Hello Kitty birthday party

My daughter initially wanted a train party.  But I know nothing about trains.  I asked her what was her second choice and she said Hello Kitty but that she also wanted her party to be yellow since it's her favorite color.  That, I could do.  I focused more on yellow than Hello Kitty though.  I didn't want to spend a lot of money and time making paper products/decorations.

I am trying to teach myself how to sew, so I thought I would try making a runner for the table.  It was a bit crooked, but my daughter didn't notice, so I guess it was ok.  

 I ordered lemon cake balls and cookies and cream cake balls from my friend, Jane of Short and Sweets.  They were amazing!

I made a chocolate cake with cookies and cream filling, covered with whipped ganache and garnished with Valhrona pearls.  We served the cake with ice cream.

I used extra fabric from the runner to make little flags for the cake.  The tiny figurine was custom made for me by my cousin's wife Cherry of Clay Latte.  It is made of polymer clay and made to look like my daughter holding Hello Kitty.  It is a key chain but I took off the key chain and added a tiny paper hat to cover the loop on her head.  It's a keepsake that I will use as a Christmas tree ornament each year.  

 Nothing exciting for food this year, just some fruits, veggies with dip, cheese and crackers and pizza.

We played 4 games.  I tried to have different types of games so both kids and adults could participate and have fun.  One was a puzzle.  Whoever put the puzzle together in the shortest time was the winner.  We had the adults play too.  There was a prize for a child and for the adult who were the fastest.  Suggestion if you do this type of game:  If you have older kids competing with younger kids, have the older kid have a handicap of a minute for each year.  I didn't do this and of course the kids who were 5 were no match for the 9 year old.  

Wheelbarrow race.  Initially I announced the game was for a parent and one of their kids.  But I had some kids that wanted to do it together.  So I just said that the winners will get a prize each.

Score a goal.  Who ever scores the most goals out of 5 chances win.  We had the adults play first, then the kids.

The last game was a paper/pen game.  Each family was a team and they had 2 minutes to write down as many homophones as they could think of.  The family with the most won.

Prizes:  I forgot to take a picture of my prize box.  I had so many nice things this year as prizes and didn't spend much at all.  Anytime I go shopping, months and months before the party, I keep a look out for nice prizes at a cheap price.  My budget is usually about $3 per prize but I got most of the prizes free!  I love Kohls because they have sent us so many $10 coupons in this last year, at least 6 or 7 of them. I'm not sure how Kohl's decides who to send these to because I know some people in the same city who don't receive them.  Anyway, to use this coupon, you have to spend at least $10 on anything in the store (except gift cards) and I usually just spend $10.  This year I had Lindt truffles, Godiva chocolate covered pretzels, a lantern, series 8 Lego minifigs, Hello Kitty minifigs, Matchbox cars, and Squinkies.

Suggestion for games:  When we first started the games, I asked if anyone (an adult) would help keep score, keep time and just help me keep things in order, just in case I had to step away to answer the door or snap some pictures.  It made my life so much easier!  And I let this volunteer be the first to have a prize. Win-win for everyone!

Party favors:  I found these felt boards at Michael's on clearance for $2.30  I was so happy when I found them for so cheap, they were selling them at Marshall's for $9.99.  I had several themes, like pirates, dinosaurs, astronauts, ballerina, princess, fire fighters, and beach.