a #3 crayon and some Toy Story fruit snacks.


Guests could also take home a #3 Buzz-themed cookie. 

It's so easy to make these tissue paper poms for some great hanging pieces in any color you like.

And there were these great alien party hats.

Banners are so easy to make with some fun fonts and cardstock: there was a matching happy birthday banner, and this "fueling station" banner for over the food table.

And speaking of food...

The menu included mini bagels with cream cheese, munchkins, Toy Story Cheez-its, pretzels, chicken salad with hawaiian rolls, pasta salad, and a fruit salad in a carved watermelon.


Oh. And cake. Can't forget the cake.

This Pin the Antenna on the Alien game was made from poster board, foam board and cardstock...

But the highlight of the day was Jessie and Buzz paying a visit to the party.

There was signing and dancing and the kids had so much fun.

So did the birthday boy's father. You know that sombreros automatically mean "good times." At least to this human.

Like father, like son.

It's hard work being the birthday boy.

There was a break to blow out the candles (We know, we know. Bad candle placement)...

And then it was back to the fun! 

All parties need some photo props. Here we have Alien eyes on a stick, made from dowels and stiffened felt...

Fun for adults!

And with this Space Ranger spaceship cutout (made from a really, really big box), the kids had fun, too!

 

Happy birthday, little guy!






Sources:
Buzz Lightyear Birthday Shirt: Sibling Specialtees on Etsy
Crayon Favors: Lil Doodlers on Etsy
Alien Party Hats: Hallmark via Amazon
Paper poms: DIY via Martha Stewart Weddings
Balloon wreath: DIY via How Does She

Read more...

{ Birthday: Bon Voyage }

When Christina's son Charlie turned one, it made perfect sense to her to have an airport/airline themed party. After all, her husband worked in the industry, and ideas... well, they were rolling in.


Party guests were greeted by a sign on the door that read "CKB Airlines - Celebrating One Year of Service." So cute, and such a clever way to incorporate the birthday boy's initials.


Boarding passes were a requirement (Christina found a template at ayleebits.com for these):

A cheerful display of balloons, cupcakes and birthday wishes.

One of Christina's favorite parties was the stations she created around the house. For example, guests could collect their suitcase-shaped favors at "Baggage Claim." They could visit the "Food Court" for treats, the "Fuel Station" for drinks and the "Maintenance" hangar for some airplane-themed crafts. So sweet.

And speaking of treats, check out these adorable airplane-shaped cookies, covered in red and blue fondant.

And these adorable cupcakes with airplane toppers from etsy's disneyfanatic02.

Delicious.

Christina also shares with us some details about her family. The first birthday is a very important milestone in the Korean tradition.

She tells the Party Pug

A ceremony called the Toljabee is done during the party, in which the baby (dressed in the traditional Korean outfit, known as a hanbok) is seated at a table filled with decorative fruit/food displays. A series of objects is placed in front of the child, each with its own special meaning. The first two objects the child picks reveals their future. My son's first two choices were the rice (meaning wealth), and noodles (meaning long life) - we suspect he was hungry. ;) He then grabbed the giant pen (which would have meant he'd be a scholar) to try and get to the cake. LOL! Other things we had on the table were: a ball of yarn (also meaning long life), money (also meaning wealth), an airplane (meaning a world traveler - and a nod to my husband's profession), and a calligraphy brush (also meaning a scholar). You can really put anything on the table you want - and of course, all objects reveal a positive fortune. :)

Charlie, the Party Pugs understand. Cake is always the goal.

We hope Charlie had an amazing first birthday, and of course, we are wishing him many years of rice and noodles, pens and cake, and all the best things in the world.

Sources:

invitation template: www.ayleebits.com

airplane cupcakes toppers: disneyfanatic02 on etsy

personalized bag tags: www.birthdayinabox.com

foam airplane crafts: www.orientaltrading.com

suitcase-shaped favor boxes: www.thecontainerstore.com

Read more...

{ Birthday: Prettiest Pink Party }

Themes can be tough. How do you choose just the right one? 


But sometimes, a theme can be as simple as just one color.


In this case, pink.


Grace's 3rd Birthday Party is a great example of this.

Simple, pretty and all in variations of one single color.


From the birthday girl's handmade (by mom) outfit...

