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9.07.2011

Claire's Cowgirl Party

Yee-Haw!
Claire's 3rd Birthday Party was this past weekend and it was so much fun!
Earlier this year, I decided I would do a Vintage Cowgirl theme.
I have been planning this party in my head ever since (Yes, I am crazy)
Here is the invite that I made:
{Available in my Etsy shop}

The girls got these adorable hats at the Fair earlier this summer which sealed the deal for the Cowgirl theme.

Kate's shirt from here.
Claire's tank ruffle tank top is from here.
{Thank you to my friend Heather who made the bunting & sign}
I found a local Farm that rents ponies for Birthday Parties for a really good price, so we had 2 ponies at the party!
I had the ponies come for the first hour of the party.
The ponies were a big hit!
But, the gray pony was a spaz. Yikes!
While the kids waited for their pony rides, I had my babysitter Torrey set up in the front yard doing face painting and making Balloon Animals for the kids.
I am so glad the kids had something to do while they waited. Thanks, Torrey!
Food & Drinks:
One of my favorite parts about throwing parties is planning the food & drinks and fitting them into the theme.
Appetizers:
Close up of vintage prints.
I made the PW's Jalapeno Poppers:
On the Ranch Veggies & Dip:
Corn Dip:
Trail Mix:
Drinks:
(aka: The Watering Hole)
Sweet Tea & Pink Lemonade in Mason Jars:
Root Beer, Vanilla Creme Soda & Orange Creme Soda:
Beer:
Main Course:
The food table all set up:
The bunting was made from vintage sheets:
When figuring out the meal, I knew I needed to make something was easy to serve to 70+ people & kid friendly.
I went with Pulled Pork Sandwiches & Hot Dogs.
Side Dishes were:
Cowgirl Coleslaw & homemade Baked Beans
Potato Salad & Cowboy Salad (recipe coming soon!)
Watermelon & Buns:
I had pie tins for the plates. It was the perfect meal for a Cowgirl Party!
I set up tables & used hay bales for seating.
Although the hay bales were adorable, I won't use them again.
We rented them from a local Hay & Grain shop for $2, but they were such a pain to move & so heavy! And, there is still hay all over my yard & house. (Sorry, Kevin!)

Dessert Table:
Ahh, the dessert table. One of my favorite parts of a party!
(aka: The Sweet Saloon)
For the back drop, I made a photo bunting of the photo shoot I did with Claire a few weeks ago:
I used twine, pom poms & clothes pins.
For desserts, I made cupcakes. Funfetti and also Cookie Dough. I made toppers to match the theme.
I also made "Cow Patties" (brownie covered oreos)
My friend Heather made these cute Pink Lemonade Pony cookies.
I also made S'mores Pops to keep up with the Cowgirl theme:
The S'mores Pops were easy to make & so good!
Of course, one of our parties isn't complete without one of my Mother in Law's amazing cakes!
Also hanging in the kitchen by the dessert table was this bunting:

Activities
Crafin' Corral:
I had a table set up outside with crayons & cowboy/cowgirl coloring sheets & a magnetic drawing game.
On the fence behind the Crafin' Corral, I made a Wanted sign.
I made the Wanted sign in Photoshop & then had it printed at Costco.
(the size was 20x30)
This poster was one of my favorite things I made for the party!
My friend Heather also let me borrow her Corn Hole game that she made:
I also set up a Photo Booth for the party:
I had some fun little props to make the photo booth more interesting.


The kids really got into the photo booth!
Wendy, me, Heather & Heather:
Love this completely un-posed shot:
The 4 C's:
Favors:
All of the favors could be found in Claire's Country Store!
I had hats & bandannas for each kid:
{Hats & Bandannas were purchased from Oriental Trading}



I had baskets of candy & bags for kids (& adults!) to fill up with candy!
I made stickers for the bags that said, "Hope y'all had fun"
The candy was a variety of good old fashioned candy!




