Monday, April 4, 2011

Dress Up Party

This year the girls got to have their first friend party. I thought having a dress-up party (the girls are both really in to dressing up right now) would be really cheap and easy, and I ended up being wrong on both counts!

Our house is pretty small so I had to get creative with the space (and send a lot of furniture out to the garage). In the entry I set up the dress-ups. I borrowed a rolling dress rack from my grandma to hang the dresses (all from my stash and my mom's), then I have an old suitcase I put accessories in and a trunk where their shawls went (that was their party favor).



I set up a beauty salon in the bathroom with hair fixing, glitter, and lip gloss. Unfortunately none of the girls seemed too interested; I think a small handful came in to get glitter and that was about it. And I got that chair at garage sale last year and I had no idea what I would ever do with it, but it was perfect for the beauty salon!


Princess hats for the girls to decorate.


I didn't know how modest 3 and 5 year-olds would be so I turned the landing on the stairs into a dressing room.


The living room had all the pretend-play toys: dollhouse, table for a tea party, kitchen, baby crib and high chair, and a jewelry/makeup table.



At the dining room table I set up half for decorating cookies and half for hat decorating. I know it was silly to get out all my hobnail dishes for a party with small children, but I couldn't help myself! I got the dishes from my grandma and great aunt and they never get enough use. Plus, they looked beautiful with the sprinkles in them!



No one hardly touched the snacks, but I felt like I should at least offer something to offset the sugar cookies and cupcakes.


Jessie made these awesome labels for the drinks (she also made signs for the different stations) and donated her fancy straws. And I found toppers for the cupcakes that were big diamond rings.



Grandma got to watch Penny since she's not too big into dressing up.


Out of all the costumes we own, the girls chose to wear these dance costumes that we got at a garage sale for $1. But no one kept their original dresses on for long anyway.


Party time! There was always a long line, and sometimes a fight, for the dressing room.




Claire went completely overboard with cookie decorating.








All the crazy girls!


Cupcakes and presents!





3 comments:

Jessie said...

Lauren, that party looks phenomenal! You did a fantastic job! It was so fancy! I think my favorite photo is the last one of Claire, surrounded by a pile of fluff and presents. Fabulous!!

Stacie Aho said...

Wow! That looks amazing. I bet all those girls were in heaven!! What a good mom you are. :)

Holly said...

That looks like an amazing party!