Doll-Themed Galentine’s Par-TEA (Part 1)

THEME

doll birthday, doll themed birthday, doll themed partyWhen you’re the daughter of an event planner, you learn early on that you can dream big when it comes to your birthday!  My daughter has enjoyed planning her birthday party details starting at the tender age of 4.  And as far as I can remember, she has always wanted to be a part of all the detailed planning and setting up!  This year, she determined she wanted a doll themed party, similar to last year’s L.O.L surprise doll party but inclusive of American Girl / Our Generation Dolls and Barbie too.

VISION

american girl doll party, american girl dolls, american girl doll birthday party, barbie party, best 7th birthday partyShe knew she wanted: everyone to bring their dolls, have a fashion show, have a fancy tea party where everyone dressed up, include a pinata, cake and cupcakes and get to have her hair done with a super long black braid.  (it was just the world’s longest wish list from a not-even 7 year old!)   Thank you Style by Vee for the amazing hair extension with heart-shaped beads to go with the galentine’s theme!!  I could never have made her hair dreams come true without your help!!  Check out those glittery, heart-shaped edges that she created with her new “party edges” product!  So cute.

styles by vee, hair extensions for kids, hair extension, long black braid, kids hair, kid's hairstyleFrom there, I let her choose everything from the party colors, to tableware set, and final invitation approval.  And I learned that she is a very decisive, discerning little client!

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What’s cuter than a bunch of little dressed up girls walking around with their dollies?  AHH I had heart eyes the entire party!

american girl doll party, doll party, doll themed party, doll themed birthday, american girl craft, our generation doll partyIt was so adorable how everyone arrived with their favorite 18″ doll!  With their dolls, they played pretend at the dolly tea party setup, cruised around in a motorized BMW, crafted a new dolly hat, and walked the runway.

american girl party, barbie party, doll themed party, doll craft, american girl doll craftAll guests left with a new dolly dress of their choice and a backpack made to specifically fit their dolls in.

barbie birthday, american girl doll party, doll themed party, doll partyThanks to American Girl Brand, Juliet had a new dolly to accompany her to the party!  Thank you for gifting this to us, American Girl! We love all the AG doll books too.

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Getting DOLL-ed UP!

blinger, hair bling, hair accessories for girlsThanks to Blinger who sent us these amazing hair blingers (did you know they can also be applied to fashion?  How fun!!  Sparkly hairdos and nail art were all the rage at this party.  Pink Princess Nails, one of our beloved sponsors, came over to apply all the gems AND create nail art for the lucky little girls.

pink princess nails, meri meri party, nail art for kids, doll party american girl doll party, nyc nail partyThese glam girls loved getting doll-ed up!  Pink Princess Nails has an adorable pink kiddie nail spa in the Bronx but also sends their mobile beauty team abroad for events like ours!  What a treat it was for all the girls to get glam right before accessorizing and getting ready for the big runway show! (see below)

RUNWAY & PHOTO BACKDROP

The girls all took turns walking the runway with their dolls (after accessorizing themselves at the dress-up station).

kids' fashion show, fashion birthday party, doll themed birthday party, doll themed party, american girl doll party ,american girl doll birthday, ag doll partyWe parents couldn’t help smile ear to ear as each one took their turn sante’-ing down the catwalk.  The beautiful backdrop shown here was a collaboration between Marijo Creations who spent hours perfecting the stunning balloon garland and Paper Flowers Garden who customized the life-sized doll box.  Don’t you love how everything was SO perfectly coordinated with the pink ruffle curtains I found and hung from a photographer’s backdrop stand? And didn’t the hearts work perfectly with our Galentine’s theme?? I LOVED all the 3D details so much!

Each girl popped out from behind the curtain, into the doll box, posed like a doll, then sashayed out for their grand runway walk.  It was ADORABLE!  These dolls were each supermodels in their own right!  And this whole backdrop served as a fun photo opp for all the guests – including us moms! haha

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OK so at this 5-7 year old age, you can’t expect the kids to just dine and sit at their table all party-long like we adults might want to at a birthday party.  7th birthday party, afternoon tea for girls, tea party for girls, little kids' tea party, doll party, dolly and me party, ag doll party, american girl doll partyNo, you need to let them wander around and get to pick and choose from various activity stations!  Remember – short attention spans!  Luckily, we had lots of space to allow 20 of these party-goers let their sillies out at all sorts of doll-themed pretend play stations.

doll themed party, barbie birthday party barbie party ideas, american girl doll party, american girl doll birthday, birthday party ideas for girlsPlus I planned a couple party games to mix it up! The L.O.L relay race challenged the girls to balance a doll on their spoon while tagging their teammates.