No Cowgirl Party is complete without Bakerella's Cowgirl Cookie Mix in a jar.
I used vintage fabric & twine for the top.

Scenes from the Party:

Thank you to my friend Becky for emailing me pictures that she took at the party!
A handful of the photos in the post are from her!
And, thank you to my friend Heather who let me borrow buntings, burlap, misc decorations & who made the wooden signs!

Thanks to my friend Becky for snapping some of these photos!


It was such a fun party and a great way to celebrate Claire turning 3!
Can't believe my baby is THREE!

96 comments:

  1. Mel.
    Seriously.
    Are you kidding me?
    That party was AMAZING!
    I love it.
    You did such a fantastic job,
    and every detail looked *perfect*!
    Quit your day job
    and start planning parties.
    You can plan one for me first.
    :)

    ~Keri

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  2. I have so many comments!

    1. I LOVE the whole entire party!
    2. Serving drinks in mason jars was brilliant!
    3. I always wanted to be a cowgirl(just ask my mom) and this is almost exactly what I would have wanted in a party!
    4. Not to be nosy about money AT ALL, but did you buy the hats and bandannas at a bulk party store or did you just pick up a few here and there?

    That's all. I'm done. ;)

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  3. ok I. AM. OBSESSED! And I hope you don't mind if when I have kids I COPY EVERY LAST DETAIL! I'm pinning this! :-)

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  4. Girl, do you sleep? Everything looks amazing. I agree with Keri, you should do party planning. Looks awesome!! I am going to pin this for sure.

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  5. In LOVE with the whole thing!!!! Every detail is just amazing and it looked like such a fun party too! Claire is such a cutie (Kate too!). The wanted sign is my absolute fave detail. Fun, Fun!!

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  6. That's it. You're hired to do my girls' third birthday. Hope you can figure out something cute to do with mermaids :)

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  7. Wow! This is quite a spectacular party!! You could do this professionally!

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  8. Wow!! You went all out! I am impressed. Love using pie tins as plates, great idea!
    Harper sends happy birthday wishes to her birthday buddy!

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  9. You are amazing. I was (oh, still am!) completely blown away by all the details you put into this party!!

    Kate and Claire are lucky ladies!!

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  10. Swoon. That is the cutest party ever! Are you available for a 1st birthday party next month? I live in PA so we've got plenty of fall leaves for you to admire :)

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  11. Looks like an awesome party. I love all of the details especially the girls outfits. And the food looks so yummy

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  12. Tha's an amazing party, you are so WOW!!!!!!

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  13. If only you lived in South Carolina! I'd hire you to plan and execute all of my parties!! Happy Birthday Claire!!

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  14. I was about to write the EXACT same comment as the first one....

    Seriously.
    Are you kidding?
    AWESOME!

    :)

    I want to be a little girl again!

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  15. Wow, amazing party! Looks like the kids had soooo much fun! I'm working on my Claire's 4th birthday party and thinking I need to step it up a bit! :)

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  16. Mel, you seriously are awesome. I drool every time you post a themed-party because you go all-out like I do. I could go on and on about everything I loved, but I don't think the comment section would allow all of the characters.

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  17. Wow! That is amazing! How did you find the time? So many details!

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  18. This is so incredible! Wow, am I impressed. The details are out of this world. I had a similar themed party when I turned 2, Wanted sign and all, but this is just above and beyond. Your girls are so lucky to have a mom like you.
    Love all your posts!

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  19. Oh my goodness!! This is the c.u.t.e.s.t. party EVER!! Love it!!
    All the details are perfection!

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  20. Just one word: AMAZING!!!

    You are such a great mom! :)

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  21. What an awesome party!! I love all of the little details. I think that the store has got to be my favorite!!

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  22. Holy S#*@! Crazy amazing and all during the start of the school year? If enough people keep telling you to do this all the time, you just might be jumping ship! I will not be showing the pictures to Anna...she would be sooo sad she didn't get to go! Votes for non-Labor Day weekend next time ;) I will, however, show this to my sister since she is a super party planner just like you...she will love it!

