Both of my 5 year old nieces have summer birthdays and love all things Disney so when I had the chance to host a little Minnie Mouse celebration I jumped at it. I mean, when you have the opportunity to throw a Minnie Mouse party for the kids in your family you totally take it, right? What’s the fun in being a blogger if you can’t spoil your little girl and your nieces a bit with cool things like that?
(Click CONTINUE READING to see more + get instructions on how to make the world’s easiest DIY polka dot balloons and glittered Minnie Mouse centerpiece.)
Even though I was able to pick out some Minnie Mouse themed items from the new Disney Dream Party collection, I couldn’t resist DIYing a few items because I am basically happiest when I have a giant container of glitter in my hands. So now I am going to tell you how to make the world’s easiest polka dot balloons.
Here is my big secret: STICKER PAPER.
Yup, I had some blank sticker paper in my stash (I know, right? Who has sheets of sticker paper lying around? I do. It was leftover from the time I made these calendar labels. Oh, and these gift magnets.) You just cut a bunch of circles out of the sticker paper and stick them on the balloons. You could also use a circle punch for a more precise polka dot. We just freehand cut them because I have a two year old who likes to hide things like my circle punch and my left black patent leather shoe.
And here is how to make the world’s easiest Minnie Mouse centerpiece:
First, get one large styrofoam ball and two smaller ones, as well as a box of toothpicks and some glue. Personally, I recommend Martha Stewart’s Glitter Glue with a brush because glitter DOES NOT FALL OFF when you use that. It’s amazing. (Okay, some glitter might fall off. Don’t sue me if that happens.)
You’ll need something to rest the base on, I used a wine bottle holder that we had sitting around but anything that is circular with a flat base will do. Use some toothpicks to stick the smaller balls onto the larger one to form the ears. Stick something in the bottom so that you can hold it (like a dowel or a pen or a fork.) Then hold the handle you created and liberally paint glue all over the styrofoam form. I recommend holding it over an empty box while you do this. Next, shake glitter all over the form. I REALLY recommend doing this over a box. Because, well, otherwise you’ve just made a huge mess.
Once it’s all glittery, carefully remove the handle and gently rest the form on the base and let dry. Maybe in a place that your toddler can’t reach it because apparently, large glittery Minnie Mouse shaped centerpieces are irresistible to two year olds. GUESS HOW I KNOW THIS.
But it’s really worth it because it’s easy, cute and your niece will constantly ask you if she can take the “crystal ball Minnie” home with her.
(I did not let her. You’re welcome, Steph ;))
Also, we made Minnie Mouse shaped snacks by using cookie cutters and we also used toothpicks to make our grapes look like Minnie Mouse as well. We served them on our Minnie Mouse Dream Party plates with our Minnie Mouse cups and that was a total hit. And by “we” I mean my mother, who did the food while I glittered Minnie Mouse.
The Disney Dream Party decorations for Minnie Mouse are themed “Minnie’s Bow-tique” and so the girls and I made Minnie Mouse bows and then I put their hair up in Minnie Mouse Ears pigtails. Then we played “Pin The Bow On Minnie” which is a game that I picked up in the party supply section. The girls thought it was super fun, they giggled the whole time they played it and I liked that the stickers and board were reusable so that I didn’t feel like I was wasting my money on a one-time-use party game.
(Also, kids just like to play with balloons.)
(And also, my two nieces aren’t related to one another but both happened to be wearing the same shoes that day. That is just cute.)
I also picked up some Minnie Mouse paper dolls that came with sticker clothing/accessories that the girls could decorate. This activity was a hit with the girls and a bigger hit with me because all three of them sat quietly while concentrating on dressing their Minnie Mouses. Even my two year old. After eating cake, y’all.
I bet you can’t tell which one is Scarlette’s:
Part of this opportunity involved buying a Minnie-themed toy but I didn’t want to buy a toy just to buy a toy so I was happy to find Minnie Mouse jump ropes! That seemed like the perfect toy for two five year old girls: cute, fun, doesn’t take up too much space and also trickily healthy!
I also picked up a few sets of Minnie Mouse stickers mostly because I know that Scarlette and my nieces love stickers. Mostly Scarlette, as evidenced by the fact that there are approximately seven hundred and forty two Minnie Mouse stickers currently covering my office chair.
I tucked the surprises in this little basket I had and stuck one of the Minnie Mouse fans to the front of it. I hung the other two from the chandelier. Fans I mean, not baskets. That would be awkward.
I also switched out the photos we have hanging in the picture frames above our table for some leftover party decorations: I put a Minnie Mouse plate in one, a napkin in another and an extra Minnie Mouse cutout in another. That way none of my extra party supplies went to waste and I had a cute, affordable backdrop that went along with our Minnie Mouse theme.
I was also able to get one of the new Minnie Mouse birthday cakes from Walmart, although I might have ordered a much larger cake than I intended to. Apparently 1/2 is much larger than 1/4 and that is why I will never attempt to teach Scarlette fractions. That was one big cake, y’all. Also, guess who was all “CAKE! I EAT DAT!” and attacked it with her tiny fingers before I could take a photo?
Here is a tip for you: Be sure to put something inside that little present on the cake. The girls were all “WHY IS IT EMPTY AUNT KAYLA?!” and I was all “Um…because it’s an INVISIBLE prize!” Surprisingly, no one bought that explanation.
We had a ton of fun, I took the girls to a free movie at our local theater that morning and then surprised them with the Minnie Mouse party afterwards. This really is one of my favorite parts of my job, being able to share fun things like this with the kids. Some of my fondest memories as a kid are of my aunts doing special things for me, like checking me out of school early to take me shopping so I hope this was a day they will look back on happily when they get older.
(Plus, I just really love decorating for parties.)
