Hailey’s Happy Half- A Confetti Carnival Half Birthday Party

On March 28, Hailey officially became 6 months old! I truly cannot believe how quickly time flew by, but it’s true! I love a good party (surprise surprise!) so I decided to throw Hailey a small (but adorable) half birthday party to mark the occasion. I knew the party had to be cheap, because our budget is a little tight these days. I also knew it had to be simple so my husband wouldn’t get annoyed at me for having an unnecessary party. And I knew it had to be cute, because IT’S ME and I wouldn’t have it any other way. The result was an adorable little party on a budget that any mom can throw for their baby!

Picking a Half Birthday Party Theme 

The first thing I had to do was pick a theme for the party. I was a bit stumped at first, but I knew I wanted something colorful and maybe with confetti. I browsed Pinterest for ideas, then I looked up the silly holidays and found that March 28 is food on a stick day. My mind instantly went to carnival food like corn dogs, and that’s how the confetti carnival theme came about! I created a mood board for the party (more on that coming to the blog soon!) and I began planning my purchases and menu. 

One of my goals for this party was to not generate a ton of trash afterwards. So, I purchased reusable supplies like the honeycombs instead of balloons. I decided not to use cute patterned paper/plastic plates because we had enough everyday plates for the guests. I also used our turquoise footed glass goblets that we never get to use with company and regular silverware. The only plates I got where these half circle plates because they just fit with the theme wayyyy too well, and I knew there was no way I’d find that affordably for a reusable set. I skipped paper straws altogether because no one really uses them anyway. 

Carnival Party Crafts 

The good news is that all the fun DIYs that I did will be coming to the blog soon! I wanted to get this party post up before Hailey turned 9 months (or 9 years!) old. Like I said, I kept it simple and only did a few diy projects. I made Hailey a crown to wear with a 1/2 on it which at first seemed a little big but looked pretty cute overall. She wore it comfortably for most of the party! Then, I made a 1/2 cake topper. I had big plans for it with hanging ribbons but it looked funny, and 9pm the night before means you just gotta move on. I kept it simple with just glitter paper and a skewer stick. And lastly, I really wanted to display the photos I’ve been taking of Hailey each month so I made some picture holders! I picked my favorite photo from each month plus one from when she was first born.  It was really amazing being able to capture her growth each month because I can’t believe how big she’s gotten already and it hasn’t even been a year yet! I think I’m going to look back at these with such appreciation.

Psst- I made a baby photography course so that you can learn how to take better baby photos too! Learn more about Dreamy Baby Photography here.

Carnival Party Decor

I knew I wanted to make a tent (even though it’s more circus than carnival) so I raided my fabric stash and found some tulle that I had bought for my veil, but it was too narrow. I would have preferred something bolder but hey, sometimes you just gotta move on! I also knew I wanted to have balloon animals, so I used these figures I had and put them around the house. Finally, I wanted to add some pizzazz to the party area so I purchased a set of tassel garlands and a pack of honeycombs and lanterns. I made some of the garland tassels thicker and some thinner (2 pieces of tissue paper vs 4) so I was able to make a ton of tassels and hang them up around the party area. I also used the tassels and the honeycombs to decorate the tent and give it more of a carnival feel. I also added my DIY cotton candy garland which is so fun and complimented the theme!

Carnival Party Menu

You can’t have a party without food! Well, you can but it wouldn’t be as good haha. We decided to keep the menu really simple (and cheap!) with traditional carnival fare. 

Popcorn chicken
Corn dogs
Mexican street corn (elote)
Loaded tot kabobs (recipe here)
Cotton candy
Cake pops
Popcorn
Buffalo wings (brought by family)
Spinach pies (common at Greek fairs!)

