Roy G. Biv

 Tres.  Drei.  Trois. Three years.

  It's already been 36 months?  It's only been 36 months?

 Birthdays are a little bittersweet for me; I have trouble letting my kids grow up.  However, come party time, it's all happiness and light.  Or in this case, bright, bright colors.  

And balloon garlands

Late night garage transformations

Fringey Streamers

Shaving Cream Paintings

Rainbow Cake

Stained glass jello

Painted sidewalks newsprint and pet rocks

Ribbon maze gift exchange.

Post-party watermelon feed

Dollar store aprons as party favors

Happy Birthday, Hadley!

Behind the scenes:

- This was a party for two.  Hadley's friend has the exact same birthday and they share many of the same friends.  Doing the party together made things so much more fun, as well as so much easier.

- I got the cake and frosting recipes from Whisk Kid.  Sure, it takes some time, but it's really not hard.  The wow factor is totally worth it.  Use gel food coloring for the most vibrant colors.

- I made a mocha fudge truffle cake for the parents.  Yum.  Still, some adults ate the rainbow cake.  It was actually quite good.

- We used white plastic tablecloths from the dollar store to hang on the garage walls.  They covered up our junk while keeping the room bright.  A blue tarp made a great area rug.  Chest freezer + tablecloth = Serving table.

- Fringey streamers are pretty.  You should make them.  You can buy crepe paper sheets at Zurcher's party store.  Or borrow my streamers; I can't bring myself to throw them away.

- Balloon garlands are also pretty.  This one made me happy.  I couldn't stand the thought of popping the balloons (do you think I have issues letting go of things?), so I dropped it off on a little girl's door step late that night.  Word is, she was pretty happy when she found it the next morning.  Hint: use an air compressor to blow up the balloons.

- The stained glass jello was a hit.  I didn't make it, so I can't speak to the difficulty, but I know that it tasted good and the kids loved it.  Oh, and it was pretty.  This seems to be a theme of the party.

- Shaving cream painting is a fun, messy project with beautiful results. We used tempera paint instead of food coloring.

-Instead of bringing gifts for the girls, we asked each guest to bring a $5 art/craft themed gift.  While the kids were creating their art, the dads attached each gift to the end of a different color of curling ribbon ($0.33 at Zurchers) and wove them into a maze in the yard.  The kids had fun searching and they each got to go home with a gift.