Jun 25, 2020

Minnie Mouse Garden 2nd Birthday Party

Sweet little Diya was turning two and I couldn't have been more excited when her Mom and Dad called me to plan her party. I had planned her first birthday and it was so much fun to see how much she had grown in a year.

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When it came to the party theme, like most little ones, Diya had a limited repertoire of favorite things. She knew Elmo, she knew Minnie and she knew her family...so it was up to me to figure out what theme would make her excited about her party, but would still reflect the Literati Party style.

I decided to go with Minnie Mouse...with a twist, a Minnie Garden Party. After all, Minnie is always tending her own garden and has always had a love for flowers.

For me, character parties guarantee a few things: color scheme, character silhouettes and the style of the character. You know what the theme is...but it isn't obvious or in your face.

The color scheme was a nod to Minnie throughout the years...original Minnie's red and yellow was paired with modern Minnie's pink. And of course the design included Minnie's signature white polka dots!

Minnie's silhouette could be found throughout the design from the backdrop to the centerpieces to the sweets. To incorporate the theme in the tableware, I customized Oh Happy Day’s Anything but Basic party plates with a vinyl Minnie silhouette that I cut out using our handy Cricut machine. (Seriously...what did we do before Cricut?!?)

Moss Minnie decorations could be found on top of tables and even on top of the cake.

When it came to incorporating the garden part of the design, I used plenty of fresh and faux florals throughout the residence venue. If you are planning a similar theme, I recommend purchasing plants straight from your local garden center...put them in cute pots or planters and ta-da, instant decor!

I also included floral elements wherever I could on the sweets table, beverage station and balloon decor. Even the cake plates were adorable Daisy shaped plates...another nod to vintage Minnie who used to have a daisy in her hat!

I decided to include fruit as part of the decor to mix things up a bit. Strawberries and Lemons fit in with the color scheme and the garden theme...plus the fruit cups and napkins by Meri Meri were just so darn cute! Bonus: we served regular and strawberry lemonade on the beverage station!

Themed, but purposeful favors, were a must for the party (and the family). I chose books by favorite author, Eric Carle, that included seeded paper for the littlest guests to plant with their families. Find them HERE. And gardening kits for families with older children. Similar ones can be found HERE.

I always look for ways to incorporate the favors into the decor and this time it worked out perfectly! Both the books and kits added to the overall design of the sweets table to really bring the garden part of the theme to life!

And of course, what character themed party would be complete without, well...the character! Minnie made an appearance to play games with the guests and celebrate with the birthday girl!

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This party really was such a joy to put together and totally worth the sweat-fest in 98 degree FL heat to set-up! Here's hoping I get to continue to see Diya grow and work with her wonderful family again!

XO-