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Natalie Robles is our Guest Party Blogger today. She is the founder and CEO of (Children’s Event Organizer) of Little Shindigs, in Los Angeles, California. Her company specializes in custom parties for kids. Be sure to check out Natalie’s blog by the same name, Little Shindigs. (A blog dedicated to inspire creative and detailed children’s parties)
Welcome Natalie!
I’m a children’s party planner. My son and daughter’s parties are most of the time considered over the top. I justify it by claiming that if I was a dentist, they would have perfect teeth!
However, in all honesty, over the top has never meant over budget. I strongly believe that a kid’s party can be detailed, creative, and fun with a very small budget as long as you are clever and make an effort to be resourceful.
For example, my daughter’s 3rd birthday party. We decided to host a Circus bash. We were inviting both boys and girls of different ages and we thought this could go over really well with our group. This is how we pulled it off for peanuts.
Invitations- (home made) I bought some generic white stock paper, got a little savvy with photo shop, and designed a Clown invitation announcing the Big Top was coming to town.
Decor-I visited the local fabric store for fun and colorful fabrics. The venue for the party provided white linens and I knew I wanted lots and lots of color so I made quick and easy table runners out of inexpensive fabrics. I even had extra fabric to place around the buffet and cake table.
For centerpieces, I covered small boxes with colorful and inexpensive scrap paper. Then I went through the kids toys to come up with a few circus acts. In all, we managed to have a juggler, a lion in a ring of fire, an elephant balancing on a ball, and a couple of monkeys. You would be surprised at what you can make with a glue gun and the stuff laying around your house. I also asked my balloon artist friend to put a few things together for us (Okay! I do have some perks for being in the industry but this is still about being resourceful…more on that later.)
Menu-With so many things to do at the party I wanted to make sure we only offered pick up food. There was no need for a full course lunch.
Activities/Entertainment-(okay back to being resourceful) there are great kids’ entertainment companies out there, from clowns to puppet shows. You name it and it’s out there. However they can sometimes be costly. We splurged on a Magic Show- it was the main event but I (Miss. Resourceful) asked my sister to dress up as a clown. She entertained the kids and posed for pictures. She also helped gather everyone when it was time for that Magic Show.
Goodies/Favors- We made a concession tray out of an old box, craft paper, and ribbon offering all your circus treats (cotton candy, circus peanuts, and pop corn). All the kids received clown hats, pin wheels, clown noses, and animal crackers. They were also treated to face painting and balloon animals.
All in all it was a fabulous Little Shindig. Everyone had an amazing time and we have great pictures to prove it. Was it over the top? Well maybe just a little…but it was under budget!
Next time you are planning your kid’s party, don’t let the budget limit you. If you are clever and resourceful I guarantee your party will look like it broke the piggy bank.
Good Luck & Party on!
