Dance&Shine - Lauren is turning 9!
Lauren and I love coming up with little catch-phrases for her parties (and we love when they rhyme!) so DANCE&SHINE was such a fun way to celebrate her 9th birthday! When I started looking for places to host her party (last year her party was at our house, so I knew we needed to change it up and book a fun venue this time!) I stumbled upon a fun new local dance studio - Artist Avenue - and this is where the theme kind of created itself, because Artist Avenue happens to be home of hip hop! And what better way to combine a dance party with turning 9…adding in a little 90’s hip hop vibes!
But back to Artist Avenue: as soon as you walk in, you know it’s special. Greeted with a hug from the owner, Sarah - you immediately feel at home and start to get excited about her passion for the arts. Not just an average dance studio - their programming is very diverse and unique - and goes further to support dancers and artists in developing the skills and knowledge required to succeed beyond the stage. And the space itself is ideal for hosting events! The open layout is bright and welcoming and large enough to facilitate a large group. Overall, its inspiring, inclusive and just a really, really cool space! (also it’s like SO hard to find a venue that can provide BOTH kids activities/entertainment AND an open area that can be decorated/large enough to accommodate a fun party set up!) If you’re local to Okotoks or even Calgary area - I highly recommend checking it out!
So for Lauren’s party - we decided on the “dance package” - where an instructor would lead a dance lesson, fun dance-related games, and then time for cake, snacks, and presents. Lauren and her friends had so much fun learning a little hip hop routine (that they got to perform for the parents at the end!) and I was happy to leave the entertaining and fun part to the pros!
DECOR + SET UP
For the backdrop, I hung sparkly fringe curtains (I layered pink and silver) onto this stand. I printed out posters for the purple #9 and big triangle shapes, and finished it off with lots of foil disco ball and star balloons! Lastly, I added some “confetti” pieces that I printed and cut out (except I forgot half of them at home, and I’m still mad about it!!) The kids all loved the giant inflatable chair (we all had on in the 90s!) and it was a fun place for the girls to take photos too!
For the table set up - I used purple tablecloths with a disco/mirrored table runner on top to add some sparkle! I found these neon coral and disco ball plates from A Little Confetti, and used them to make a little place setting for each guest. Everyone also got their own disco ball tumbler cup, and I added their names to the straws as kind of a place card so that they each had spot. To display the donuts - I filled these clear acrylic cake stands with fun ribbons, confetti cut-outs, tulle fabric, honeycomb balls and pompoms!
1 - boombox LED light | 2 - balloon dog birthday candles | 3 - teal napkins | 4 - disco ball tumbler cup | 5 - neon coral plates | 6 - disco ball small plates | 7 - disco/mirrored table runner | pink honeycomb ball, white honeycomb ball | 9 - Boombox Party Bag | 10 - disco balloon dog ornament | 11 - inflatable chair | 12 - purple stool
1 - teal foil star | 2 - holographic disco ball | 3 - light blue triangle poster cut-out | 4 - confetti paper cut-outs | 5 - purple #9 poster cut-out | 6 - sparkly fringe curtain | 7 - iridescent pastel disco ball balloon | 8 - sparkly pink star balloon | 9 - light blue foil star balloon | 10 - iridescent clear star balloon and “DANCE&SHINE vinyl decal | 11 - metallic purple star | 12 - coral and green triangle poster cut out | 13 - Balloon Garland: Coral, Lilac, Lime, Blush, Blue, Teal
THE CAKE
I’ll say it again and again… but I totally love making my kid’s birthday cakes! Here’s why: cost is a big one, because while I do dream of hiring a baker to make the most gorgeous and delicious cake, I do try to stick to a fairly modest budget, and I try to only hire out the things I cannot do (at all). And while my cakes are definitely not amazing… they get the job done! And I find half the guests don’t want any at all, and the other half don’t seem to mind that it’s homemade!
Since my skills are limited - I stuck to simple buttercream frosting (blended pink and white to look kind of like cotton candy? I guess? I tried making purple buttercream but it was a fail, and this was what I ended up with! I wanted the top to be super fun and crazy so I made the cake topper out of felt/vinyl with my Cricut, and added lots of disco ball toppers. Then I stuck candles all over (these twirly ones are so fun, and the purple #9 was such a good find!) But the balloon dog candles were just SO perfect - I couldn’t believe the colours matched so well!
Then - I used the same acrylic stand as the donuts and filled it the same way with all kinds of party stuff to add a little more fun and craziness to the cake!
THE FOOD
For snacks, I decided to spread everything out along the tables that I set up for the kids. I put out a few platters of watermelon + grapes, plates of custom cookies, and towers of assorted donuts! I also had bags of chips and this fun sparkle popcorn. And obviously, a few essential 90s snacks like Dunkaroos and Fruit by the Foot!
the FAVOURS
The favours for this party were so fun to put together! I found these boombox party bags a long time ago and just KNEW they would be perfect! I included some very important 90’s items: butterfly hair clips, a kit to make your own beaded gecko, a pack of hubba bubba gum, and a scrunchie. I also included a disco ball pen, sticky notes and stickers, and little balloon dog keychains!
I always like when the favours feel cohesive, so I designed custom name tags for the bags, a label and instruction sheet for the beaded gecko kits, a backer card to attach the butterfly clips to, and a fun vinyl decal for the sticky notes/sticker pack.
I always try and incorporate the favours into the decor/set up because why not!? Since you’ve (spent money on them…) and have them ready to go, you might as well let them have their moment to shine too! I just displayed them on shelf/stands in front of the backdrop.
Another fun thing that Lauren and I worked on together was this interview sheet! It was a fun thing to pass out to each guest as they arrived. We tallied up everyone’s score and had a fun prize for the guest who got the most answers correct and “knew the birthday girl best”! You can download the sheet here to print your own!
That’s it for Dance&Shine - Lauren’s turning 9! It was such a fun party and I loved going a bit crazy with this one (aesthetically haha) and really running with the chaotic, colourful and sparkly vibes inspired by the 90s! The best part about making up your own theme is that truly anything goes and I find it SO much easier to run with!
