Carnival Themed Birthday Party

I never really recognized the significance of the phrase “time flies” until I had my kids. They are growing up right in front of my eyes and yet I cannot believe it. Birthdays just keep on flying by!

On May 9th we celebrated my son’s third birthday. When I had asked my son what kind of cake he wanted, he immediately said, “red and blue with a lion and elephant and lots of sprinkles.”

It was the perfect opportunity to plan a carnival-themed birthday party. The only problem was taking it easy to prevent further injury to the wrist that I had injured earlier this year. I attempted candied apples but due to the humidity that week, the candy coating literally melted off the night before the celebration.

Here is the cake table complete with a three tier carnival themed cake. I kept it quite simple. The second tier is covered in sprinkles.

I also had red velvet and vanilla bean cupcakes. The marshmallow pops were something my son and I enjoyed creating together. They are quite easy to make but look pretty impressive when done. I decorated the table with peanuts, popcorn, and carnival tickets which I bought at Party City for $8.99. I wish I could of used the candied apples but unfortunately they were a mess! I also baked moustache and bowtie shaped cookies but was unable to pipe on the details. Even though I didn’t get to include everything that I had originally planned I was really pleased with the end result as was the birthday boy!

The following are the little extras that made my son’s birthday all the more special:

I ordered some delicious macaroons from Angela Nushis of Angie’s Sweet Little Kitchen to complete my cake table. This was my second time placing an order with Angie, after a friend introduced me to her. Both times Angie got my order spot on. The macaroons were the exact colours that I had asked for. I was so impressed with the neat packaging as well as the taste! If you live in the GTA (Toronto, Canada) I highly recommend Angie for all your macaroon orders. Each dozen of macaroons costs $18 CAD, taxes included. Angie makes cakes, cookies, and other desserts as well and offers delivery for a charge. Check out her Facebook page here.

What really pulled the whole cake table together was the beautiful flag banner hand-made by Starlit Nest Gifts. The banner was really well-made and larger than I had anticipated. The colours of the fabric complemented the colour palette that I had picked out quite well. Alison A of Starlit Nest Gifts (United States) makes custom buntings, photography props, and other gift items such as quilts. I especially love her talent for coordinating colours. Everything Alison puts together looks absolutely incredible! Take a look at her Etsy shop here. If you are ordering from Canada, I suggest that you order two to three weeks before you need the item. If you order internationally, keep in mind that duties may apply. I paid approximately $41 for the bunting nine flag banner but fortunately was spared duties.

I used grey and white chevron patterned wallpaper, which I purchased at Wal-Mart for about $37 CAD, as the background for the cake table. Matte wrapping paper would also make a good background as well as fabric. I wasn’t able to find a red table cloth so I headed on over to my local fabric store, purchased some fabric and made one myself. I originally wanted red pinstripe but couldn’t find fabric so choose plain red instead.

For the birthday boy’s outfit, I looked everywhere that I could think of for red suspenders and a red bowtie. I wasn’t able to find what I was looking for which lead me to search online. I stumbled upon The Boytique Express while browsing on Etsy. The Boytique offers custom and hand-made suspenders and bowties for all festivities and occasions. There are so many colours and shades, patterns and prints to choose from. The suspender straps are adjustable and the items are made of fine quality soft fabric. With taxes and shipping I paid approximately $43 CAD. Two-three weeks time should be allotted for delivery and keep in mind that customs and duties may apply for international orders.

I loved how easy the suspenders were to clasp on. My little boy was completely comfortable in his outfit and looked so adorable! If you are going to the dapper look, I suggest that you check out The Boytique Express!

A carnival birthday (or any birthday in my opinion) isn’t complete without lots of balloons! Needless to say, my son had a lovely time.

Thanks to Suresh Raja of Blossom Studios for the above photographs! Take a look at Blossom Studios’ Facebook page here.