A's Second Birthday - Under the Sea

 

For A's second birthday, I really wanted a fun, creative theme.  I searched Pinterest for a while.  I thought of strawberries, Elmo, or Finding Nemo, but none of them really seemed right.

When I saw this dress:

I knew what the theme would be.

It is from a company called StellyBelly.  They feature smocked dresses and outfits, and this dress has two seahorses and an octopus on it.  She loves Finding Nemo, and her daddy's saltwater aquarium.  We have a book called Secret Seahorse, and she loves that too.  It was a perfect theme!

The first thing that A and I did was paint two 16x20 canvases with blue, green, and white paint.  Granted, A ended up with a lot of paint on her hands, and stomach, but it was a fun project to do together. This is what they looked like after they were painted. I used scrapbook letters to put the words on them.

 

I got the idea for the "So happy to SEA you!" sign from a website linked to pinterest.

What I really liked the most about these signs is that A was able to help me with them.  The next step was putting fish on the signs.  These are stickers I found at the craft store. A made sure each fish had a bubble to eat. It was adorable.

 

To decorate the table I used a glass vase that was my husband's Grandmother's.  I also used some antique blue Mason jars.  In all three of these I put sand (from the sandbox) and some seashells I borrowed from my mother.

 

 

I found the starfish dish at Party City on clearance.  The silver wear was wrapped in raffia with a lifesaver attached.

On our front and back storm doors, I created an aquarium with fish I got at Party City and crepe paper.

 

The sign says:

 



For the meal we had pizza, but there was also, "Fin-tastic Veggies," "Sea Sponge Candy," "Sea Cucumber and Tomato Salad," "Fish Bait (gummy worms)," and my favorite, "Fruit of the Sea." It was served in a watermelon shark which my mom made. It was the best thing on the table by far.

 

The cake was fun to make also.  I got my idea from a website called My Cake School. I followed the directions step by step, with a few exceptions. I used different color food dye, my background was different, and I used a cake board that my husband made me.  On the cake table I had coral that my husband bought for his aquarium. When it came in the mail I told him he could not put it in there until after the party!

 

 

 

This was a really fun theme.  I think the best thing about it is it made me feel very calm through the party.  Even though it rained and we were inside instead of outside a good time was had by all.

 

The day after the party, my friend told me her teenage daughter went into the bathroom and told her mom, "This is really a theme party. There is a Nemo in the bathroom!"  Success!!!