hile out grabbing some staples at Target, my six year old fell madly in love with the $1 isle. She scooped up as many Valentine trinkets as her little arms could hold, looked at up me and said, “can we please have a Valentine party?” How could I possibly say no? Keep in mind I’m the mom who NEVER plans cool stuff like “craft day” or fun kid-themed parties; so I figured I better get with it and make this event happen.
I decided to let little one do most of the planning and I have to tell you, she did well. The only thing I slightly nudged her on was keeping a unified color palette for aesthetic impact : ) Well, that was easy. She wisely chose PINK and RED. The rest she planned out to a tee: finger sandwiches, party favors, balloons, you name it.
Since parties can easily get a little pricey, we decided to keep it small and make our activity painting. In lieu of flower centerpieces, we went with thrifty mason jars and filled them with peanut m&m’s. No argument there.
The weather was such a refreshing break from our perpetually rainy 40 degree days that we set everything up on the back porch.
She was a dedicated party planner from start to finish, loving every minute.
Balloons added to the festive vibe.
We lined up little mailboxes as a take-away gifts to go with the party favors.
Once the party began, guests happily painted to their hearts’ desire. A paint drop cloth picked up at Home Depot doubled as a table cloth.
Recycled egg crates cut in half make the perfect paint holders – just toss them out when you’re done. And here you see a few of their finished masterpieces.
I was sure to invite a friend for “older sister” so we didn’t get into any awkward sibling spats (turned out to be a very smart move). That’s older sis in the middle…the one who’s keeping a good grip on the M&M’s.
Overall we had a happy group and one proud little hostess. I think we have a party planner in the making!
We managed to pull off this party for less than $90, including the food and craft project. I’m pleased to report it was a pretty easy event to pull together. The girls left with happy hearts, party favors plus a painted Valentine frame for their special day.
I‘m Seleta, a city girl living the beach life with my husband, fabulous four offspring, happy horses and frisky fur babies. A former TV personality turned Designer, I love to share the sparkly side of life. Read more 
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What an adorable event! I wish I had your daughter’s party planning skills LOL!
Love the mailboxes – very cute giveaway gift!
Your daughter is obviously taking note of all the things you do Seleta. How fantastic to have a Valentines party. It looks like great fun.
How sweet! Love that you let her plan it…what a great confidence-booster for a little girl!
P.S. It looks very pretty, Sterling Grace, if you’re reading. Good job!
oh my goodness, she looks just like you! :)
How cute. It’s hard to let go of the reigns sometimes, but they so enjoy doing things by themselves. Looks like your good taste rubbed off on her. Way to go!
I am sold! I need to get with the program and have more events ( how much does your party planner charge;) I always feel like things need to be more finished in our home, mean time the kids are missing memories.Thanks for the friendly and pretty reminder. Happy weekend!
Fabulous ideas! I don’t have kids yet, but will keep this in mind for when they get here!
looks like you have a little party planner on your hands! :) gotta love the target $1 section… we bought all of our valentine’s party supplies there too! it was just too cute (and cheap!) to pass up!
How precious! You are a great mom for treating your daughter and her friends to a party and your daughter is a party planner in the making. :-)
Have a great weekend,
Heather
Too cute! Where do you find all of this energy?
And where did you find the cute mailboxes???
I love it! So sweet!
Lizzie – I always feel the same way about my house not being “done” too – but this time I decided to just let it go. The moms who came could care less about my unfinished projects – trust me there are many – and the girls were here to just have fun. And that’s what it’s all about! I’m letting go of that self-inflicted pressure and starting to just enjoy the moment more. It’s very liberating : )
Tara – the mailboxes are $1 at Target. Go scoop some up for your pretty daughters!
Seleta
What a perfect party and treat for your daughters! Your little planner did a terrific job. The $1 aisle at Target is the best! I’m sure the girls will be talking about the party for days. You are so inspiring, Seleta!
I could not resist the heart wand bubbles at Target either! What a fun memory to make!
Oh my goodness. How cute are you! What a darling party. Your girls are lucky to have you.
jbhat
Seleta, what an absolutely darling party! You most certainly have a little party planner on your hands. Too cute!
What a sweet Mom you are!!! Those are the kinds of things I remember most about my Mom when I was a child. She worked full-time (sometimes multiple jobs), raised 4 kids alone and always, ALWAYS, still did fun, special things like this. I run around like crazy staying at home with one child and can’t seem to do half what she did.
Don’t say you aren’t that kind of Mom, you are you are! She will remember that forever. :-)
looks like a fun time was had by all…is there anything better than a girly party with crafts and chocolate?…lol…i have a 7 year old girl that would appreciate all your efforts!
oh, seleta, i just love everything about this party – absolute perfection to me! Your little hostess reminds me so much of my little girl at the same age (she’s a wise old 9 now!), especially b/c she loved to wear her hair in those same adorable little buns … too cute!!
how fun! love the painters drop cloth idea. I wanted to do a bit of baking for ellie’s party but was worried about ruining the table with so many little hands. You are one smart mama.
I can’t believe you spent less than a hundred bucks! Unreal! What a fabulous party…I would even have a blast, I think ;)
Great!!!! My six year old daughter would LOVE this idea… I love your blog. Thanks for sharing!
I love this – just adorable and so fun. Our girls are older now, so brings back many fun sweet memories.
Patti
Your little one certainly knows how to throw a fun and colorful party! How cute she is. I want to be on her next “invite”list! You’re a great mom, Seleta.
Oh I love this! It could become a yearly tradition!
Oh my goodness, my two little girls would have loved to be there! Kudos to your little one and great job with the budget!
oh, this is so fun! just the right details… not too much, not too simple. your little one is a natural! xo
Oh my goodness…how could you ever say no to those cutie pie faces!!
Happy Valentines to your precious family Seleta! I have been stalking your blog for some time now. My poor husband has had to hear about your blog so much that he (at anytime) immediately knows your family/blog by name ( that is a BIG deal for him) ! :)
He didn’t comment on the decor first, but quickly said he hopes we have children half as good looking as yours one day. Ditto.
You inspired me to create my new start-up blog this Jan. – thank you for your lovely blog – it is always amazing.
lots of love,
diana
dianashaedecor.com
Ha-ha – my husband pointed out how stalker-ish that may have sounded. Sorry! :)
Reading this made me so happy. She is undeniably precious, and you are a wonderful mom to make her wishes happen. Happy heart day!
I love this idea for a party. The best ones are usually the ones that are spur of the moment.
Seleta,
This is the most adorable Valentine’s party. Even better that it didn’t seem like a stress to plan. The photo of your daughter holding the balloons is precious!!
xo Elizabeth
How fun! What a perfect party.
Wow! If I lived locally I would definitely ask her for advice on planning a party. She did a great job. Loving those little mailboxes. And 10 points to mum for letting her go for it.
she is totally little Seleta! Looks just like you. Beautiful pictures!
Cute, cute, cute. :)
Don’t know how I missed this post until now! Enjoy reading your blog and am always inspired by your posts. I LOVE decorating with holiday M&Ms and even posted about my V-day decor using these yummy treats.
http://lovelylittlelaughter.blogspot.com/2011/02/little-v-day-love.html