Twirling Tutu

My Twirling Tot

This is the last birthday-related post.  However, I realized that I never shared the birthday girl in her "birthday tutu."  She wore this over her swimsuit when her friends arrived.  She wore it later with an orange and white tank top.  And she's worn it many times since to play around the house.

I had no idea how easy making a tutu was... just tulle and elastic, and absolutely no sewing.  I looked at a couple of different tutorials to come up with my own design.  However, one of the best tips was Treaure for Tot's cutting method.  I made my tutu a little longer, about 13".  I cut my cardboard guide to 13" and then only cut one end after wrapping the tulle.

Summertime Swinging

Twirling and Watering the Garden

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Under the Sea Free Downloadables

Here are some free printables from my daughter's Under the Sea Birthday Party.  Enjoy!

Note:  These printed darker blue on my printer than they appear on-line.  The printed color more closely matches the photos.

Straw Labels:
Just print these labels on adhesive paper.  Cut out each label, peel off the backing, wrap it around the straw, and cut the end using any scissors you like.  I used ones with a "ripped" design.

One page contains eight "Three" flags and eight "Under the Sea" flags

Under the Sea Straw Flags

Napkin Wrappers:

Just print these labels on regular paper. Wrap your utensils in the napkins.  Cut out each wrapper (I actually cut each in half as well), wrap around the napkin bundle, and adhere with double-sided tape.  Punch out a crab shape from white paper and glue on top.

One page contains 10 wrappers (5 cut into two pieces each)
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The Invitations

The invitations... these were simple DIY invites printed at home.  (Sadly, they are cuter without the bars blocking personal information, but such is life.)  Given the vibrancy of the background, I kept the invite rather simple with just a few coral accents and some bubbles.  The text was kept white except for the birthday girl's name and the number 3, both of which were accented in orange.  (Download Available Below)

I made envelope inserts again similar to the ones from the Owls and Books Baby Shower.  However, this time I designed the background myself (the same "Under the Sea and Turning 3" message) and printed it on adhesive paper.  This definitely adhered better than gluing regular paper.  However, it was also a little tricky to get into the envelope smoothly.  It was less forgiving and didn't allow for re-positioning.  (Download Available Below)

On the outside, I printed return address labels on adhesive paper.  They were cut out using my 1 1/2" circle punch.  It's hard to tell when I blocked the personal info, but the name was orange and the address was in white on the same blue background as the invitation.  I wrapped it ever-so-slightly around the edge of the invitation, but you could also just cut off any excess if you want the back clean.

If you want to create this yourself, keep reading.

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Parting Favors...

Here's a closer look at the favor buckets.  I had three (almost four) variations for the kids... little girls (ages 3-6), little boys (all 3), and babies.

BOYS AND GIRLS
The girls' and boys' pails included orange kool-aid play dough, finger puppets and bubbles. 

The play dough was based off of Roots & Wings Co recipe.  This was a fun recipe that my daughter was able to help with.  She loved kneading the dough.  Then I rolled it out, cut it with a fish cookie cutter, and packaged it up.

The finger puppets included a shark and a fish, made from basic felt.  The fish is based on the same fish paper punch that was used elsewhere.

The boys received a second large set of bubbles while the girls received two barrette sets... one orange curly barrette and then a fish set (I shared the tutorial previously).

BABIES
For the babies, I dyed burp clothes blue and stenciled crabs on them.  I also made little pacifier clips out of an anchor-design ribbon.  Then the baby girls received smaller variations of the same barrettes as the girls.

The burp clothes were really simple.  I punched crabs out of freezer paper using the same Martha Stewart paper punch as I had on some of the other crafts.  Then I ironed the stencil to the burp cloth, shiny side down.  The crab was painted with a matte fabric paint.  Once it dried, I removed the stencil and ironed the design to set the paint.

This was the first time I ever made kids favors, and I have to say that it was a lot of fun.

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Under the Sea and Turning Three

It was a beautiful day... warm, sunny, perfect for our outdoor water party.  I can't believe that my little girl is three.  But what better way to celebrate than playing with friends while the adults relax and look-on.  Here are a few shots from the day.

OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES
Given that the kids were running back and forth between the playset, the kiddie pool, and the sprinkler activities, there was easy to grab food for the kids... small sandwiches, cones with goldfish, carrots with hummus, and fresh fruit.  And to appeal to adult palettes... grilled shrimp kabobs, grilled chicken kabobs, and a mediterranean orzo pasta.  Drinks included homemade lemonade, freshly-brewed sweet tea, and blue buckets filled with ice and capri sun pouches.  Keeping the kids hydrated was a priority.

The backdrop for the buffet table was a collection of water photos of my baby girl.  I can't believe how much she has grown since her first beach trip.

And for anyone who wanted a lower key activity... coloring. Only note, watch out for leaving crayons in direct sun. We have some wax to get off that table now.

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SWEETS GALORE

We kept the sweets inside the house and used them as an excuse to get out of the sun for a little while.  The dessert table included lemon cupcakes with sparkly blue frosting, lemon-creme-filled cookies, "clam" cookies, rice krispy balls, and blue and white candies.

Favor buckets were lined up along the edges of the table.  The favors were customized for the girls, the boys, and the babies.

It was a great day.  Happy Birthday, my princess.

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The Countdown is On...

The countdown is on for my daughter's birthday.  Since she is beginning to grasp the concept of time (though everything in the past was yesterday and everything in the future is tomorrow), we created a little countdown chain for her to enjoy.  The first orange ring is for Daddy's Birthday.  The second orange ring at the top is for her Birthday Party.  For her, it is a reminder of how soon her party is.  For Mommy, it's a reminder of how little time she has left for preparations.  Obviously, I'll have a busy weekend.

Happy Friday to you.  May your weekend be a delightful one.

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Fish Barrettes

Our house is busy gearing up for our holiday season... June.  From Memorial Day until Bastille Day, we find ourselves in a dizzying array celebrating not only Memorial Day and Fourth of July but also my husband's birthday, my daughter's birthday, Father's Day, our wedding anniversary, and my birthday.  Only my son's birthday escapes this period of madness.

As you can guess, my daughter's birthday seems to trump all the other celebrations (poor Daddy).  So we are in the midst of birthday preparations.

For her 3rd birthday, we're hosting a Water themed party... all in orange and blues.  After all, a June birthday just screams for playing outside, and water is a necessity to cool down in the heat.  And since she's still at an age where she has girl and boy friends, I wanted to go with something gender neutral.

Much more will be shared over the next month, but I wanted to share one little project with everyone as we all gear up for a summer of sunshine (at least in the northern hemisphere).  These little fish barrettes will be part of the party favors for the girls.  Bright, fun, and summery.  I'm hoping they enjoy.

Want to make your own?  Check out the tutorial below...

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