Olivia's Minnie Mouse Soiree- Part 3

Welcome to the last installment of Olivia's 4th birthday celebration-

here is Part 1 & Part 2.

With little tummies full, guests headed outdoors to play...

....and it appeared they were all having a great time:)  Bonus!

I love this picture of Scarlett...

...sliding into Daddy's arms:)

The birthday girl was thrilled to have so many playmates...

...and so was Jonah:)

And last but not least, it was time for "Minnie",

 my first ever homemade pinata, to make her appearance:)

The birthday girl was up to bat first...

...and with a calculated aim...

...swung with all her might...

...and then paused as a lollipop came flying out!

Here is Hope ready to give "Minnie" a jostle:)

 

For some reason, Jonah seemed reluctant to hit "Minnie"...

...so he gave her a love pat:)

 Then Jude was up and showed everyone how it's done!

Daddy Brian stepped in to retrieve the bat...

...so that Kellan could take a whack...

......which he did with great gusto!

And then Rose came flying over to do her bit of damage &

 kept pausing as sweets came trickling out:)

Finally we asked "Uncle Brian" to do the honors...

...and the troops swarmed in to retrieve their treasure:)

 Many little hands...

...and DIY Minnie Mouse favor bags...

...were set in motion...

...and sometimes paused, like Jonah, for a lollipop:)

Every last sweet was retrieved and stowed away...

...including the last lollipop, Livy's favorite sweet:)

This day was so special as friends & family gathered with us...

...but was especially sweet as "Aunt Tole"...

...and Uncle Timmy were able to be with us...

...as well as having the help of "Auntie Yeah" & Uncle Alex...

..and the momentous help of Gramma & Granddaddy!

Everything combined made Olivia's 4th birthday special & meaningful:)

 

We were all pooped by the end, but so very happy & blessed!

And seeing Hope hopscotch over the chalk Minnies on her way home was a real bonus!

A huge thanks again to my dear friend,Carolina for taking most of these pictures:)

A great success & I can't wait for the next party!!!

Details:

Decor- handmade by moi (pom poms + topiary + pennants+ party plates)-

 the Minnie pennant in the kitchen was a free printable).

Sweets- homemade by me (marshmallow pops + oreo pops + cupcakes + cake)- 

Gramma made the caramel popcorn:)

Olivia's ensemble- handmade by me (shirt + skirt)

Favors- handmade by me (favor bags + ears + coloring books)

Pinata- homemade & my 1st ever attempt!

Face Paint- homemade

Thanks for following our Minnie Mouse journey- back to some crunchy posts now!
Tiffany

Olivia's Minnie Mouse Soiree- Part 2

Welcome to Part 2 of Olivia's 4th birthday celebration- here is Part 1!

After guests relaxed with discovery playtime, they were ushered...

Pic taken pre-party.

...the dining room, laden with treats!

Here are 2 of my "handy helpers":)

Treats included Minnie Mouse Oreo pops,

Minnie Mouse Marshmallow pops,

Minnie Mouse Cupcakes,

• homemade caramel popcorn (thanks, Gramma!)
• "Minnie" hot dogs (Lil Smokies)
• Strawberries with Nutella (a fave for my birthday girl)
• Chips & pretzels
• Babybel Cheese
• "Minnie's Punch" (Apple/Cranberry concentrate + Sprite)

Here is darling, Rose, ready to dig in with her Minnie Mouse plate!

Some cutie pie guests, like Hope...

...and Kellan, sat on the patio...

..while Rose...

...and Jude, sat in the kitchen which was festooned with...

...approx 20 feet of pom pom garland...

...that kept going...

...and going!

I spent approx 30 mins one evening stringing the pom poms and left them

 on the spool of white thread- on party day I hung and spaced them:)

The final sweet treat: birthday cake!

A homemade, triple layer Devil's Food Cake with cream cheese frosting- 

this was my first "advanced" decorating effort

and I was quite pleased since cake decorating is not my area of expertise.

After a food coloring debacle,

 I cheated and used a Wilton tube of black icing for the dots & name.

And to ensure a neat result, I piped Livy's name on waxed paper, 

popped it in the freezer while I finished decorating the cake, then peeled it off & placed it in the heart- easy!

I achieved the "heart" by cutting out the shape in waxed paper, 

placing on cake after iced, piling red dusting sugar around and blowing/spreading a bit and then removing with a toothpick for the name:)

And though I wanted a nice looking cake for my birthday girl, 

I still wanted it to have a "homemade" charm, as in, not perfect, which it did!

 

The first piece of cake...

Yes, that's a DIY cake board- left over box, cling film & scissors= worked like a charm!

...went to the birthday girl!

And as you can see, she wasn't about to let Uncle Timmy steal it!

This was my first time making a triple layer cake & I loved it!

And so did my sweet girl:)

With tummies full, and "ears" in place, it was time to tackle the Minnie pinata!

The final segment, part 3 of Olivia's Minnie Mouse Soiree, coming next!

Thanks for stopping by,
Tiffany