A little slow on getting Lenox's "blue donut birthday" party posted here but I think I was a little slow on getting this party planned as well! Maybe I was in denial over my baby turning 3, I don't know, but this party didn't get a start until a couple months beforehand. The theme changed a couple times...went from super early thoughts of doing a lumberjack type theme (because I lover buffalo plaid), then went to Party Animal which I felt was more suiting for him but I didn't feel totally inspired. I wanted something that reflected him a bit more so I just asked him what kind of party he wanted. At two years old you're still not exactly sure what a birthday party entails, besides singing and cake, but he just kept saying "I want a blue birday!" Now you know I can't just do blue and that's it so I had to think of things he loves and just make it blue...cue the donuts! He loves donuts and going to Dunkin' so I knew that would be perfect!
I look for inspiration everywhere but mainly Pinterest and Instagram. When looking for ideas for donut themed birthday parties, one thing is common...everything is Pink! All the donuts have pink frosting and girly colored sprinkles! I did come across a couple of more boyish colored donut parties but that's about it. I knew I was going to have to DIY a lot of the decor, which I do a lot anyway. I came across a donut pinata on Pinterest, and it was adorable, I had to have it! I figured I could use it as decor near the dessert table until it was time for the kids to bust it open! Of course I only found pink ones online and in the store so I just had to make my own! I used this tutorial. It was definitely more work than I thought but so worth it! A lot of the adults at the party couldn't believe that I made it myself.
Of course I had to make him a little birthday hat for a mini birthday photoshoot (since he wouldn't keep it on at the party!
The other thing I knew I wanted for decor was a donut wall, because what's a donut themed party without a wall full of pretty donuts?! I also made this myself by getting a piece of plywood cut at Home Depot. I purchased it there, and had it cut to 2 ft. x 3 ft. (I measured the table I would be using and figured out how long and tall it should be based on the size of the table). I also purchased a wood stain at home depot as well. I bought the thickest wooden dowels available at Hobby Lobby and had my father in law (he's a carpenter) cut each dowel into 3's so I ended up with 3" pieces. I stained the plywood and dowels and hot glued the dowels onto the plywood. Then I cut out the "donut grow up" sign using my Cricut and removable white vinyl. The great thing is if I ever have a client that wants a donut party I can remove the "donut grow up" and replace it with any saying! Love how it turned out and it was super easy and cheap!
I found a lot of super cute donut themed and sprinkled desserts, but I didn't want to have too many desserts because there was obviously going to be a bunch of donuts. I chose sprinkled macaroons because the cake I picked had pretty macaroons on it and I've never had them on a dessert table before. My kids were super excited about this because they have been dying to try macaroons for some time now, not sure why but Jaya basically ate all of them haha! I planned on doing half dipped golden Oreos and sprinkling them with sprinkles but then I came across a donut chocolate mold at a local party store and knew I had to make covered Oreos with little donuts on them! With all the treats I make I've never really did layered/multicolored chocolate designs but I think they turned out really cute!
The signs and tents were made by my go to girl Stacy from Stacy's Sweet Stuff on Etsy.
Since I make cake pops all the time I had to try to make donut cake pops! I was a little nervous about getting them to actually look like donuts but I think they turned out perfectly, and wished I got more pictures of these cuties!
I got the cake from Alana over at Cake and Crumb. All of her cakes are so beautiful and she's definitely my new go to for cakes! I wanted something simple, but still fun and I think she hit the nail on the head! I added the donuts to the cake which I was actually supposed to add a topper to but forgot to make, whoops! But it was still pretty!
Since donuts are commonly associated with sprinkles I thought it would be fun to have some sprinkled party decor as well! This party was originally planned to be outside and I had some photo frames that I painted with sprinkles as well to use as centerpieces but after going back and forth the morning of the party it eventually ended up being inside because of the rain and I didn't use everything I planned on using. But I did add this number 3 I sprinkled with real sprinkles I got from Sprinkle Pop Shop! Their sprinkle mixes are amazing and you can even create your own sprinkle mix! I actually have a fun collab with them so stay tuned for that post! (Maybe subscribe to emails so you won't miss it!)
I used the same sprinkle mix on the donuts as well! For the donuts I bought glazed ones from the bakery section at Walmart and used chocolate melts to "redecorate" them if you will. I sprinkled some with sprinkles and left some plain. They fit in perfectly!
For games we did the pinata, a donut hole throw game I made, and a donut string game where all the donuts from the wall were placed on a long string and the kids had to try and eat a donut without using their hands. The first person to eat their donut won, this was hilarious to watch and a lot of fun! For food we had brunch foods which included a waffle bar, chicken and waffle sliders, scrambled egg bake, ham and cheese crescents, sausage, bacon, fruit salad and mimosa's for the adults! And what is a party without a goody for the kids to take home?! For favors I just did little brown paper bags filled with donut holes complete with tags that said "Thanks a hole bunch!" Simple and sweet, just like my boy!
The rain tried to kill our vibe but we still had a lot of fun and he loved his "Blue donut" party, which is all that really matters!
We love you our blue donut loving Lenny Lou!
XO,
