Valentine’s Day Party for Kids

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This Valentine’s Day party is simple, and a bright dose of yellow sunshine in the middle of a snowy, cold winter. It’s just what we needed, and it’s just what our kids needed to celebrate love this Valentine’s Day. Love comes in all shapes and forms, and we try to teach and show them what love means everyday. Love for themselves and love for others.

As you know, it’s wonderful when the sibling bickering subsides and they can hug, kiss and play with one another. We captured it on camera, so next time they are fighting, we can remind them how much they love each other.

Banana’s For You stemmed from a recent find similar to those Silly Bandz we were obsessed with in 2010. The tiny banana bracelets are going to be our kids Valentine’s this year, but we wanted to have a little extra fun at home, too. It was an everything banana party, including the color yellow, banana ice cream, banana cut-out details, and banana bracelets.

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Materials:

Directions:

  • Cut out the letters for Banana’s For You. We used our amazing Silhouette to cut out the letters, bananas, hearts and arrows.

bananas-for-you-yellow-valentines-day-party-kid-birthday-hearts This Valentine's Day party is simple, and a bright dose of yellow sunshine in the middle of a snowy, cold winter. It's just what we needed, and it's just what our kids needed to celebrate love this Valentine's Day. Love comes in all shapes and forms, and we try to teach them what love means everyday. Love for themselves and love for others. It's wonderful when the sibling bickering subsides and they can hug, kiss and play with one another.  We captured it on camera, so next time they are fighting, we can remind them how much they love each other.  Banana's For You stemmed from a recent find similar to those Silly Bandz we were obsessed with. The tiny banana bracelets are going to be our kids Valentine's this year, but we wanted to have a little extra fun at home, too. It was everything banana, including the color yellow, banana ice cream, banana cut-out details, and banana bracelets.  bananas-for-you-yellow-valentines-day-party-kid-birthday-silly-bandz  Materials:  Astrobrights Paper, yellow and pink yellow washi tape banana bracelets X-acto knife Double-sided tape bowls or ice cream pint containers Directions:  Cut out the letters for Banana's For You. We used our amazing Silhouette Electronic cutting tool to cut out the letters, bananas, hearts and arrows. bananas-for-you-yellow-valentines-day-party-kid-birthday-hearts  Find a wall and use washi tape to hang the letter and bananas. bananas-for-you-yellow-valentines-day-party-kid-birthday-hearts-cupids-arrow     bananas-for-you-kid-party-valentines-day-diy-yellow-banana-pink-hearts  For the placemats, trace a banana on yellow paper with a black sharpie. Fill in the ends and lines in the middle with black marker. Use an X-acto knife to cut the side of the top-half of the banana and the line down the middle, half-way down. This will be the 'peel' effect. Place double-sided tape on all 4 corners and tape to a sheet of pink paper. Draw the name of the child on the pink paper under the banana peel, and add the words PEEL ME on top of the banana peel. banana-peel-me-placemat-kid-party  banana-peel-me-placemat-kid-party  banana-peel-me-placemat-kid-party-ice-cream-pint  banana-peel-me-placemat-kid-party  Glue or tape the small size bananas and mini hearts on the lid of the pint container. banana-peel-me-placemat-kid-party-silly-bandz-banana-ice-cream-pint  Make banana ice cream. Follow this recipe. It's amazing - frozen banana's blended in a food processor literally makes ice cream. Fill a bowl with toppings so the kids can their chocolate fix. banana-chocolate-ice-cream-party-yellow-bananas-for-you  Serve and par-tay. ice-cream-valentines-party-bananas-for-you-yellow-hearts  ice-cream-valentines-party-bananas-for-you-yellow-hearts  ice-cream-valentines-party-bananas-for-you-yellow-hearts  ice-cream-valentines-party-bananas-for-you-yellow-heartsice-cream-valentines-party-bananas-for-you-yellow-hearts

  • Find a wall and use washi tape to hang the letter and bananas.