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  23. i am amazed! such a great theme. all the sweet little details are perfect-thanks for sharing! xoxo

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  24. Oh my word Mel! My jaw seriously dropped when I saw this post and stayed that way with every AMAZING detail as I scrolled down! So stinking adorable, love it!

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  25. OMG!!! Mel, this is quite possibly the cutest party EVER!!! Seriously, you did an amazing job! Wow!

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  26. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  27. That is the cutest cowgirl party EVER!! Love every detail!

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  28. So yeah...this was seriously the cutest party! I loved the mason jars on ice (totally stealing that) and the pie pans as plates (totally stealing that) and the WANTED poster was too cute!!! Great job!

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  29. I am speechless! You are so creative. What a great party!!

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  30. WOW!!! Seriously, the cutest party EVER!!! I LOVE cowgirl stuff so this theme is totally "me." I swoon!

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  31. oh my gosh. that has got to be the cutest party I have ever seen. loved every single detail of it. what lucky little girl to have such a talented mommy.

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  32. This post would've taken me 5 years to compose. You rock! AWESOME party... duh!

    heather
    (via chloe's google account, haha)

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  33. Seriously I need you to come to NZ and do my kids partys....PLEASE???? You are amazing!

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  34. Amazing party! You could definitely be a professional! Happy birthday to Claire- lucky girl!

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  35. ok seriously????!! can you be my mom? i'm ok with no hay. ridiculously, fabulous. well done. and my birthday is october 1.

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  36. Mel, I absolutely LOVE everything. Every detail is beautifully thought of and made special for Claire - pink, vintage, shabby fabby!! Cowgirls are my favorite. You rocked this theme and I know Claire had a blast. Love you!

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  37. You throw the BEST parties! Will you plan Boo's for me?!?! :) Love everything!

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  38. Oh my gosh mel! You need to be a party planner! I cant believe you even had a country store! Youre amazing!

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  39. Um...........you're beyond amazing! LOVE.

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  40. OMG Mel!!!! Just Amazing!!!! Can you & Kevin please adopt me because I REALLY want you to throw me a birthday party!!!!!! ;-)

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  41. This was so great and so fun to look at...send it into the the hostess with the mostess and they will love it. Your girls are very lucky:o)

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  42. No! You! Didn't! That is the most amazing party ever!!! I've been wanting to do a cowgirl party for my little one's 3rd, and this is perfection. I'm going to be pinning these ideas like crazy! Thank you so much for inspiration :D

    And, Happy Birthday to your cutie pie!!!

    Shelley
    www.westermanfam.blogspot.com

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  43. This was an absolutely amazing party! I love all of the little details that pulled it all together. Great job!

    Here from the Tatertots and Jello Link Party!
    Katie
    www.sweetrosestudio.com

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  44. My gosh that was amazing!! Fabulous job! May I feature it sometime in my Soiree Day?

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  45. O.M.G.
    I can't even imagine how much time and effort you put into such an amazing party!!!

    How many ideas are your readers allowed to steal? I'm loving the pie tin/mason jar idea!

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  46. This is just amazing. Really really cute. My girls are into cowgirls big time right now - I wonder which one I can convince to have a cowgirl birthday party. Too cute. Very well executed!

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  47. mel,
    yeehaw!!! that was awesome. and i am from the "cowboy capitol of the world" {oakdale} i would know cowgirl awesome.


    for my 30th b-day i threw a hoe-down and invited 100 friends. it was great, BUT the hay! oh the hay! i think i am still cleaning it up.

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  48. cutest party ever!
    every detail of it looks amazing.

    happy birthday to claire!!!

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  49. This party should be featured on hostess with the mostest! ADORABLE!!! You literally thought of everything. You are so talented!

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  50. OMG!!! I can't believe Claire's party! It looks AMAZING! Really, what a great job you did. Please, will you share your party tips with all of us. I wish you lived closer, because I would LOVE your help planning the girls parties...you are just so good at it.

