DIY Owl Loot Bags

For Miley's OWLentine party, I made these super cute loot bags to fit the theme. Read on for the easy tutorial.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Did a quick photoshoot with my kids for Vday this year. I just had them wear red and hold the balloons from Miley's OWLentine's party. I didn't even try to have them in one shot since that's practically impossible haha! But so glad with how this collage turned out. Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

XOXO,

Helene

A Happy OWLentine's Birthday

It's getting harder and harder for us to pick a birthday theme for my daughter as she grows older. First it was Wonder Pets. Then she wanted a colorful art party. Then My Little Pony. Then Sleeping Beauty. Then she wanted mermaids! I was getting so confused until finally, we both decided on an owl theme (we have a love affair with owls ever since she was a baby). Then she said she wanted it to be an OWLentine party (she coined that term herself ha!) since her birthday was close to Valentine's Day.

Valentine's Day gift ideas for kids and teachers

Valentine's Day is just around the corner and if you have young kids like me, then you're probably thinking of easy and budget-friendly gifts for their class.  Here's 14 ideas that you can do in a snap!

DIY Dessert Table

Sharing some of the tips and tricks I did in making the dessert table for Miley's Hello Kitty Valentine themed birthday party.

Like I said in my previous post, this was my first attempt at making a dessert table. And I got lots of inspiration from gorgeous set-ups from other blogs and Pinterest. I was so lucky to have so many of the things I used in this party just lying around the house. I guess it was also the colors of red and white which made it so easy to work with - most of the stuff I used were leftovers from Christmas (like my tablecloth).

Anyway, I'm by no means an expert, but I hope that by reading this post you get inspired as I did and also find some useful tips to help you in your next party. =)

CUPCAKE TOPPERS

The question I get asked the most is how I make the cupcake toppers. You can see how I made them HERE for Miley's 2nd birthday party. Basically, I do the layout in photoshop, print on cardboard paper, and CUT THE CIRCLES MANUALLY. Haha that's right, I cut each and every single round topper by hand. Imagine I had to do about 100 pieces for Sabe's 1st birthday! What I really want to get is the big paper puncher (like this) but I haven't been able to find one so far. Does anyone know where to get one here in Manila? ;p

Anyway, I just tape the toppers to toothpicks using masking tape and stick them on the cupcakes. Tada!

BUNTING BANNER

For this particular banner, I bought red felt paper and cut out my buntings. I then printed the letters separately on bond paper, cut them out, and glued them on top of the red felt. The Hello Kitty image in the center is printed on cardboard paper.

I used masking tape to stick the buntings to leftover gift wrapping ribbon...

And again used masking tape to hang it on the wall. I added the hearts at the end to cover all the masking tape mess. ;p

CAKE BUNTING

This is probably the easiest way to add a little pizzazz to your otherwise plain cake. If you don't want to spend on a customized cake that will set you back a couple of thousands, just buy a regular one (ours was from Cielin's Cakehouse and cost only P360) then add a cake bunting.

I used scraps from my red felt paper banner and cut out mini hearts. Then, I stuck them to my thread using masking tape and tied both ends to the barbeque sticks. You can even add your child's small toys to further tie it to the theme. I placed a small Hello Kitty figurine from Miley's toy box and viola! Our very own customized party cake!

TABLE BUNTING

Don't forget your table when decorating! I cut out hearts from colored cartolina and again used masking tape to stick them to leftover gift wrapping ribbon. If you don't have a wall behind your buffet table, you can just place the greeting (your child's name, "Happy Birthday", or whatever type of celebration your having) on the table buntings.

can you spot the birthday girl?

there she is!

CONTAINER WRAPS and LABELS

I placed all the candies and goodies in clear glass containers I had around the house. But they needed a little something extra so I decided to jazz them up with recycled Christmas wrapping paper. Winner!

It was a good thing I had a polka dots design which worked well with my striped tablecloth. So I just cut it up into strips and stuck it around my containers using double sided tape.

I also stuck some of the cupcake toppers to the jars, which can also be used as food labels. Oh, and if you're wondering if I placed stickers on ALL the Kisses, the you must be nuts! Hahaha! Sorry to disappoint but I only placed stickers on about 20 of them, most of which you can see. I strategically placed them around the edges so it will look good in the photos *wink wink*. Secrets of a stylist! ;p

LOLLIPOP DISPLAY

I was thinking of the best way to display the lollipops in a standing position so the hearts could be seen nicely. And then I remembered my DIY sports table centerpiece! I emptied a glass vase I had from the living room, covered it with my polka dots wrapping paper, and filled it with cut out styrofoam circles (again leftovers from Sabe's party!). After, just stick the lollipops in!

WRAP BOXES for HEIGHT

One thing I noticed from checking out other dessert table photos online is you need different levels and heights when displaying your goodies just to make it more interesting to look at.

