Birthday Bash with the Besties

After all the cleaning and preparing, the party is finally under way and the girls sound like they are really enjoying themselves.  I'm not usually much of a party planner, but I was inspired by the Marth Stewart Magazine to be creative with party favors and snacks.

That led to decorating. We used the tissue paper flowers that we made almost two years ago while "visiting" Mexico during our school year. I kept them in a basket on top of our bookshelf all this time, waiting for an opportunity to use them again!

Ignore the patriotic cupcake liners.  I couldn't find the white ones that I know I have somewhere!

A trick I learned back in the day as a Pampered Chef Consultant - place a bigger plate on bottom, a square bowl turned upside down as a pedastal, and a smaller plate on top.  Makes a great tiered stand! 

I had napkins on top, party favors in the middle and plates on the bottom.

The stand was decorated with a couple of the tissue paper flowers we made a couple years ago.

These favors were inspired by a Marth Stewart Magazine.

The umbrellas added a nice touch.

Balloons are always festive at a party.

Veggie snacks, inspired by Matha Stewart.  I found these small disposable plastic cups at a yard sale, brand new in the package.  With a little veggie dip in the bottom and cut veggies, I think they are adorable!  I placed them in a dish with ice to keep the dip chilled.  Most of the kids liked them. :)

Even the light fixture got a makeover for the party.

I just love using these tissue paper flowers to decorate!

The birthday girl (Emily) and her friends.

We couldn't resist buying this pink flamingo at the dollar store!

Emily and her friend decorated the stairs the day before the party.

And this is the happy girl who could hardly wait to have a sleepover party!

They've had a lot of fun playing with each other, jumping on the trampoline, and running through the sprinkler.  Despite the two bee stings that Emily took, she has had a fantastic party so far, and the girls seem to be getting along with each other really well.

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