    WOW, great job! I love it and it looks like it was a ton of fun too!

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  51. Ok cutest western party ever!! I love every detail!! The hay seating is so cute! I'm a sucker for a great kid party...great job.!! new follower,
    Lina
    Fancy Frugal Life

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  52. D.I.V.I.N.E IN EVERY WAY-

    JUST HEAVENLY- AND YOUR LITTLES ARE HEAVEN TOO!

    Melissa- Miss Sew & So
    x

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  53. wow wow wow!!!! i am amazed!!!! I LOVE this party theme!! You did an amazing job putting it together! Thanks for sharing!! I'm pinning it!!

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  54. This is over-the-top cowgirl fantastic! Wow! So inspiring, like a magazine! What a talent. Shared on our facebook wall today. Precious cowgirl too!

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  55. what a darling party! Makes me wish my girls were still little so I could do the same thing! Love your blog, just found it.

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  56. This is just perfect! You are amazing! I love every little detail.

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  57. This is absolutely darling!!! I love it so very much!

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  58. I've been planning a Cowgirl Themed party for my daughter who is turning 2 in November. I SQUEALED when I saw your pictures and this blog! So many fun ideas I am pinning RIGHT now :)

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  59. So inspirational! I came across your blog while researching the cowgirl theme for my daughter's 2nd birthday. With all these great ideas, I better start working on it tomorrow (she turns 2 at the end of May!) Thanks for sharing. Maleena

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  60. Love it! How did you create the lasso-rope frame for your food labels? Did you buy them or make it using a program? Can you please direct me in the right direction?

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  61. Hey Mel, where did you find the small crates you used on the tables and for your general store goodies?

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  62. I know this is an old post but when my daughter decided she wanted a cowgirl party for her 7th birthday in July I knew I needed to revisit this post. So moans wonderful ideas! Where did you find the adorable vintage prints in the food table? I also love the cute boot by the candy table. Do you have any ideas or suggestions? I want to do a photo booth area and some games ...it is hard when you have a 7 year old with a lot of her own ideas ;)
    Thank you!

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  63. Sorry it looks like my fingers had a hard time typing on the iPad! It should say so many wonderful ideas...

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  64. Wow ... This is one amazing party! I keep going back and looking at all the cool ideas! I love the food signs with the boot and hat holder. Can you tell me where you got them from?

    Pruttybird at comcast dot net

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  65. Hi! Where did you get the pie tins? Monicaursiny at g mail

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  66. I am sorry to be leaving another message on the old party thread but I am having my daughters cowgirl party this weekend and I am wondering how you made the "cow patties"? I know that they are oreo cookies covered in brownies but I am wondering how long you baked them for and how easy they were to make.
    Thanks!

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  67. I stumbled across this site while looking for inspiration for our country western murder mystery party. Obviously for a little different crowd, but I am surprised at how much can be used with just a little tweaking. I especially like the cow girl cookies for the guests to take home. Just an adorable party!

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  68. Where did you get the old fashioned candy from? Very cute party!

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  69. The girls got these adorable hats at the Fair earlier this summer which sealed the deal for the Cowgirl theme. www.ideas4kidsparty.co.uk

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  70. The girls got these adorable hats at the Fair earlier this summer which sealed the deal for the Cowgirl theme. Ideas 4 Kids Party

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  71. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  72. Hi, I've just come across your gorgeous cowgirl party, and was hoping to buy the party signs and table cards from your Etsy store, but it is closed :( Any chance I might still be able to purchase them? I've pm'd your store and would be chuffed to hear from you, cheers Kristy :)

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  73. OOOhhh thank you thank you thank you! We're also doing a Cowgirl Corral Birthday party and loved your design ideas. The cookie jars are super cute! I was also considering Hay Bale seating but now we may just go with regular tables (who wants to lift and get sweaty in the middle of July?) Thanks for sharing :)

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