{ jack's kung fu panda 4th birthday party }

This kiddo has been obsessed with Kung Fu Panda since the first movie was released. Po, the well-meaning but awkward hero, is his "absolute favorite guy in the world!" So, of course, I was not too surprised when he asked for a Kung Fu Panda birthday party this year.  As one wise friend said to me, "the characters were coming at some point, right?"  ;)

I had intentions to keep this party pretty low-key.  We invited just family, and I decided to forgo sending paper invitations.  I emailed this invite instead.

This party was definitely a "use what you have" shindig.  I had this black and white polka dot tablecloth, and I loved that it was a bit of a graphic nod to Po's coloration. Then I grabbed an orange basket from Grant's room, red buckets from Jack's room, and some yellow trays from the Target dollar bin, and this table was well on its way.

I had this red frame too.  I just raided my trimmings drawer, and stapled lots of them into the frame.  Then I backed the frame with burlap. Added a homemade banner, some free printable masks and DONE!

Another grocery store cake - this one was improved with dotty ribbon.  Jack plays with his Kung Fu Panda toys from McDonald's all the time.  So it made sense to invite them to the party too. ;)

My favorite project of any party - the birthday boy hat!

On to the goodies. How great are these kickin' Po the Panda cut-out cookies?  These beauties are courtesy of etsy baker and artist, The Sweet Shop Cookie Company.

My husband, who is a fantastic baker, stayed up late making these cuppycakes the night before. Holy moly, they were yummy! We added fortune cookies and some cupcake picks too.

Rice Krispie Treat sushi!

More colorful sweet treats.

SKADOOSH  juice!

Dragon warriors need fruits and veggies too!

Chinese food is a pretty obvious choice here, so I served eggrolls and potstickers for something savory to snack on.

Favors were those yummy cut out cookies plus stickers packaged up in kraft paper take-out boxes and stripey baker's twine. 

It was a fun day celebrating, and Kung Fu Jack was beyond thrilled to have "the best party of my dreams!"  The birthday boy and lil bro were both pretty darn HI-YAed! out by party's end.  

Happy Birthday, Jack!  We love you!

                                    Party Sources:

Cookies - The Sweet Shop Cookie Company
Stripey straws - HeyYoYo
 KFP Balloons - Ebay 
Dotty Balloons - Hobby Lobby
Kraft take-out boxes -  Michael's
Black/White Baker's Twine - Leigh's Paper Creations
Chinese character fabric for backdrop - Hobby Lobby
Printable masks - Available for download on HP's website (I made the monkey one myself)
Printables, invites and styling - Polkadots and Puppies (that's lil ol' me)

{ friday finds }

You know how sometimes you just get on a shopping roll and score lots of goodies at great deals?!
 That's been my week, and I'm kinda overly excited about it.

I've been pining over this cool, vintage vibe Anthro top for MONTHS now.  Grrr, it just wouldn't budge from its $58 price tag.  I waited and waited.  And then, of course, just to torment me further, the lovely Quinn wore it on Glee.  Well it was finally marked down on Tuesday. And now it's mine.

 Oh, good things DO come to those who wait. ;)

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Oh, and I gave in to the colored denim trend.  Have you?  I couldn't see spending a ton on such jeans since they'll probably be quite the short-lived trend.   I happened upon these at Target on Sunday. You know, sometimes it pays to be quite short.  These are from the girls' section.

I bought two pairs because they were CHEAP...

 I finally found Anthro's Back Porch Blouse for a reasonable price on ebay.

It's lovely, no?

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               Hope you find some great deals this w/e.

h  a  p  p  y     w  e  e  k  e  n  d  !

{ wednesday wrap session }

It is so gorgeous in our neck of the woods right now!  It's impossible not to be overjoyed with life when it's so perfect outside, right?  I'm taking a cue from the weather and channeling Spring in my gift wrap this week.

This pretty package is for one of Jack's sweet little friends.  

I got a bunch of pretty little things from the dollar bins at Joann and Michael's last week.

That scrapbook paper is my fave.  I'd love to wallpaper my closet in this!

Hope the weather where you are is giving you a bit of Spring in your step too!

{ there's just something about suitcases }

I am SUCH a sucker for suitcases.
 I especially love these little cardboard suitcases.  

They have about a million adorable uses.

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They make fantastic containers for themed gifts. 

This is pretty darn cute for the baker in your life.

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And they're a great way to organize craft supplies.

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They are lots of clever ways to incorporate these into birthday parties.

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Of course, they look pretty sweet just stacked onto a bookshelf. 

Jack loves his green ones. They house the never ending supply of Legos.

Do you have some of these darling suitcases?  How do you use them?

{ t. g. i. f. }

Did this week feel ultra long to you? I thought it might never end. Maybe it was just because I'm so excited for this weekend.
We're celebrating Jack's 4th birthday with our extended family tomorrow.

There is definitely some Kung Fu craziness happening at our house right now.

Yep, we're nearly ready to party.


 h  a  p  p  y       w  e  e  k  e  n  d !

{ happy jack is four! }

To my big boy...
Unbelievably, you are four years old today.

Today you:

helped make Rice Krispie treats for your preschool birthday treat.

told me, "I like the person that you are, mommy." 

(I may have teared up a bit)

helped little brother put on his coat.

gave me the world's biggest bear hug.

I love you, my sweet, clever, funny, silly, happy Jack.  

Happy Birthday!