What’s fancier than a tea party while wearing butterfly wings? Not much! That was the thought of 5-year-old Mia Ridzinski. For her birthday she wanted a theme from her favorite book Fancy Nancy: Bonjour, Butterfly. So away her mom Melissa went to create the fanciest birthday there ever was. She started checking out the craft aisles at Hobby Lobby, Michaels and Target, picking up the perfect details that would make her little girl’s day extra special. The DIY (do-it-yourself) mom also scored great items such as edible paper butterflies and custom water-bottle labels from the popular site Etsy.com.
“I am definitely an Etsy addict. It’s crazy the amount of birthday items you can search for and find. And the ability to have things custom created for you takes it to a whole new level.”
Together Mia and Melissa came up with fun party ideas. “Luckily my daughter is the type that comes up with her party theme months before her actual birthday, so I had a lot of time to hunt for just the right items.” Their North Dallas home was transformed into a magical space by placing the butterfly wings on the back of the chairs and slipping tutus over the seats so they looked like skirts. The guests squealed with excitement when they learned the wings and tutus plus tiaras and necklaces were also their party favors. Melissa created the floral centerpieces and styled the cake table, pulling colors and decorating inspiration from the Fancy Nancy book.
Eleven little girls dined on cupcakes from Central Market, cookies from Celebrity Bakery, ice cream from Henry’s Homemade Ice Cream and sipped delicious lemonade as their “tea.” There was even a parfait station where the girls could make their own creation. The charming Mia floated around the room with her butterfly wings, giggling with her friends. After Melissa read Bonjour, Butterfly the girls played the hokey pokey, turned themselves around, and ended the party with a butterfly piñata filled with fancy toys.
Creating a unique party your children will remember (until next year) and enjoy can take a lot of time and effort, but Melissa takes pleasure in every moment of the party-planning and offers this helpful advice for any mom who wants to build a birthday for their kid of honor. “First and foremost, take time to enjoy the party. Second, start planning as far ahead as you can to take advantage of sales and bargains that you can find along the way. If you see something in the dollar aisle that you think you could use for a future party, buy it now. It’s definitely a labor of love, but for me, my child appreciates my hard work, so that makes it all worth it.”
Updated 7/27/12
