Balloonless Kiddie Parties: THE BIRTHDAY BUNTINGS

Oh my, I feel so ashamed.

I haven't blogged here for more than a week! Been terribly busy lately... And my hands are now completely itching to tell you more about more fun party ideas. :)

Photo credits to Canon

BUT, I'll control my urges and concentrate first on telling you more about one of the most noble party decors that stood the test of time, and had evolved to adapt to the many demands of modern kiddie parties. - the BIRTHDAY BUNTINGS!

A.K.A birthday streamers, pennants, banners, and what-not, birthday buntings are those triangular-shaped (used to be just triangular, now, not anymore!) flaglets you hang on the walls or ceilings during any special celebration.

I'm pretty sure they've found their way into one of your own childhood parties way back.

Here in the Philippines we call them 'banderitas', and they've now evolved from just being plain-colored to character-themed. And of course, these banderitas are not only used during birthdays here, but also during local town fiestas.

Balloonless Kiddie Parties: THE PAPER PINWHEEL

I was pretty curious too....

What exactly is a pinwheel? According to www.freedictionary.com, it's: A toy consisting of vanes of colored paper or plastic pinned to a stick so that they revolve when blown on.

I don't think that gives enough of a visual, so here you go:

Photo credits to:http://rubberstamping.about.com

 
Pretty isn't it? That's a paper pinwheel (and I think they enhanced the plain purple paper through rubberstamping, coolness. :)). Now what does this little 'toy' have to do with parties?

I used to think these rotating vanes of color were just decorative items for the garden, or simply just toys for the kids (and kids at heart) that they can play with during the summer. But then again, my fellow kiddie partyholics found a better use for it... as party decor!

And when I did my usual online search for kiddie parties, I found how creatively they can be used! Here are a couple of pictures from Kara's Party Ideas:

Photo from Kara's Party Ideas. A variety of ways to use pinwheels! :)

Photo from Kara's Party Ideas. Pinwheels as cupcake toppers! :)

Photo from Kara's Party Ideas. Pinwheels for a baby boy's party! :)

Ok, just looking at these three pictures, you'll see the maaany ways you can use pinwheels to decorate your kiddo's party. :)

I believe the first picture was for a vintage-themed pinwheel party, and I'm just in love with the patterns and colors, as well as the really creative ways they used the pinwheels! :) They were used to decorate the cake and were also given away as a party favor. On the second photo, you'll find how they were ingeniously used as cupcake toppers. Simply pretty way of accenting such a yummy treat!

The third photo is from a little boy's party, and I adore the color scheme! Pinwheels were used as accents for the table of goodies. See? Even your little man's party can make use of pinwheels as party decor, it's just a matter of choosing the right patterns and colors.

Now how do you make these cute little 'head-turners'?

I have not yet 'perfected' making one (but I hope to do so soon), so I don't have the confidence yet to put up my own tutorial here....BUT, there's a lot of them online that's pretty easy to follow. :)

Here's one that I used: http://asubtlerevelry.com/a-pinwheel-tutorial-the-easiest-ever, and here's another one that's pretty easy too (and with more basic materials) - http://www.kidsgamesandcrafts.com/paper-crafts-for-kids-1.html

And since I got so carried away with my amazement at these things, here are some really great templates you can use so you can make pinwheels with that extra oomph! :)

http://heatherbailey.typepad.com/links/FlowerPinwheel.html - For pretty flower-like pinwheels. 
http://www.firstpalette.com/tool_box/printables/basicpinwheel.html - - For plain and printed (think butterflies, stripes, etc.) templates that you can edit using Gimp or Photoshop to put in some color before printing. :)

By the way, I made a couple of pinwheels a few days ago with leftover cardstock paper here at home. I'll make sure to make more once I get my hands on more materials. My little kiddo's thrilled by the idea already! :)

My first attempt on making pinwheels. :)

My number one fan loves 'em! :)

Go ahead and make yours now! Whether you're having a party or not, making these paper pinwheels make for some fun bonding with your family, and I'm pretty sure your little ones will have the time of their lives just making them turn and turn. :)

My next post is definitely something to look forward to as well as I'll be featuring: BIRTHDAY BUNTINGS/PAPER STREAMERS! :)

Balloon-less Kiddie Parties: THE PAPER POM-POM

When I think of kiddie parties, my head used to automatically conjure images of a balloon-filled venue with cake, an awesome spread of food, little kiddie chairs, and checkered tablecloth. My own kiddo's party venue (especially the first one) was decorated mainly with balloons.

I love how they add color to any space, and they just bring out that child-like glee in me (and I'm sure the kids go crazy about them too).

Based on my own experience, getting a balloon decorator's package would cost about 5000 to 6000 pesos for a basic, over-all venue decor package. This would usually include 'balloonderitas' or balloon drops, a pair of pillars, around 10 balloon centerpieces, and perhaps a simple cake arch. Short of the story is: it can get pretty pricey.

If you have 'magic hands' like most mommies (or daddies in my case), you can also do DIY balloon arrangements, and that will cut costs by half. :) But of course, it also means you have to double the effort. :)

The DIY Wonders of the Online World

It's been a really crazy week, this. But all fun just the same. :) I was able to put in a few hours of party prep 'work' (I wish I could do more of it, it's just so enjoyable!), and those are like the highlights of my every day. 

After weeks of browsing the awesome featured parties on Hostess with the Mostess, Kara's Party Ideas, and the Celebrations at Home blog, I began to wonder, how on earth do they get to do such extraordinarily amazing parties? How much does it cost? Do they have party planners? I have a list of questions that I would love to ask given the chance... :)

Based on what I've read from the party descriptions, some of them do have suppliers where they buy their stuff from, but I discovered that a lot of them...are proud DIY (do-it-yourself) projects!