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doll themed party, heart pinata, afternoon tea for girls, tea party for girls, doll birthday partyAnd the heart-shaped pinata was so much fun for girls this age.  Inside, they found everything you’d want from a doll-themed, galentines.  Think Valentine’s chocolates and candy to L.O.L doll accessories and stickers to fancy rings, to Valentine’s pencils and erasers. PRO TIP. Set aside some treats and winnings for the inevitable kid or two who gets upset that they didn’t get “enough stuff.”  We all want to make sure the little ones (who often get pushed aside during pinata pulls) are happy with their winnings too!

So tell me, what was YOUR favorite part of this doll themed party??

Stay tuned for part 2 of this 7th birthday party recap which will feature all the details to the tablescape, with lots of shoppable links, tips and tricks!

THANK YOU

to the sponsors who made the party so special and beautiful.  Your partnership was MUCH appreciated!

 

 

Our Fab Kids EGG-clusive Easter Egg Hunt

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Easter is one of the most darling holidays, isn’t it?  And we love to celebrate it BIG-I’m talking non-stop for weeks!  (if you follow our IG stories, you saw it ALL!)  And if you know us, you know that’s expected.  ‘Cuz we LOVE a good party and any excuse to celebrate!!  But in New York City, attending an Easter egg hunt oftentimes means fighting the crowds, getting trampled on and kids crying because they haven’t found enough eggs.  So this year, we wanted to host an EGG-clusive egg hunt for our followers while partnering up with some of our favorite Manhattan mom-owned companies!  Thanks to The Craft Studio for being our fabulous hosting venue and providing all the crafts and super-fun staff!  Thanks to Katie from Manhattan Dance Lab with whom this party planning all started!  She is my daughter’s semi-private dance teacher and I knew I’d want to promote her services and party offerings in this fun, and memorable setting!  B Lee Events (Brandy and Lisa) really came through for us as our event production partner and dessert bar sponsor.  We couldn’t have done it without any of these fabulous mom-owned brands.  And we’re so egg-cited to share the fun details!

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Our followers from Fab Kids, this blog and the community partied with one another and the Easter bunny who was available for photos and dancing! There were so many adorable kiddos…so many that we sold out the place and even had a waitlist.  (So sorry for those that tried getting tickets the day of… next time please purchase early so you can make sure to reserve your coveted spot as sometimes our events DO sell out!!)

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All kids were greeted and welcomed by the Easter bunny and given a spring-y glitter tattoo of their choice. While waiting for all the guests to arrive, early arrivals got to craft a tissue paper corsage and enjoy some treats and snacks provided by B Lee Events.

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Who could resist these pretty treats brought in by B. Lee Events??

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And this picture-perfect dessert table designed by B. Lee events?? I mean c’mon! Cuteness overload, right??

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I’m so thankful that they perfectly matched the color scheme I planned out (knowing I’d be using my pink blue and yellow party decor leftover from Juliet’s HOP-py 3rd (bunny-themed) birthday party.  But this is what you can expect when working with professional planners.  They get ALL the details exactly right!  Here I am setting up before guests arrived.  pro-tip.  Use a rolling suitcase to transport all your party items!

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Note if you don’t already have Easter or bunny decor, but have leftover balloons use those! I blew some up using only a tiny bit of air to replicate eggs in each of the picket fence centerpieces (which held florals and sponge brushes).  And additionals were washi-taped with different patterns to create oversized Easter eggs at our step and repeat.

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The kids enjoyed crafting their trays with modge podge and tissue paper – something easy to do for all little hands!

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Katie from Manhattan Dance Lab led a bunny hop, movement and dance segment which was SO fun for all ages.

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And afterwards, everyone hunted for eggs.  There were SOO many good hiding spots at the Craft Studio!  pro tip – always keep a bunch to the side to later (sneakily) hide by the kids who didn’t find enough eggs.

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Want more party inspiration?  Click here! Or follow me on Pinterest where I have tons of inspirfation boards for every theme under the sun. Click here to see the original party where all this decor came from!

HUGE thank you to Michelle Rose Photo who perfectly captured all these images for us!  And click here for all of The Craft Studio’s classes and future workshops!

© 2024 Stylishly Stella