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Motherhood Simplified.

Vintage circus birthday party

January 22, 2012 | Leave a Comment

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…).

vintage circus party, circus party, circus birthday
vintage circus party, circus party, circus birthday

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!

vintage circus party, circus party, circus birthday
vintage circus party, circus party, circus birthday
vintage circus party, circus party, circus birthday

For party favors, I put animal crackers into baggies and created a baggie topper (purchase here) that said “Thanks for coming to my party!”

vintage circus party, circus party, circus birthday
vintage circus party, circus party, circus birthday

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).

vintage circus party, circus party, circus birthday

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:

vintage circus party, circus party, photo strips, photo booth

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)…

vintage circus party, circus party, circus birthday
vintage circus party, circus party, circus birthday



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HI! I'M AMY.

I'M A BLOGGER, GRAPHIC DESIGNER, MOM, COFFEE ADDICT, DIYER, CHRONIC MULTITASKER AND STRESSCASE, A COOK AND A LOVER OF A GOOD GLASS OF WINE.
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I get it. It's a little weird. But the girls I've I get it. It's a little weird.
But the girls I've seen do it best, look adorable.

I think it looks best with an oversized tee or sweatshirt, tennies or slides, and a small crossbody bag.

You can't argue with comfort.

For the record, these are women's sleep shorts that I've had a couple of years from Old Navy. If you buy actual men's boxers, you might consider sewing up the pee pocket 😜

Don't spend a lot on this trend; these shorts are made from the thinnest of fabric and shouldn't cost much. Don't be fooled by a retailer that wants you to spend just because it's trendy.

But if you see some cute boxers and want to give it a go - then do! Bonus - if/when the trend ends, you'll have pajamas on the ready 👏

It's solid weekend wear, but I'm not going out to dinner in it...

#boxershortsforgirls #boxershort #ootd #womensfashion #styleinspiration
Another project down in my son's room! I knew I w Another project down in my son's room!

I knew I wanted some sort of built-in feature in this bedroom, but it was hard to figure out what, because we turned it into an active space where he could run and play and needed a lot of room.

So I settled on a built-in bookcase with the slatted design feature, which I'm in love with!

The best part about it is that if he ever decides to upgrade his bed, the space will also accommodate a full or queen size bed going in the opposite direction. It adds so much interest to this room and hopefully will be here for a long time!

One of the things I love most about DIY projects is figuring out how to make something - it's like a giant puzzle. I saw photos of these slotted wall room dividers on Pinterest and just figured it out as I went. All in all, I had very few hiccups and it only took me a few hours to put together. I think I only cursed once?!? And so I call that an extreme DIY win...

Now that the sports wall, the climbing wall, and the built-in feature are complete, the last thing to do in here is some additional painting. I'm thinking of using a contrasting blue color for the closet doors and back side of the built-in, and perhaps trimming out the window with it as well. Then I need to switch out the light for a fan and this.room.is done 🙌

Details: I used two IKEA billy bookshelves, screwed together and secured to the wall. Then wrapped them in white oak plywood. I ripped down 2x4s into 1.5x1.5" square dowels (heavily sanded!) and used pocket holes on the back side of each to secure to the bookshelf and the 1x4 in the ceiling. It's very sturdy!

Go back in my reels to see the other projects from this room! 

#diy #boysroom #roomrenovation #roomrefresh #kidsrooms #climbingwall #soccerbedroom #builtins #bedroomredo #girlswhobuild
This climbing wall took half a day and cost under This climbing wall took half a day and cost under $100!

We are lucky enough to have 13' ceilings in our bedrooms, so a climbing wall seemed to make sense in my son's room as we worked on the remodel.

He is a super active kid with #ADHD, so his room redo has involved lots of activity spaces! Go back in my reels to see past projects and follow to see me finish this up!

#diy #roomrenovation #roomrefresh #kidsrooms #climbingwall #soccerbedroom
Another to-do checked off my list for spring break Another to-do checked off my list for spring break room makeover!

I added very subtle striping to the wall to mimic a soccer field and keep things classy. ⚽

Stick around to see the next project - a climbing wall!

(And go back in my reels to see the sports wall)

#roommakeover #soccer #kidsroom

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