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Monday, August 26, 2013

My First DIY Monster Party (The Finale)

If you've stuck with me this long, here is the final photo gallery of my son's 1-year-old monster-themed birthday party! I didn't originally plan to make such a big deal out of it, but it ended up being such a wonderful day, celebrating with many of our close friends and family.

DIY Monster Birthday Party Theme by A Gamer's Wife

For invitations, I decided to skip out on personal mailers and just used an Evite to spread the news. Unfortunately, several people had technical difficulties RSVPing, so next year I may use Facebook or another method.

Evite monster birthday party theme invitation
The party was actually on a Saturday, but we did limit the time to 2 hours to accommodate for naptimes.

For decorations, the poster board monster cutouts we made really brought the party theme together. Balloons, streamers, banners, and DIY tissue paper pom-poms were also hung up around the house.

Poster board monster party decorations and DIY tissue paper pom-poms
Decorations on the floor, waiting to be hung up

To complete the party scene, K chose the perfect background music – a cheerful but not too kiddy Ultra-Lounge album.


I thought it'd be fun for us to dress up in monster-themed clothing, so we encouraged our guests to do so as well. Most people didn't, but there were a few parents who actually obliged us. :)

Little monster costumes and outfits for babies at a monster birthday party
Dexter's outfit was slightly preppy but still fit the monster theme. Other kids went all out with their costumes. :)

To entertain the young kids, we placed a giant toy chest indoors (which also served as a childproofing obstacle in front of the TV) and various activity stations outside (such as the incredibly popular kiddie pool full of toys).

Fun party activities for young kids, such as a kiddie pool full of toys
Oops, didn't think that the kids would actually try to get in the pool. O_O

We served a buffet of toddler-friendly finger foods that were not only delicious but also relatively mess free (mmm, pigs in the blanket). Dexter really enjoyed his smash cake –  the one-eyed monster cupcakes.

Smash cupcake for one-year-old party
I think Dexter's birthday wish was for a bigger mouth so he can stuff in more cake at a time.

For party favors, we set up an "Adopt-a-monster" box, so that the kids could take home their very own crochet monster plushies. A couple of the adults in attendance even asked if they could have one as well, so I guess they were a big hit! :)

Adopt-a-monster crochet monster plushies for party favors

The party was a huge success! If you're interested in doing something similar, I would say it took us a week of preparation and a total budget of about $60:
  • $30 for food and snacks
  • $20 for decorations, disposable tableware, and kids' games (courtesy of the Dollar Store)
  • $3 for Walgreens photos of Dexter that we used as thank you cards

Thanks to all you old and new readers who have been here supporting me throughout Dexter's first year. I was packing away some of his old onesies and I can't believe he used to be that tiny. We're so blessed by God to have him in our lives! :)

Dexter - 1 day old
Dexter - 1 year old

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