REAL PARTIES: Little Miss Birthday

Get ready for a dose of “Real Party” inspiration that’s pretty much beyond adorable… just like the pint-sized guest of honor!

Created by mom/hostess Jess Newman for her daughter’s 3rd birthday, this “Little Miss Birthday” theme would be fun for older girls too! Read on for all the details behind this perfectly sweet & sassy celebration, as told by Jess herself…

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Ready…Set…Party!  Little Miss Avery’s 3rd Birthday

“I have to say that I obsess a bit about my kids parties. Not obsess in the way I have to have the best or anything over the top, but obsess meaning that as soon as one is over I start thinking about what I will do for next year’s party.

That sure came in handy this year when I found this Little Miss Birthday shirt at Gap Kids last spring. Although my daughter’s 3rd birthday party was 9 months away I knew it was perfect because we’ve called her Little Miss Avery since she was born, so I bought it on the spot. I am not one to be into theming a party around licensed characters, so I decided to make Avery herself the character for the party so that I didn’t have to put the actual Little Miss Birthday logo all over everything.

After finding the perfect coordinating pieces for her outfit (tutu instructions and supplies from Angel Babes Tutus) and leg warmers from Crawler Covers & More, I drew a picture of Avery for the invitation and then let the hot pink, orange, and purple in the shirt and the argyle on her leg warmers become my focus for decorating inspiration.

I used the Roger Hargreaves’ book of the same name as a guest book for everyone to sign.

Since my sister’s and Avery’s birthdays are only 2 days apart I got her her own matching shirt and used a picture of the two of them wearing their shirts for a centerpiece as well.

I purchased plates from platesandnapkins.com, bought bulk jelly beans (you can get them in ANY color) from Super Target, and served strawberry, grape, and orange Fanta to our guests using that color palette. The rest of the food was a buffet of family favorite shredded beef sandwiches and various salads.

My friend Tracie is responsible for all of my adorable (and even more importantly de-lish!) cakes, that are as much decor as they are dessert.

I made most of the decorations myself, but enlisted the help of my friend Rachel from *golden* help me design and then make a table runner, which I kept moving around during the party depending on where it was best suited to give that pop of color.

It is important to me to have the parties in our home so that the kids look back and see familiar places that bring back happy memories of their childhood.  Although the party decorations don’t always match perfectly to my home decor, it is nice to have lots of toys and activities for the brood of children (all under age 5) that attend the party.  We had a wonderful day with family and friends…now on to dreaming of the next party!”

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Thanks for the inspiration, Jess!

Note: Jess’s creative work can also be seen in the Modern Circus Soiree first birthday party we featured last year. Be sure to check out the Polkadots & Pirates etsy shop to check out more of her party designs!