Where did the time go?! It felt like just recently when Casey took her first steps. Now she’s three. Looking back at 2020, time really felt like it stood still but it also felt like the days went on quickly. It was a heartbreaking year to face and somehow we ended up here. Safely able to meet with loved ones and make new memories. While planning for Casey’s third birthday party, Allen and I wanted to make it up to Casey somehow. She spent year two mostly at home with just us. No playdates, no parks, no museums, no playgrounds, no new friends, no relatives. Although we were so grateful to have a safe place at home for the kids, in the back of my mind, I did feel sorry that Casey didn’t get to experience the world at 2 years old as Joey did. So many children didn’t. So many children still don’t. Whenever we have these birthday parties, they always start small, and then my creative friends who plan them always take them to another level at the end. It’s what they do best. The event design/planning industry was hit so hard during 2020 and everything was pretty much put on hold or canceled. It was so wonderful to be able to work with these industry creatives again for this party and also be able to promote their work here.
Soon, I will be announcing how you can nominate a child for a birthday giveaway so stay tuned for details about that. The giveaway will include a private party at this same venue and some other goodies!
Photography by SY Kim Photography | Event Planning, Design & Coordination by Sky Meadow Place
The venue was at the Little Elephant Kids Place in Walnut, CA. It has a beautiful playground area, reading area, jumping house, clean restrooms and changing tables, comfortable seats for parents (even a massage chair!), a little shop, and also a snack stand. We’ve been to many indoor playgrounds and this one is our favorite!
When Ellen, our party planner, asked us what Casey’s current favorite thing was, I think I said, “Stickers & Frozen.” Almost immediately Ellen’s eyes got so big and said, “I HAVE THIS VISION. I’m gonna make giant stickers using magnets.” And that’s what she did. With the help of illustrator Michelle Lee, Ellen created a sticker-themed party!
New Project Designs created the backdrop of the cloud construction, built side shelving and walls. Preferred Projects printed the large digital print out of Casey, the large sticker magnets, and our party favors which were sticker sheets and magnets. The cloud was spray painted with magnetic paint which held up the large removable magnets. Amazing right?? Michelle drew the cutest illustrations. She even included our cat Nacho!
Little Elephant Kids Place has two separate party rooms and we used one of the rooms as the area where the kids can sit down and eat lunch.
Words can’t describe how much I loved this little corner!
The cake was created by @jiasweets and @sweetleemade. The “stickers” on the cake were just too cute!
My dear friend Hannah of Milieu Florals created all the floral masterpieces throughout the venue. I couldn’t take my eyes off of the arrangements she made. I mean, look at those colors!! Thank you Hannah. You know how much I love your work!!
Personalized cookies were made by @sweetsbykeeks and the delicious French macarons were made by @puffectbakerycafe. They were too cute to eat!Ellen created a Welcoming area full of balloons created by Tesia from Simply Wild Party, florals from Milieu Florals, and party favors: Sensory Play Kits from our favorite BzyBoxKid, candy from Hi-Chew and our favorite healthy squeeze pouches from Once Upon A Farm.
Lunch was pizza for the kids and XLB Dumpling Bar for the adults. XLB Dumpling Bar and the pizza place are in the same plaza as the venue so we had freshly made food ready to eat! If you haven’t tried XLB Dumpling Bar, you must! We love their Dan Dan Noodles, dumplings and their famous Cheeseburger baos.
A request I had was to have coffee for the adults so Ellen found House Roots Coffee for us. Oh my goodness, it was the best decision. It kept all of the parents fueled for the day. I kept hearing about how delicious it was. They also made delicious drinks for the kids. If you’re looking for a coffee cart for your event, we highly recommend them!
We of course had our friend Tesia of Simply Wild Party there. She made the incredible balloon garland at the welcoming station and cotton candy. A request was made for a giant cotton candy and some of the kids took turns sharing it. Simply Wild Party offers party services like balloon art, balloon garlands, face painting, photo booth, cotton candy, airbrush, flash, and glitter tattoos. If you ever need party services for children, please check out her website and book her! She’s amazing. And the cotton candy is the most delicious cotton candy we’ve ever tasted. (It tastes like real flavors and not just sugary!)
It was such a joy to see all of our kids play so happily in this place. Seeing Casey run around with all her friends in one room, at the same time, was incredible for her. At the end of the day, she kept naming all of the friends that she got to play with that day and it made me so full of gratefulness that we had this opportunity to give her some happiness to share with all of her favorite people in her life. Princess Elsa later surprised us all and helped sing Happy Birthday to Casey, read a story, and basically played with all the children so the parents could take a break! Jenn, who acts as so many different characters, is available for events. We had her as Aurora for Joey’s last birthday party. She is THE BEST. You can book her for an event through her Instagram.Casey was more than excited. Can you tell?Thank you Elsa for the unicorn headband!
Wow. Thank you so much Ellen for creating such a fantasy of a birthday party for Casey. We’re so honored to have you plan this celebration for us and were so blessed by your creativity and vision for all of this. I love this photo of you with the gigantic cotton candy!
Thank you to all of the people involved in making this party happen for all of us. For anyone reading this, please check out the links below and book them for your next event! Stay tuned for the announcement of the birthday giveaway soon!
Venue: Little Elephants Kids Place
Coordination, Design & Styling: Sky Meadow Place
Illustration: Michelle Lee
Florals: Milieu Florals
Backdrop Cloud Construction, Side Shelving, and Wall Rental: New Project Designs
Large digital printout of Casey, large sticker magnets, sticker sheet, and magnets: Preferred Projects
Photography: SY Kim Photography
Videography: Justin Choe
Cake: JiaSweets and Sweetleemade
Cookies: Sweetsbykeeks
French macarons: Puffect Bakery Cafe
Balloons & Cotton Candy: Simply Wild Party
Sensory Play kit: BzyBox Kid
Food: XLB Dumpling Bar
Coffee Bar: House Roots Coffee
Princess Elsa: Jenn Lucas
Snacks: Once Upon A Farm & Hi Chew
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