Check out this post to see Kate’s Sesame Street birthday party in its entirety!
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| Kate’s Sesame Street Birthday Party! |
Interested in all the behind the scenes details about Kate’s Sesame Street birthday party? Then this post is for you!
The party planning began with searching Pinterest for Elmo birthday party ideas (I’m resourceful like that) and then jotting my ideas down on good old pen and paper (I’m old school like that).
As I’ve said before, when it comes to party planning, one idea sparks the next, and then the next…and before I knew it, Kate’s Elmo-themed party had turned into a Sesame Street-themed party!
Balloons
I got the idea to hang balloons from the ceiling from Pinterest, and took it to the next level by blanketing our ceiling with them. Although it was time consuming (it took about 5 hours for me to hang just the entryway balloons–not counting all the time G and his buddies spent blowing them up), it was a great way to have a big and colorful impact. Balloons also hung from the ceiling over the kitchen island and in our living room windows. The grand total came to over 130 hanging balloons–so fun!
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| 130 balloons! |
I hung each balloon from the ceiling individually using fishing line and miniature 3M Command hooks:
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| A ceiling-level view (click to enlarge). |
Sesame Street Birthday Party Lamp Post
The 7′ tall Sesame Street lamp post wall decal is an idea that came as a result of me doing nothing but eating, sleeping, and breathing Kate’s birthday party once I get into party planning mode. I like to call it “My Crazy” and will often joke with G that “I’m in a manic stage” during this time. Others may label it “BSC.” Whatever. I own it. Here’s just a sampling of my manic thought process that led to the lamp post idea:
We can’t have a Sesame Street birthday party without a lamp post.
How does one find a Sesame Street lamp post?
Is there an actual “Sesame Street” I can just steal one from?
Oh, these little 3′ ones on Etsy are cute…
Wait! We should get a life-sized one! HELL YES!!
But where to put it? There’s no room inside.
Where? Where…where…where?
How about a flat one on that wall?! Oh snap!
With directional signs to the food and games!
AND THE POTTY!!
Yes. This must happen. Surely someone makes this.
F*#&. No one makes this.
My brilliant artist friend Allison could paint one right on the wall!
…But she lives 5 hours away.
…And I’d have to paint over it afterwards.
Hmm…that’s not unreasonable at all.
Let’s call that Plan B. I’ll put Allison on standby.
It is due to the plain and simple fact that my friend Allison is one of the busiest people I know, that My Crazy didn’t immediately jump to this solution and call it a day. Instead, I started emailing wall decal companies with my idea in hopes that someone could create what I was looking for. Wall Slicks (the company that also made the tree in Kate’s room) was my winner. They were so great to work with and I am thrilled with how the lamp post turned out!
Water Bottle Labels
I made these water bottle labels by printing polka dot designs out on 8.5×11″ paper, cutting them to size, securing them in the back with double-stick tape, and adding a Sesame Street character sticker to the front. Easy peasy!
My idea for the kids’ lemonade cups originated from me being a bit of a germaphobe. I printed out “This cup belongs to: ______________” labels on name tag stickers and added Sesame Street character stickers to the upper corner for an additional way to help kids to recognize their cups.
Elmo loves his crayons, and they were the perfect kid-friendly tool for writing on the labels.
Favor Bags
I made these favor bag toppers inspired by the Sesame Street sign in Microsoft Publisher (a rounded green rectangle with a yellow outline centered over a green oval with a yellow outline; add text), and printed them off on cardstock. I cut around the sides and bottom of the rounded rectangle with scissors, and then used an exacto knife to trim around just the oval line on top. Then I folded the rest of the paper at the top of the rectangle, so that the label is like a little tent that goes over the bag, with the oval top standing up. I closed the favor bags with one staple in the center and secured the tent on top of the bag using double-stick tape, one piece on each side.
Cupcake Tower
I made this cupcake tower out of cardboard cake circles, soup cans, ribbon, wrapping paper and hot glue, thanks to a tutorial from Annie’s Eats:
Additional Sesame Street Birthday Party Touches
Ribbon around the chandelier shades were secured with double-stick tape:
I cut this large “K” and “2” (and the smaller “K” and “2” that I used for the front door sign) out of thick styrofoam that was part of the packaging from when Kate’s activity table arrived, and wrapped them in colorful dot wrapping paper. You don’t see them in many of the pictures from Kate’s party, but they hung from the patio doors in the kitchen and looked great!
I used Sesame Street toys Kate already had as additional party decorations, like her chattering Cookie Monster toy for the cookie tower:
It was by sheer luck that Kate’s favorite Sesame Street character, Elmo, was the character associated with the number 2 on these coloring sheets (found at SesameStreet.org) that we used at the kids’ activity table.
I planned, decorated, baked, and cooked for Kate’s party all in the span of two weeks…which is an improvement from the one week I gave myself last year! Maybe next year I’ll start a little earlier in hopes that it’ll keep My Crazy in check. We’ll see!
