Birthday Party Places

This guest post today comes from Kristal, my friend over at the fabulous LA mom blog PierToPeer.net, about the darling beach theme birthday party she threw for her daughter’s 4th birthday last summer. I thought she had the cutest ideas on how to throw a super cute beach birthday party. Here is what she wrote…

Last year for my daughter Ella’s 4^th birthday we decided to celebrate on the beach. Living in Manhattan Beach and having a summer birthday, it was the perfect setting for her big day.

We set the tone for the shindig by starting with the invitations. They were custom designed by Sahar Robertson of DesignsBySaidi on Etsy. She created a cartoon image of Ella from a photo I took of her. It was so cute and different, a hit with the invitees!

She also created the sandwich toppers and the gift bag tags.  

For a party favor, we put together a special CD for the kids to take home.

Sahar helped design a CD cover for “Ella’s Summer Mix” to match.

We played the CD throughout the party to give it an extra fun vibe – nothing like some fun beach tunes to add to the party atmosphere!

Now onto the decorating ~ there are so many cute things you can do with a beach theme!

We went for a lunch menu of tuna, chicken salad and turkey sandwiches for the adults and mini sea shaped tuna and PB&J tea sandwiches for the kiddies provided by Lisa’s Bon Appétit in Torrance.

I also had pasta and fruit salads (made by yours truly) which were displayed in sand buckets and served with a shovel.

For yummy treats we had chips and salsa, goldfish, saltwater taffy and an assortment of other candies.

I named the food items with a fun sea theme of course on stationery from Michaels. Some examples are “Crunchy Coral” for the veggie platter, “Deep Sea Kelp” for the pesto pasta salad and “Fish & Chips” for the chips and goldfish. And my favorite, the “SAND-wiches!”

And in lieu of a traditional birthday cake we went for sea decorated sugar cookies also provided by Lisa’s Bon Appétit. The cookies were a lot more manageable than cutting a cake on the beach.

I had canopies with colorful paper lanterns from Cost Plus World Market up for shade and lots of bubbles, beach balls and they even had a water balloon bonanza!

Planning a birthday party is one of my favorite things I look forward to doing every year. Having a theme in mind definitely makes the project that much easier and also a lot of fun.

I am currently working on her upcoming 5^th birthday. A backyard campout, “Camp 5 Rocks!” Stay tuned on Pier to Peer for the upcoming feature.

Last month I did a Fancy Nancy party for my oldest daughter’s 6th birthday at our house and I am still recovering. So. Much. Work. Therefore, when planning little sister’s birthday party a mere 3 weeks after, the only thing I knew I wanted was a party NOT at home!

One of Morgan’s favorite places to go in OC is Frogg’s Bounce House in Fountain Valley, so I thought it would be the perfect place to celebrate my soon-to-be 3 year old.  If you are looking for a great OC birthday party venue for kids, Frogg’s Bounce House was a HOPPIN’ good time!

Her party was so easy I almost felt like I was forgetting something.

Frogg’s Bounce House parties include:

* Between 2.5 – 3 hours of Open Play (depending on day of the week)
* Use of The Party Pond party room
* Invitations
* A special appearance by special guest, Frogalina

Although their birthday party packages include invitations, I opted to send a Paperless Post one, as I like the ease of tracking the RSVP’s as well as the reminders. As luck would have it, Paperless Post had three cute frog themed invites to choose from. I had a lot of fun with the frog theme – cute for boys or girls!

If you have not been to Frogg’s before, it is AWESOME!  I take my kids there all of the time.

It is a 9,000 square foot inflatable play zone with a gazillion different bouncers, a special toddler bounce house, kids’ playhouses, riding toys, train table, blocks, disco karaoke hut (hilarious to watch the kiddos in this!), couches for moms to kick back and FREE wi-fi.

But what I love most about Frogg’s is the place is as CLEAN as a whistle. Many of the moms who hadn’t been there before commented to me about the cleanliness factor. At Frogg’s Bounce House:

* No one is allowed in with shoes on, socks are required for everyone! Kids + adults!
* They hand sanitize everyone upon entry.
* Hand sanitizers are on all the tables.
* Crocs are provided outside the restrooms in a basket so you can borrow Crocs to use the restroom.
* Bouncers are completely sanitized each morning upon inflation.  I have seen the staff members cleaning them on multiple occasions.

The Party Pond is a huge area in the back of the facility, where you can set up your party.  There was a door conveniently located next to the party area so you can pull your car up right outside and easily load and unload all your items. When I got there, the staff was SO nice and friendly, offering me party bins for our beverages and they did a cute little sign on the white board announcing Morgan’s birthday. Because it is so colorful and they always have balloons at the facility, you really do not need to provide one thing decoration-wise.

