My daughter celebrated her 7th birthday last April 8. Since I knew early on that we were going to have a party (we consider 7th birthdays a milestone --- you know, 1st "grade", tooth fairies, real bikes, etc.; thus, the party), we started planning early. As in January. 3 months ahead. And in this order:
1. Date and Time
2. Venue
3. Theme
As soon as those 3 were determined, everything else fell into place: entertainer, menu, invitations, decors, and party favors. The last 3 are my favorites! I love all things crafty and so my brain was constantly wired with so much ideas (which kept changing on a daily basis, until about 1 week before the party =)). So much so that I forgot the most important aspect: Budget!!! Well...that's exactly where time becomes crucial. When you have a certain budget, having time to research for your party needs helps to control the expenses without sacrificing your envisioned outcome. When you have the privilege of time you have the opportunity to look at several options. 3 months in advance was enough for me.
Ysabella was born in April 8. This year, her birthday fell on Easter Sunday. That makes it easier to decide on a party date. We just had to be careful on the time because most families celebrate their own easter traditions so we picked 3pm to make sure easter brunches were over by the time the party began. For the theme, whatelse could have been more appropriate than Easter?!?
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| I made an Easter Tree (center) out of small branches and twigs painted in baby pink, decorated with paper and acrylic flowers and paper bunnies cut out of my Cricut. |
For the venue, we wanted something accessible and convenient to most if not everyone whom we invited. I checked out 3 halls here in Bayonne, and I picked the Polish-American Home which was spacious, affordable, convenient and has ample parking space.
The Pine Hall of the Polish-Amercian Home
in Bayonne, NJ
Soon after I reserved a venue, I searched for an entertainer. I knew we had to book early because they tend to have a very busy schedule. I found LiveItUpNJ, contacted them, and booked our party! Coincidentally, LiveItUpNJ is based out of Bayonne, and I thought that was convenient!
My husband helped with the menu planning which wasn't really hard. We just had to make sure there's food for both kids and grown-ups. I knew I wanted a Candy Buffet, so I planned for that as well.
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Candy jars ready to be filled with easter sweets. The Candy Buffet  and filled them with Fruit Loops to fill up little bellies. 
We also served popcorn for the picky eaters.
Popcorn boxes were also made out of Cricut.
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The invitations were handmade by yours truly. And so were the cupcake toppers, banners/pennants, and favor boxes. I love making things. Beautiful things. So I had fun going through all the details and putting them together. The party favors consisted of sweets, easter eggs filled with jelly beans, easter themed notepads, pencils, and coloring pages.
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| "7" favor boxes that were filled with French Macarons. The handles were attached later on. |
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| Favor boxes, popcorn boxes, all cut out using the Cricut Machine |
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| Some of the cupcake toppers I made with the help of Chris (hubby). |
For the decor, I made an Easter Tree for the buffet table as I have mentioned earlier, and banners/pennants that were hung by the buffet tables. Then of course there were the easter-colored balloons that put the party in a more festive mood.
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| One of the banners I created and hung over the Candy Buffet. |
Overall, the party planning went smoothly. Like I said, time is such an important factor. In my next post I'll show more photos of the Candy Buffet (which the kids went crazy for!) and some other random details about Ysabella's party. I will also share how I made the banners, fruit loop holders, popcorn boxes, and the party favor boxes. Until then, enjoy the hot springtime!
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