To the food and decor...

The cake is a masterpiece - smooth pink buttercream with the sweetest sugar flowers and slender candles.

And even the favors follow through - popcorn covered in pink chocolate.

Any color will do, too. Orange or green or blue. Balloons and fabrics are more great ways to develop the idea, and can help create beautiful tablescapes without much effort. 

Read more...

{ Birthday: A Very Hungry Caterpillar Party }

Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar is truly one of the most wonderful children's books every written and illustrated.


Even the Party Pugs agree.


Melissa created a wonderful first birthday party for her son, Ben, based on that fabulous little green guy.


She started with this brightly colored banner...

To which she attached a six-segmented caterpillar, with each circular piece featuring a photo of the (adorable) birthday boy.

Tables were perfectly draped in solid colored tablecloths and accented with clusters of bright balloons.

You know you want a closer look at those table signs. Here it is.

What a stroke of genius! Melissa used green and red paper Chinese lanterns to create a replica of the Very Hungry Caterpillar over the cake table. She used chenille stems (that's code for pipe cleaners) and cardstock for antennae and face details. 

If you'll notice, there are some pink and purple cupcakes on that table. That's because this party served as a joint birthday for Ben's older sister. Melissa capitalized on the theme by pulling in the "beautiful butterfly" from the end of the book. Smart.

And finally, the smash cake/cupcake combo. Drumroll, please!

The head of the caterpillar is a removable, red foam board circle (with attached chenille stem antennae) on top of a simple white cake with plain frosting. The body of the caterpillar is a squiggle of green-swirled cupcakes, adorable and yummy!


And let's not forgot party attire! Melissa ordered this adorable shirts from etsy seller MakMayDesigns.


For the birthday boy:

And for his 3-year-old sister:

Melissa really managed to bring this little Caterpillar to life in a perfect party!

Read more...

{ Birthday: Polka Dot Party }

The Party Pugs love birthdays. Pug birthdays, people birthdays... It doesn't matter. Bring out the party hats and cake and let the good times roll.

Mana shares with us her daughter's first birthday party - a Polka Dot Party.

She chose the theme because... well, quite simply, because she loves polka dots.

And also, to match her daughter's super-adorable dress.

Sweet polka dot birthday banner hangs from the mantle.

Bright balloons add pops of color to the food table. So easy.

Mana was thrilled with the cake, which she ordered from Publix. Bright and delicious.

One of Mana's favorite touches with this DIY "through the year" banner, capturing her daughter's growth, month by month. Could not be cuter, and what a wonderful idea. All you need is some cardstock, 12-13 precious photos and some ribbon and you can make your own.

The little polka dot garland around the high chair is too much. So is the birthday girl's face as she enjoys her smash cake.

Happy birthday!


*Photographs by Jamie Halstead and used by permission of The Mommy Logs*

Read more...

{ Cocktail Party: Oscar Night }

There's something so glamorous about the Oscars. The red carpet, the dresses, the galas, the jewels...


Jennifer has wanted to host a proper Academy Award soiree for ages, and this year, she finally had the chance.


She and her husband invited friends to a Red Carpet Viewing, complete with cocktails, refreshments, games and plenty of fun.


A giant foam board Oscar welcomed guests to the party.

Party goers were photographed in front of an Oscar-themed step & repeat, just like on the real red carpet. 

A handmade "And the Oscar goes to..." banner hung over the trivia question and ballot area - prizes awarded to winners.

Tealights and candles provide a soft glow in the lounge area... Check out the film wrapped around those votive holders for a special touch.

Jennifer hung a banner featuring the posters of the Best Picture Nominees over the viewing area, accented by hanging gold stars and DIY tissue paper poms.

There was champagne,

Popcorn,

And a buffet of yummy food, complete with an Oscar-themed cake.

And the cutest Oscar-themed cookies ever.

Yellow flowers and lemons gave bright pops of color to the decor.

And don't forget, pug-shaped cookies in honor of Oscar, the hostess' beloved pug dog, named after the coveted gold statuette.

Thanks to the following sources:
Color schemes inspired by & paper printables from Hostess with the Mostess
Oscar cookies & label printables from Bakerella
Paper Pom DIY from Martha Stewart

Read more...