How to Throw a Doggone Good Birthday Party

Doggone it! I have failed so many times at parties.  I have had major dreams and big visions on what I want to do for my kids' birthdays.  Sometimes they turn out, sometimes they don't.  But, I can't cry over spilt milk, right?  I move on and continue the big hopes for the next year.

Birthday parties have always been a big deal in the family I grew up in.  It wasn't your BIRTH DAY, it was your BIRTH MONTH! We celebrated all month long.  I didn't get what I wanted every live long day of course, but I do remember being celebrated and appreciated.  I think my parents did a good job with the balance of keeping me humbled, but also letting me know that the day I was born was important to them; and not only that, should be important to me in order to seek out the Lord's will in my life!

So, naturally, I want my kids to feel the same!  I want them to know that the day they were born was a game changer!  A new life.  A new plan from God.  What is it that they will do with their one and only beautiful life?

I'm not sure of that answer, but the answer I do know is that I want to celebrate the day that they came into this world.

Enter: the request for a birthday party from Little Firework.

Don't worry, I don't near give my kids what they want at the drop of a dime.  No way!  Trust me, I want nothing more than to master the response of "NO" with my children.  I take my kids' ideas and balance it to see if it will work with our finances and schedules.  If it does?  Bonus.  The Little Firework threw the dog party idea out there, and I estimated if it was cost efficient and… SIMPLE. Simple it was and simple it will be!

I made my list, did my shopping (thanks to Mr. Coach), and got it all done in one fell swoop. How's that for easy?!

Let's start with the obvious. You need an invitation! Here is the super simple, super DIGITAL invite! While I love to send out invites in the mail, digital invites are all the rage and are much cheaper!  You can find this invitation HERE.

I have had this chalkboard for I don't know how long.  It used to hang in my kitchen and now has found it's way into the garage! It is perfect for a party.  

 Sidewalk chalk for the entry!  Sidewalk chalk is cheap and easy.  And dog prints are even easier! 

When the girls arrived, they got a set of dog ears to set the theme!  While I think I could have probably made these myself, I did not have the time, nor the patience.  I got them for a GREAT and fair price HERE. 

Hobby Lobby is a great friend of mine!  I bought these little leathery yarn strips along with some cheap-o dog tags (for what I think is for gifts, etc.).  The girls were SO excited to make a collar! 

I also got some dog themed beads and others for the collars.  I mean, a collar has to be embellished a tad, right? 

I got this basket from Walmart as well as the puppies!  Thanks, Wally World!  Not expensive and serves the purpose wonderfully! 

Once the girls chose their puppy, that is when they made a collar for the puppy.  Before they left the party, they got to name their puppy and officially adopt it.  They got a seal (a paw stamp) of approval that he/she is their puppy to keep forever! 

The paw stamp is from Hobby Lobby and the certificate is from a precious website. You can find the puppy party certificate and other documents FUH-REE (I love that word!!!) HERE.

And then of course, pin the tail on the puppy!  I found an image off of the internet, sent it off to FedEx printing down the road, and enlarged it quite a bit. Cheap and easy.  

Eating time, y'all! I downloaded some free borders and fonts from Pinterest and began to make our dog party menu.  

How cute are these??  These little hot dog holders are AWESOME, y'all.  Not only great, but INEXPENSIVE.  Another favorite word of mine.  You can find them HERE.

Of course, a dog party menu is not complete without toilet water! How about Hawaiian punch equally mixed with Sprite? Sounds good to me. 

We also don't need to be messy…so, wipe your paws, y'all.  

Who doesn't like a good puppy chow recipe?  I know I do! You can find the one I used HERE.

 Along with the puppy chow, we also had chips and dip, fruit, etc.  Rightly named Paw-tato chips and Ruff-age! 

Here is the table setting.  For the cake, I told our bakery to just add hints of pink, green, and lavender along with a dog bone on top with paw prints surrounding in some form or fashion.  They absolutely knocked it straight out of the park.  Thanks to the historic Bluebonnet Bakery!

And to top it all off, I have a dear and sweet friend who runs a yard card business, and it was truly the icing on the cake!  Who doesn't love a special message in their front yard?!?  

Find and use their service HERE.

So, next time you are in the party throwing business for your own little ones or for someone else, think about this dog party! We had a small crowd, food was a hit, and the dog activities were so fun and age appropriate.  It was definitely a doggone good time!

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