Liv's 3rd Birthday

This is one of my favorite parties I have styled to date! It was for my daughter’s 3rd birthday which makes it special since she now has opinions about her parties and the venue was at her favorite place…an adorable farm we’ve been visiting since she was one. I, or rather my daughter, chose the “Down on the Farm” theme by default. My husband’s only request was that it not be too over the top…easy for him to say;) Nonetheless, I agreed so the challenge was to find ways to create an understated Perfect Little Party. The venue made the decor and entertainment pretty easy as they supplied the farm animals, pony rides, hay bales, etc…I really just had to put the finishing touches on an already perfect setting! Decor-wise, my inspiration came entirely from my daughter, she loves animals and would probably live on this farm if she could so I figured I couldn’t go wrong as long as there were lots of farm animals AND delicious treats, of course. I went with a red and turquoise color scheme because I love this combination and it’s not girly which my daughter is not. I wanted it to have a rustic feel so I used galvanized serve ware and weathered crates for the display items. I usually set up as much as I can the day before so I can just enjoy the day of but I had to keep everything simple since the venue only allowed about 45 minutes the morning of for set up.

I had to get creative so I could stay on budget without compromising style...For the favors, I found farm animal paddle ball games on Amazon for about $.75 each (which happens to be my daughter's favorite toy right now) and tied on adorable thank you tags (made last minute by Simply aMayzing Sweets...LOVE her!) with red gingham and turquoise ric rac ribbon. The tags were seriously amazing and read “Thank Moo for Making my Party Oinktastic” Another Amazon find were the farm animal foil walkers and latex balloons where you apply animal faces yourself, both were a huge hit! A few tears may have been shed by the kiddos who didn’t take one home:)

As usual, the dessert table was my favorite part to style...I ordered plain vanilla cupcakes from our local bakery for $1.25 each and found the adorable cupcake toppers on Etsy...making them almost too cute to eat! I had to include the apples as a healthy option and surprisingly, with all the sugary treats, there wasn't one left. The mini pie pops were the perfect addition to the table and my splurge was the farm animal tub I displayed them in. I found it on Etsy only a week before her party and Brodder's Tubs got it to me just in time! I can't forget the adorable burlap banner stamped with farm animals I used as a backdrop made by ALifeSoSimple. I thought the front of the table needed something so I decided to make a fabric garland with the extra material I had the night before the and it turned out really cute. Last, but not least were the farm animals I found for 50% off at Micheals that were grazing about the table.

Guests enjoyed BBQ and barnyard themed treats. Kiddos got unlimited pony rides and the animals had their fill of carrots and “cookies”…everyone had a great time which is always my measure of success. My daughter is still talking about her “Farm Party” which puts a smile on this party styling mama’s face:)

• What People Ate

  BBQ: Pulled Pork Sliders Beef Brisket Hot Dogs Mac n Cheese Corn Bread Muffins Cole Slaw Cesar Salad

• What People Drank

  Honest Juice Bags Water Mimosas Bloody Mary's Horizon Milk Boxes

• Desserts

  Pink Champagne & Vanilla Cake-pops Vanilla Cupcakes Apple & Cherry Pie Pops Apples

• Party Favors

  Farm Animal Paddle Ball Games

• Activities / Games

  Pony Rides "Cookies" to feed farm animals Guinea Pigs & Bunny

• Where the Green Grass Grows Designs http://wherethegreengrassgrowsdesigns.com/

  Graphic Designer

  Andrea is amazing! I just tell her what I'm thinking and she creates exactly what I have in mind every time.

• A Life So Simple https://www.etsy.com/shop/alifesosimple?ref=shop_sugg

  Designer

  A Life So Simple made the adorable burlap banner stamped with farm animals. Excellent work with a fast turnaround!

• Simply aMayzing Sweets

  Cake Pops & Graphic Design

  I cannot say enough about Maybelyn...she is sooo extremely talented! Not only does she make the most delicious cake-pops but they are adorable! Not to mention she does custom tags for free. I forgot to order my favor tags and I noticed last minute and she was happy to make them for me to match the tags she designed for the cake-pops. She is truly amazing!!!

• Brodder's Tubs https://www.etsy.com/shop/BroddersTubs?ref=l2-shopheader-name

  Designer

  Brodder's Tubs has the most adorable designs and the turnaround time is fast.

• Luli Sweet Shop https://www.etsy.com/transaction/263300618

  Cupcake Topper

  Luli Sweet Shop made the adorable cupcake toppers and they were delivered in plenty of time for my event.

• Marisa Cook Photography

  Photograper

  Marisa is not only talented but great to work with. She took the sweetest pics of my daughter for her birthday and really captured our special day.