Practically Perfect Planner has had the awesome opportunity to help people we love plan parties and events for the people they love too! We couldn’t be happier to help answer questions and create the “practically perfect” planned event for all the different events in all of our lives. Recently, one of our readers Maryann reached out to us about getting a little assistance for her daughter Daniela’s 1st birthday party. Daniela LOVES to be read to, so it seemed only natural to go with a “Bookworm” theme! It started off with a simple email with a couple of inspiration photos she found, including some favors, and a few cute ideas for wall-décor. She ended up making a few herself:
So, after checking out the ideas that Maryann sent over, we replied with some ideas of our own, which Maryann ran with. As a team, everything really came together:
Remember Important 3P tip: It doesn’t have to be exactly as you see it, make it your own.
They have cute stuffed worm animals in Dollar Tree. And all you have to do is tie them with a bow to books. If you want to dress it up either put a birthday hat on worm or tie balloons to it and use this as an anchor.
Maybe try and access a cute worm costume (that you can later use on her at party or for Halloween). Take Daniela’s picture in it and use this pic for invites and cake. Or on invite say ” Our favorite little Book Worm is turning One and you are invited to the Garden to party!” The Dr. Seuss idea is great for your story time.
Also in the picture of worm decor you sent, you can also put pics of guests with Daniela to make them feel apart of party. You could also get an inexpensive Happy Birthday Daniela cake from the grocery store and mount a cute stuffed worm toy on it. Add your own “pedestal” by using a short stack of books underneath the cake. This will add elevation, creating dimension for your table.
Your gummy worm gardens could also be the activity you want to do and you could set up an area where kids make their own depending on the kid’s ages? If they are too young pre making them is the best idea. If you’re still interested in doing a toddler play area, tie in garden items to make it work with your theme and use assorted stuffed animals of all sizes. You can tie flowers and birthday hats to animals to make them bright and festive. This play area is also a focus point, and adaptable for a story time or easy puppet show.
Hope this helps!!! This is so much fun!!!
Thanks
Brenda
Maryann ended up using some great ideas like the DIY bookworm wall art, and she also ribboned up some books for party favors.
We were also able to find some adorable bookworm stuffed animals, and we paired them with gift bags filled with gummy worms, and ribboned up with birthday ribbon and few coloring crayons. We purchased everything we needed for favors for less than about $3 per favor when we averaged it out. As guests arrived, they were encouraged to use the crayons to color in the coloring “Guest Book”, which was also saved after the party as a memento.
Maryann had a few small cakes of her own, and we also found a GREAT deal on a “book worm” made out of cake pops! They were $2 a pop, and looked SO cute on the birthday snack table. As we mentioned in our email to Maryann, we also set them on books to elevate things and give the table a little dimension, added a quick and easy tissue paper centerpiece behind it to make it pop, and to tie in all of the colors. Maryann made some adorable grape skewers that looked like little worms too!
These adorable cake-pops were made by Sweet Ruby Jane Confections. They have some incredible sweet treats. Check out their site here: http://stores.sweetrubyjane.com/
A few important 3P Basics we asked ahead of time once we had our Bookworm theme picked out, to keep everything moving along:
1. How many people are attending? – 20-25 people, 10 of which are children
2. Budget? – Minimal
3. Food to be Served? – Easy yet filling sandwich platters
4. Where is the party happening? Maryann’s home
What really personalized the party, was that Maryann also included personal photos of Daniela in her décor, so you knew it was Daniela’s day. We also loved her “giving back” spin that she put on things by including a “sock drive” where guests could donate socks to at-risk kids. She included some fun elements for the adults too like a coffee bar where everyone could make their own coffee just the way they like it. She set up a gift table in the kitchen, to keep the party area clear so everyone could sit down and talk while the party was getting underway.
Here’s what Maryann had to say about working with 3P!:
My daughters birthday was getting closer with every month and every month a new person would ask me “what are you doing for Daniela’s party and each time I would say “I have no idea.”
When I finally got 3P involved everything changed. Brenda pointed me in the right direction and gave me easy, affordable tips that helped me create the perfect party for my daughter. With less to worry about I had time to bake my daughters birthday cake from scratch and 50 cupcakes!
In my circle with of friends I’m the girl who doesn’t wear make up, doesn’t care for fashion, and I didn’t even plan my own wedding! So to have actually plan a birthday party it took all of my friends by surprise!
My daughter had a great birthday party and I as her mom also enjoyed celebrating her beautiful life with the people we love!
We had such a fun time helping Maryann’s vision come to life for Daniela’s party, and we know that it was a great experience for everyone that attended. Thanks for letting 3P participate, we loved being a part of Daniela’s celebration!
We’d love to hear about birthday ideas for the little ones in your life! Share some of your kids favorite birthdays, or if you have any questions for an upcoming birthday bash…send them our way!
