A Sweet Candyland Birthday
June 29, 2011 by alysha
So, I’m a tad bit late in posting this. 10 months to be exact. (Eek!) And our little birthday girl is almost TWO now! I haven’t decided if we’ll be throwing a fancy schmancy party or not…just looking at all these pictures makes me tired. (And there’s a LOT of pictures. Sorry about that folks.)
But of course, when little C turned one, we had to celebrate! And celebrate big!
Only one problem. My little family was fresh out of college and on a tight budget. I was convinced there had to be a way to still throw an adorable party and not break the bank.
First off, no party is complete without adorable printables, right?! They add just the right finishing touches.
Invitations- by CHICKABUG
FYI, Chickabug is a rockstar. This was my first party. Ever. And she was SO patient with me as we worked together to create the perfect design for Chanley’s party. I’m in LOVE with how it turned out. 
Chanley has two sweet little friends that are almost her exact age, so we decided it would be fun to have a joint party. The more the merrier! Plus we were able to spread out the work AND share the costs. Bonus!
Birthday Banner- by CHICKABUG
The Goodie Table -all dessert labels by CHICKABUG
Your dessert table is usually the main focus of your party, and typically can be your biggest expense as well.
To cut on costs we made a lot of the food ourselves, and for the rest we went to the good ole’ dollar store. Seriously! Don’t underestimate the dollar store.
For the candy dishes - we borrowed, used 40% off coupons at Michaels,and even found some at the dollar store.
The Yummy Decorations
The decorations ended up being SO inexpensive! We used paper plates, saran wrap, ribbon, balloons, dowels, and tissue paper to create candy lollipops, and construction paper for the candyland sidewalk. We spent around $15. Supplies found at (you guessed it) the dollar store.
Ice Cream Station
My sweet husband stayed up with me the night before and helped me make the birthday hats. Thanks hun.
The Birthday Girls! My friend, Jessica, made the girls these ADORABLE matching dresses.
Thank You’s- Printables by CHICKABUG
You can find the cute pink and white striped candy bags at the Layer Cake Shop.
Smash Cake Time!
I didn’t realize this until I did some digging, but you can actually purchase smash cakes for really cheap at the grocery store! It was so worth it to me to buy mine for $6. But I’m sure all you domestic, culinary guru’s out there could make a fabulous one just as easy.
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Thanks for letting me share my {very} amateur party planning skills with you. I learned a LOT.
Watching your children grow up can be a very bittersweet feeling, but celebrating each milestone can be oh-so-fun.
Yes, even on a budget. 
{Wer’re sharing this cute party with these parties }
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This is seriously the cutest party ever. Thanks for all the fabulous ideas and tips! I love all the adorable candy decor. LOVE!
Beautiful! Just seeing how you decorated for the party got me in a festive mood!
So excited to see this up here. Was it really only a year ago? What happened to those 3 little babies? SO FUN!
I know! They grew up so fast.
This party has so many fun memories. Thanks for being apart of it. 
AHhh! This makes me smile Alysha. The Candyland theme was such a good idea. I love so many of the details.
Awesome job! Don’t you just love party planning?
Such a cute party idea. I’ve been looking for good ideas to do for my daughter’s 2nd birthday and am looking for something on a budget too! Thanks for sharing even if it was late, it was still adorable!
You did a great job!!!! Such a fun party:)
Every detail is beautiful! LOVE the candyland sidewalk. Such a cute touch!
What an adorable party! I love all the details and the photos! Never apologize for having too many photos!
Alysha, the party looks AMAZING!! : ) I especially love the gumdrops on skewers, and the big candies you made from balloons – GENIUS!
Nice Job! I love the bright colors and also am a fan of the balloon candy decor – so creative!
Can I just say, “WOW!” I am so impressed. I am Pinning this for sure.
I am visiting from Tip Nut. It is nice to “meet” you.
Blessings,
LaVonne @ Long Wait For Isabella
how cute!!! what a fun idea! i might ahve to steal it for a future birthday party. We just did a TANGLED theme party for my little girls 2nd birthday (combined with her cousin as well – smartest idea!) and we used a ton of stuff from the dollar tree – LOVE that place!!
I can’t believe this is your first party! You did such a wonderful job. Everything is adorable and looks delicious! I especially love the decorations. Very clever.
how sweet, love the color and style of your party!
Such a cute party idea I’ve been looking for good ideas Thankyou for sharing this it’s so adorable
Seriously this is the cutest party EVER!!! I love it! I pinned it!
I’d love it if you shared this on the Glitter Link party! http://runwithglitter.blogspot.com/2011/07/glitters-link-party-16.html
Thanks for your sweet comment Kelly. I shared it with your cute party, thanks for the invite.
aw everything looks SOOO DARLING!
I love the gum drops on a stick. However, your little girl holding it shows the pointed end and that looks so scary.
Most beautiful party ever! Love every single detail. Thanks for such wonderful ideas about staying on budget!
Love your party! Such an affordable idea! I think I might have to put that into my party idea book! Come check me out! I love visitors and new followers!
Thank you so much for linking up this week!You are featured on this weeks Glitter Spotlight! http://runwithglitter.blogspot.com/2011/07/glitter-spotlight-7-8_08.html
This is so AMAZINGLY cute! I am doing a candy themed party for a friend who’s turning 30 next month, and I totally plan on “borrowing” a few of your beautiful ideas! Thanks for sharing!
Love the bright colors! How did you get the cupcake frosting so vivid and bright? I’ve used gel coloring before it never seems to get this bright. Would love to hear how you what you used. Thanks!
I would love to feature this gorgeous party with a link to your blog and all vendors on our FrenchGardenHouse blog! Please let me know if that’s possible….we are looking to highlight great party ideas, and this one is just adorable. thanks for letting me know,
Lidy Baars
Owner
Frenchgardenhouse.com