Rainbow Layer Cake 

I decided that I wanted to do a layer cake and make it rainbow. I’ve never made a layer cake before nor a rainbow cake so I was a little worried. But it came out soooo cute! Since it was her half birthday I cut the cake in half, which left the layers out for everyone to see. The cake was actually really easy to make but in case you want a “tutorial”, here’s what I did. I used 2 white cake mix boxes and dyed them using neon McCormick dye. I sprayed the pans with flour spray which helped the cake not to stick to the pan. After they baked and cooled, I took them out of the pans and cut them flat using a long sharp knife. Then, I cut them in half and assembled the cake with a layer of frosting in between. Hailey was too young to eat the cake, but we took some pretty cute photos of her with the cake!

I mean…. look at that rainbow gorgeous goodness! Not bad for my first attempt at rainbow cake and a layer cake. I served the cake on the half circle plates, because what better to eat half a cake on than half a plate?! Once the cake and dessert was served, Hailey opened a few gifts from my mom. We requested no gifts but she said she had purchased the items months ago and since my parents were moving, she didn’t want to lose them. Fair enough! Most of those toys ended up being some of her favorites.

Such a fun and simple way to celebrate Hailey’s Half Birthday! Most of those decorations are still up, 2 months later. I love how festive the honeycomb balls and lanterns are! Even the circus tent is still up, although that’s probably due to laziness more than anything else. It’s hard to believe that in less than 4 months, we’ll be celebrating her first birthday. Seriously, where has the time gone and how do I stop it?!

Well, that’s all folks! I’ve got the individual DIY projects for this party (including the crown and photo holders!) coming to the blog soon, as well as Hailey’s monthly updates. It’s been a little busy around here and sadly I’m slacking on those! Part of me was thinking maybe I shouldn’t bother with them anymore but I think someday I’m going to look back at them longingly so I’m going to keep going! Keep an eye out for the DIY projects and don’t forget to follow me on Instagram for more behind-the-scenes plus reminders for new posts!

Hailey's 5 & 6 Months Updates

Time has flown by (again!) and I missed an update so here’s a 2 in 1 for ya ;) A lot has happened in the past few months and overall Hailey is a much more alert, vibrant baby than she was before! Let’s see what happened, shall we? 

Got a Puppy

Perhaps the biggest thing that happened in the last 2 months is that we got a puppy! Lexie joined our family and it’s been madness ever since. But, she and Hailey LOVE each other so it makes it worth it. I’ve got a post about having a puppy AND a baby coming soon, so let me know any specific questions you have about it! It’s funny though, because a few days before we adopted Lexie, we saw another puppy that was a small poodle mix. As soon as Hailey saw me with the puppy, she started to cry! Luckily she got over it really quickly and soon enough she was loving Lexie. 

Touch your Toes

At 5 months, Hailey started holding her feet and toes which made changing her much easier! Eventually she started eating her toes too, which was pretty funny to watch. She could basically be found with a foot in her mouth at all times!

Rolling over in secret

This kid- mind of her own I tell ya! John and I would lay her down to try and encourage her to roll over. She came close but never really did it. Then a few times that we left her laying on her back and moved away (like on her play mat in her room and went to grab something, or in her crib) she’d secretly roll over on her own! Now she won’t stop rolling at all. On the floor, your lap, the changing pad... this little lady’s flipping over all day long!

Crib

We transitioned Hailey into her crib and I mayyyy have cried. We tried to have her sleep in her room but she kept waking up, so we brought her back into our room where she stayed for 2 months! After she started rolling over, she insisted on sleeping on her tummy but then she couldn’t turn back and would cry to get turned.

6 months

Loves tummy time

In an interesting turn of events, Hailey now loves being on her tummy! She’s always flopping over from her back to her tummy so that she can play with stuff. She also loves being laid down on her tummy and looking around the room or trying to move around. She hast quite mastered it yet, but she’s determined!

(Sorta) Sitting up

Hailey’s starting to get the hang of sitting up, but she doesn’t want to do it on her own. She prefers to flip over onto her tummy instead! It’s frustrating because at 3 or 4 months old she was starting to sit up, but then she completed regressed once we got the puppy!

