Peace, Love, and Jammies

I love when one of the girls’ birthdays roll around and they actually want to have a party with friends.  I know that probably sounds really weird, but they usually want a low key birthday with family only.  It has something to do with not being crazy about being the center of attention.  So, when Iona’s birthday was on the horizon, I asked what she wanted to do and she said she wanted to do both.  She’s my kind of girl!  Why not have more than one party?  More good times... it’s what we all need more of!  

Anyhow, I asked what she wanted to do with her friends and she said slumber party!  Woohoo... fun!! That was all I could get out of her.  She didn’t give me any other direction than that.  Let’s face it, we live in the crazy age of over the top birthday themes, so I didn’t know what the girl was going to bust out with, and was glad she was open to different ideas.  The good news is I’m crazy about her friends so the thought of having these girls overnight warmed my heart and made it fun to brainstorm ideas that I thought they’d all enjoy.  I put on my 10 year old girl brain... not that hard to do, let’s be honest... and thought about what I’d like to do if I were 10 again.  Dream, day dream, laugh, be goofy, eat candy, watch movies, and eat more candy.

Since I’m inside a 10 year old mind and not much into focusing, I bounced from dreaming and day dreaming to dream catchers.  No, I wasn’t up to helping the girls make dream catchers, but it did give me a little direction to build around.  Then I found the dream catcher that launched my mind to a bohemian vibe with “peace, love, and jammies.”  I ordered one for each girl, including my four.  

I made this invitation.  I need to be honest here... I should have printed it out and mailed it or even hand delivered it, but I was lazy and short on time so I texted it out.  I know, I know... it’s tacky, right?  The thing is, I know and love all the girls’ moms and I know they’ll love me even if I text a birthday invite.  It’s okay, even though it was last minute, it worked out that everyone was able to come.  Hooray!!  It wouldn’t have felt the same if even just one of the girls wasn’t able to be there.

I made a fun photo backdrop with dream catchers, tassels, and white lights and after it was all over, the girls each went home with their own dream catcher.  I had a couple of bean bags I threw into the mix to provide extra seating and add to the vibe at the same time.

I also found fun dream catcher temporary tattoos and flower headbands for each of the girls.  

I made a peace sign out of a metal hanger and wrapped it with pink crepe paper.  Eh, it didn’t quite turn out, but I went with it anyhow!  You know when you see something in your mind one way and the reality doesn’t translate?  Yep, that was the peace sign.  I even bought tiny white twinkle lights to go around it, but the strand wasn’t long enough so I had to scrap my idea and move on.  I made a little “Peace, Love, Jammies” sign using gold letters and a watercolor background I painted. 

It’s a good thing I was short on time because I would have taken this whole thing much further.  The girls were all good with peace, love, and jammies... lots of candy was eaten, the Jar of Fun was played, and they watched a movie and passed out.  I think everyone in the family took a nap the next day in the afterglow of peace, love, and jammies!  

An added bonus, all the fun decorations from Iona’s party made their way into her room and have given her bedroom decor a fun reminder of some crazy good times with her best friends.

Xoxo,

Inger