May 19, 2013

A Special Mommy & Me Birthday Bash

A couple of weeks ago our baby girl turned six. For two months leading up to her big day she began dropping hints about how she wanted a nail salon party. Well damn! If that didn't sound expensive I didn't know what did. With our notoriously large family/friend functions I knew it would be hard to pair down the guestlist and then when I called around to actual nail salons it was coming out to like $21 per person. I mean she was just turning 6 for Pete's sake and by the time I added food, cake, and goodie bags that idea just wasn't working. #aintnobodygottimeforthat

I even began seeding the idea of going bowling because I wasn't sure I would be able to deliver on her wish list until...a friend of ours came into town for a visit and told me about their apartment they had on listed VRBO (Vacation Rentals By Owner). The lightbulb went off!

I asked our friends if I could use their apartment on one of their available dates (they said yes) and then I offered to pay a girl in my department to help me (she offered to do it for free), and then the village (sisters, uncles, godmothers) weighed in with their help. We began with an invite of course for Jade's Magnifi-6 Mommy and Me Mani Bash! We invited her girlfriends to come with their moms and have a fun afternoon of manis, treats and an all around good time.

The Invite courtesy of Uncle Phil and my party planning peeps!




















It was a smash hit beginning with fun Instagram moments featuring this Number 6 candle I found at the dollar store. For about a two weeks leading up to the big day the '6' showed up in various locations (the bus, a cab, in Party City and in the photo below) giving my followers a sneak peek. We even created a our own hashtag #JadiePopSix (her name + nod to her love for chewing gum + her age of course).


I'm sure this all looks like a lot in the photos but I promise it was totally manageable and much more affordable than some of these kiddie salon packages you see around. You can totally do it too. I'm so sure of it that in this post I'm launching the Chicbusymom Dailies; tip sheets & guides to help you get through life.  My first one, just for you is below the post.


Here we go, the Magnifi-6 party recap in pictures. Enjoy it, I know we did!



Instagram collage of the '6' with the custom label
Ginger +Liz polish. G&L worked with me to rename one
of their existing shades for her big day. Shout out
to Ginger + Liz
                                                                             
Decor: All Pink Everything, Pom Poms, Snack and Candy Bar
Cupcakes from Tonnie's Minis and personalize Plastic cups with
covers to avoid spills from the little ones.
Magnifi-6 Lemonade of course!      
The gifts: organza bag, the JadiePopSix polish
& thank you card
Collage of side by side Nail Tables, a Few Happy Friends
and Jade and her guests in our Photo Station



Our girls showing off their hands and a sweet gift for the birthday girl.

My older sister, Jade and I in her photo station. We nailed it!
Pink cake courtesy of grandma. Make a wish!

Are you planning a party of your own? Do you feel overwhelmed or need help/ideas? Why reinvent the wheel. Here are some tips. 


The Chicbusymom Dailies: Your cheat sheet for life.

1. Budget - Set an amount and stick to it. Break out the elements within your budget.


2. Delegate - Busy moms need help. Enlist your friends and family to take on smaller tasks to alleviate the added stress.

3. Pick a day/place then start with an invite (pick a theme or a color-this will make it easier to build an idea around). I chose pink her absolute favorite color and that literally drove everything (pink cake, pink nail polish as gifts, pink candles, etc.)

4. Use this theme throughout all your party elements. It will make everything seem cohesive and look bigger than it is. When building candy bars or snack bars more is always better. Put things in jars in varying heights and sizes. It will make for a great visual.

5. Food - Keep it simple. Two food items, drinks, and the cake. Most kids parties have pizza but this party was at the brunch hour so we had chicken and waffles (yep I'm black--no questions here) and salad. We also had pink lemonade- and no I didn't make it. It was Newman's Own. I made it look special by slicing lemons the night before and just putting them in the container.

6. Pick an Activity - This will keep the kids occupied and focussed. We did a photo station. I got some cheap props like feather boas, a top hat, and some tiaras. Things like art projects for younger kids or physical activities work well for older children.

7. Discount shop- The following places are great for party supplies at a discount. Ultimately, its all about the editing. Just because it doesn't cost a lot doesn't mean it has to look that way. 

  • Amazing Savings (NY/NJ area) but good Dollar Stores will do the trick too 
  • Party City
  • jcp.com - They have these new Martha (Stewart) Celebrations section on their website. The parties are color-coded and idiot-proof. You can buy a piece of a party or all of it. Genius!!

Smooches,
Chicbusymom
Instagram & Twitter: @chicbusymom








1 comment :

PhotoStory Collections said...

This looks like a little diva's DREAM! Love the idea of her own bday hashtag. I might steal that instagram idea!