Now that my little man is officially seven years old (!!!!!), I thought it was about time that I got around to writing about his “most favorite” birthday party (of course, that title is pretty much trasnferred every year).  We decided, like last year, to have his birthday about a month early so his friends from school would still be in town and could attend.  Oh, and there was the little matter of the surprise trip (which is the main reason I have neglected to write anything since early spring…my tech-savvy nine year old niece can find my blog on her own!!) that was taking place just before his actual birthday, which was this past Sunday.

So, come one, come all to Stitchy’s 7th Birthday Carnival!!

Pinterest and I started planning the birthday back in January.  About a month before the party, I put this digital save the date out on Facebook since quite a few of his guests’ parents are on there, and I wanted to make sure they were aware of the upcoming par-tay.  May is, apparently, quite the popular party time for this crew. The carnival admission tickets followed about two weeks later in Thursday folders for school friends and hand-delivered otherwise.

Party Day

Finally, after all the planning and shopping and blood, sweat and jellybeans, it was party day!! Now, let me start this off by saying that the days leading to his birthday party were a rainy, stormy mess!! My plan B really was not feasible with the amount of people attending the party, so I was crossing my fingers and any other appendage I could that we’d have a dry Saturday.

Even more stressful than that, though, was that our grampa was in the hospital. He was admitted the Monday before the party. We thought he’d be out in plenty of time for the party, but he just wasn’t where the doctors wanted him to be. He wanted to be at the party just as much as we all wanted him to be there, and by some miracle, he was discharged about an hour before the party started.

The rain, however, was not so agreeable. Ryan from Kid Zone arrived with the moon bounce, and he had just finished setting it up when the sky started spitting. I could feel the sweat starting as he was telling me what to do in case of a downpour (in case you’re wondering…get the kids out of the moon bounce and unplug and cover the generator). I told him it was in good hands, and we’d hope for the best.

Wouldn’t you know it, though, 11:00 hit, the clouds parted and the sun shone for his entire party!!

Moonbounce

It wouldn’t be a carnival without a bright bouncy house, and KidZone had a great deal for a moonbounce, snow cone machine and popcorn (supplies included!) that was perfect for our backyard carnival! To be honest, I probably could have rented a moon bounce and been done. It was definitely a hit with all of the kids, and the crew from Kid Zone almost had to drag them out of it when they arrived to pick up their equipment.

Guest Book

I love a photo book and adored the idea of using one as our party guest book. Not only was it a nice keepsake for Stitchy, but almost all of his guests were able to see themselves in the book!

Facepainting

I also happened to luck out with some very talented friends, one who offered up her services as a face painter!

Photo Ops

We also set up a faux-to booth which was just a cut of fabric on the wall with lots of fun props from the kids’ dress-up stash. In addition, we found an adorable cutout op at our local party store. You can find a similar one here on Amazon (affiliate link).

Games

In addition to the moonbounce, we had a few small carnival games where the kids could win prizes in lieu of a goody bag at the end of the party. All of the games were super low-maintenance, play-it-yourself carnival games. Of course, we had a duck game and added a ping pong ball toss, horseshoes and bean bag toss. See…ridiculously easy. If you want to make it a one-stop shop, grab this kit (affiliate link).

The prizes were located centrally in the yard and unmanned. The kids were great at playing a game before choosing and not swiping all of the prizes. So honest! There were plenty still at the end that the kids were able to add to their stash due to my keen sixth sense for Target clearance.  If you have the space for a bin somewhere in your garage or home office or whatever, it really pays off to grab all these cute little trinkets when they’re marked down.  The kiddos left the party with Batman pens, Cars and Disney Princess dry erase boards, water colors (thank you school supply clearance) and lots more items that can be put to use rather than end up in the crevices in the backseat of your soccer mom mobile with the petrified fries and half melted crayons.

Food

As mentioned earlier, KidZone also provided snow cone and popcorn machines with the moonbounce. Perfect complement to the theme!

Candy Buffet

Of course you need treats! Being the frugalista mama I am, I’d say 80% of this candy buffet was clearance candy from Easter. Such a fun and easy way to add some sweet to any soiree.

Cake

And sometimes the birthday boy doesn’t want an on theme cake, and that’s ok. Honestly, I’m betting his Star Wars pick cost me a lot less than a custom carnival cake would have. 😉

More Party Fun

It was a GREAT party thanks is HUGE part all the aunties and friends who helped out behind the scenes (like they do EVERY year!!). Stitchy and I are already scheming up next year’s party, and I can’t wait!!

Vendors

Jacobson House Native Art Center – Venue

Kid Zone – Moon Bounce, Snow Cone Machine, Popcorn Machine
Ryan Armstrong
405.313.3172

Channe Nicole Photography – Photography

VistaPrint – Photo Banner

Sam’s Club Bakery – Star Wars Cake and Cupcakes

Snapfish – Guestbook
I’m not a huge fan of Snapfish’s customer service as of the past year or so.  While they eventually may resolve the problem, there is a lot of miscommunication and misunderstanding when trying to access help.  I had a free credit for a photo book from Snapfish from Disney Movie Rewards, so I went with them on this one.

J.J. Bradford – Face painting