When ShopAtHome.com contacted me about a partnership I was pretty excited. I mean saving money is always a plus and they asked for an interview and asked if I would be interested in having a guest post about party planning on a budget. You know I love parties and on a budget is even better. So today I give you Aimee Heckel from ShopAtHome and her absolutely wonderful daughter that I think I would be friends with. And Aimee is totally super mom. She made a UNICORN happen.
Being a mom is quite ridiculous. For my baby girl’s third birthday, I told her she could have Anything. She. Wanted. (Novice parent mistake No. 392.) Since all she got for her birthday last year was a purple dinosaur cake, I expected this offering to be manageable.
The kid asked for a unicorn.
Now, as you may well know, to actually purchase a unicorn costs upwards of 90,000 rainbow flakes and three pots of gold (and that’s not even the sparkly unicorns). Since my budget was approximately the cost of another purple dinosaur cake and I only possess two pots of gold to my name, I knew I’d have to be pretty crafty to pull it off on a budget.
Turned out only a few kids came to my daughter’s party. But I’ll be darned if half of my adult friendship circle didn’t pop up, eager for the chance to gallop into the horizon on a unicorn, themselves. So this party theme idea is not only a smash hit for the little ones, but definitely the big ones, too.
Here’s how I made magic happen:
The unicorn thing.
Turns out, you can put a cardboard horn on a horse’s head and tell everyone it’s a unicorn and they will believe it. At least, they want to believe it. I found a nearby horse ranch that would let us rent out horses for rides, and they (and their horses) were good enough sports to accommodate the DIY horns (with the help of a small monetary bribe and carrots for the horses).
Feeling fancier than cardboard? Pick up an inflatable unicorn horn for a whopping $4.99 at EntertainmentEarth.com. Or just visit the webpage to view the angry cat wearing a unicorn horn. It’s worth it. Save money by shopping the Entertainment Earth coupons at ShopAtHome.com, and also find out how to snag 6 percent Cash Back (which will help fund your inexpensive snacks).
The eating part.
We made rainbow popcorn in shiny cones that I think looked like upside down unicorn horns. Super easy. Microwave popcorn, add melted white chocolate and coat with colorful sprinkles. You can pick all of this up at Walmart.com, which I like to use because you can order your items online and pick them up for free in the store. Plus, there are endless Walmart coupons available.
We bought a stack of colorful paper at Hobby Lobby and stapled it together in a cone shape. Fill a cone with popcorn and you have a cheap snack that requires no utensils and is easy to clean up. Hobby Lobby has plenty of killer coupons to use, too. I bet no one has ever used “Hobby Lobby” and “killer” in the same sentence describing a unicorn birthday party before. Win.
The decorating.
Streamers. Streamers. Every streamer color in the rainbow. We hung large bundles of streamers from the ceiling to the floor like a giant rainbow you had to walk through to get to the cake and rainbow popcorn. The look was dramatic (we probably used 30 rolls), but super cheap. Plus, clean-up was simple.
Pick up cheap streamers at Birthday Direct (just over $1 each) and use ShopAtHome.com’s Birthday Direct coupons to save you more money. Look for the free shipping coupon. Giddyup.
Soooo who wants to throw me a unicorn party? I mean, act like you wouldn't want a unicorn party.
What was your favorite theme party you had or went to?
