Tie Dye Party Fun!

Over the weekend, we threw a birthday party that was to "dye" for! Megan decided to have a tie dye birthday party for her friends with a little sleepover afterwards! I love planning birthday parties, and while it's so much more work to have a party at home, I love the planning and decorating, and seeing everything come together. 

We opted for brightly colored balloons mixed together to give us a "tie dye" effect . 

I ordered this party set that included a tablecloth, paper cups, paper plates, and a few decorations to help throw the theme together. The party hat and cake decorations we had from Gretchen's 1st birthday, and I love that we saved them because we've been able to use several times over the years. 

I picked up a box of g-free macaroons from Costco and thought they gave a fun tie dye effect when all mixed together. The girls loved these! 

On our side board, I placed the cups, napkins, and plates, that came in the kit, and then a cake stand, Megan's knife set, and her 1st birthday party hat. 

I use these to hang the balloon banner. 

I threw these oils in the diffusers and the smell was fruity and fun! It was the perfect kids birthday party blend! (grab them here!)

And in the entry way, we used string lights, a little balloon set, our letter board, and the fabric banner I used for Megan's 1st birthday to add some texture and color. 

More balloons and banners for the present area. 

We did all of the tie dying outside! I used plastic table cloths from the Dollar Tree, and taped purple paper placemats on top to mark the spot for the girls. (I had these left over from Adalyn's baking birthday party last year!)

We used aluminum trays and lids for each of the girls to tie dye in, and then each girl was given a scrunchie and a shirt to tie dye. I found a 6 pack of white shirts here so they were super affordable. 

I also bought this kit of tie dye that came with rubber bands, gloves, dye, bottles, and instructions. All I had to do was fill the bottles with water and shake. 

With some instructions, the girls were able to tie off their own shirts; you can't really go wrong with tie dying!

Okay, full disclaimer. I don't think I realized how messy it would be! Some of the girls had dye on their clothes; so definitely have aprons on hand or be sure to tell them to wear clothes they don't mind messing up!

I had ziploc bags for all of the girls with their names written on them, and sent the shirts home after the party and told parents to wash them the next day. 

After we tie dyed shirts and scrunchies.... we made some tie dye paintings! 

I purchased paint from the Dollar Tree along with small canvases. I also bought a packet of straws and some paint brushes. 

I told the girls they could paint a picture, or they could squeeze paint on the canvas and use the straws to blow the paint for a tie dye effect. Again, totally underestimated how much paint the girls would use and the fact that the paint would blow on to their friends- so I made them all spread out! 

Make sure you have an area set up so the canvases can dry a bit! Our party was 3 hours, so most of the canvases had dried well enough to go home. 

We ordered Costco pizzas for dinner and had juice boxes. I also served a huge fruit tray with blackberries, blue berries, purple and green grapes, strawberries, raspberries, and orange slices. Just mix it all together for a tie-dye look. I made a fruit dip using a block of cream cheese, a jar of marshmallow fluff, a tspn of vanilla, and 2 drops of orange vitality essential oil. The girls stood and ate fruit for almost all of the party! I had to shoo them away so they'd have room for pizza and cake! 

After pizza, Megan opened presents. 

Squishmallows and craft activities were a big theme for the gifts! 

After presents it was cake time !

I found a cake design on Pinterest, and ordered through a local bakery. 

Alongside the cake, we served rainbow swirled ice cream, which I'm glad we had on hand because some of the girls had some dietary needs ;) 

By 7, most of the guests had left, but we let 3 of Megan's friends stay the night, and 2 of our neighbors stayed over and played until about 9! The girls said they went to bed around midnight and slept until 7 the next morning. I had pre-planned and bought doughnuts the day before for breakfast, and served the remaining fruit.

Her birthday party was a total success and so much fun!