Our sweet boy is turning two! Time is flying and we can't believe how much he's grown! At the age of 1, children usually do not have a specific "like", but by 2 years old, they are developing a concrete personality and have more likes...and dislikes. ))) He's big into pandas and we decided to throw him a pandamonium! We rented out an indoor playground and decorated it as much as possible. We only had about 30 minutes before the party to do something with it...so a lot of running around before guests started arriving. Whew!
THE DESSERT TABLE
We decided on a color scheme that basically came from the pandamonium decorations I found online - black, white and lime green. We got balloons to frame the table, a banner, and hanging vines with felt pandas we attached to the vines. It was too cute!
The table they provided at the indoor playground was pretty small, so there was not too much you could place on it. But it still turned out adorable! The desserts themselves were made up of cupcakes, piroulines (aka bamboo sticks), panda cookies (that we all probably remember from our own childhood), and of course the cake, which looked amazing! I found these cute little pandas that I gave the bakery to place on the cake and it turned out perfect!
DECOR AND FOOD TABLES
I hung various pandamonium cutouts on the walls and found these large palm leaves that I placed on all the tables. It really created that jungle-type vibe. The food was all from Costco...got to love that place for parties! Sandwiches, salads, fruits, deli platters, string cheese, and bagels with various cream cheese and jams. The party was in the late morning, so this spread was perfect for brunch.
For the favors for kiddos, we got small panda baggies and placed in them panda cookies, panda figurines, and panda all natural raspberry licorice. Perfect little snacks and toys for the little ones. I always like to have favors that are useful, and I am at least 70% sure the children will like and/or use. ))) We all know those favors we received ended up in some box or even in the trash.
So I've learned from this experience that even though you can do a lot in 30 minutes, it is not enough time to really put all your decorating skills to use. Furthermore, don't expect to have much decor in an indoor playground. ))) But we did our best, and I think it still turned out like a great pandamonium for our 2-year-old panda!
Vendor Credits:
Planning and Decorating - SMLA Happy Events
Location - Kidz Korner Indoor Playground in Encino, CA (http://www.kidzkornerencino.com)
Decor - Party City, Amazon
Food - Costco
Cake and Cupcakes - House of Pastry (www.houseofpastry.com)
Favors - Amazon, Costco
Photography - SMLA Happy Events