Our son's favorite animal is a cow, his favorite song is "Old McDonald," and the boy loves tractors. So to celebrate his second birthday, we held a barnyard bash and partied until the cows came home.
I know that my days of throwing "sweet" parties are limited, and the Ninja Turtle and Nerf gun parties are just around the corner. While I'm actually really excited about those too, I did try to go all-out with the pale blue and light yellow with this one ;)
Without further ado, welcome to Old Miller's Farm!
Vintage boy artwork is from the talented Lucky Carpenter. He turned out so adorable, and set the theme for the whole party. I used this picture on all of the party signage.
The barn tent is from Amazon, but I see that it's now out of stock in most places. I love it because it not only makes great party decor, but it's gotten a lot of play at home!
I was about to pay more than I wanted to for some real topiaries to use to hang the E-I-E-I-O banner. And then... I went to Hobby Lobby. I found these two faux myrtle plants that look surprisingly realistic. I hot-glued some mini fake apples (many of which fell off when the trees tipped over from the wind). I wrapped the bottoms in some of the gingham napkins, and voila! I love these trees because I know I will use them for many more parties in the future.
One of my favorite elements: hand sanitizing wipes that say "Wash up for dinner!"
These mini flower pots came in a 3 pack from the Dollar Tree. I put a little plastic cup inside (also from the Dollar Tree) and filled with my favorite dip. Move over Ranch dip, and make way for Marzetti Dill Dip. I've had people ask me for the recipe!
Sarah Bakes Cookies never ceases to amaze me. She creates such beautiful pieces of art with the finest precision. And they are just as delicious as they are gorgeous!
As much as I love blue gingham, I wanted to switch it up for the kid table. I've loved these striped tablecloths because they are so classic and versatile. All of the adorable plates/cups/napkins are Meri Meri.
I was hoping that everyone at the party understood the irony here. Instead of "Farm-to-Table," the menu really should have read, "Processing Plant to Pre-Packaged Party Table." I made stickers for Uncrustables and applesauce pouches and put those in berry baskets that I lined with gingham cloth napkins (from Home Goods last year). I also had little bags of puffed corn from Trader Joe's.
The highlight of the party was the petting zoo! Smile More Farm from Chelsea, AL was so easy and fun to work with. I highly recommend them if you are in the Birmingham area!
I also had little activities that I hoped would be fun for a wide range of ages. These stick ponies are from SEWnSOHandmade on Etsy. She ships the ponies (head only) and you stuff and assemble with dowels. It was so fast and simple, and even my 4-year-old helped me with most of them. She has so many great color options... even unicorns!
"Stack the Hay" was also a fun little game for all ages (although probably not the best for allergies ;) I found a great 12 pack of 13" hay bales from Michael's, and loved that it shipped straight to my door so I didn't have to carry them (I would never survive on a real farm).
I tried to set up a station where the kids could actually milk a cow... but it was an "utter" failure. Our guests didn't seem to mind one bit, and seemed to prefer cow tipping anyway. These inflatable cows were a hit! I also used these white picket fence panels that I had from my daughter's piggy party a few years ago.
These chocolate lollipops turned out precious as favors, and I was so impressed by the timeliness and care of CandyConfections (she even packaged them with ice packs!).
We had the best time celebrating our boy and watching him enjoy some of his favorite things. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go finish sweeping hay that I'm still finding from three weeks ago.
Thank you for joining us on Old Miller's Farm. Ya'll come back now, ya hear?!
Photography: Mallory Kellum
Petting Zoo: Smile More Farm
Cookies: Sarah Bakes Cookies
Stick ponies: SEWnSOhandmade
Chocolate lollipops: CandyConfections