Birthday Parties

Suzie Boluarte of Project: Party Perfect knew just what the theme for her son Caiden's second birthday should be. "We live near a small airport, and he loves going to the observation deck," Suzie says. "It's on the tarmac, and he gets an up-close experience seeing small planes and private jets take off and land."

Suzie took that love of planes and created an inventive party full of high-flying clouds, crafts, and cute treats. "Because it was homemade and not a commercially licensed, themed party, it was a lot easier on the wallet," Suzie says. "I got to mix and match products and choose my own color theme with a budget." Budget-friendly, DIY, and adorable? Sounds like a party we can get on board with!

We've come to rely on Etsy's online marketplace of handmade goodies and one-of-a-kind finds for almost every facet of our lives, and decorating for kids' birthday parties is no exception. Where else would we be able to score such a wide variety of artisanal goodies (many personalized), with just the click of a button? To make the search a tad bit more manageable, we've rounded up some of our very favorite Etsy resources for planning your child's ultimate birthday bash. Click through to see where we're shopping!

Regardless of whether you're a Hello Kitty fan or not, we're betting you're going to love this second birthday party, thrown by wedding and event planner Gloria Wong for her daughter Taylor's second birthday. "Taylor is a big Hello Kitty fan (as am I), so we decided to use Hello Kitty as our inspiration for the party," Gloria says.

Although the famed cat features heavily in this party on top of the cake, on cookies, and through the use of her iconic bows (guests were each given one to wear as a headband or bow tie; can you say "adorable?"), Gloria's stylish take on the theme feels totally modern — think of it as kiddie minimalism. While we definitely give this soiree's decor two thumbs up, the day's most important critic, 2-year-old Taylor, had one favorite party element. "She loves singing 'Happy Birthday' to herself on a daily basis," Gloria says. "So, to have a captive audience that sang along with her just sent her over the moon." Keep clicking for more sweet details.

"For my little guy's birthday, there was never any question about the theme: fossils!" says Gretchen Brittain, mom of three and the creator of adorable party printables shop Three Little Monkeys. "Zach is obsessed with dinosaurs. Obsessed. But not the cartoon variety. He digs real fossils, and we've watched so many documentaries I can identify just about every fossil. OK, not quite every fossil. But close."

Gretchen used Zach's love of fossils and her own addiction to all things vintage to create one of the coolest little-boy parties ever, styled to feel like an old fossil excavation site with a vintage map backdrop, replica fossils, and old books, trunks, and camping gear. Add in activities including fossil identification and a dino dig and yummy treats like homemade "rock" cupcakes, fossilized dino egg cupcakes, and cretaceous cake pops, and you have one dino-rific party!

Source: Three Little Monkeys Studio

We've been smitten with New York-based party company Keren Precel Events for some time, but this British-inspired birthday party has taken our love to a new level. Keren was inspired to create an ode to England by her 2-year-old client Bennett's room. "Bennett's wallpaper was white and filled with British icons," Keren says. "It was youthful, but not babyish or childish, and I decided the whole look of the party would be something similar that would appeal to both children and adults." Not only does this party feature one of the coolest cakes we've ever seen, but also, it's stocked full of savory treats that appeal to kids of all ages, on both sides of the pond. Keep clicking to see how to do a birthday, Brit style!

There's nothing that gets us more excited than an incredible kid's birthday party around here, and we've learned that the best parties always feature a memorable, creative cake. Girlie birthday bashes, usually means an over-the-top, frilly, feminine (yes, often pink) confection that looks as sweet as it tastes. Check out some of our favorite girlie cake creations ever, all designed to inspire your daughter's next birthday cake!

Jenni Kayne is not only a successful fashion designer and one of the founders of chic kid street-style site Ladys & Gents. She's also a mom to two little ones, including Tanner, who recently celebrated a birthday!

"For Tanner's fourth birthday, all he wanted was a pirate party," Jenni says. "We all channeled our inner pirate, which made the party that much more festive! I loved seeing all the kids in their adorable costumes. Most importantly, Tanner had so much fun and has been sleeping with a pirate's chest ever since." Check out all the highlights (tons of pirate-inspired decor, a face painter, and even the "real" Jack Sparrow), all of which, of course, have a hip spin thanks to Tanner's superstylish mama!

"I am a planner by nature and knew the day after my daughter’s first birthday that I wanted to do a teacups and tutu theme using soft pinks and oranges for her second," says Johanna Saucier, mom to 2-year-old Presley. "With that much time to plan, I kept adding details up to a week before her party. I believe it's the details that make a party memorable and unique."

"I incorporated teacups in the cake balls and printables and in real teacups purchased from flea market and used for floral arrangements," she continues. "I also wanted subtle and sweet touches of tulle, including the pom garland, tutus for each little girl, and tulle wands." But the details don't stop there. From a DIY dress-up closet and shabby-chic doily accents to a framed photo dessert table backdrop, there are so many ideas we want to steal from this party. Our favorite, though, has to be the tulle-topped ombré cakes that lined the party table. Simply "tutu" chic! Keep clicking to check out all the details of this inspired party. As Johanna says, "What little girl doesn't love to twirl around in a tutu?"

Source: CN Photography