Get Your Party On!!!

This post is going to be a combination of 365 pictures and birthday project pictures.  I have lots of stuff to share from Doodle's birthday party.  It pretty much consumed my life for a while.  I love being "that mom" when it comes to birthdays.  I love making her invitations, favors, cakes, etc.  I just wish that I realized how much time it takes and that I knew when to say when (to myself).  But I don't, so I get a little carried away sometimes.  Her 3rd birthday party was example of my over stretching myself.  It all began when I saw a birthday invitation with Sesame Street characters made out of punch pieces.  I copied the 4 characters used in the invite (Elmo, Cookie, Oscar, and Big Bird).  Then I wondered if I could make other characters.  And this is what happened

August 19 (29/365)
I actually remembered to go back and add this from this previous post

So I used 6 of the guys to make her invitation.  Six guys times 13 invitations, is a lot of guys!

I then had a problem, I had 4 guys that hadn't been used for anything.  I decided I would make a memory game for each of the kids and this would be their party favor.  Sounded simple enough.  I  had lots of pieces already cut out and ready to go.  I got started.  I put about half the faces together.  Then I started doing the math so I could get paper for the faces to go on.
10 guys X 2= 20 guys per game
20 guys X 12 games = 240 guys all together
But, by the time I figured this out, I was in too deep.  I charged ahead.  Meanwhile, Doodle decided to get Hand, Foot, Mouth the weekend before her party, and I got way behind on my preparations!  I worked nonstop while she was at school and anytime she was sleeping.   In the middle of this rediculous project Sisterwife reminded me I hand't made a decision about the cake.
Of course I ask Doodle who tells me she wants a cake with Abby, Elmo, and Grover on it.  GREAAAAT!  After much research, I find a cake and have a lightbulb moment.  I found coloring book images of 5 characters (Abby, Elmo, Grover, Zoe, and Count Von Count) and got them the right size for the cake.  Then I made 4 copies of each onto cardstock.  I then cut each into the pieces to build the face.  Then used those pieces like a template to trace on the fondant.  And voila.... fantastic Sesame Street characters.

September 22 (63/365)

Those were done two night before the party.  The night before the party, Sisterwife and I put the cake together, rolled fondant, covered cakes, and added our face creations to the cake.  Of couse, because I had so much going on, I totally forgot to buy a box to put the cake in, so I had to make a tin-foil house for it to live in over night.

September 23 (64/365)

Now, remember this entire time that I am trying to get my cake on, I am still trying to finish making (and laminating with bookbinding tape) 240 *#%*(#  GUYS!  In all of this craziness I will admit my first fault of the 365 challenge.  I missed a day.  I faked  it with these pictures of the party favor.

September 26 (67/365)
Box from party favor 

Directions for game

Sesame Street Memory game

I finally finished everything about 1:00am the morning of her party.  Here are several pictures from the party.  Hope you enjoyed my craziness as much as she did!

These are Doodle's birthday banners.  A tradition I started last year.  Each banner chronicles a year of her life.  One picture for every month.  I use colors from the birthday party theme so I can keep each year separate.  To me, it is a way for new friends see who she was as she grows up! 

September 24 (65/365)
My picture of the day!

Doodle was so excited about a pinata.  She wanted everyone to "pull the ribbon and say yeah!" She wasn't so excited about hurting Abby Cadabby.  Lucky for her, she stayed in one piece!