Vintage circus birthday party
On Saturday, we threw a rousing vintage circus party for my little girl, who turned 2. As usual, I went overboard on the décor and spent several hours on Friday setting it up. About half way through, I thought to myself, “why do I always this?” But once it was all up, and now that I look back at the pictures, I am so happy with how it turned out and I am glad that I put in all the effort (and so, so happy that it's over...).
My main point of focus was the food table. I hung streamers and lights to mimic a big top tent. Then I covered the table in all the circus foods I could think of... hot dogs, popcorn, peanuts, and candy. I also had fruit skewers, which weren't very circus-like, but I figured I would throw something healthy into the spread. I also threw in a vintage popcorn popper and some flowers in vintage tins that I found in the $1 section at Michael's. I also scored the old fashioned popcorn bags at the Dollar Store - 10 for $1!
For party favors, I put animal crackers into baggies and created a baggie topper (purchase here) that said “Thanks for coming to my party!”
Above the favors in the entryway was a display of pictures of my daughter over the last year, starting with a picture from last year's birthday party (hung with masking tape on my old window, which hangs there year-round). I also created a little bunting to match the party décor (purchase here).
Perhaps my favorite part of the party was the little photo corner that I set up for the kids. I ordered a vintage circus poster from Ebay for the backdrop and placed vintage suitcases on the floor. Then I created my own photo props that the kids could use: a mustache, a top hat, a clown nose, a clown smile, a silly tie, and puckered lips (purchase here). I plan on turning the photos into photo strips and sending them to everyone with their “Thank You” notes. Here's my Mia testing it out:
As usual, I created all my own graphics for the party, from the invitation to the food signs, to the matching bunting. I am selling it all in my Etsy shop, Nuts & Bolts, in case you get the itch to throw your own circus party!
Although the decorations were fun and I had the best of intentions, the downside to this day was that my daughter woke up incredibly fussy and I was pretty sure she had an ear infection (which turned out to be true). So her mood during the party wasn't optimal... she did a lot of crying and there were plenty of tears; but she had some happy moments as well (thank God for cupcakes)...
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