School Party

My little girl is going to school. I can hardly believe it. But more on that later. Let’s get to the good stuff! To celebrate, we threw a themed play date complete with lots of school supplies, frames for our first day pictures, cards for our teachers and notes for our friends. Sadly, a few of those friends were out of town and then, out of the eight who could come, four had to cancel the day of so it was a small soiree. Probably better that way. My white couch only has one red paint stain on it (from my daughter!) instead of many!

These rulers make me happy (doesn’t take much!). So I scattered them throughout the party.

I love these vintage tins. They made for such a cool, sophisticated (and practical!) touch to a toddler party.

I used number stamps to help make cards for teachers (this one listed the top 3 reasons Lilly is happy to have her as a teacher). Adorable (and delicious!) cookies scattered the party for our guests to eat while there and then to bag up and take more home.

Different washi tapes (colored pencil, stripe glitter and alphabet) secured crayons to mini note pads (ideal for diaper bags, little backpacks and restaurant outings or airplanes!).

What’s a school party without some Alphabits? I used them for snacking, decoration and “krispie” treats.

Clear tubes filled with bright colored erasers added a playful pop.

Minted makes THE PERFECT notes for this occasion! Or any for that matter! How cute are these personalized crayon cards? Ideal for thanking new classmates for a play date.

Alphabet and number molds made for bite-size, little hands treats. It was a bit more tedious forming the krispies into these than just spreading into a pan and cutting squares but the result was well worth it. And it is much more affordable (and space saving!) than buying a ton of cookie cutters.

Heart to Heart crayon stackers added some whimsy and a fun activity for the kids.

The cutest and most appropriate themed book had to be included. I stacked them and used them as risers for the display and then gifted each new student a book along with other supplies.

Speaking of crayons, I ordered a custom set for our party. Choosing from the array of colors was so much fun.

Colorful trays lined with equally vibrant rulers for a more layered look.

I simply cannot handle these mini milk jugs. I want them at every party from here on out. The best part? You can choose the colored caps! Jumbo cups for the max amount of cereal (Or ice cream?? Or anything!) possible.

Construction paper crayons?! Wish I had these when I was a kid!

Speaking of milk, I found a new cake stand to add to my collection! Shop Sweet Lulu’s milk glass stand makes me smile.

I placed a bunch of Lilly’s already owned books around the table for easy, cheap decorations. Plus, activities for the kids when they got tired of crafting.

For a healthier alternative, I offered crackers, string cheese, apple sauce, fruit and pouches.

Did you know they now make Dry Erase crayons and colored pencils? Seriously, what will they think of next?!

I turned my back for a second, someone helped herself and was double-fisting crayon cookies!

Craft time!

Chalkboard frames (that would be adorable as is) but I painted white to go with the color palette and let the moms and kids decorate however they chose. Corinne painted hers. Gigi, Dylan and Lilly selected stickers. Perfect for the first day of school photo!

Each artist got several canvases to paint.

They also did some mess-free finger painting– love that! And there were tissue paper creations on hand too (not pictured).

I used the school bus cookie cutter that I used to make krispie treats, traced and cut out buses for the kids to color.

After all that mess, it’s important to clean up. How better than with themed soap?!

For the final act, we went big. What kid doesn’t like to draw on walls? Well, that day their dreams came true. I lined a large wall in our apartment with craft paper, ordered some big a** crayons and let them have at it! They couldn’t believe it! It was such fun!

While they were weight lifting, the moms made some additional cards for teachers and caretakers. Below, one of mine for Lilly’s teacher made with a checklist stamp.

Everyone chose their own colored caddy (which I’m obsessed with! They’re only $1 from Michael’s, make the perfect favor “bag” and holder of anything: chalk, stamps, stickers, bath toys, etc. and can be decorated too) and filled it with their stationary, scissors, rulers, glue, crayons, hearts, markers, pencils, erasers, a note pad, soaps… And a note paper favor bag filled with cookies. Also, a book and all the art projects, frames and cards they made.

The perfect way to end a perfect day? A balloon dance party, of course! (Note: These balloons were supposed to be made into 3-D photo props. Think pencils, crayons, an apple… It turns out, I’m not so skilled as a balloon man. But I wasn’t about to let that stop us from having some fun!)

Huge thanks to our friends at Crayola, Poppin, Paper Source, Minted, Kate Aspen and Cookie Tray for making this party such a success!