Let Your Kids Imagine!

Have you ever thought to ask your child what kind of party they want to have? Kids have a fun and colorful imagination, and with their ideas, you might just come up with something fabulous and memorable. Tori Spelling shares some tips on how she plans a birthday party with her kids, from decorations and color to theme and activities. Get creative together!

You might think that your child's birthday wall need to be a big secret, and you can, of course, keep it that way so they will be totally surprised. But sometimes it can help to get some ideas of what they would like on their wall so you don't end up doing something that simply doesn't hit the spot for them or even be embarrassing. I include a survey list of things you can ask about in The Birthday Wall e-book to get you started.

Have fun getting creative with your kids!

The Party: Keep It Simple and Stress Free

I love a relaxed approach to many things, including parties. Obviously, so does Rebekah Kuschmider, who shares in her article how she kept things simple and stress free as she prepared (minimally, mind you) for her daughter's first birthday, including invites, food, activity, and socializing. She shows that it doesn't have to be complicated to be fun and satisfying for all.

Creating a birthday wall for your child can also be fun and stress free. Just use your heart and appreciation for your child to guide the way and you'll know just what will make the visual pleasing and fun without making it complicated.

Enjoy the process and keep it simple.
It's the heart of it that matters.

Fun for Less!

Birthday parties are often a place that sucks your wallet dry--if you let it. But that's not necessary! All you need are a few volunteers and some money-saving savvy that Stephanie Frazier suggests in her article, 5 Ways to Save Money on Your Child's Birthday Party. From entertainment to cake options, fun activities to theme parks, she offers some great thrifty ideas that keep the fun without the expense.

When  it comes to making a birthday wall, you can keep it simple with just a few items and ideas that you can make yourself. I offer various theme-based and textual-based ideas for saving money in each chapter under the Heading, Birthday Budget, so you can know some of the best approaches to creating a fabulous display on budget.

Themes: Get Creative!

Sometimes it can be hard to figure a great theme for a birthday party, but your child is probably the best one to ask since they know what they love. American Profile offers some great theme-based ideas for a birthday party, from a Mad Hatter Tea Party to a Zoo theme. It's just a matter of your child's interest and a little imagination. :)

I offer several ideas in The Birthday Wall e-book for a theme-based party with a list based on party supplies as well as ideas related to possible child interests. That's what is so cool about The Birthday Wall; it's a custom creation showcasing what your child really loves, focusing on what makes them special and on their preferences and personality.

Themes can be such a FUN element to your child's birthday!

Birthday Party Money Savers

Whether it's food, entertainment, or decorations, it's easy to spend more than is necessary to plan a great birthday party for that super special child in your life. But you don't have to. Shutterfly shares some practical ways you can celebrate and keep the cost low and still have a fun and fabulous time. From details on party goods, food prep and invites, you will find some great ideas with room to splurge on what you just can't pass up. 

When it comes to creating a fantastic Birthday Wall for your child, you don't have to spend a ton of money to put up a fabulous display. Heartfelt messages to photos of friends may be all you need to enhance the visual of your child's birthday. In each chapter of my e-book, I provide a section titled Birthday Budget where I share tips on how to keep the cost of your birthday wall low while still giving enough ideas to run with to make it the very best. 

Budget Friendly Advice for a Happy Birthday

When it comes to birthday party planning, you want to have a happy child without the overt expense. There are so many variables that can affect how much you spend. Jessica Fisher of Life As A Mom has some fabulous, practical and fun ideas to keep your planning within budget, giving examples from her own birthday party planning experience. She includes all aspects of a great birthday party, including theme and birthday cake.

Sometimes it can be a challenge not to overspend when you want your child's Birthday Wall to be super fab, but you don't have to go above and beyond to make it special and meaningful. Just work with one or two ideas from your child's favorite things and you'll have plenty to work with the make the best, most fun visual representing your child's personality with sparkle.

A Little Birthday Help

It can sometimes help to get a few good ideas for a great birthday party for your child, especially if they save time and money and include creative ideas to keep the kids occupied and happy. Linda Ann Nickerson provides these tips, focusing on simplicity and keeping track of stuff you don't want to forget. She also includes a tip on choice of theme to keep things unified and fun.

