A Perfectly Pink Party! Part 2

Just in case you didn't get enough pink in part 1 of this post here's another dose for you!

First of all let me backtrack for just a moment to a very important aspect of any party - the invitation.
Since I was on such a tight budget I had to go with an Evite invitation for this party.  I found a template that was very simple and most importantly, pink, and I tried to make it cute with some fun wording.  It read as follows:
We're tickled pink and happy to say that it's time celebrate Addyson's 3rd birthday!

Maybe not the world's best invitation but it got the point across and it was free.  Gone are the days of spending money on expensive customized invitations that coordinate perfectly with the party theme.  Even though this party was very small and the guests had already been notified of the date via e-mail or in person, I still wanted to create some sort of invitation as a reminder to the guests and also to have as a keepsake.

Okay, on to the (more) fun stuff!  First up is the dining room tablescape and decor.  The tissue pom poms (love those things!) made yet another appearance dangling from the chandelier above the table, but this time I added some homemade paper chains that I made using pink/white striped scrapbook paper.  I borrowed the idea of combining these 2 elements from a great blog that I started following but my presentation wasn't quite as grand as the one that I was attempting to duplicate.  The chandelier above our table just wasn't big enough to support a huge display so I had to scale it down a bit and work with what I had.  I was pleased with the end result but was still yearning for more space to create something larger.  Oh well - sometimes you just have to settle and move on!

This image from www.snowybliss.blogspot.com was the inspiration for my tissue pom/paper chain combo above the dining room table.

My version was MUCH smaller and not quite as interesting but it's all I could do with the space that I had to work with.

And that brings us to the tablescape.  I love the idea of using wrapping paper to create an inexpensive runner for the table  (I used this idea for Rylee's party back in January too) and it was a great way to add another shade of pink to the table.  So I started with a plastic table cover from the Dollar Tree and then layered a piece of wrapping paper (also from the Dollar Tree) over the cover.  I used square plates from Wal-Mart and again used 2 shades of pink - the larger plates on the bottom were a pale pink while the smaller ones on top were a brighter shade.  I wrapped plastic utensils in pink napkins and secured them with pink ribbon.  To add another element of interest to the table I used ribbons in various widths with several patterns and textures.  I ran them across the width of the table in 2 clusters and secured them with tape so that the kids couldn't pull them off easily.  I also tied tulle bows in 2 shades of pink to the back of each chair adding another feminine and pretty touch to the room.

Ribbon in various width and patterns added interest to the solid colored table cover and runner.

The table and chandelier decor featured multiple shades of pink in several patterns keeping the monochromatic scheme from being too boring.

Since there were only a few children in attendance and most of them were around age 3 I didn't feel that we needed a lot of games or activities so I kept it simple and did 1 quick game.  I found pink (and a few green for the boys) butterfly nets at Target's dollar spot several months before the party and even though I had no idea what I would use them for at that time, I knew that they would come in handy at some point so I grabbed 10 of them.  Later when searching blogs and party sites for ideas I came across a fun party game similar to the popular kid's game Elefun.  This one was using tissue paper "butterflies" and nets just like the ones I had purchased.  It was such an easy and inexpensive game and the party guests took home their butterfly nets as a party favor.  We have an entry way with a very high ceiling in our home and a small landing at the top of our stairs that overlooks the entry way, so I stood up there and tossed the tissue paper butterflies over the railing while the kids tried to catch them in their nets.  The game was a hit!

Butterfly nets from the Dollar Spot at Target were used to play a game and also sent home with guests as a party favor.  I used pink ribbon to tie "Thank You" tags onto each net.

The Birthday Girl trying to catch tissue paper butterflies with her net.

I still have more pinkatastic birthday fun to share but this post seems to be running a bit long so I'm going to add a 3rd installment later.  Be sure to check back for the details on the food and drinks, including the homemade cake and buttercream frosting!  Yuuuummmm!