We held Miles' third annual birthday bash at our house again, and I DIY'd everything, which means I escaped some nuts-o party expenses for yet another year. Seriously, do you know how much people are willing to spend on birthday parties these days? You might as well take a bag of money and throw it into a big black hole. I'm not saying that won't be me someday, because I get that paying someone else to host your party is easy and convenient, but whoa! Lucky for me, three-year-olds aren't embarrassed of their moms and homemade parties yet. And I have to say that I had lots of fun getting creative for the big day. Miles specifically requested a Batman party, and his only consistent request was tuptates (also known as cupcakes).
Here's what the spread looked like in our dining room just up and to the left as guests came in. I made the "Gotham City" cupcake stand out of some boxes I already had, black wrapping paper, and yellow construction paper. My mom made those iced batman cookies - aren't they impressive? She's talented like that. And keeping with tradition, I made the cupcakes myself.
Oh, and check out our Batman PB&J's...
...made by this guy. I almost needed electric paddles to jumpstart my heart when I saw Dad in the kitchen.
I busted out Singer the sewing machine for the second time ever to make a fabric table runner. I just went to JoAnn's and picked out anything cheap in black, blue, and yellow that would blend with the Batman theme. I got six different patterns. And by the way, can I just mention here that I get annoyed with the fabric cutter ladies at JoAnns's? Every time I state my quantity of fabric, they ask me what I'm making. Reluctantly I tell them, and then they always ask me if I'm sure that x amount is going to be enough? It's like I have a big stamp on my forehead that says, CLUELESS SEAMSTRESS. And so, each time I panic and tell them to double what I just asked for. Because I cave like that. And it's annoying. And now I have all this extra fabric that I have to add to the fabric bin that I haven't made, to go in the craft closet that I haven't constructed, with the time I don't have. See where I'm going with this? The fabric cutters are the bain of my existence. Oh, and I forgot to take a pic of the runner for your viewing pleasure.
Okay, so I had all this batman-colored fabric left over, right? I decided to make flag banner to use up some of the extra fabric. To my surprise, it turned out pretty cute! And I only cursed Singer once or twice while making it.
Here is the fireplace complete with a birthday banner that I cut out of cardstock and strung together with ribbon. And no, Deery isn't part of the birthday decor. He's a permanent part of the family. In fact, I'm thinking of throwing him his own birthday bash in a few months. Maybe a hunting theme? No, that would be mean.
For party favors, I bought white buckets in the Target dollar zone and DIY'd a Batman label for the front. Then, I filled them with a homemade Batman beanbag, a glow stick, a bouncy ball, a pop rocket (what's it called? you pull the string and confetti comes out?), and some mini candy bars with Batman labels. Then I put a thank you tag on the handle. Aren't they cute?
I have to give credit to my mom for the beanbags. I had the idea for them two days before the party, and I knew exactly how to make them. See, I used to spend every summer in California with my Eenie and Grandpa Ernie, and one summer Eenie and I sewed beanbags to play with. Well, she probably sewed them and I probably just watched while I ate popcorn and drank Dr. Pepper. But still, I remembered that fine courderoy worked well for the fabric and then we appliqued squares on the top to jazz them up a little. So, I went back to JoAnn's for the courderoy and this time I kept my sunglasses on at the cutting table so that the cutters would find me too mysterious to speak to. Just kidding, but this time the cutter ignored me completely. Probably thinking my fabric choice was too hideous to be worth inquiring about.
Long story short, my vision for these beanbags and my sewing skills were about as in sync as J-Lo and Mark Anthony's marriage. Not quite working out. Mainly when it came to doing the Batman applique on the front, which I was making from the six fabrics I used for the table runner and the banner. Needless to say, I had a "To-Do" list for mom when she got here Friday night before the party on Saturday. And she obliged. They turned out great! Thanks Mom.
One last touch was a little art for the powder bath that I found on Etsy.
All in all, the party was fun to plan and it turned out so well. More about the party itself next time.
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