I am so honored to have my very first repeat customer!  Courtney and Matt first asked me to help plan a Sip & See for their newborn daughter last September and we planned a lovely Woodland Owl Sip & See.  And then, they recently asked me to help plan their twin girls’ third birthday party – of course I said yes!  The girls are getting very excited to start preschool this fall, so we went with an ABC School theme, complete with lots of bright colors, alphabet flashcards and even a school desk!

Inspired by these flashcards on Etsy, I designed alphabet animal flashcards to use as bunting under the mantel and beverage table.  Bright colors, a simple design and animals were the key to keeping them toddler friendly!  Using the same animal silhouettes, I also created personalized art for each of the girls – an alligator of Anais and a seahorse for Sophia.  I really loved how they turned out and they are something that the girls can keep as a 3rd birthday party memento!

The focus of the mantel was a large DIY chalkboard with a special birthday message for the girls – post coming soon on how to make one for yourself!  The ABC animal flashcards created a cute bunting in front of the mantel, and the rest of the mantel was accented with crayons in glasses (so simple but so cute!), apples in vases (again, easy and perfect for the theme!), a few ABC blocks and a “Celebrate” magnet board that Courtney uses for different holidays – it worked in perfectly with a few school themed magnets!

The food buffet followed the same decor as the mantel – several crayon glasses, apple vases, a gorgeous framed photo of the birthday girls, their personalized framed animal art and a few more blocks.  We also added in the cutest train letters that spell out each of the girls’ names and large A, B and C kraft letters that I painted in primary colors.  I absolutely love using their living room shelves to create the buffet backdrop – they enable me to use so many elements and layers in a space where you can usually only use a few pieces.

Since the party was held earlier in the day, Courtney served a brunch of cereal cups (Alpha-bits, of course!), yogurt parfaits, fruit kabobs, mini quiche, and veggies with dip.  For dessert, there were cake pops covered in ABC sprinkles and “A” and “S” cakes for each of the girls.  These cakes were displayed on a school desk that I stumbles across at Goodwill – for only $10!  Not only was it a great party prop, but I know all three girls will love using this desk in the coming years!

The party guests received ABC crayons as favors, but the real kids’ favorite during the party were the party blowers!  You just never know what kids will latch onto and love – sometimes it’s the simple things!

I had such a fantastic time working on this party and can only hope the girls enjoyed it as much as I did!

Animal ABC Flashcards by This Nest is Best
Sprinkles and Stripey Straws from Hey Yo Yo
Alphabet Crayons from Touch of Pink
Celebrate magnet board and magnets from Carol Roeda Studio
Animal Fabric, ABC letters, Clothes Pins and Mini Chalkboards from JoAnn
Pinterest Inspiration Board