Valentine's Day Playdate

Well, I lost my bet with my husband. We all know he had fun with that...for a few seconds until he realized that his winning the bet wasn't all it was cracked up to be. It just meant I spent more money!

I didn't go too much over my $50 budget, but I did go over. Bleh. I was able to stay under $90, which brought the smile back to my other half's face. See, it all worked out in the end. He won a back rub out of the deal, and I was still able to throw the kind of party I wanted!

Let's start with the decor. I made all of it myself to save money and probably spent about $12 on it all. First up, I made these super easy paper fans using scrapbook paper I bought on sale at Hobby Lobby.. They took me less that 10 minutes to do a piece and I think made a huge statement. You'll be seeing more of these at my parties for sure!


Next up, I bought .99 cent packs of tissue paper from Walmart and made fun tissue poms to hang from my curtains. Again, another super simple project that costs next to nothing to make! I don't know why I didn't get a better picture of them, though. You can sort of see them here.


In between the groupings of tissue poms, I hung this heart banner that I made using coordinating scrapbook paper and string left over from the pirate party.

I made another pennant banner to add to the staircase, just above the dessert table, using more scrapbook paper and left over string.

Speaking of the dessert table... no party is complete without giving the kids a complete sugar high (and then sending them home)!


I used a free Valentine subway art printable and stuck it in a frame I already had. All of the sweets on the table were store bought (gotta love Litte Debbie Valentine cakes and brownies). I also filled a bowl with heart marshmallows, which were a huge hit with the kids.


The glittery pink banner on the bottom of the table was left over from Emma's princess party.





The drinks were red HEB sodas that I made a bit cuter by adding drink labels I whipped up in photoshop. The kids LOVED drinking their Love Potion. And guess what, no spills! My carpet breathed a sigh of relief!






My friend over at Giraffe Doodles & Design monogrammed the aprons for me! She will soon be offering party packs of monogrammed aprons in her store. So much fun for art parties, cupcake parties, and baking parties!


And here are where my pictures end. :( I had my hands full with the party and my baby!


After the kids ate, they each decorated heart sugar cookies that I made with pre bought white and pink icing and sprinkles-- told you I sugared them up!

Each kid was sent homw with a boxf candy hearts that I spent about 10 minutes making a bit cuter. I used a punch I had to cut out scalloped circles and then my three year old put a heart sticker (bought at the Dollar Tree)on each one. I used tulle leftover from the princess party and tied a bow around each box. Then I used a glue dot and stuck the scalloped circle in the middle of the bow.

And that is how I do a party on a budget!