Sylvie turns two part two

Planning a birthday party

This year we will be traveling over Sylvie’s birthday and spending the day with my parents and Sylvie’s cousins. I still wanted to give her a party at home with all her friends we celebrated early. Here’s the rundown!!

I opted for a loosely “animal” theme because I found some cute Meri Meri decor that I liked. You can also purchase them individually and not as a set. Paperless post has a matching evite which we also used.

For food we put together a crudités board courtesy of our local farmers market and I baked a cake using the recipe from Mina Stone’s Lemon, Love & Olive Oil, with a dairy free pastry cream center as well as some banana mini muffins (recipe from BUTTER CLUB). We also got tacos for dinner because the party went until 7.

In regards to activities… I put out Sylvie’s painting easel with some paints (and wipes next to it), her play tent, mini bikes (we don’t have this but..cute), some *light* climbing equipment, bubble machine (best $20 ever spent) and blankets to sit around on. I deeply considered getting a parachute but that will be saved in the archives for a party down the line.

The special guest were these mini ponies from Betty’s Party Ponies (message me if you want her number). I also considered a petting zoo from Reptacular Animals Ranch (the name is deceiving as it is not reptile specific…) but I asked Sylvie if she preferred horses or bunnies and the answer was resounding and consistently horses. I really like the idea of having one ~unexpected element~. This could be a small petting zoo, face painting, bounce house, live music component (mariachis or steel drum would be my selection here). My sister always gets Disney princesses at her children’s parties and it goes down like a treat.

Party favors are a special beast and I’m really not into buying or giving out junk from a financial perspective or an environmental one but the kids do love a party bag and I want to give the people (kids) what they want! I got these plain wooden peg dolls that could be fun to decorate at home and paired with these non toxic paints. Also these animal figurines which are plastic but I think will actually get used. Stickers never fail to please. I also like the idea of getting a shovel and spade and wildflower seeds (thanks Meghan Markle) but maybe when Sylvie is a bit older.

We also hung these Meri Meri lanterns and the Liberty collaboration ones (which seem to be sold out), as well as some bunting. Even though a lot of this stuff is “disposable” aka paper it can be reused for years as long as you store it safely. If this reads like an ad for Meri Meri it’s because it is (an unpaid one). They are the golden standard for decor and the next best option if you aren’t making everything yourself.

I used a playlist I made with all of Sylvie’s favorite songs (intentionally omitted the kids songs…) which I highly recommend because she loved it and now I get to keep that forever.