Dumbo Birthday Party

My youngest daughter turned two last week, and I decided almost three months ago to throw her a Dumbo party. We were on our way home from Disney World, the girls were watching Dumbo for the second time that trip, and Charlotte was clutching her new Dumbo stuffed animal that she hadn't let go of since we bought it for her when it hit me--Dumbo party it is!

Since Dumbo isn't a popular character outside of Disney World, I couldn't find any Dumbo birthday specific items for her party. So I decided to make everything!

I made the invitation in Photoshop. I had a quick photo shoot with my daughter to get a good picture, and I put that on the side so family could cut it off the invite and put on their refrigerator if they wanted. (Banner and dress made by me...more on that later.) I printed them at Office Depot because I was short on time...and because it was super cheap.

I made the 20x30 birthday poster in Photoshop and then printed it at Costco...for only $8.99. I love making posters when they are that cheap! I bought the picture frames on the mantel at JoAnn Fabrics and Michael's and painted them to match the theme. The tent was made from rectangle table cloths from Party City. I cut each one into two, so I only used 2.5 table cloths. The fabric rag banner was made from the fabrics leftover from the dress I made.

 

I found a tent cookie cutter on Etsy (click here for the seller), and I found the gumball machine at Goodwill. The awesome Dumbo popcorn bucket that held the forks is from Disney World. It's a collector's popcorn bucket, so they won't be around for long! I also made the picture banner. I made the cupcake toppers and printed them at Office Depot. I also made the cupcakes and cake. I know, I know, it's hard to believe that the awesomely decorated cake wasn't bought from a store or baker. ;-) I found a pack of two Dumbo figurines on Amazon, so I put one on top of the cake....since you can't find Dumbo cake stuff anywhere!  

My husband's work has a popcorn machine, so he borrowed it for the weekend. It was a nice addition to the party decor! I found the popcorn bags at Party City (they are actually favor bags), and I glued on the labels (those were the same as the cupcake toppers). And here is my favorite decoration: the book banner. I found an old, semi beat up book from Goodwill, cut out the pages, and glued them to bias tape. Easy! I made water bottle labels to match the other decorations, and also printed them at Office Depot. See a printing theme? ;-) 

I like to dress my girls in outfits that match their parties, and since Dumbo dresses are hard to find, I made one! I bought a pattern (click here) and a Dumbo applique, and that resulted in a crazy cute dress if I do say so myself. :-) I love it!

So there is Charlotte's Dumbo party! I am going to make tutorials on how to make a lot of the stuff, so I will come back and link to those when they are done. I believe anyone can throw a great party and make most of the decorations....even if you don't have the "fancy" tools like Photoshop. So those tutorials will show you how!