For Saint Patrick's Day this year, I happened to be watching my nephew that day so I decided to throw a kid's party for him and a few of our little friends. It was a last minute decision where I reached out to two of my friends with children to come over. Only having a few days to plan, I wanted the party to be simple yet festive as well as kid friendly.
This was a new creative challenge for me as I have never hosted a kid party before. I wanted the theme to be pretty but I also wanted to use items that the kids could put their hands on. I don't mind as much putting out my everyday party dishes but I try to add as little stress as possible to parents that come into our home. Having their kid break something makes for a terrible feeling even if I do not mind.
I started my theme with shamrock paper straws and picking out my most spring themed plastic plates. I have about 20 colorful plastic plates that we use outside in the summer. They served to be a perfect fit for a spring time kids tablescape.
I also wanted to plan a craft for the kids that was Saint Patrick's Day themed. I found a cute idea online to paint hearts and then form into a three leaf clover.
Because I knew we would be painting I wanted to protect the table but not use my regular table cloths. I ended up spying this green and white striped wrapping paper at Marshall's which added an extra touch of green but not too greeny. It feels more like spring to me and was the perfect graphic backdrop to the table. Plus when it got paint on it, into the trash it went! Using acrylic paint also put me at ease that any paint that did happen to get on the small parts of the table showing, I could easily wipe off later. I figure if I plan for messes and spills, the less stressful the party has to be.
I continued my simple but pretty party mentality with using just a few touches of Saint Patrick's Day with my already existing table wears. My Saint Patrick's Day decor shares a box with Easter and is literally three plates and the felt shamrock banner. I loved that the table came together with the theme so easily without requiring me to buy more themed decor.
By then paying attention to small edible details like green frosting on the cupcakes and rainbow colored goldfish, I had a wonderfully themed table without a lot of extra work.
Though the party was for Saint Patrick's Day, I see this same party throwing theory applicable to Easter, spring, summer, or any type of color or rainbow themed event.
Napkins and paper straws are the only disposables I keep around. They add a touch of color and pattern in an easy way.
I kept the food easy as children usually do not need much. I figured fruit, goldfish, and cheese sticks would keep the kiddos happy and balance out the sugar. Plus I like to keep things fairly healthy but still tasty for the mommas.
The shamrock banner I made years ago when I tested the waters with having an Etsy shop. I don't usually decorate for this holiday but cannot quite get myself to get rid of it knowing how much time and love I put into making it. I was grateful to have a chance to hang it up this year.
Our other planned activity was to roll out and cut sugar cookies. I pulled out my spring cookie cutters...and I am pretty sure this is the first time I have ever used the shamrock one! Finishing the cookies off with m&m's made for extra yummy treats.
I also printed out coloring pages as an activity back up.
The kids got colorful plastic cups while the moms got mason jars and tea cups for coffee and tea.
And when my nephew arrived for the morning, let's just say he was pretty into it all!
He even let me set up the tripod to take a couple of pictures together!
When our friends started to arrive, the fun just kept on continuing. He would stand at the door and say, "Welcome to my party!"
Helping out with a "smile"!
How cute are all these little girls...I die.
Little stuffed animal friends also joined us at the table.
After coloring and snacking we started the sugar cookies. This was a hit and provided plenty of opportunities in sharing!
After that we painted our shamrock craft.
And enjoyed our cookies right out of the oven.
The morning would not be complete without a group kid shot. How cute are they!?
The party was a success but I will admit I needed a nap as well when everyone went home! It was a whole new dynamic managing activities and kids but I was glad to get the experience under my belt. I loved being challenged creatively and getting a taste of what hosting a kids party was like. But I also have a tendency to want to include everyone and so by having a small intimate gathering proved to be just the right amount of fun and chaos for the level of comfort I have in my own home!
Now I understand why I was only allowed to invite two friends to things and why park parties are awesome! Oh motherhood, so much I have yet to experience!
