table: pb kids | chairs: pb kids | plates: juliska (yes, I’m very trusting) | serving platter: juliska | cake stand ($3): target (similar)
Happy Tiny Tuesday! Although we are at home sick today with an ear infection, Emma Grace and I wanted to share with you all our DIY Valentine’s party!
Holidays are big in our house because we love having a reason to celebrate! I have especially loved prepping for this Valentine’s Day not only because Emma Grace is at the age where she can do crafts and help bake, but because it’s a chance for us to show her how we can use our actions and words to show others we love them.
This year we decided to create a little party for Emma Grace in her room to celebrate. When I first came up with this idea all I could see was dollar signs if I’m being honest. Even DIY projects can get a little pricey, ya know?. I mean, I can drop $50 easy at Michaels as I’m trying to “save” money. So, I decided to put a cap on our party of $30 and test myself to see if I could stay within that budget.
Moms – it was so much easier than I thought! I knew I wanted to do a couple of crafts with Emma, some baking, and we definitely needed some bubbles. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to do all of this under $30, but I was pleasantly surprised that we did!
So, what was our trick? Well, starting a couple of weeks into January I frequented the dollar section of Target and the Dollar Store weekly and stalked up on baking goods, stickers, and bubbles. We actually ended up having more than we needed! We’ve shared where we got everything, what crafts we did, and what treats we made below. So, scroll through, pick up some tips, and feel free to visit the pinterest board we made for inspiration for our Valentine’s Day party!
“xo” sign ($2): target | stickers/cupcake heart picks: dollar store | bubbles: dollar store | photo booth props: target
crafts:
- Decorating “xo” sign – we decorated our wooden “xo” sign from Target with crayons and stickers we already had at home; now Emma Grace has it hanging in her room and is so proud of her hard work
- photo props – we had fun playing with the photo booth props we found at Target! Since Abby slept through most of the party, we decided to use bear as our contestant
- bubbles – we found little heart bubble canisters from the Dollar Store and had the special treat of playing bubbles inside the house – some things are such a big deal for kids!
cost breakdown:
- balloons: $4
- photo booth props: $10
- food: $10
- stickers/crafts: $6
This was one of the sweetest moments for me, and I couldn’t help sharing. Right after I’d given Emma Grace her cupcake and told her she could go ahead and eat it, she asked if she could pray for her and bear before they ate. Be still my heart.
Food How-Tos:
- chocolate dipped “mollies” (aka marshmallows) – all you do is dip your marshmallow into melted chocolate and then into a bowl of sprinkles, stick it in the refrigerator for a bit to cool, and you’re good to go!
- chocolate dipped wafers – these are the exact same as the marshmallows, so see above for the how-to!
- cupcakes – we have a major sweet tooth, so baking funfetti cupcakes with icing was a no-brainer; Emma helped me add and mix all the ingredients, I iced the cupcakes, and then she added the sprinkles and the heart picks! Such a fun activity that takes some time (bonus for us moms, haha).
emma’s outfit – dress: little foot clothing co | vest: target (similar)
photography: sukilynn
xx – anna & emma grace