Playing with the pets

Hailey’s favorite pastime is playing with Lexie. Which is great, because Lexie loves her too! They spend the day making out (I try to separate them but it’s so difficult), and Hailey loves to stick her hand in the puppy’s mouth to get nibbled. If Lexie’s sleeping, Hailey will touch her paws and call to her. It’s the cutest thing. She’s not very gentle but Lexie doesn’t mind at all! I had Hailey and Lexie laying next to each other and Hailey was excited and kicking Lexie in the ribs and face. I made Lexie move to the other side of me so she was safe. She laid down for a minute and decided she wanted to be near Hailey, kicks and all! Hailey’s also trying to get attention from the cats but they’re not quite as interested as Lexie is. Well, except that one time.

Waking Up Again

Well, I guess the honeymoon had to end sometime. Hailey went from sleeping 12-14 hours in her bassinet to waking up at night in her crib. I had hoped she was just crying because it was new, but she ended up waking up once or sometimes twice a night. It’s made this momma tired! It doesn’t help that it’s also totally random. Some nights she wakes up at 2-4 am hungry. Other nights it’s 4-6:30 am. She usually has a quick snack and goes back to bed so I can’t complain too much!

Mirror games

Hailey loves to look at herself in the mirror! We like to play “who’s that baby?” I take her over to a mirror and point her out and she gives me a big smile. She also loves selfie mode and it’s resulted in lots of fun smiling pictures of us for daddy while he’s at work. She also loves when I dance with her in front of a mirror!  I either put on a Pandora station, or sing my rendition of “who’s that lady” by the Isley brothers. And it goes “who’s that baby? (Who’s that baby?) Cutesy baby (who’s that baby?). She loves it!

Singing

Hailey’s been singing a lot more lately and making a ton of noises. She has a wider range of sounds and loves trying to go high pitch and shouting. Then, she looks around for our reactions to make sure we are paying attention to her. It’s really cute!

I can’t believe how quickly she’s growing. I know I say that every month, but wow is it flying by! She’s becoming such an amazing little person.

Helping The Border Crisis With Dreamy Baby Photography

I’m interrupting the regularly scheduled blog programming to share a special message. Without going into too much detail, since I’m sure all our hearts have had enough, the crisis at the border was weighing on me heavily yesterday. I can’t fathom a situation so horrible that I’d risk my life AND my child’s life so dangerously in the hopes that things would get better. That’s a privilege I am lucky to have. Others are not so lucky. We should not be punishing these people. We should be trying to find ways to help. I hope that if I was ever so desperate to save my child, that things would finally start to look up for me on the other side. 

Instead, these people are met with force and punished, their children taken away from them and not given proper care. There are young children taking care of babies. There are kids without access to nutritional food, clean clothes, a toothbrush or even soap! The list of atrocities seems to keep growing, but I think the fact that children are dying in these conditions should be setting off major alarms for people. This is not ok. None of this ok. 

There isn’t much I can currently do to help, and so I thought about ways in which I could help, even in a minor way. 

From today until July 4, I’ll be donating $20 from each sale of my Dreamy Baby Photography course to RAICES. By enrolling, you’ll not only be able to learn to take photos of your own baby, but be able to help a mother reunite with hers. That’s a donation of over 50% of the proceeds. I created this course with the dream of helping mothers. By donating, together we’ll be able to help the mothers that need it the most. 

By purchasing the course, you’ll be making a $20 donation to help the crisis at the border. To purchase the course, visit this link. If you don’t have a baby but still want to help, you can forward the link to someone that does or share it on social media. If you have the means and want to donate directly to RAICES, click here. I donated $10 last night, but I felt like I wanted to do more. Alternatively, you can donate to Together Rising, who says “Every penny we receive from your personal donation goes to people in need” by clicking here. I saw that most of their donations were only small amounts like $5 but they still managed to raise 2 million dollars!

