How I Put Together A Girly Paw Patrol Birthday Party

Disclaimer: I was not compensated by any of these shops. All opinions are my own entirely.

My daughter is obsessed with Paw Patrol. Therefore, there was little question as to what theme her 4th birthday party would be. I love planning her birthday parties. I take great pride in how they turn out. It's a definitely labor of love, but I won't pretend that I don't enjoy every minute of it.

I made a good deal of the decorations for her birthday party using my Cricut Explore (you can buy yourself one here.) I would also like to include a shout out to all of the other vendors that helped make this party PAW-tastic!

Planning a Paw Patrol party of your own? Then, you are in the right place. I would love to hear your ideas as well, who knows, I might be able to use them for her next party!

Birthday Banner

I have made birthday banners for my daughter's last 3 birthday parties, and the one I made this year is my favorite by far. It was very intricate and time consuming, but that made it more rewarding to hang up in the end.

As mentioned above, I use my Cricut Explore for all my paper projects. I get most of my cut files off of Etsy. I LOVE ETSY! Like--I really love it. If you are looking for cute Paw Patrol cut files simply search Paw Patrol SVG files on etsy and you will have all that you ever dreamed you could find.

I got the Paw Patrol font here.

I got the "pup tag" shape for the banner here.

I got the paw patrol faces here.

The faces are the most challenging to create. There are layers upon layers of paper. I took the files above and actually merged a ton of the layers...and it was still quite a process to assemble them. Imagine a tiny jigsaw puzzle. That is what it was like--but in the end it looks so good and you just can't buy anything like this without breaking the bank. To tie it all together I just used a roll of jute and a hole puncher. Simple as that. I think the jute makes it look a little vintage.

If you would like for me to do a tutorial on how to use the Cricut Explore to create images like above, then leave me some comments.

Centerpieces

These centerpieces were made from the same pup faces and pup tag files linked above. I secured them to dowels with a hot glue gun and placed them in painted mason jars filled with craft paper shreds. The end result is too cute for words. The little chalkboards were placed randomly on the mason jars as well.

Entertainment

When kids first entered the party they were directed to make their own pup tag. I took the same pup tag cut file from above and cut several on white cardstock. I punched two holes at the top and created a necklace with jute. The kids colored their own "pup tags" and wore them around their necks for the rest of the party. BUT I did not get a good picture of them--drat! BUT in the picture above, my daughter is wearing her creation!

I also printed Paw Patrol coloring sheets from this site. and had them on the tables with crayons for kids to color before/after/during cake.

What really made the party entertaining was the fact that we hired a performer to dress up as Skye and Chase. The performer made balloon animals and did face painting. It was a hit! I highly recommend it.

Cake

All of my daughter's birthday cakes were made by Shakeata. She is my mother's friend, and she outdoes herself each a every year. I highly recommend her. She is in the Atlanta area. You can contact her here.

Food Labels 

I made the food labels using Picmonkey. I love this site! On Picmonkey you can create your own printables in your own colors. My daughter wanted a girl birthday party, but she loves Chase. With Picmonkey I was able to make my own invitations in girly colors and with a girly style. I was unable to find anything at a store that would work. The dog bowls was an idea I got on Pinterest. I found these bowls on Amazon!

For the Paw Patrol images I searched google images for Paw Patrol transparent background. I found the ones that I liked, and saved them to my computer. Then you can just upload them as your own overlay in Picmonkey and voila!

Birthday Outfit

The adorable birthday outfit I found on Etsy. You can visit the shop here. They did such a great job, and I thought my girl looked so cute. Everyone at the party commented on her outfit and bow! It was a hit--even if she didn't like it!

There you have it! I enjoyed creating this party almost as much as my little P did. Are you planning a little one's birthday party in the near future? I would love to see what you come up with! If you would be interested in an in depth tutorial on how anything was made, then say so in the comments!

Caroline

Tyme Iron Tutorial and Review

This is the first beauty tutorial I have done on the blog. I am so excited to make this a weekly thing! Disclaimer--I have not been compensated by the Tyme people. All opinions are my own completely!

So let's talk about the Tyme iron. It has been all over Facebook. It was haunting me daily. So I put it on my Christmas list last year, and I got it! It took me a good 3 practicing sessions before I had it down, but now it is the only hair product I ever use on myself. No more curling irons, and no more straightening irons. I just use the Tyme iron and I am set for both waves and straight! How cool is that?

If you are interested in getting a Tyme iron. You can purchase one here.

Here's the thing--we as humans to do not have a long attention span--so a product, no matter how great, that has a learning curve often gets shoved in the back of our cabinets in the bathroom and forgotten! That is why I wanted to do a video tutorial and post here about my experience with the Tyme iron. View my tutorial below if you already have the iron--or if you're just curious, or thinking about purchasing.

And now for my review!

1. Price
The Tyme iron is $189. That is a little bit pricey, but as someone who has bought Chi irons for years, it really is not that much more.  Many curling wand systems are in the same price point. I guess when you consider that the iron is supposed to take the position of both a straightening iron and a curling iron, then it would warrant that higher price. BUT I will admit that I used my Chi iron to curl my hair too, and the results were not much different.