Sesame Street Birthday Party Supplies & Shopping List
Invitation: Made by my talented friend Allison
Bunting, hung from the front porch, favor table, kitchen sink: Target
Dot wrapping paper: Target
Dot favor bags: Target
Balloons: Party City
Sesame Street lamp post wall decal: WallSlicks.com
Sesame Street wall decals: Target (also sold on Amazon)
Polka dot ribbon: JoAnn Fabrics
Polka dot tablecloth: Target
Dot placemats: Target
G’s Cookie Monster shirt: Wal-Mart
My Sesame Street shirt: 80stees.com
Kate’s personalized Elmo shirt: Made by my talented friend Kent
Oscar’s trash can: Menards
Crayon caddys on the activity table: Target (Dollar Spot)
Stickers: Target, Wal-Mart, Hobby Lobby
Mini fishbowl for Goldfish crackers: Party City
Food
Mini Pigs in a Blanket
Ham & Cheese Spirals (a variation of this recipe)
Pizza Bites with Marinara Sauce
Pasta Salad
Fruit & Yogurt Platter
Veggie Cups
Homemade Granola Bars
Goldfish Crackers
Sun Chips
Pretzels
Desserts
Cupcakes
Cake Pops
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Peanut Butter Cookies
Kate’s Oatmeal Banana Drops
Drinks
Lemonade
Bottled Water
Beer & Wine
I think that covers it all, but if there are any lingering questions feel free to let me know!
Want to see more? Check out Kate’s Sesame Street 2nd birthday party in its entirety! Want to recreate our party for your little one? Check out my FREE Sesame Street Birthday Party Printables!
I am so dang impressed! The balloons were attached to the ceiling! And I thought they were just, what? Nicely floating up there all by themselves? Wow.
jbhat
Love it! Thanks for being so thorough; great inspiration and ideas!
I am a college-aged reader and, stereotypically, I have a question about drinking! When you have children, which kinds of events are socially acceptable to have alcohol and which aren’t? I don’t mean for this question to come across as judgmental, I am really just curious and don’t know about life after college yet. 😛 You are obviously a responsible parent who also enjoys wine, so I thought you’d be a great person to answer this question. Maybe in a blog post?
Dude, this party is amazing… and some of these elements may show up at my own daughter’s second birthday in October
LOVE IT!!!
Great Job!! I am so pinning this =)
D, Take the advice of an old lady grandma type. PACE yourself. You’re gonna burn out before you get to plan her wedding!
You did such an amazing job! I already can’t wait to see what you’ll do for her 3rd bday!!!
Wow! I’m very impressed!! I totally thought that the balloons would just ‘hang’ up on the ceiling by themselves… but I guess it’s a bit more work than that! My son’s first birthday will be in June, and I will definitely steal a couple of your ideas. The water bottle labels are cute, easy, and really make a nice impact. Your daughter is lucky to be able to experience such a party!
Thanks for posting all your inspirations and ideas! Anna’s 1st birthday is in 6 months, but your posts about Kate’s 2nd already has me thinking!
Thank you everyone! So happy to hear you found this post helpful.
@Danielle–That’s a great suggestion, I’ll try to pull a post together about it in the near future. Stay tuned!
This post is amazing! I can’t get over the balloons either! Thanks for all the behind the scenes sneak peaks! Any thoughts on storing/packing away baby clothes and toys? My DD is outgrowing stuff like crazy! cc in va
Thanks CC! I keep the clothes that Kate’s outgrown in rubbermaid totes, grouped by age range. Hope that helps!
wow! loved the post!! found you through Pintrest
I love the impact colorful balloons have on a party! For my daughters first birthday we had a balloon theme because it was her first “big” word and she was infatuated with them! What we did to have them hang with the knot facing the ceiling is we rented a helium tank for around $35 dollars and filled 200+ balloons. We had an assembly line going, someone filled, someone else knotted and them a couple of my nieces and nephews (cheap labor 
painted a a thick coat of glossy modge podge on the domed part of the balloon. It added the perfect weight to keep the balloons hanging knot side to the ceiling 
Thanks Anonymous! And that’s such a great tip–thanks for sharing!
Amazing! My little one will be 1 in september and I was thinking on a Sesame Street theme thanks!!!!:)
Hi, I am planning to have a Sesame Street themed party for my son in August (he will turn 1). I have been searching all over for the polka dot wrapping paper (by Spritz) at Target, but have had no luck finding it. I can’t find it on their website, either. When did you purchase it? Was it in store or online? I live in the Houston, TX area. I even got a Target employee to try to help me, but no luck. BTW, I loved reading your post about your daughter’s party & thanks for the tips!
@Amanda: So sorry to hear you’re having trouble finding it. I bought mine back in Dec or January in the store. Good luck with your search!
Thanks so much for sharing your ideas. Can you tell me how much the lamp post cost you?
Susan
@Susan: I can’t recall off the top of my head but I think it was about $60. They now carry the lamppost on their site so you can check the price there. Hope that helps!