Disclaimer: Because the donation will be made ASAP, any course refunds during this period will only be for the value of the course minus the donation. The usual donation to March of Dimes will be placed on hold until after July 4. 

Loving your child is universal. It knows no race, religion, or bounds. I’m sure many of us would risk our own lives to save our children, doing anything we could to help them. So please, imagine the torture these families are going through. Parents don’t know where their children are. Children are abandoned and alone, dirty, hungry and crying. We need to help them however we can. Please donate now to help these families in need.

DIY Washi Tape Place Card

Summer is here, and that means constant get-togethers, picnics, and BBQ's. Essentially, we're all just looking for reasons to be outside with friends, with a glass of rosé or a sangria in hand. Sometimes it's fun to go beyond the usual paper-plate-and red-solo-cup combo we're used to, and whip up something a bit more elegant for our girls. What could be better than a simple summer tablescape featuring these washi tape placecards? They're really cheap to make and hella easy. Put that glue gun away girl- you don't need it for this project!

*This post contains affiliate links.

You will need:

2.5 inch circle punch (similar here)

Colored cardstock (similar here)

Washi tape (similar here)

Glitter letters (From Michaels, similar here)

Directions:

1. Cut your circles out of your colored cardstock

2. Add washi tape to the top and bottom of your circle.

3. Fold over your excess washi tape. You can also cut it off if you want to, but it wasn't necessary. If you want the back to be neat, cut another circle from cardstock and glue it on the back.

4. Starting from the middle, add your glitter letters to spell out your friends' names. I placed them down gently, then adjusted them once all the letters were on to make sure everything was straight.

5. Press down on your glitter letters to seal them onto your place card.

That's all folks! Add them to your letter place card holders (DIY coming soon!) and place them on your summer tablescape for your friends to enjoy. They're so cute and can be put at a desk or on a cork board after the party is over! This summer I'm all about the easy crafts projects and this one is no exception! It's no mess too. Perfect!

So, what do you think about these placecards? Will you be whipping them up for your friends? Let me know how you plan to use them in the comments below!

No Cook, No Fuss Fourth Of July Party

This summer, I decided that I’m going to make every celebration as easy as I possibly can. That means less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying the outdoors with a drink in hand, laughing with my friends. Usually my husband John does most of the cooking (ok, all of the cooking!) and most events leave him stuck in the kitchen most of the day. He doesn’t necessarily mind cooking, but he does get frustrated having to spend the whole day running around- back and forth to the stove, the oven, and the grill while still trying to hang out. Because this is the fate of pretty much every party host since the beginning of time, I decided that I wanted to create a no-cook Fourth of July party. I figured where better to start than Trader Joe’s! I’ve been a fan of Trader Joe’s for a while now (and this post is in no way sponsored by them) so I thought it be a great place to go and get some ready-made, delicious, fresh options for a Fourth of July party. 

*This post contains affiliate links.

Before we get into the food, let’s talk about the table setup. For starters, I decided that I’m tired of always having crappy disposable plates and cups that are terrible for the environment and always manage to blow away. In addition, everyone always ends up losing their cup and using a whole bunch of extra ones- which makes it even worse for the environment. Because of this, I decided that I was going to use only reusable items and keep the party smaller so that I can have a nice intimate gathering with my guests where we could actually talk instead of spending the entire time trying to cater to a huge group and just spending the whole party cooking. 

Related: Use This, Not That: Eco-Friendly Party Swaps

Before I bought any party supplies, I searched my house for appropriate red, white and blue items. First, I grabbed an affordable tablecloth that I had purchased from Amazon. The table runner was from Home Goods and it was perfect for adding a pop of blue to the table. Then I added a red star table runner I had purchased years ago from H&M on top so there’s also a pop of red. On the sides of the table where the runner did not extend, I used reusable napkins as placemats. The red stripe plates were from Target as part of their Hearth & Hand collection and were ideal for adding the perfect nautical touch to the table spread. I used my regular utensils from my dinner set and added a red napkin, folded in half to keep it simple.  Then I scattered some blue tea light holders with battery operated tea lights to add a little light and romance as the sun goes down.

