Monday, August 29, 2016

Fairy Garden Party


Saturday was Ellie's birthday party.  She's turning nine this week, and I thought we were going to get away with no party this year.  She had previously said she wanted to just have a family trip to Hershey Park, but several months ago decided she actually did want a party.

Of course the type of party she wanted kept changing.  The algorithm seemed to be that she wanted whatever type of party she had just been to.  In order to break this vicious cycle, I decided I needed to take control of my own destiny.

My goal was to come up with something that could be done outside with a small group.  Fairy garden was one of the things that the girls had been playing consistently with an old birdhouse Ellie had.  They spent a lot of time in the spring setting up all sorts of landscapes, bridges, ponds, rivers, forests etc. around the birdhouse.  

I did some searching on Pinterest and found this party and off we went.  The other request Ellie had was not to have cake, but to make ice cream sundaes.  Done.


This was really manageable and easy to put together.  I'm guessing it cost, including the pizza/ice cream about $125-$150.  All the little houses were purchased at craft stores using 50% off coupons, same for most of the landscape decorations (little pebbles, shells, stones, etc.).  


The trays were kind of a splurge.  I got those from Home Depot for around $4.50, you could definitely get trays for much less, but I liked how sturdy those were and since we were keeping the party small I thought it was OK.  


We picked up some moss from the craft store, but most of the moss Ellie 'harvested' from our backyard and we picked up lots of bark on our walks with the dog.  That was actually Carina's idea, it was fun to see them getting into finding things for the party. 


We also found some things in my stash that could be used, like Maya Road wooden spools we used to make tables.

It was really fun to see how the girls personalized their houses and created landscapes and items like sinks for their houses.  All told, the process took about an hour.

Then there was eating, ice cream sundae making (these girls used up a whole canister of Whip Cream!), and gift opening.  (The ice cream sundae cups were a Michael's find, 50% off summer clearance, so $1 a piece and the girls got to take them home.)  It was really warm and sunny out, so I took pity on the girls and let them come inside to eat.  


Ellie was also involved in making the thank you notes.  I thought Lawn Fawn's Fairy Friends would be perfect for the party.  I'm linking this up to the Simon Says Stamp Summer Vacation Kids Challenge for her.  (Is it me, or does she look really old??!!!)


A great weekend for Ellie.  We're keeping the party going here as we're celebrating her actual birthday tomorrow, and then Carina's birthday this coming Saturday.  Now to get back to my paper mache....

18 comments:

  1. Awwwwwwww her house turned out adorable! What a great party theme!! This year will be Brookie's last birthday party ... and she wants a sleep over with 5 of her friends ... accepting prayers in advance! LOL!!

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  2. Brilliant! What fun the girls had, creating these darling fairy gardens! Thank you for the inspiration; definitely a theme to consider for my niece's birthday in March!
    Hugs~c

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  3. Happy birthday Ellie! What a great party idea to make fairy gardens and houses! Yours is beautiful and looks like your card! So happy you joined us in our Kids Summer challenge at Simon Says Stamp! hugs, maura

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  4. Happy Birthday, Ellie! I wish I'd been invited to your party - looks like a fantastic theme, and I know your friends had lots of fun! I love your house and its surroundings, and your thank you cards were the perfect choice to match your theme! I have really enjoyed seeing all these pictures - thanks so much for joining our Kid's Challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge!

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  5. Oh how fun!! I love the little fairy garden idea. Such a cute theme!!!

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  6. What a great looking party! I like the fairy garden theme and activity!!!

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  7. Looks like a successful theme party! Yay you!!!

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  8. I love hosting birthday parties for my boys, but I have to be honest, I would ADORE having a fairy house party! What a fantastic idea, Miriam! Love the trays you splurged on. So cute. And looks like you got lucky with the weather too.

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  9. Miriam, you throw the coolest parties! The girls must've been in heaven :o)

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  10. What a great party theme! Happy bday to Ellie! Love your idea of making a fairy house...really cute.

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  11. Gorgeous Birdhouse and Card Ellie! the little fairy garden looks fabulous with the bark, shells and embellishments and it looks like you had a lovely time making them with your friends! What a fabulous party that must have been! :-)
    Love your thank you card too, very cute :-)

    I am adding another link to the linky, as you made 2 things you can have 2 links :-)

    thanks for joining us on the Simon Says Stamp Kids Vacation Challenge
    luv
    Lols x x x

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  12. The party is SO amazing! You are such a great Mama, Miriam! I really miss hosting kids crafting birthday parties! And Ellie, your card and birdhouse are absolutely beautiful! The colros are so eye-catching! So glad that you join the fun over Simon Says Stamp “Summer Vacation: Kid’s Challenge” Challenge! Awesome details and design! Super work!

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  13. So fun! Love how they each came up with such different ideas! Can't wait to see the Death Star...

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  14. Wow, that is a great party theme!! I am sure they must have had super fun!! ELlie, your birdhouse and card are wonderful!! Thank you for joining the Simon Says Stamp Summer Vacation Kid's Challenge!!

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  15. You have the best ideas Miriam!
    What an awesome party this must have been!

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  16. Oh my word, Miriam! You have been busy and busy and busier. Plus, now you are the bus! wow! Happy Birthday to Ellie--she does look so much older. ack. Time flies. What an awesome party--again, I wish I was there. :) Fantastic idea and delightful results. so creative. Love Ellie's Card! Perfecto!! :)

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  17. Oh, my gosh! You're the best mom EVER! What a great party, Miriam! You're so much better than me ;).

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