2. Packaging and Quality
the Tyme iron comes in really sturdy and nice packaging. It arrived unharmed and in a timely manner. I have been using this iron consistently for over a year, and it still works just like it did the first day. It is well made.

3. Performance
The Tyme iron makes beautiful smooth curls and can straighten just as good as any other straightening iron I have ever used (and I have curly hair so I have used a lot). It has sucessfully replaced my other irons completely.

My one issue is that you cannot control the heat setting on the iron. It comes in one setting (F******* HOT). So if you are one who worries about heat damage--this might not be the iron for you.

4. Overall
Overall I love this iron. I use it weekly and I even use it on clients. While it does take time to learn how to use, I do think that it has superior performance.

Do you have a Tyme iron? If you don't, then maybe you will consider investing the next time you are in the market for a new tool.

Till Wednesday!
Caroline

Piper's Second Birthday Party

On Saturday we had my little girl's second birthday party. You may not know this, but I am crazy when it comes to celebrations. I want them to be perfect. I agonize over details. I want it to be picture perfect. I would like to say that this is all for selfless reasons. I just want to make it pretty for my baby, but--let's face it, she's not going to remember the party that I threw her this past weekend. What she will love is looking back at the pictures, and hearing the story of how she pushed her Uncle Matt's full plate of food on the floor, or about how she kept throwing her presents around like they were trash, or how she spent the first few minutes outside playing soccer.

So no, it wasn't all for her. It is also for me. I am firmly aware that I am making memories and traditions. Not just for my daughter, but for me. Everything in my being wants to make life so perfect for that little girl because she so deserves perfection from me and those around her. Even though life is not that way for long--I am going to make sure it stays that way for her as long as I can.

I have been working on Piper's second birthday party since she was 18 months old. I do this for several reasons--mostly to spread out the money, but also because I get so excited planning the theme. Our theme this year was "oh-TWO-dles" It was a Minnie Mouse Clubhouse. I think it turned out pretty great!

What is different about this year's party from last years is that I did all of the decorations myself. I didn't order or buy anything from any Etsy shops. Instead--I used my Cricut machine that my mom bought me for my birthday last year--and I got to work. I became the birthday elf--as I liked to call it. Everything you see was made by me (except for the cake and cupcakes), and I couldn't be happier with the results.

Last Friday night I stayed up late decorating the whole house--and on Saturday morning when P came downstairs--she lit up just like Christmas morning--AND that--I will ALWAYS remember.

What themes are you doing for little one's next party? I'd love to hear about it, and help you out if you need. It is so much fun, and totally rewarding!

Happy Wednesday!
Caroline

Home Projects

Since we moved into our new home--I have been hard at work to get everything ready to host my family's Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations this year. I know that the holiday season will be fast approaching (since Halloween is tomorrow!). Once it starts--I will have very little time to get everything ready for the holidays and P's SECOND birthday party in January.

So there are a few rooms that I have been working on feverishly and I am ready to share them with you. I am certainly no decorator, but I think these projects turned out pretty perfect!

1. P's Nursery
Since I have never really shared P's nursery on the blog--I decided this would be the big one for sure. Her room was the first to be completed in our new home. This was obviously out of necessity. It needed to have everything set up to be ready for her to sleep in each night. It is a room we all spend a lot of time in playing, sleeping, rocking, and reading.

 I was insistent upon getting blackout curtains to help her sleep, and I think that they have served their purpose pretty well. P actually has 4 blackout panels and then an additional 3 black out panels behind those to further block the light. It is DARK in her room, and I LOVE IT!

The other wall houses her changing table--whose days are numbered as I am anxiously awaiting P to show me that she is ready to potty train. It also contains her nightstand with all of her books and her rocking chair. The rocking chair was the one my mother used to rock me in. I just love things that are sentimental like that. The picture over her changing table is the printable I made for her birthday last year that details all of her stats. The wood monogram was a gift from Piper's Aunt Michelle. I spray painted it with gray chalkpaint spray paint to match her room.

The other side has her crib with her name over it, and her dresser with her bow holder.

She actually has two bow holders for all of that hair.

2. The hallway gallery wall
Upstairs we have this huge wall in the hallway that is actually visible from downstairs. Therefore I knew that it needed to be filled up quickly. It is the first thing you see when you walk in our house. I want it to be inviting. So--I hopped on Pinterest to look at a lot of different gallery walls and the best ways to do them.

I grabbed a roll of wrapping paper and traced the outline of each frame and where the nail would go for each one. Then I labeled it with what picture it was. I grabbed my painters tape and laid the wall out in a grid like pattern. I think it definitely looks good when you walk in. What do you think? We still have some pictures to print out and put in frames at the top.

3. My coffee nook

These are all over pinterest everywhere you look. This piece was actually an old hutch. We removed the top of the hutch (it is a shelf in our garage now where we leave our shoes and such). We painted the bottom and I believe that it is a beautiful pop of color for our eat in kitchen.