Now, onto the Trader Joe’s stuff that I purchased for this party that I’m so excited about! I originally went to Trader Joe’s for only a few items, including flowers and a pie. I managed to find red, white and blue flowers that were only a few dollars each and added a nice touch to the table. When I went to the bakery section, I found a pie which couldn’t be more perfect for the Fourth of July. It’s strawberry rhubarb (YUM) and it has stars on the crust (what?!). I grabbed those two items and continued about my normal shopping trip, when I realized there were so many easy and delicious options that were ready-made that would be perfect for a Fourth of July party. So, I decided that I was going to grab them and I changed this event from just a regular Fourth of July tablescape to a Trader Joe’s easy-to-do party theme. Because let’s be honest, if we can find a great shortcut, we want to do it!

I went to the drink section and grabbed some Red Stripe beers and Spiked Seltzer, both of which had a great nautical red, white and blue theme to them. I think one of the best parts about this is that you don’t even need cups, so it’s one less thing to wash, less waste if you’re using plastic cups, and everyone will know which drink is theirs because it’ll just be in front of them or in their hand. Plus, having the option of a beer or a spiked seltzer means that you’ll have something for everyone. They’ve also got great rosés and craft beers if you chose to go that route too. Or to really celebrate the 4th, you could pick an American beer!

I decided to keep the food super simple just like everything else. I made a salad with mixed greens, fresh strawberries, blueberries, and feta cheese to keep with that red white and blue theme. You can also add nuts like sliced almonds if you want to! I added Trader Joe’s vinaigrette on the side so that people could serve themselves and the salad wouldn’t get mushy.

I also decided to make a really simple cheese and charcuterie platter since we all love a good cheese! I started by using a goat cheese log covered in blueberries- again, going with the theme.  I served them with bread crisps, which ended up being really good. Usually these types of crackers end up being rock hard and not good (at all) but these were really soft and crispy, the perfect texture to hold the goat cheese and meats. They also work great for avocado toast too! 

I picked up a meat platter in the refrigerated section and everything was pre-sliced and ready to go. I personally don’t eat these types of meats (I pretty much just eat chicken and turkey!) but I figured it be great for everyone else to enjoy. Trader Joe’s also has tons of ready-made salads, sandwiches, and pasta salads so you could grab some pre-made meals for your gals. Just place them on a pretty platter and everything’s ready to go with no fuss and no cooking!

Aside from the fact that everything so simple to do, Trader Joe’s is actually very affordable and I prefer getting pre-made things from their supermarket over others. For starters, Trader Joe’s is usually smaller than most supermarkets, and I think that’s what makes it better. Instead of wandering the aisles looking at 1 million different brands and getting overwhelmed, you’re able to see everything laid out really nicely and neatly. You know where all the pre-made stuff is and you have a choice of only the best items, so you never have to worry that the things that you purchase are going to be bad for your guests. I also love that they have a great selection of craft beers and that you’re able to mix and match your own set, which is perfect for trying new ones out. 

Ever since baby Hailey came around, I find that I want to keep my events as simple as possible. In the end, it’s all about spending time with friends- having fun and getting to hear about each other’s day. We’ve all become busy and have our own full lives, so we need to take a break from all that to relax and unwind. The opposite of relaxing is spending the whole day cooking for everyone! So, run out to your local Trader Joe’s and grab some pre-made meals for your friends. Then kick back and relax- it’s all been taken care of!

What are your favorite pre-made Trader Joe’s products to serve your guests? Will you be skipping the cooking at your next summer event? Let me know in the comments below!