I provide plentiful ideas for a terrific themed birthday wall in Chapter one of my book: The BirthdayWall: Create a Collage to Celebrate Your Child. Themes can be so much fun, especially when they reflect what your child is loving right now. Enhancing their day with their favorite things can make their time and celebration extra special.

Birthday Service Savvy

Sometimes it can help to get a little assistance with a task you find stressful. How about a Party in a Box planner? Shari Simpson of Cool Mom Picks shares her fab experience using a Party Planning duo and what contents where included for this super birthday party event. Not only did this service save her time, it also saved her money.

When you choose the contents of your child's birthday wall, sometimes it can be a great approach to simply buy the decor you want to include rather than making your own. This time-saving strategy can help make the process even more fun when you know what you're looking for. Ideas and resources from friends and family can help when you're deciding on theme or approach to your creative visual.

Just remember, your child will be completely surprised by what you do to help celebrate their special day. So, Enjoy the Process!

A Furry Friend for Fun!

How does a cuddly, furry experience sound for a great birthday party? Fun? Interesting? Vicky Welton tells about her daughter Grace's 6th birthday party with Build-A-Bear! She shares the heart-warming, furry activities, detailing the whole build-a-bear process (in case you didn't know!) and what a great time her daughter had with her friends picking out accessories and loving their animals.

A birthday wall can contain so many fun elements from your child's life, whether it's a favorite stuffed animal or learning to sew. When you share this aspect visually to celebrate your child, it will show them just how well you know what they love and will make them feel special.

A Birthday Science Synopsis!

Next time you're planning a birthday party for your child, consider the possibilities a little experimenting can do! Angie Lee at Seven Clown Circus blog shares with many color photos the fabulous science themed ideas she used recently at her 7-year-old twins' birthday party. From fun foods to food coloring, she really brought out the FUN in science. And it was a true hit in the neighborhood!

When you create a birthday wall for your child, you may find some awesome ideas percolating that have a experimental flair to them. What has your child discovered in their past year about themselves and the world around them? Feature photos, games, and friends who were alongside during these discoveries, showcasing what really matters to your child with fun and pizzazz!

It's time to experiment!

A Big Brother: The Best Birthday Surprise!

It can be fun to plan a surprise party for your child, especially with all the planning that goes into not letting on about the party as you plan. But it can take on an even more interesting vibe when there's a BIG Brother coming home from deployment to surprise his little brother for his birthday. This inspiring birthday story is sure to touch your heart, especially from a Mom's point of view.

We all want our child's birthday to be a special as we can make it. Sometimes another family member that your child loves can make their birthday even more special. Be sure to include important memorabilia on your child's birthday wall to commemorate a special occasion such as being reunited with a loved one who is off to war. Family can truly make a birthday the best ever!

Happy Birthday: It's Playtime!

Instead of birthday parties being about all the amenities, perhaps a simpler approach, like playtime and a homemade cake, can be what the party planner ordered. Erin Guerrieri shares her view point on keeping simple traditions with her kids. It can be refreshing to just give them time to play with friends and family, making memories and having a good time.

You can keep things simple when you create a Birthday Wall for your child; just highlight the best of the best and what you know will matter most to your child. I give suggestions for keeping it lightweight and less complicated in How I Did It sections in each chapter.

Simple can be Sensational!

Is Bigger Better?: A Birthday Party Analysis

Sometimes laying down ground rules for the party planning is the way to go, especially when you're looking at the birthday budget. Christine Berry MacKenzie shares her point of view about the necessity or lack thereof of a big party with all the amenities in her article, How to Control Growingly Elaborate Birthday Parties. She explains how keeping it simple may be the way to go and be just as successful and memorable in the long run.

Each chapter in The Birthday Wall contains a section called Birthday Budget which helps you see how you can save money while creating the best birthday wall ever simply by choosing what works best for you.

You can make your child's birthday memorable and still keep it simple.

