Vintage Circus Birthday Party

when the girls asked for a circus birthday party last year, i got so excited.  how much fun was this going to be!  vintage circus with a girly twist.  i envisioned lots of red, hot pink and turquoise, tutus, ribbon and anything and everything frilly!  Polka daises created the most adorable dresses and those became my inspiration for this party.

i had a lot of ideas and asked jess from party box design to help me with my vision.  she created an adorable invite that set the theme for the party.  this was to be a true circus extravaganza!
kory of b chase photography captured all the special moments and took the most amazing pictures.

to highlight the area where the birthday girls would sit i tied LOTS of ribbons and added a mini pompom to their chairs.  the ribbons were a mixture of satin, organza and grosgrain and all different widths.  it was adorable!

the dessert table was so much fun to create!   i used a remnant of blue/white polka dot fabric that i found at IKEA.  if you have never shopped there, put it on your list.  they have really heavy duty fabric at amazing prices.  i covered that with a pink tablecloth and pulled up the sides with ribbon to create the ballooned look of a circus tent.  i created a fabric backdrop with paper mache letters that i spray painted turquoise to say the word "CIRCUS".   on the white wall behind the table, i hung ruffled streamers made by the true superchick herself, genevieve.

the treats were so yummy!  allyson jane made the tent sugar cookies and trust me, they were just as cute as they were beautiful.  she also scanned the party circles i created and made cookies with those too.  sweeties by kim provided the polka dot chocolate covered oreos and the oreo pops.  these were such a hit with the little ones.   i made popcorn cupcakes for the table and our babysitter, marissa made each one of the birthday girls their own personal XL cupcake that we decorated with a mini bunting with their names on it.   we had lots of pink and turquoise candy in glass jars from my favorite store, Home Goods and even had some taffy wands from kate landers.   caramel apples were devoured early on in the party!

each one of the guests picked up a white gable box when they entered the party.  it was full of all kinds of circus treats and tickets to play games at all the booths.  when they "won" the games, they received a gold coin which they could later turn in for a prize of their choice.  the kids had the chance to play lots of games, ring toss, bean bag toss, stryker just to name a few.  we had a spin art station that they could paint and of course, the bounce house!  i didn't want to be that parent who sent home kids with a live goldfish, so i made goldfish soaps to hand out as prizes when they played the ping pong toss.  we had a photo booth that i made from foam board and some whimsical polka dot fabric.  i had a basket with lots of props to dress up.  it was a hit!  i think everyone, young and old LOVED getting their face painted by Shari, she did an amazing job!

we served true circus food, hot dogs and pizza!  i decorated the water bottles with adorable labels from charlotte at the paper cupcake.  if you are a local, pizza was from GT pizza, YUMMY!  i found the glass  bottles of coke and stuck turquoise/white and hot pink/white paper straws in each one.  we had a popcorn machine and even cotton candy going during the entire party.

i wrapped the kids table in turquoise and white wrapping paper and decorated each one with a popcorn centerpiece.  the adult tables had clear glass vases that i wrapped with tickets and stuffed full of bright pink carnations.   cute idea from party box design that added so much pop to the tables!

this party was many months in the making!  i could not have done it without the help of many fabulous ladies.  thanks so much!  it was busy, but so worth it to see the smiles on all the kids faces and how happy it made my three beautiful birthday girls.

Vendor Credits:
Invites, Ideas and Inspiration:  Party Box Design
Party Circles, Signs and Banner:  Cupcakes and Lemonade
Taffy Wands:  Kate Landers Events
Sugar Cookies:  Allyson Jane
Oreos and Oreo Pops:  Sweeties by Kim
Ruffled Streamers:  Celebrate Today the Superchick Way
Water Bottle Labels:  The Paper Cupcake
Face Painting: Shari Kramer
Photography:  B Chase Photography
Birthday girls dresses:  Polka Daisies