Party in the Club…House.
This. Was. My. Time. To. Shine.
The world was finally opening and just in time for Kamden’s 2nd birthday! This kiddo was absolutely feral for Mickey Mouse Clubhouse so it was a no brainer, that’s how we would celebrate! We included our immediate families and our closest closest friends. Luckily it was a nice day in May and we were able to set up some tables in the backyard to keep the germs at bay, but inside the house it was game on with the theme and I had the best time crafting for this one!
If I could give you a list of holy grail party planning tools that I have used OVER AND OVER AND OVER with party planning, it would always include three things. Cardstock and a home printer (don’t worry I have alternative hacks for you if you don’t have), a local dollar tree, balloon tower rods, an electric pump and a Cricut! This party was full of hacks and budget finds that made it look far more expensive than it truly was.
I did a lot of crafting but did buy a mickey mouse clubhouse themed décor pack from Amazon for under 10 bucks – it included a door hanger, some round fans, a mickey head banner, cake topper and more!
Signage
This is probably my favorite part of most parties. The details. Kamden’s welcome sign came from an Etsy file I bought for instant download that was under 5 dollars. I uploaded the design to Walgreens.com and used a half off coupon to make it like 15 bucks – I use this trick for every party I throw and its such a slamming deal that elevates every party.
One of my favorite party hacks is the power picture frames have in making things look so much higher end than they really are. I stock up on frames from the dollar tree and love having them on hand whenever they’re needed. For this party I made some cute signs in Paint (yes, in paint) and printed them at home before tossing them in frames and putting them out.
Balloon Towers
For this little project, I used my pillar rods that are made from two cheap lamp bases from Walmart. I cut the cords off and tossed the top of the lamp, so that I was left with only the weighted base and the hollow poles that screw into each other – I can use as two equal height pillars or I can make one shorter/taller etc. The customization is awesome, the lamps cost me about 9 bucks a pop and store great. For these towers, I went to my local dollar tree, bought a couple packs of black balloons and a few packs of mixed color balloons then bought two mickey head balloons on Amazon to top the towers. I used my electric balloon pump and got this done in no time at all.
Sweets!
I used all my connections for treats! My high school friend (shout out to Bailey) made some delicious sugar cookies in fun Disney shapes – I used one of my tiered trays (a wedding present) and a DIY cake stand that I made using a red bowl and black plate from the dollar tree to display as a super sweet focal point.
I couldn’t bring myself to spend money on a smash cake, so I bought mickey-colored sprinkles to use on my own cake and then I FORGOT TO MAKE A CAKE… Not to worry, the morning of his party, I went to a local Safeway and bought a small 5-dollar white cake. I scraped off some of the frosting and then pressed the sprinkles all over – topped it with the Amazon cake topper and a mickey head candle I spotted at Party City and voila! Cute and custom looking cake that is elevated on a porcelain cake pedestal that I got for free from my Buy Nothing group!
I had another friend from my pageant days (shout out to Julie) make these stunning cake pops and cupcakes – they were a crowd fave. I made cute toppers with my Cricut, some glue and some toothpicks! The food labels I also made in Word of all places and printed on cardstock to add a little more flair! I used some cute red trays from Dollar Tree and added a pop of color to the presentation for cheap.
Food:
In my opinion, there are a few things that make parties instantly look more high end and tablecloths are one of them, specifically, floor length tablecloths. We purchased a bunch for our wedding and continue to hold on to them. Another high-end add on is chafing dishes instead of the disposable options. Years ago, we bought some chafing dishes from a local cash and carry and use them endlessly – I highly recommend the investment!
We stayed on a theme with a hot dog bar and simple sides, everything prepackaged or individual servings from the wrapped hotdogs, bags of chips, condiment cups to avoid shared squeeze bottles (we were still in the thick of the Rona) and the sweets. I grabbed some colored napkins and silverware from the Dollar Tree and used my Cricut and some hot glue to make cute napkin rings.
Pro Tip: If you have guests with special dietary needs, find a way to include them! My mother-in-law and brother-in-law are both vegan and in today’s day and age it’s far simpler to find options in the grocery store. For under 15 bucks I was able to get vegan hot dogs, vegan buns and vegan break and bake cookies!
Kamden’s Razzle Dazzle Drip
Kam’s outfit was one of my favorites! I saw these super cute ripped up jeans with Mickey patches on Etsy, but they were so expensive that I decided to try at home to recreate! For his pants, I used a pair of jeans I already had, cut some holes and distressed the edges before using fabric glue to secure mickey fabric I found in a quilting patch size from Walmart for less than 5 bucks. I bought two baseball tees from a craft store and used my Cricut and iron on vinyl (that I already had) to make two birthday jerseys (and yes, I did need both because toddlers be messy).
Overall, this was the first big birthday I was able to throw my kiddo and it was so much fun. Yes, it may be extra and yes, he may not remember it, but we have so much fun looking back at pics and talking about it. I’ve always been so proud of where I’m able to cut corners and make things look so curated and elevated when in reality, your girl is Boujee on a budget.
XO,
Stefanie