Just as I was set to buy some boxes from National Bookstore, our yaya literally came into the room and asked me if she could already throw out some of the kids' old shoeboxes. Lightbulb! It was really meant to be! The boxes were the exact size I needed (and they were free! yes!). Since I wanted them to blend with my tablecloth, I wrapped them in striped gift wrapping paper also leftover from Christmas. I swear, everything came together for this set-up. The tablecloth is actually 3 yards of cloth I bought in Divisoria some time ago. It was just a blessing I had the matching wrappers on hand. You'd really be surprised at the things you'll find lying around your house!

Who would guess you actually have shoeboxes on your table? Haha! I was also lucky to buy this set of 4 jars at True Value for 50% off (just P300!) which came in different sizes.

STICK BALLOONS

I used the leftover bowls I had from Sabe's DIY sports table centerpiece and applied the same principle of filling it with styrofoam. I also covered it with my striped gift wrapping paper to blend in with the tablecloth.

Then just stick your balloons in!

So again, here are just some general tips in making your own DIY dessert table:
- Stick with your color combination.
- Use glass containers and/or all white plates. It makes it look more professional.
- Create depth in your display by using different sized containers and boxes for height.
- Buy some nice cake / cupcake stands.
- Try to see what you have lying around the house before buying anything. You'll be surprised at what you find!
- Masking tape is your best friend.
- If you feel stuck on an idea (or just need inspiration), search online. Someone else probably had the same problem and if you're lucky, blogged about it with some useful tips (like me haha!). ;p

So YES, you can make your own dessert table without hiring a stylist! Just grab some paper, scissors and tape and get started! ;p

A Hello Kitty Valentine Birthday Party

Finally, I am able to post the pictures from Miley's 3rd birthday party! Okay, before I bombard you with the photos, just a little background on how this theme came about. I was all set to go with a Bubble Guppies Underwater Adventure party, but suddenly, Miley became obsessed with anything Hello Kitty last month! I think it started when she went to a neighbor's Hello Kitty party, and then her Mama also bought her a Hello Kitty DVD (which we've been watching non-stop ever since).

To be honest, I've never been a fan of Hello Kitty so it wasn't really the top of mind in planning this party. In fact, before this party, our house has generally been Hello Kitty-free! Anyway, I've always wanted to throw Miley a Valentine's Day themed party since her birthday is so close to February 14. So I figured, why not just merge the 2 together? And I am so happy with how it turned out!

This is my first attempt to set-up a dessert table and let me tell you, I've literally lost sleep over figuring out the layout of the damn thing haha! I definitely did not want the decors to look too kiddie or cartoony (despite this being a party for a 3 year old haha!). And by sticking with the color combo of red, pink, and white, I was able to achieve the look I was going for. I mean, it would have been so easy to just go to Divisoria and buy all the matching party items to save time and effort. But of course, you know me, why buy when you can DIY!

So, without further ado, here's Miley's Hello Kitty Valentine birthday party! I took so many photos it was so hard to pick which ones to show. If I had my way, this post would probably be 10 pages long haha! ;p

labor of LOVE

the birthday girl

DIY bunting banner

mango cake from Cielin's Cakehouse
I really wanted a strawberry or red velvet cake but when we went to the store, there weren't any left. This was the only plain looking white cake left so I got it, since you can barely notice the yellow anyways. Besides, it was delicious!

red velvet & chocolate cupcakes from Cielin's Cakehouse

DIY cupcake toppers and cake bunting

the Hello Kitty figurine, which is actually filled with mints, is from the candy section at the grocery

make a wish!

got this idea from HERE

Hello Kitty goodies!

Hello Kitty balloons from SM

DIY labels

DIY labels

heart lollipops from National Bookstore

DIY heart table bunting

balloons and party hats from Dennis Balloons in BF

this is actually a piggy bank which I got from SM

lollipop giveaways hubby got during a trip abroad

the party outfit!
shirt: Zara - skirt: bazaar - bag: gift - headbands: Divisoria - shoes: Sugar Babies (SM)

The best part was when Miley saw all the decorations for the first time. Her eyes got so big and she kept saying "It's a party! Happy birthday!!!" She kept wanting to touch everything, it was such a challenge getting a good photo with her in it! All of use were shouting "Miley! MILEY! Look here! Don't move! Stay still for 1 second! DON'T TOUCH THE CAKE!!!" haha RIOT! I almost wanted to give up already but luckily, we got some good ones. And it's so cute how she loves to keep blowing out the candle! What was so funny is the next day, she was so excited to go out of the room but then everything was cleaned up already. She was like "Where's the decorations?!" haha I had to put back the banner and what was left as best as I could. =)

Anyway, I'll be posting about how I made some of the DIY decors next. =)