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  • For the placemats, trace a banana on yellow paper with a black sharpie. Fill in the ends and lines in the middle with black marker. Use an X-acto knife to cut the side of the top-half of the banana and the line down the middle, half-way down. This will be the ‘peel’ effect. Place double-sided tape on all 4 corners and tape to a sheet of pink paper. Draw the name of the child on the pink paper under the banana peel, and add the words PEEL ME on top of the banana peel.

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banana-peel-me-placemat-kid-party-ice-cream-pint

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  • Glue or tape the small bananas and mini hearts on the lid of the pint container.

banana-peel-me-placemat-kid-party-silly-bandz-banana-ice-cream-pint

  • Make banana ice cream. Follow this recipe. It’s amazing – frozen banana’s blended in a food processor literally makes ice cream.
  • Fill a bowl with yummy toppings so the kids can their chocolate fix.

banana-chocolate-ice-cream-party-yellow-bananas-for-you

  • Serve and par-tay.

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ice-cream-valentines-party-bananas-for-you-yellow-hearts

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If you loved this, you’re going to love these IG feeds:
@astrobrights
@silhouetteamerica
@jsorelle3
@mustardgifts

 

Circus Party for Kids

May I just say, Tinsley is a lucky little lady to have a birthday party like this! And, her outfit was the icing on the cupcakes! Tinsley, does that dress come in my size? She’s simply adorable.

Her 4th birthday celebration was transformed into a magical circus complete with carnival games and prizes, animals, balloons, clowns and red stripes. The decor elements are just like the circus I remember as a kid – but this one is cuter!

If you loved going to the circus when you were a kid, these photos will bring a big smile to your face.

A big thank you to Scott James Photography for sharing the photos with us!

VENDOR LOVE

Photography: Scott James Photography
Event planner/decor/floral/linens: Soiree
Cake: Gateaux Bakery

{images via Scott James Photography}

Kids Carnival Party Ideas

Jennings King Photography captured this colorful, carnival themed birthday party in Meggett, South Carolina.

Thank you, Alison, for sharing your fun DIY party details with us!

Thankfully, I come from a DIY family! My mom and my aunt made all of my ideas come to life.We went with vibrant carnival colors – red, aqua and yellow. We had a carnival game room for the kids to win tickets and pick out prizes. Most of the games only cost us a few dollars to put together – using colorful wrapping paper and soda bottles for the ‘Straight Shot” and “Ring Toss” and we painted an ocean scene on a sheet for “Go Fishing”. The kids had a blast winning their tickets and left with their bags full of prizes, mostly from the Dollar Tree, Oriental Trading and Party City.

Games, prizes, popcorn, cotton candy, balloon animals, pony rides, a jumping castle – we wanted it all!

 

 


In lieu of gifts, we asked for donations to our local Ronald McDonald House and we were able to raise $710.00 for their charity! I ordered personalized fortune cookies that we hand dipped in two types of chocolate and then rolled in sprinkles…inside each cookie was a Thank You message for their donations.

‘Carnaval De Emery’ was a huge hit!

{images via Jennings King Photography}

mad hatter tea party

We’re MAD about these photos from this Mad Hatter’s tea party
…and we know you will be, too!

Two hundred guests donned their best hat and garden party attire on Sunday June 10th for Lund’s 3rd Annual Mad Hatter’s Tea & Bubbly in South Burlington, Vermont, where everyone got to be a kid for a few hours and help support Lund’s work. 

It was an afternoon of mayhem and merriment filled with scones, fresh berries, tea sandwiches, pastries, tea from around the world, champagne and more.
Festivities included a treasure hunt, musical toad stools, face painting, hat making and croquet. The most original hats won prizes.

The event helped raise more than $23,000 to support Lund’s programs that strengthen children and families across Vermont. With more than 122 years of experience, Lund annually serves more than 5,000 children and family members.
Lund’s work focuses on three goals: strengthening families, reducing child abuse and neglect, and helping to create new families through adoption. Its mission is to help children thrive by serving families with children, pregnant or parenting teens and young adults, and adoptive families.

VENDOR LOVE

Photographer:  Cat Cutillo Photography, catc@lundvt.org 
Event Designer:  Liquid Studio
Bakery:  Birchgrove Baking

{images via Cat Cutillo Photography}