Up, up & away: Sammy's second birthday

{Sammy's been obsessed with airplanes for about the last six months, so when it came time to choose a theme for his second birthday party, it was pretty much a no-brainer.  I decided to use the same color scheme as last year because 1. I like it and 2. I could re-use some of the party supplies and decor that I had saved from Sammy's first birthday.  The invites are actually do-it-yourself stickers that I designed and cut out; the scalloped cards were leftovers from the big wedding that Captain Husband and I started planning for but wound up never having.}

{I also designed and cut out stickers to be used as cupcake toppers and tags on the party favors.  Believe it or not, I did everything using free software like Pixlr and PicMonkey; the airplane is based on a photo that I took of an airplane that's currently "flying" over a junkyard about ten miles from our house.}

{Using this tutorial, I made a dozen airplanes from craft sticks and wooden clothespins that I spray painted in the birthday boy's colors; I then stuck them on my ubiquitous yarn wreath hanging on our front door and made a mini banner using cloud stickers that I found for 50% off at the Hobby Lobby.}

{Since Sammy had several toy planes in his collection, I used them as decorative anchors for the helium balloons that were leftovers from last year's party.  I also made a banner out of some adorable gingham fabric that I had thrifted a few months back following this tutorial.  My mom was kind enough to fold a bunch of the giant paper airplanes that I then hung throughout the house the day of the party.}

(The Happy Birthday banner is another decoration that I made leftover from last year; I used the rest of the clothespin planes to make a mobile that I hung in front of the kitchen window.  I plan to re-hang the mobile in the boys' bedroom, but for now I'm still enjoying it's cheerful colors in the kitchen.}

{It's like déjà vu all over again: I used the same vanilla and vanilla buttercream frosting recipe that I used for Sammy's party last year and I honestly think they were even better the second time around.  I had scored an airplane cookie cutter at the thrift store a few weeks ago so I (and by I, I mean my mom) made citrus sugar cookies for this party as well--they were pretty darn good, too!}

{And last but not least, the party favors--since Sammy and his friends all seem to be of the age that really enjoys coloring, I decided to make some crayon rolls following this tutorial.  You can just toss them in your diaper bag or purse--no more scrambling for loose crayons while your kid throws a fit at your local restaurant--the perfect party favor for today's toddlers.  To save you all from photo overload, I'll be sharing some of the candid photos from the party tomorrow, so be sure to stop back!}