Our precious little Karoline Elise turned two at the beginning of March, and we celebrated at home with family. I had so much fun decorating the entryway and dining room for her birthday. When she walks into a room, she lights it up with a smile. In fact, her whole face smiles. When I get home from running errands, she comes running toward me and greets me the same way every time, “Mom! You’re here!” I wanted to encapsulate Karoline’s joy, cheerful disposition, sweetness, and playfulness in the decorations I chose for her birthday party. I wanted to decorate the dining room so that when anyone walks in the door, they immediately smile, just like Karoline. No one is capable of NOT smiling when Karoline is near. I also wanted to use decor that I could use again. Seven children = many birthday celebrations, year after year. I think this happy color scheme is versatile, indeed.
I love paper fans! The vintage vibe they bring is just what I like for any party. They’re timeless, classic, and very easy to store and display. I secure them with a paper clip, rather than using the sticky strip, so when I take them down, I can easily fold them back up and store them flat in a box. What a great alternative to balloons!
The arched dining room entryway really is the perfect spot for these colorful paper fans.
I also love to display photos of “the birthday kid” on a cork board. I print out all of my favorite photos from birth to present, layering with scrapbooking paper. When I take the pictures down, I store them in a hanging file for that child. These photos always come in handy for “about me” school projects, and, sniff-sniff, for when they graduate from eighth grade and high school. Each of my children has a hanging file dedicated to all their school and sports photos, and the pics I print out for their birthdays. It really makes life easy on mom, I promise you!
Every party needs a designated spot for gifts and favors. I try to always place a small table close the the front door so that as soon as guests arrive, they can immediately place their gift on the table. And then, as the guests leave, they will see their party favors on their way out the door.
Bright and cheerful colors were all over the room for this party, on everything from the straws to the paper plates, to the paper fans. Going with my “happy” theme, I chose yellow to be the predominate color in my decorations, especially the floral arrangements.
I had a lot of fun setting the table for this party. I used disposable table runners to go across, and then I used two pieces of wrapping paper taped in the middle, for the length of the table. The little party hats were meant to be cake toppers, but I decided to create little floral arrangements, each all white, in little terra cotta pots that I painted white. The cake is not real, and I had so much fun making it! Much easier than baking a real cake, and definitely less expensive. There are all sorts of tutorials to check out on YouTube, if you’re interested in giving it a shot.
I love hanging decorations on mirrors! I love the light and the color all reflecting in the room, creating depth and layers. Curtain rods or window treatments are also a great place to hang party decorations! I used the small wall between our two dining room windows for another opportunity to splash some color. Birthday parties are not times for minimalism, in my opinion.
A sweet little hoop wreath for “Sweet Karoline.” It’s simple and girly, and just the right touch for our front door. I am the wreath lady, I guess, so hanging a wreath both on the outside and inside of the front door of our home makes perfect sense to me. I do it all the time! The great thing about this monogram wreath is that I can hang it in Karoline’s room! She shares a room with her sister, Anne, so I suppose I’ll have to make one for Anne’s birthday as well. They are a package deal, those two!
