Cristen Cleans!: Hallie's Candy Shop aka Planning a Kids Party, CHEAP!

Although my daughters 9th birthday was almost a month ago, I have finally decided to throw her a birthday party.

I wasn't really planning on throwing a big party this year, but I saw some great ideas on the net. I got to thinking that I could throw her a great themed party without having to pay a party planner an arm and a leg. It has been a time consuming project because I did ALL the planning, cooking, set-up, and hand made EVERY decoration! I am pretty proud of myself, so I had to do some showing off!

My Center Pieces

I just threw the center piece on the left together with some of the party supplies I pick up at, you guessed it, the Dollar Tree. I just moved, adjusted, and added items until I liked the way it looked. The center piece on the right is the one I'm most proud of. Just look at that thing! 101 Dum Dums. I saw something similar on Pintrest that sparked my interest. I figured a vase, Styrofoam ball, filling material, and suckers. I put it all together and volia!

Decorations

The decorations where simple and cheap, but a little time consuming. I just used "trash", like old news paper, toilet paper rolls, and some left over Styrofoam. All I did after that was wrap them up to look like candy! I strung them up around the house. It looked great! I also made a small poster using pictures of my daughter for the last eight years to show how much she has grown. The poster was a hit and got a lot of complements. But, I thought it looked a little cluttered. Oh well! Most of my inspiration came from pictures and party blogs on the internet. I have attached some links below for you to browse.

The Set-Up

I set all the candies and center pieces out on a long party table and covered it with a plastic table cloth. The idea of the party was for the kids for decorate there own pudding pies with all the candy their little hearts desired. Even though the idea of candy in my pudding grosses me out, they all loved it!

My plan was for them to bring the pies home as a treat, but they where eaten right away! All and all, I think I planned a great party, and it didn't cost an arm and a leg.