What a wonderful party! I’m shamelessly lifting so many of your ideas for my daughter’s party in a month – so thankful to have found this post! We are ordering the lamp post from Wall Slicks (what a great company!) but I was wondering what color you ordered yours in. They have it in several shades of green and we want to get it “just right.” Thanks so much! This is a great blog and I’m grateful to have found it.
So amazing! How big were your circles for your cupcake stand,and how many cupcakes did it hold? Thanks and keep up the GREAT work:)
Great party ideas! How many guests did you have?
@Anonymous: I’m not sure the size of the circles for the cupcake stand. I started with the largest circle at the cake supply store (so maybe 14″?) and scaled down from there. If I had to guess I’d say they were 14″, 12″, 10″ and 8″.
@Anonymous: Thank you! I’m guessing we had 50-60 guests.
love your ideas!!! My son bday party is going to be of SESAME STREET!!..I want to ‘copy’ all your ideas..you’re amazingly organized and creative!!!.. one question, how much was the wall decal post of sesame street??.. fabulous!!
WOW!! You did an AWESOME JOB!! Thanks for posting this. You cut alot of extra time for us for looking around. THANKS!!
Where did you get the sticker books and crayons?
@Anonymous: The wall decal was about $60, I believe. If you click on the link in my post it will take you to the Modern Wall Graphics website where the lamp post is now an item they sell online.
Thank you, Anonymous!
@KJ, Chelle, Daniel, and Tyler: I got the sticker books and crayons from Party City. Hope that helps!
Wonderful!! Thank you for responding!
Would you be willing to share your templates (labels for cups, sign on the door, etc.)?
You did an amazing job on this party!!
@Anonymous: Sure, just shoot me and email (click on “contact me” above) and let me know what you’re interested in!
I was wondering if you could tell me how you made the Seseme street sign for the door and goody bags?? thanks!
Wow, reading your “crazy” made me smile bc u sound just like me haha!! I can never seem to sleep when i have to prepare for a fun event! I have my first baby boy’s 1st bday party nxt wk and i have already made the cupcake stand- well almost. I was trying to search for an answer and came across your blog! Love it :). But one Q! How do the soup cans stick to the cake boards? Tgey aren’t entirely flat, they have a rim ya know?
Hi Lydiah – sorry for the delay in my response! I heavily glued the rim of the soup can, and it worked! Hope your son’s party was a hit!
Hi there! May I ask where you purchased the banner that is shown on the first picture?
Hi was wondering if you have a recipe for the dip in the veggie cups
Hi Alexis – check out those sections of this post for more information, and this post for my free Sesame Street party printables: http://www.allthingsgd.com/2013/05/free-sesame-street-birthday-party-printables/
Hi Jackie! I got the flag banner/bunting from Target. I found it in their birthday party supplies aisle.
Hi Sheree – I’m pretty sure I just used ranch dressing for the veggie cups. Quick and easy!
I can’t wait to use these printables for Megan’s 3rd birthday in October!
Yay! I’m so happy to hear it, Katie!
i wish i was there
We have the same cookie holder!
How fun, Bonita! Such a great little buy.
I was wondering where you got the colorful dot wrapping paper from? Thanks!
Hi Linda – the dot wrapping paper was from Target, but sadly they no longer carry it. Good luck in your search for something similar!
You did an amazing job! Thanks for sharing your ideas!
Thank you so much, Pam!
where can i find dotted dot papers which used to make front door K and 2 sign ?
Thanks so much for the inspiration ! We did the balloon ceiling, it looked awesome
thanks!!
How did you wrap the letters and numbers so well… it looks perfect but it’s so awkward to wrap… or maybe it’s because mine is thicker!
I cut little tabs into the wrapping paper along where it would lay on the sides of the number and letter to get it to lay nicely. (And filled any holes/gaps the cuts made on the side with additional scraps of wrapping paper.
I love your party! I’m planning a sesame street party for my daughter’s 2nd birthday next month. I was wondering about the coloring sheets- I followed the link to the website but they only have certain “themed” ones. Any tips on how to find the specific letters and numbers? Thanks!
Hi Sara! It’s been awhile since I accessed those coloring sheets, but I think I just lucked out in that they had a “K” and a “2” available. I’m sorry I’m not more help! Good luck to you with your little girl’s birthday party – I’m sure she’ll have a blast!
Hi~
What did you use to make the letter “K” & the number “2” on your welcome sign? where can i find dotted dot papers which used to make front door K and 2 sign ?
Wow. Planning my babes first birthday party (which was also supposed to be Elmo and somehow turned into Sesame Street..) and this is amazing!! I have three weeks and am gonna steal some of these ideas. Thanks so much!
Oh yay – I’m so happy to hear it!! Good luck to you with your little one’s 2nd birthday party – I’m sure it will be a blast!
Wow this is amazing! I’m planning my babes first birthday party (which was also supposed to be Elmo and turned into Sesame Street…) I love these ideas, definitely stealing some (I only have three weeks to plan lol)
And thank you so much, Liz!