Balloon Animals

I feel like balloon animals are vital for any circus themed birthday party.  Have I mentioned we are throwing a circus themed 4th birthday party :).

Anyways, I could have hired a professional to make balloon animals for the kids BUT  I am, admittedly cheap, so I took it as my personal mission to master this craft.

I headed to the party supply store and bought some special balloon animal balloons {the really long skinny balloons} and tried to blow them up...

Ok, that was a fail. I quickly realized, the pump they recommend isn't a suggestion based on convenience, it's a suggestion based on necessity.

So, if you too want to become a balloon animal making master, you'll need the following supplies:

And this handy instructional guide from about.com.

 My first try was a success.  Hurray!  A pretty pink puppy was born. 

Cockiness got in the way because my 2nd and 3rd attempt did not go so well.  By attempt 4, the pink puppy found true love...aren't they sweet?

In the end, I feel accomplished and proud {and as long as no one asks for a giraffe balloon animal, I'm good}.

I just might have to carry these supplies with me, at all times, there's no telling when they might come in handy.

Balloons = Party Location Theory

I remember watching the movie Stepmom while Julia Roberts, attempting to pick up her stepdaughter from a birthday party, is driving around frantically trying to figure out which house is the house. In a panic Julia calls their mom, Susan Sarandon who answers simply, find the house with the balloons and you've found the house.

I can relate to Julia Roberts in this scene because being a mom of a 3 year old, kids parties are still relatively new to me. Chances are this simply theory of balloons=party location might have eluded me. Plus, I have a TERRIBLE sense of direction and often find myself frantically lost.

Though I had balloons prepared, ready to flag down anyone well versed in the balloon=party location theory, I also added "Happy Birthday Grace" to our front of our risers on our front porch stairs. Thanks to my Silhouette and some black vinyl!

Not only did it eliminate the question 'is this the right house' for our guests but it also provided a great photo area.

Like many things, I didn't realize until after the fact, I hadn't taken a picture of just the birthday girl on her stairs. So the next day, with the promise of cupcakes, I had a willing participant and some great pictures to mark her 3rd birthday.