4. My office nook

I don't have a whole room as an office, but we have a very large bedroom with a perfect spot for a desk. I actually love the desk being in our room. I think it adds more character in the room that has a tendency to feel TOO big at times. This desk was previously our old kitchen table. My dad sanded it and painted it with grey chalk paint. I think it turned out lovely. Now, I just need a picture for the wall above it.

That's it for now. Tonight, we head to P's Trunk or Treat. She is going to be Minnie Mouse for Halloween. I hope actually participates this year. It is going to be so much fun! I couldn't get a good picture of her in her costume, so this one will have to do.

Have a happy and safe Halloween!

Piper's First Birthday Party--An Overview

Onesie, Tutu, and Bow by The Paper Duck

On Saturday we had P's first birthday party. It was a big success and I am so excited to share all of the details with all of you! Our theme was Look WHOOs One (owls). As I mentioned in my post last week--I planned this party over five months because I wanted to spread out the money and the stress of the party. I also had a lot of help from family to ease the financial burden just a bit.

Happy Birthday Banner by The Little Red Wagon

First of all let me tell you how amazing my little miss P did at her party. She was very pleasant despite missing her second nap completely. She only cried a little bit when we changed her clothes to do her smash cake. I was terrified of the way that she would react considering she usually does not like strange people talking to her or touching her. She was passed around like a hot potato-- and took it all in stride. Like I always say--I doubt her and she makes me pay for it. I was so very proud of her.

Smash Cake by Shakeata

We learned that P LOVES Chick-Fil-A chicken nuggets at her party. We had a large tray of nuggets, and I fed her a bite from one of my nuggets and she ate the remainder of nuggets on my plate. I know, I shouldn't be surprised since my girl can eat. BUT she is very picky and you just never know what she will like. She doesn't like macaroni and cheese--so I won't put anything past her. What kid doesn't like mac and cheese? Seriously! She did so good with her cake. She didn't cry when everyone was singing to her (like I feared she would). She dug right into her cake and ate very neatly without making much of a mess at all.

We also learned that P doesn't really like to share her toys. What little toddler her age does? She pitched a little mini fit when another baby took one of her toys at the party. After that we pretty much just kept her away from the toy station where the rest of her baby friends spent most of their time.

We had a pretty big crowd at her party and consider ourselves very lucky to have such a large and strong support system. I have always been one to have a small group of quality friends--I am loving the new friendships that P has brought into my life in the form of my mommy friends. I have found them to be an endless source of support, love and knowledge over the last 12 months and I hope that we will continue to grow in our friendship over the next 17 years.

 J and I were also blessed to have both of our families and extended families present at P's party. Real and honorary Aunts, Uncles, and Grandparents were there. It struck me that the last time all of those people were in the same room at the same time was our wedding two years ago. That had me a little teary eyed. I am so very blessed to have all of these people in my life, and I am even more blessed that my baby girl gives us a reason to get together and celebrate once a year. She is so loved by so many.

There is nothing I would rather do than celebrate this life that I have. P is everything I expected she would be and so much more than I hoped for. My heart was very full as I looked around the room. You could just feel the love. I look forward to planning the future birthdays (even though I do think I set the bar way too high with this one).

I want to give credit for each aspect of the party. Below are the credits for the decor at the party. I have included links and contact information as well. I would also love to hear about fun things you did with your little one's party. I am always looking for new fun ideas. 

Picture garland made with twine and mini clothes pins I bought from Hobby Lobby

Credits for the Party:

Birthday, Dot, and Highchair Banner as well as Owls and 1s for centerpieces--Diana from The Little Red Wagon Etsy Shop (future review post coming). Shop her adorable stuff here.

 Dot banner pictured in background Highchair banner pictured below. Invitation and monogram label on centerpiece made by me.

P's Birthday Outfit--Anna from The Paper Duck

Anna and I grew up together--literally she lived right next door. She makes the cutest shirts, bows, tutus, banners, and various other party items. All of her items wear well and are excellent quality. She is local (Atlanta area), she has a VERY quick turnaround, and takes credit cards. She is my go to for all of P's personalized holiday outfits. Check her out here.

Chalkboard food labels, invitation, and birthday print poster and framed signs--Made by yours truly using PicMonkey and GIMP. I have my own etsy shop you can order them at here. I can make lots of designs. Just contact me with ideas.

Smash cake and Cupcakes by Shakeata.

Shakeata is a co-worker of my moms. She is always our person for adorable sweet creations. You can contact her at meringue81@yahoo.com. You can send her pictures of what you are looking for and she can make it happen! She is so talented.

The plain green and turquoise cupcakes are special order from Publix

The table clothes, paper plates, cups, lime green, turquoise, hot pink trays, and silverware were from Party City. The adorable Lime green Burlap table squares were made by my God Mother. The white serving ware is B. Smith brand from Bed Bath and Beyond. 

Thanks for all of your well wishes and virtual love for P's Birthday. We really appreciate it.