Le Petite Cirque

my two sisters didn't exactly have to pull my arm when they asked me to help plan their daughters' circus-themed birthday party.  i pretty much jump at the chance to plan a party.  we started collecting on pinterest by setting up a secret board, something i also do with my design clients, which makes brainstorming fun and fast.  of course, it's always easy to get overwhelmed with good ideas and think you can do them all so we did our best to keep narrowing them down.  keeping in mind which would have the most impact with least stress, especially since it was december!  we ended up with a circus theme that was girly with a vintage and french feel, but still made the boys feel included...

one of the major things they wanted was a photo backdrop, so we drew a
simple line drawing of circus tents on a roll of white backdrop paper and hung
it between the curtains in front of the window.  it was dark by the time the party
started so we set up a spotlight off to the side and it gave a perfect circus tent feel.
we set up an old wood crate to stand on and my brother-in-law made an
oversized barbell out of styrofoam for strongmen photos.  

my sister has a major sweet tooth and went all out with the circus treats

that included cupcakes, mini cotton sticks, popcorn and a candy bar

with classics like cherry sours, jelly beans and circus peanuts.

the birthday girls nora and sophia

they included a couple games for the kids like this one

and made a point to involve the kids in the prep work beforehand.

it not only kept them busy, but they enjoyed wrapping all of these

cans and contributing to their party.

from the moment we got there, cole was eager to get into character

the zebra balloons were also a huge hit 

and we made head dresses out of supplies i already had, including paper, feathers and felt.

everyone had a great time, especially the guests of honor

sources: zebra balloons seen on oh joy and found here / ferris wheel photograph via coast to coast central
vintage barbell + red and white platform / stick on mustaches via the party store / white cotton candy my sister

mounted on pink and white striped straws / feather headdress inspiration via pinterest
vintage marching band hats i already owned + black top hat from the party store
black & white striped cupcakes with mini circus tent toppers via the craft store