Celebrate and Learn: A Mom's Point of View

I appreciate it when moms share their life experiences. Organized Mom at Mom to Mom website shares a fabulous rendition of her daughter's 6th birthday party which includes her supplies, her decor and the activities in detail. But what I really like is what she shares about what she learned in the process; in other words, what she would do next time to make it even better.

Sometimes when we want to create something fabulous for our kids, we run into an issue we didn't expect or we see later that doing something a certain way would have made the whole experience a lot easier. I share trouble shooting issues in The Birthday Wall concerning display options, how and where, as well as concerns your child's feelings.

Plan, learn and celebrate!

Raggedy Ann and Andy Adds Whimsy to a Celebration

When I was a child, I had my room decorated with Raggedy Ann and Andy. I just loved those dolls and everything that came with them. That's why when I saw this party theme, I just had to share it with you!

Abby Snyder has twins, boy and girl, who just celebrated their first birthday, and she shares her party prep story with how she came up with her theme idea, where she found many of her decorating ideas, and also displays several adorable photos to showcase the party and her twins' fun that day.

Abby actually hangs a picture banner by the fireplace that reminded me of The Birthday Wall family tradition I have used to celebrate my daughters' birthdays for nine years. Perhaps her display will inspire you with ideas for your child's next birthday wall.

I love the whimsy Raggedy Ann and Andy creates with such a fun, lovable theme. You can create one too, with a custom created Birthday Wall for your child.

Outdoors, Anyone? It's a Summer Time Party!

Are you looking for some great summer-style ideas for your child's birthday? Well, Becky Sher provides quite a few, from food to activities, invite ideas and decor. This fun outdoor theme post is sure to spark some inspiration for the outdoors as you celebrate your child.

Some of the decor ideas Becky provides can be incorporated into the birthday wall you can create in conjunction with this very fun, summertime outdoor theme. I provide some terrific theme ideas in Chapter One, A Thoughtful Thread: Choosing a Theme in my e-book, The Birthday Wall: Create a Collage to Celebrate Your Child..

Hands-On Colorful Birthday Party Ideas to Save You Money

We all want to save money on preparing for a birthday party without skimping on the fun. Kelsey provides seven hands-on ideas with colorful photos to get you inspired that will help you save on the expense and have fun in the process in her post,  7 Ways to Save Money on Kid's Birthday Parties.

One of the things that makes a Birthday Wall fun is the hands-on aspect of it; you can choose, create, cut, and collage your way to a charming colorful display that represents your child in all of their personal dimensions. I also share ways you can save money in the process so your Birthday Wall doesn't break the bank!

The Early Bird Gets the Worm!

I love it when I come across an interesting theme for a party; when your child likes worms, well then you just have a worm theme, right? That's exactly what Sherry Petersik did for her daughter. She shares some fabulous party products and showcases all of the worm-theme ideas she has brainstormed in her post, Do the Worm. Between colorful photos, fun text, and a cute video, this post is a real winner.

We can always win with a great theme that our kids love; whether worms, insects, flowers, or frogs, it can really showcase the quirky, fun side to our kid's personalities. Check out the first chapter in my e-book, A Thoughtful Thread: Choosing a Theme, for more theme ideas for your child's Birthday Wall.

Toddler Tips: What to Have on Hand

With a focus on toddlers, Lisa of @ThePartyWorks, a guest poster on JLee's blog, shares must-do tips on how to handle the inevitable mishaps without the mayhem. With a focus on food, fun and friendly, her article is sure to be of help for your young one's party plans.

The Birthday Wall can be appropriate for any age, but for younger ones, I share my recommendations for placing and party activities in Chapter 5, Creativity Central: Putting It All Together as well as in the Q & A section following.

Do Less: Your Celebration

Your approach to celebrating your child's birthday is a very personal one, yet it reaches to loved ones as well. Christine Koh shares her choices in connection with family to have use a minimalist approach to her daughter's first birthday. Sometimes doing less is the right choice; keeping it simple and memorable at the same time.

Family traditions are often a part of how we celebrate our child's special day; The Birthday Wall has been the one I've created for the past 9 years. What kind of family traditions do you follow to show your child how special they are to you?