Although 3 hours of play time would have been included since we had our party on a Monday,  I opted to make the party 2 hours long, which for little kids is the amount of time I find to be just about right.  All I had to do for the party was provide the food, drinks, paper goods and favors. It was a mom’s dream!

About an hour into the party, we served lunch. I had pizzas delivered and did an easy fruit salad and a couple Costco salads for the moms. Like I said, it was so easy it was ridiculous. After lunch the kids bounced for awhile longer, then we did cake and “Happy Birthday” followed by Frogalina’s appearance about 20 minutes prior to the party end time.

A very special thanks to Melanie from Sensitive Sweets who did that darling dairy-free frog cake for Morgan who is allergic to milk and eggs. We are so lucky there is a bakery in Orange County that specializes in baked goods for people with food allergies!

Upon leaving, we gave out these cute inexpensive favors from the .99¢ Only Store. I put a $1 jump rope in a green cellophane party favor bag and printed a circle sticker on the computer which said ”Thanks for jumping with me! xo Morgan” that I stuck on frog die cuts I found at the Dollar Tree.

I can’t more highly recommend a party at Frogg’s Bounce House. And for the price, I don’t even think these days you can do a party at home for much cheaper by the time you get all the decorations and entertainment.

I also like that this venue caters to all ages, so you can also include the little ones as well as older siblings, and everyone will have a fabulous time.

For more information on hosting a party at Frogg’s Bounce House, click here for their party information page.  You can also call 714.418.0442 to reserve your special day!

[Disclosure: I was provided the Frogg's party package complimentary in exchange for my time in sharing our experience with you. Love these kinds of win-win situations!]

Sensitive Sweets, a dedicated gluten-free, nut-free bakery in Fountain Valley is now offering special decorating parties!

As a mom of a daughter with a milk and egg allergy, Sensitive Sweets is a God-send to moms like me who have kids with food allergies. Her goodies are made with NO gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, peanuts or tree nuts. And they are amazingly good! 

I keep a stash of Sensitive Sweets cupcakes in my freezer, so anytime we go to a party, I have a special cupcake for Morgan on hand so she doesn’t have to feel left out at cake time.

Sensitive Sweets is now offering extraordinary decorating parties at her darling bakery, perfect for a birthday party or even a Girls Night Out! She even has special take-home kits (if you call 24 hours ahead), so you can do your own decorating party at your home.

Here are her in-bakery party offerings:

Sensitive Sweets Cupcake Party (ages 4 +)

Each guest gets 2 cupcakes, one to eat and one to take home, sprinkles, toppings, and a cupcake box. 60-minute session, max 12 guests. $12/guest.

Ultimate Sensitive Sweets Cake Party (ages 6 +)

Each guest gets a 2 layer 4″ round cake, frosting, sprinkles, cake decorations, and a cake box. 90-minute session, max 12 guests. $24/guest.

Sensitive Sweets Cake Challenge Party (ages 12 +)

Teams will compete with one another on a themed cake challenge. Participants will start with 30 minutes of demonstration and then break into teams with 1 hour to assemble ready-to-use items. Items include ready-to- ice cakes, cupcakes, frosting, fondant, rice crispy treats and a multitude of other decorating supplies. The winner will receive a Sensitive Sweets gift set. 90-minute session, max 12 guests. $29/guest.

[Details: Ask about additional items of your party including drinks, aprons, chef's hats, invitations and goody bags. Minimum of 6 guests per party, max 12. Deposit is required at booking (non-refundable.) Activities are for paid guests only. No outside food allowed. Prices subject to change.]

Visit www.SensitiveSweets.com for more info or call 714.968.9169.

Sensitive Sweets is open Tuesdays-Fridays 10am – 6pm, Saturdays 10am – 5pm. After hours parties may be available. Bakery is closed on Sundays and Mondays.

Photo credit: Sensitive Sweets.

This post is written by Susanne and has great ideas for a bowling theme birthday party! Sounds like so much fun for the kids and Bowlmor Lanes in Tustin is an amazing venue to host your party! Here is all about Susanne’s daughter’s birthday and some of the cute theme ideas they incorporated into their bowling soiree…

“Last May my oldest daughter, Sadie, decided that she had to have a bowling birthday for her 5th birthday…in November. Gotta love a planner! I checked out some of the local options online and Bowlmor Lanes quickly became my first choice!

Their original location opened in NYC back in 1938- I loved that the decor is kind of a throw back to that golden age of Bowling, but in a totally modern, CLEAN, high-tech & upscale design. You walk in and just FEEL like you should be having FUN!

[Photo credit: Bowlmor Lanes]

And this place is a full service party venue!

