I love it when a client is just as crazy about parties as I am! Anna, my Hello Kitty obsessed client, planned her daughter’s 1st. Birthday party around the iconic cat.
We had a great time with Angela’s Hello Kitty themed party. Anna ordered all her stationary and party decor from me. We made so many items for her that she kept me and my Cricut Maker and my crew busy for weeks!
Anna was truly Hello Kitty crazy. We did everything from the invitations to the photo photo booth and even napkin rings in the Hello Kitty theme. The only thing she couldn’t decide on was whether she preferred Hello Kitty in pink or purple. So we did both!
I know planning birthday parties, specially baby’s first birthday, can be stressful. You need to decide date, guest list, venue and that all important thing called budget. With all this to worry about who has time to think of a theme right? Well I feel that party planning even first birthdays and yes weddings should be fun and joyful After all you’re throwing a party to celebrate. So get those important things out of the way.
Here’s my article to help you with the the not so fun but necessary party planning stuff. Check it out, the sooner you get the business side of party planning under control the sooner you can start on the fun stuff. Like the theme!
To get your creative juices flowing here are some of the things we did for Angela’s Hello Kitty First Birthday party. You don’t have to make everything like her mom Anna did, just pick and choose what you need. If you need custom designed invitations and decor give a shout out to Savvy Nana Crafts our team will work with you to create the perfect party accessories!
The Invitations
You can’t have a party without sending out invitations. We did these personalized invitations for Angela’s Hello Kitty party.
Mom wanted her pretty picture on the 5×7 flat invitation along with all the important party info – Date, Time, Place, and RSVP.
Don’t forget to request an RSVP, makes life so much easier when you know who to expect will attend. It helps keep the budget trim too because you’re not guessing on quantities and will hopefully avoid ending up with a ton of left over everything!
These days many of my clients also request a digital invitation so that they can text or email them to guests. With everyone so busy and so high tech I guess it’s ok to text invitations, unless it’s to a wedding. I cringe at the thought of sending a text invitation to a wedding, I’m sure Miss Manners finds this cringe worthy too!
Centerpieces
Centerpieces add a nice touch to any table. For Angela we did a 4 piece custom cutout set in tin buckets.
The set includes a large picture of Angela, her name, her age, and a theme character. In this case it was all about the kitty.
If you’re on a tight budget you don’t have to have a centerpiece on every guest table. You can limit them to family tables or even the buffet, reception, or cake table.
Where ever you decide to place them just make sure they stand out and reflect your theme.[spacer height=”-20px”]
Signs
Signs are always helpful, they keep the guest flowing in the direction they need to go.
Usually the first sign you’d have would be the one at the reception table, assuming you have one. It’s here that guests can check-in and get their seating assignments if any and also can sign the guest book.
Other helpful signs are those that point out where the restrooms are, and menus, specially bar menus if you’re hosting a bar of some sort.
For Angela’s party we made Photo Booth signs so that guests don’t miss out on this fun activity and also so they remember to grab a prop or two before taking their pictures.
I love these signs, they look like their framed when they’re actually just printed and cut out of cardstock!
Photo Booth Props
Don’t forget themed photo booth props, sure you can buy generic ones at Walmart or other party store, but custom ones are always a nice touch.
Table Cards
Table cards can be anything from Number and Letters to color, cute names, and whatever fits your theme.
They basically identify tables so your guests know where to sit. This is much more important at formal wedding, not so much for birthday parties.
In Anna’s case she wanted particular tables reserved for immediate family so we made these cute tent cards for her to place on those tables.
For formal events such as wedding or even birthdays like my husband’s 60th. Birthday party, table cards are matched up with escort cards or a seating chart. That way guests know which table to sit at.
Water Bottle and Wine Bottle Labels
Custom water and wine bottle labels are a nice touch. We use them for all our parties.
We usually have wine made by our local wine maker and he slaps on the custom wine bottle labels for us when he bottles the wines.
In Anna’s case I think she soaked of labels from wine bottles she purchased at the wine store. Whichever way you do it I think it’s a great idea.
The water bottle labels wrap around any size plastic bottle and are water resistant. Perfect for placing water bottles over ice in a large bucket!
Standing Cut Outs
Standing cutouts are a great addition to cake tables, buffet and dessert tables, and even reception tables.
For Angela’s first birthday party her mom Anna had us create standing cutouts of Angela at different ages as well as Hello Kitty.
I’m not sure exactly where Anna placed all her cutouts, but we made sure she had plenty of them![spacer height=”-20px”]
Napkin Rings
These adorable Hello Kitty napkin rings required lots of patience to wrap around napkins and cutlery. But Anna managed to make a hundred of them!
I have to admit they did come out cute!
Other things:
We usually make other items for themed parties, but Anna choose not to have them. Those other things are:
Printed Vinyl Banner or Handcut Pennant Banner
Lawn Sign – they’re handy to place in front of the venue to let guests know they’re at the right place.
Favor Tags or Stickers – These things double as Thank you cards and are a great way to show guests you appreciate their attendance.
Cupcake wrappers and toppers – custom ones that match your theme look awesome on a dessert or cake table
