LOL Party + My Party Hacks

Olive turns 7 this week and we've been looking forward to celebrating her all month long.  We opted to skip a friend party this year due to all the COVID-19 restrictions and just focus on doing small parties with our family.  She knew exactly what she wanted - an LOL doll themed party.  I picked up party supplies, made all of her favorite foods and we celebrated with family.  It was wonderful!

If you've been around here for very long, you know that I love throwing parties.  I look forward to celebrating all the things.  I wanted to put a different spin on my party post this year.  I thought I'd share some behind the scenes party hacks with you.  These are all things I've learned over the years that make party planning easier for me.

Watch for 10 of these *** throughout the post to read my party hacks.

Let's party!!  (I'll put links at the end of the post to anything I can.)

***Be sure to ask someone to snap pictures for you if you're busy trying to host.  I always ask my sister to take pictures during my parties because I know she'll get good shots and she'll tell me things like - turn the candle around the other way so that the 7 will be the right way for the camera.

***Pick three different patterns/colors for your napkins.  It'll add interest and fun layers to your table.
***Pick one item to inspire your party colors.  I picked the LOL doll tablecloth from Wal-Mart and selected colors, patterns and designs to go with it.
***Shop around to find an eclectic mix of party supplies instead of buying every item in a set.  I got the napkins from Walmart and Meijer.  Straws from Kroger and Dollar Tree.  LOL doll cupcake pics from Amazon, plates from Meijer and tablecloth from Walmart.  Mix and match!

Olive opted out of the traditional birthday cupcake and requested sugar cookies instead.  I made those, chocolate dipped Oreos and added in a classic chocolate chip cookie since that's always a crowd pleaser.  People seem to enjoy a little dessert buffet.

***Plan the menu around the birthday girl's favorite foods.  Oreos are life!

*** Melt 3 squares of white chocolate almond bark in the microwave until smooth.  Dip half of Oreo in almond bark.  Lay it on wax paper to dry and add sprinkles immediately.  Let dry for a couple of hours.  The kids loved these and they were so easy!

*** Fresh flowers seem to be in short supply at my local grocery stores.  I only found tiny bouquets of $10 tulips.  It would have taken 3 or 4 bouquets to fill a vase.  I did not want to spend that kind of money on party flowers.  I opted to buy this $9.99 beautiful flowering plant instead.  It was huge and so pretty on the drink table.  Bonus: I will repot it and enjoy adding it to my indoor plant collection.

 Hearts, stars and #7 shaped sugar cookies for the birthday girl!

 Chocolate chip cookies.  I added rainbow sprinkles to go with the theme.

***Sundae sprinkles are perfect for any dessert.  They're bigger, brighter and cheaper than the sprinkles you find in the baking aisle.  These are found in the same section as the sundae toppings.  These rainbow sprinkles are from Meijer.

We tried something new for favors this year and it was so fun!

***We did a BUILD YOUR OWN FAVOR BAG STATION!
Olive has 9 cousins on my side of the family so we planned this for them.  We added all of her favorites plus things we thought the kids would love.
 

1. Hand decorated bags for all the  kids
2. LOL Pez dispensers
3. Pez refills
4. Airheads
5. 3 Musketeers
4. Pink Starburst
5. Lip gloss/chapstick
6. Silly straws
7. Reese's
8. Waterproof Vinyl Stickers

*** Let the birthday girl go through the line first.  Then shuffle the bags and call the kids up one at a time to load up their bags.  We talked through quantities - one Pez dispenser per person, a couple of candies per person, etc.  It worked really well and all the kids enjoyed picking out their own flavors and favors.

 The LOL doll table cloths were so cute!  I put one on the adult table, one on the island and did a plain pink one for the kid's table.

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