They aim to make your party completely hassle free, so you can enjoy and not have to work at your own party. When you arrive your Event Host meets you at the front and is there to help make sure everyone is having a good time, eating, opening presents, etc… They are great about checking in and moving the party along schedule.

They have several packages to choose from, one even includes printed invitations, custom birthday cakes, a sign-able bowling pin and a $5 gift card favors towards the guests next Bowlmor experience.

Read More >>

I had the pleasure of meeting artist Timree Gold of Timree Personalized Gifts and Art this summer at a Smarty networking meeting and I have to admit I was a little star struck as I have been a huge fan of her art and personalized gifts for years now!

When I met her in person it was easy to see why her work is so special and that is simply because Timree the person is special! She actually sparkles. From the twinkle in her eye to her bright smile and bubbly personality, to know Timree is to love her.  And when you look at her amazing, one-of-a-kind pieces you can see her happy personality shining through in every creation.

Timree shared with me that just this last year she opened an art studio in Newport Beach which has been coined the “cutest art studio ever!”

When I visited the studio myself last week, I could see Timree’s magic sparkle dust all over it, from the moment you pull up and breathe in the ocean air to the enchanting walk up the good luck steps (you have to go to see the steps for yourself) you feel like you are entering another magical little world.  Visiting her studio is an experience.

There is much to cover about Timree it is hard to know where to start!  From her personalized plates, unique gifts and school supplies to her custom murals and special live event painting, there are so many ways to experience her amazing work.

But for this post I wanted to highlight some very special offerings for OC moms and kids – most specifically –  Timree’s paint parties, cute classes and private art lessons.

Weekly Art Classes

Designed for ages 6 years and up, Timree offers weekly classes on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons from 4:00 – 5:30pm.

Starting at the beginning of the month, the weekly sessions are only $175 for 4 classes and your child will receive personalized instruction from Timree and create their own masterpiece on the provided canvas.

I think this would be such an amazing class to enroll your kids in for the Fall after school starts.

Art is so therapeutic and what a wonderful way for your kids to express and channel their creativity while while easing into the hub-bub of the busy school year.

The next session begins on September 6th, so email soon if you are interested as spots fill up quickly!

Private Lessons with TIMREE!

Timree also provides private art lessons that are only $225 for 2 hours.

During that time, Timree will sit with you one-on-one and help you or your child create a piece that holds special meaning to you.

Whether it’s a special piece of art for a bedroom wall (you can bring pictures of the decor or bedding for inspiration) or a very special one-of-a-kind piece of art for a parent or grandparent as a special gift, the goal is to embrace the fun and creativity involved in painting and walk away with a completed painting that holds personal significance.

What an amazing gift for a milestone birthday or anniversary for the person who has everything!

There is truly no better gift than one that is hand made with love and to have personalized instruction from an artist I think is incredible!

Mother / Daughter Classes

On the 2nd Sunday of each month from 2 – 4pm, mothers and daughters can attend this special class together and create their own paintings based on one of Timree’s inspired themes. Timree provides not only the canvases, tips and themed-treats – but also a special afternoon of bonding while creating.  The next class is on September 11th and the theme is “basket of apples” to celebrate back-to-school time.  Only a few spots left so sign up ASAP if you are interested! Cost is only $65/pp.

Paint Parties!

How many times have you have looked for an original venue in Orange County to host your child’s birthday party because you are tired of the same ‘ole same ‘ole?  I know I have! Now you can book your party in the cutest art studio ever and give your guests a magically creative experience.

The parties are designed to be intimate in size for 4 to 14 guests ages 6 + and include:

- 2 hours of party studio time on weekdays after school or on Sundays
- Birthday girl (or boy!) picks the theme for the painting
- Friends all paint the same picture but can get creative with their colors
- $50 per guest / $300 minimum
- BYOT (bring your own treats!)

You can also gather a group of friends for a mom’s night out!  Inquire for more details.

“Timree jeans”

For all Timree’s paint parties and classes she encourages the girls to wear special “Timree jeans” which are fun painting jeans, jean shorts or jean skirts that can get deliciously splashed with creativity.

She told me the girls love wearing their “Timree jeans” and she will personally sign the back.

This art studio is truly one of a kind. As is Timree.  She reminds me of a Disney Princess in the most flattering of ways. I guarantee your girls will be completely enchanted by her and her studio.

For more information or to sign up for private lessons, classes or parties,  contact Timree at timree {at} timree.com.

www.timree.com
Follow Timree on Facebook and Twitter.

[Disclosure: Timree is a new Tiny Oranges Sponsor. Look for her banner ad coming up on September 1st. Hooray!]