Hello At the Picket Fence friends! I’m so excited to be back with you today sharing one of my all-time favorite birthday parties we hosted for our son.
There is so much about raising a boy that completely mystifies me, but a few basics that I’ve learned so far are that they have a very unique way of channeling creativity, they love to make messes and they love to destroy.
In fact our furniture, floors & baseboards have achieved an authentic distressed look thanks to my son’s expertise in the above categories. What better way to celebrate that unique creativity and talent for mess-making than at a Painting Party.
This party was for my son’s 2nd birthday and with only a few guests invited, we kept it pretty simple. I scanned one of my son’s paintings to create the invitations, found a quote from Picasso that celebrates the boyish propensity towards destructive art, and used the painting’s colors to create the color palette for our party.
We featured a gallery of his artwork as the birthday bunting and framed the piece that inspired the party on the dessert table.
After a few visits to the paint department, I had amassed enough chips to create a large 2 for the front door and used the extras for cupcake toppers and dessert table décor.
Our tablecloth was a painter’s cloth and my plan had been to buy actual paint palettes to display the food but budget trumped creativity.
What I love most about this theme is that it is cheap, (our decorations were mostly free), it’s re-usable (all of the favors were art supplies for guests to use at home), and it’s fun for any age or gender.
The art stations were all age-appropriate with mini canvases to design, large easel painting, do-a-dot art stamps, salad spinner spin art, and face painting.
The favors were smocks, paint chip bookmarks, watercolors, and mini easels to display their canvases at home.
My son has already declared that his next birthday will be a “building birthday” and has been hoarding recycling from around the house as materials for his future party. Judging from the “laser gun” that he made in Sunday school instead of the lamb ears that he was supposed to make, I’m pretty sure he will interpret this birthday theme in his own unique way.
And I will learn to embrace all of the messes & creative destruction along the way!
Thanks so much for joining me at the Fence today,
Did you like this party? Check out some of my other celebrations!
I LOVED this post today! How cute is your son? The party looked like so much fun and the story about Sunday school made me laugh right out loud!
I love that! Everything was so well thought out. Your son and the furniture comment was funny! I grew up with three bro’s and I get it. At my home, I just sold a sofa, coffee, and end table that we’d had since my youngest (22) was lil’. She teethed on the edge of the sofa table and the coffee table had marks where she had learned to write her name and done her Valentine’s cards. Now we can afford nicer (Restoration Hardware) furniture but it’ll never mean as much to me.
This is such a perfect party for a 2-3 year old! I don’t have a little one yet but I’m filing this away to use for when I do!
Katy
http://www.alittledailyhappiness.com
I love this idea! My boys would definitely love this and they are a little older. I’ve had art/painting playdates at my house where I just rolled out long pieces of butcher paper down our farmhouse dining room table and then let the kids just spread out and have fun.
As far as a building party goes, we had a tool party for my oldest son’s third birthday. The biggest part of the party was having all the kids build birdhouses. It was a great party.
I love this! What a ingenious, creative way to have fun at a birthday party. Kids love displaying their artwork and receiving praise so this is just a perfect way to spend 30-60 minutes! I love the tee shirts and the take home kits (or are they place markers? – the little paint kits with the paint chip cards attached with raffia? So clever.
Keep the good ideas coming!
Great ! I really like it! sulekha dyacre!
A painting theme for a birthday party? I really like the idea. My daughter loves to paint also and she’s attending art workshop. He’s turning 8-years-old next month and I’m planning special for her birthday party and these are awesome ideas! Thank you.