Micah's 2nd birthday - Surfs Up!

We've had a lot going on in the Jones' household these last few months! A new baby, a new job, travel, a crazy toddler...the list goes on and on. I obviously didn't have as much time to plan an elaborate party for Micah, like I did with his Camp Out 1st birthday, seen here. I started planning his party last year about 2 months in advance...with a newborn, that was not possible this year! I was so excited to have Micah's 1st birthday party featured on The Creative Hostess blog, that I wanted to try to do something special again, but a bit toned down.

This year, I was on a strict budget from the hubby and I was up for the challenge! I will say, having a baby so close to Christmas has some challenges when planning a party. You run out of time with the craziness of Thanksgiving, Christmas and just having enough time to find what you need. Not to mention most of your friends and family having a lot of other social obligations this time of year.

I was inspired by the Retro Surf Party seen here on the HWTM blog and it gave me a lot of great ideas. In my planning process, I began to search the web for some more ideas. For me, I always start with the invitation. I searched iStockPhoto and found some images, and my friend Alice, who designed Micah's 1st birthday invites, designed these for me this year.


I always like to make a great first impression, or to set the stage for the party right off the bat. My very creative dad likes a theme just as much as I do, and made all the great signs, as well as the surfboards that you'll see throughout the party!




After guests pass through our dining room, the entrance to the kitchen is where they enter party-zone. Below is another sign that my dad made, as well as a surfboard with Micah's name on it. I took Micah's easel down from his room, bought some chalk, and copied the "surf report" from I Love Parties that was posted on the HWTM blog (mentioned above)....it was just too cute with all the "2's"!


The streamers were the biggest time commitment. I actually wanted to have a ton more streamers on the ceiling, but time (and my neck) didn't allow. But what a fun, inexpensive way to add some color and visual interest to your room. I tried to make them look like waves. The streamer "curtain" was a great way to not have our gigantic Christmas tree to be a focal point when you walked in....plus, it was a huge hit with the kiddos! I'm not usually a big fan of balloons for birthday decor, but Micah loooovvvveeessss balloons. We barely can make it out of a grocery store without getting him one.

One way to cut down on the cost (and stress) was to not serve lunch. I decided to have the party in the early afternoon and serve light snacks, drinks and sweets.

Perhaps my favorite detail of the entire party was the "surf wax". Again, my friend Alice who designed the invitations, made these adorable labels for me. I made Rice Krispie treats, cut them out with a 3 inch round cookie cutter, wrapped them in saran wrap, then stuck the label on (label paper bought from Paper Source).


What can I say, I love cupcakes! I enjoy coming up with fun ways to decorate them too. Budget didn't allow to get my favorite banana truffle cake from CAKE this year, as we did for Micah's 1st birthday and my baby showers. I used the cupcake stand that I made for Micah's party last year, except I swapped out some of the material with some fabric I had on hand. The "sand" is graham crackers and those surfboards are sugar!


I love incorporating fabric into party decor. I made this boardshorts banner out of fabrics I had from Micah's room and some thread. I found the mini clothespins on amazon.com for $1.99. I was really happy the way it turned out!


For the kids (and some of the adults), we had temporary tattoos for them to wear if they wanted. I got them from Oriental Trading. The kids had fun putting them on. Micah couldn't quite figure out what was on his arm and kept trying to scratch it off. For San Diego and a surfer party, I was a little disappointed that we had rain. I knew it was in the forecast, so I brought down Micah's Ikea table and chairs from his room for a craft table. I bought some color-on frames and got some extra kid's menus from Islands!



For the food, we had a good mix of sweet and salty. For the sweets, I made mini jello cups, with a gummy shark floating at the bottom. We also had bubblegum balls, "2" sugar cookies, the above mentioned Surf Snacks and the cupcakes. For salty, I did blue corn tortilla chips, with a white queso dip as well as a pineapple salsa. We also had rainbow goldfish. For the drinks, I made lemonade, got some blue Mt. Dew, blue Gatorade, and was thrilled to find Surfer Cooler Capri Suns for the kids! The hula girl straws are from Oriental Trading.





For the favors, the adults got gummy sharks. For the kiddos, they also got some gummy sharks, surfer stickers, and plenty of temporary tattoos for home.




All in all, I was able to do his party for just under $200. I was really happy with the way it turned out and I know Micah had fun, which is the most important detail of all!

Happy 2nd Birthday to my sweet boy, Micah! Surfs Up, Dude!!!