Simple & Sweet: Ella's Frozen Celebration...She's 6!!

Ella is 6!! Wow!! We celebrated the occasion with a Frozen themed birthday party a couple weeks ago and it was such a fun day! The party was made even more special by a visit from none other than the Queen and Princess of Arendelle, Elsa and Anna! Ella and her party guests had no clue that they would be coming to celebrate along with them so seeing their faces when Elsa and Anna walked through the door was priceless! The princesses treated them to story time, princess tattoos, makeup application and helped them make crafts. The party table helped set the mood complete with sparkling white lights and a stunning icicle cake!! It was a magical party for sure! Here are some highlights of the day :)

 The pretty party table that came to life with sparkling white lights!  They gave it such a magical feel!! The backdrop and table topper are actually curtains that I've had. The blue ruffle one was also used to create Halle's mermaid party. I'm all about reusing things in order to keep costs down.

The amazing cake created by my sister Daniah. She makes lots of goodies over at  Southern Rise Baking Co. Check her out if you need something delicious for a party or event!! For the topper of this cake I simply added the Frozen figurines, a snowflake ornament and some icicle beads. It really pulled  the whole table together!

These delicious frosted macarons were also made by Daniah. They were delicious!!

 "Do you want to build a snowman?" I made homemade corn syrup-free marshmallows using a recipe I found here. They were soft and delicious and perfect for building snowmen!

This snowman is ready to be eaten! He is made of marshmallow body, pretzel arms, mini chocolate chip eyes and a orange starburst "carrot" nose. They also had pearl nonpareils to make a mouth.

Sven's favorite...Olaf noses :)

These Frozen flower wands were a $1 find at Target's Dollar Spot. They were a perfect party gift!! Each guest also got to make an Elsa crown. I precut crowns from foam using this template and then they added snowflake foam stickers and sparkly jewels :)

A close-up of Elsa and Anna on the cake!

 Another view of the cake!

The party princess with her party table! That sass is all her own doing, lol! Oh my!!

"Let it Go!"

A simple snowscape added some magic to the dining table :)

I decorated the rooms with hanging snowflakes and white streamers to give the space a festive look on a small budget. The snowflakes are our own Christmas tree ornaments so they costed nothing to use.

SURPRISE!! Look who came to visit!!

Ella and Morgan don't even know what to think! They were all stunned! My niece actually hid, lol!

A photo bomb from Anna :)

Anna and Elsa signed autographs for each party guest!

Listening intently during story time as Elsa and Anna told their Frozen tale! The girls enjoyed joining in and were excited that they knew all the answers about the story! You could tell they were all huge fans of the movie!!

 Ella getting her lipgloss applied by Anna! Elsa applied her eyeshadow.

Kendyl is having her eyeshadow applied while Morgan anxiously awaits her turn for makeup!

Getting some special one on one time with Elsa and Anna. They asked her to come visit them in Arendelle. Ella is really hoping to go! Hmmm...

Ella and her cake!

Making a wish and blowing out her birthday candle!! This is an image I always take of each child on his/her birthday. It's a favorite of mine.

Making princess crowns with the help of Elsa and Anna!

Kendall is proud of her snowman creation! He was quickly eaten after the photo :)

Davis trying to pin the carrot nose onto Olaf! This was a fun game!

Ella taking her turn. I took a turn as well and was waaaayy off!!

Near then end of the party we turned Frozen on and let the girls sing and dance. Let it Go came on and it was incredibly cute watching the girls sing the song with ALL the motions. I think they've seen Frozen too many times lol!

Before Elsa and Anna headed back to Arendelle the posed for a few photos with the girls!

I'm pretty sure they all had a fabulous time at the party and won't soon forget their time with Elsa and Anna! I know Ella won't!!

Rustic Elegance: Halle's 8th Birthday, An Equestrian Affair

Halle turned 8 on the 6th of this month (gah!) and we celebrated with an equestrian themed party at the gorgeous stables where she rides. We got a foot of snow dumped on us a few days before the event so we pushed it back an extra day to make sure it wouldn't be a mess. Luckily the sun came out and the temperature held in the upper 40s so it was not too cold...yay!! It turned out to be a beautiful day and the party went off without a hitch (no pun extended!). Halle loved spending her special day with friends and family! Here are some details of the event.

Halle absolutely LOVED her party table!! She chose this theme right before last years mermaid party so I had a year to plan it. I actually don't really have a "plan" though when I create these displays...I just make everything I want to include and then show up on party day and just let the table come together as it happens. Kind of an organized chaos is how I roll!! It always falls into place :)

The beautiful ribbon cake was created, yet again, by my talented friend Rachel! She always knocks it out of the park! I added the little banner and pony to tie it into the theme!

The lovely equestrian party table. The riding stables made the perfect backdrop for the rustic yet elegant vibe I was going for! I made the wooden sign out of an old pallet I got for free from my local grocery store. With the help of my hubby we simply disassembled it, cut the pieces to size and screwed them back together with supports in the back. I found the vintage ribbons on etsy and ebay.

Halle and her buddy Smokey! He got a brand new "do" just in time to celebrate!!

 Another view of the party table. The tassel banner was a diy project. They are made from plastic tablecloths.

These macaroons were delicious, made courtesy of my sister over at Southern Rise Baking Co!! She recently started her baking business and makes all kinds of yummy baked goodies. You'll be seeing more from her in my future parties for sure! Be sure to visit her FB page and order something delicious!

"Wooden" straws! Found these on clearance at TJMaxx :)

We had several activities for the party guests to participate in between their pony rides. I made this ring toss out of old-timey soda bottles and some paint I had on hand. Simply paint a base color on each bottle and allow to dry. Then lightly brush a 2nd color over the top with small amounts of paint. This allows the color underneath to show through and the details of the bottle will be highlighted. No distressing needed with this method. I used a combination of latex and chalk paint. Both worked perfectly! Three were pink on blue and three were blue on pink. Then I wrapped embroidery hoops with fabric to make the rings! An easy-peasy project that was lots of fun!

The girls loved hanging out with the horses and ponies in the stables. Ella is getting a little nibble from Donikan in this photo!

I made each party guest a rosette ribbon out of ribbon and cardstock that was presented to her at the end of the party. Everyone received 1st prize but the guest of honor was Best in Show, of course!

The parting gifts were small mason jars filled with homemade caramel popcorn. I finished the look with fabric covered lids and tied with twine with an equestrian silhouette tag on a bit of burlap.

When riding time was over all of the guests grabbed the lead line to bring Smokey back to the stables! He is such a great little pony!

Buddies! I love how he's "hugging" her in this one!

A girl and her cake!!

Make it a good one!!

Another activity was pin the tail on the pony. I made the pony tails by tying yarn to various buttons and adding a little bit of tacky to the back.

Taking a swing at the boot piñata! This was a healthier version of the typical party piñata. It was filled with Yummy Earth Organic lollies, Annie's bunny snack packs, organic fruit leathers and cereal bars. 

They all piled on the hay bales for a group photo near the end of the party to show off their prizes! Everyone had a blast!

Here is Halle surrounded by her friends as she opens her gifts. She is reading a heartfelt letter from her cousin Sage.

Halle, Ella and their cousin Sage taking one last ride with Smokey before the sun set!

Southern C's Equestrian is a beautiful farm owned by a very sweet friend of mine. If you are local to the Summerfield, NC area you should definitely check them out!

The stables!

I just love this weathervane!

Smokey's new "do" included a sweet message for Halle!! She was so excited to see this! I'm pretty sure she could not have had a better time on her special day! Happy Birthday my sweet Halle Mae!! I love you to pieces!