Eva's Birthday Party - part one

Soooo, I finally got the pictures back from Eva's party a few weeks ago. I'm so glad that I had a friend take pictures for me, because that day was seriously a blur. I was so busy hosting and comforting a cranky child that I didn't reach for my camera once. I had a high school friend come and take pictures - she did a FABULOUS job! and to top it off, she didn't charge me a dime. Sometimes it truly is all about who you know.

This first post is dedicated to decor and theme. I'll follow up with post(s) on the food/dessert and activities. Below is the invite that I had designed by Jenni from 9 designs. You'll remember this post, where I was super excited about winning a free design from her!


I knew I had to incorporate 'Diva' in the party/invite. Eva has such a strong personality and can be quite demanding at times. Almost from birth, she earned the nickname Eva the Diva. She also loves music, so we went with a jazzy/Diva theme. Jenni did a great job with the invite, and I think it was a perfect way to introduce the feel of the party to guests prior to that day. To save money, I actually sent them out via email. I also didn't want to print them at home because I didn't think they'd turn out too great on an inkjet printer. But I was pleasantly surprised that they looked fine (I printed a couple for my grandmas and one for a keepsake) I'll keep that in mind for next time.

Here is one of the table centerpieces:

In this post, I discussed alternatives to traditional poms. I love the way it turned out! I found the vase at Goodwill, and beneath it is a piece of scrapbook paper.

Here's the other centerpiece, with round flowers, as opposed to the pointy ones in the above picture.


Here's a full view of the table setup:


I wanted black & white in the table settings, but damask or printed paper plates can be pricey. To get around that I purchased black dessert plates and white dinner plates. This way, the leftovers can be used for future events as well. For a touch of yellow, I set out yellow forks at each setting.

The other full table setting:


This was above the food table:


That was the other use for the 'pom alternative'. I got the letter 'E' at Michael's in the $1 bin section.

Here is the monthly photos displayed at the party:


The purple fabric was purchased at Hobby Lobby in the scrap bin for around $1! I plan on using it to redecorate Eva's room when we move into our new apartment.

The birthday banner!


I created the letters in word (super easy!) printed them and cut them out. I then used the leftover cupcake wrappers as spacers. They are all hung together using fishing line that was taped to the wall.

And lastly, the favor bags:


I created the tags in word, using the birthday banner letters as a template. I printed them off, cut them out and then used double-sided tape to attach them to the bags. The bags were purchased at a party store in Texas. I should have gotten a picture of the contents, but they were mini instruments: a maraca, harmonica and horn. The kids loved them!

Coming up...the food and dessert tables and party activities!