Me Beauty Turned Three

Ahoy Mateys!  Our Little Bird turned three in November.  As you can imagine, big day for her and even bigger day for Mom and Dad!  Time has gone by so fast, it seems yesterday, we were looking at her with “deer in the headlight” looks and Oh Emm Gees of “what do we do with her?” And now… she is telling us “Happy Birthday to Ashlee, happy birthday to me!”  So blessed!

 Earlier in the year, Little Bird started to really engage and enjoy watching Jake and the Never Land Pirates on the Disney channel.  She started using terms:  gold doubloons, swashbuckler and yo ho ho – I quickly knew a pirate party was in store for us.  What a great party theme for children, boy or girl, any age – a pirate is where it’s at!!!

 Without further ado, I went to work, researching pirate parties, pirate treasures and all things that make a pirate party fun!

  I found my pirate girl on a clipart website and immediately knew she would be the perfect “anchor” for my party!  I was able to use her on all of my party goods, invitations and will be able to use her when I get to scrapbooking this major event.

 I reached out to my fellow Twitter and Facebook communities to help me with the design elements of her party.

 I contacted Sweet Mady’s and she helped me with a design board – what a sweet lady, and when you get a chance, check out her site!  http://sweetmadys.com/ - she has some really cute stuff!

I also worked with Bella’s Bowtique to create a hair bow that a lucky little girl got to wear at my party… and no it wasn’t the birthday girl.  It was a friend of mine’s daughter, Jaiden.  Since then, her other daughter has been modeling for Bella’s Bowtique… oh the power of networking with powerful and creative women!

Speaking of talented women, Myriad Cake Design was the baker I chose to work with for this party.  I met with Marion at her shop to discuss the theme of the party and my desire for a pirate cake that represented all of the party aspects.  Within in moments she made my vision come to life… and what I loved most was she said, “Normally I have colored pencils so you can see what it will resemble… “ okay, who doesn’t love the idea of getting to use colored pencils in your every day work setting!   That rocks!!!

 As you can see from the pictures, she rocked it like a pro and the cake was delicious so who could ask for anything more!

 So what’s a party without a little fun… a boring party… and we will have no boring parties on this momma’s watch!  Break out the balloons and face paint please!  Face painting at any age for any reason is a fun thing and this facepainter was amazing!  Painted sleeves became the trend of the night and I bet some kids didn’t want to wash it off when they got home.  My niece Regan told her Dad she couldnt sleep the night before because she was so excited to come to Ashlee's party - now that is what every event planner wants to hear!!!

Our balloon maker is a dear friend that I recently found out about her amazing talent.  The kids went absolutely crazy about her balloons – anything they asked for, they got!  So a very sincere thank you to Misty Hill for your amazing talent and sweetness to make so many children happy!!!

 Party favors are important too!  Normally, a small gift or treat is given out at parties to thank guests for coming.  This year, I chose to lay out all the favors on a table and treasure chest and let kids pick what they like.  I offered bandanas (pirate scarves) for everyone that came.  I also had eye patches, swords, tons of candy, temporary tattoos and trinkets alike, all pure swashbuckler treasure!

I made the birthday banner, pirate ship sails, water bottle labels, party invitations and thank you notes.  I purchased gold coins in massive quantities from Trader Joes.  There were candy bars to load up on as well as soda's and more sweet treats!

Another favorite element of this party was the pirate cut out.  A very good friend, Jordan designed, painted and constructed the pirate cut out for me!  All the kids took turns getting their picture taken behind the Whimsical Pirate, it was so cute to see their happy faces peeking out.

I also ordered a cardboard pirate ship that everyone could color and play with.  This was a bigger hit than that I ever thought it to be.  All ages colored and all the little ones took it for a sail around the room!

From these pictures, you can clearly see that 72 people had a great time celebrating Captn Ashlee's third birthday.

From Momma and Daddy to Little Bird, we love you more than one could ever imagine.  You are the most prized treasure that we love and will always be proud of!  Happy 3rd Birthday Ashlee Jae, may you have many more and may all your wishes come true.

A huge thank you to Sandi Elle Photography for capturing these priceless moments and now treasured memories.  Sandi is a kindred friend with amazing talent that she graciously shares with me, I am blessed to be surrounded by such amazing talent.

In closing, it is my mother and father that I thank the most for loving me with all their heart and providing me a foundation of life built on love and now I am paying that forward to my daughter.