Pink 'n' Red Vintage Party

I'll admit I love anything vintage. As often as possible, I try to incorporate vintage pieces into my wardrobe, decorations, scrapbooking, etc. Exploring the web for vintage party ideas and supplies has been a blast. Enjoy your sweet celebration!

Invitations: 

 

• Download an adorable retro/vintage font such as "Romantiques" or "Little Lord Fontleroy" for free at dafont.com to type out the details for your party. 
• Decorate your invitations with pink and red papers from the K&Company (my favorite scrapbooking brand) paper. Wow! $6.99 for a K&Co. paper pad is a steal! They're usually around $12- Smitten Double Sided Specialty Paper Pad 
•  Embellish the invitations with K&Co. Wild Saffron Adhesive Paper Ribbon.
• If you'd like, also add paper flowers- I recommend making them yourself with a paper punch (make sure it's one that goes straight up and down instead of tilting- The tilting one I had broke easily.) Although it will cost a few dollars more initially, it will save you in the long run. hobbylobby.com  Add some pizazz to your flowers will buttons or plastic gems. 

Decorations:

• This vintage banner craft idea is simple, cute, and perfect for the party theme! Plus, you can use the extra papers from your Smitten pack- kindawonderful.typepad.com
• Cover the table(s) with inexpensive red gingham tablecloths
• Set the places at the table with white lace doilies ($1 for 32 at the Dollar Tree!)
  
• Keep the centerpiece simple by filling a mason jar with handmade crepe paper flowers (easy!). (How To Video!!!) To secure the flowers, either fill the jar with dirt, or use a piece of floral foam and cover it with peat moss or colored shredded paper
• Use clear plastic cups and serve pink lemonade in a clear pitcher
• Serve snacks on pink paper plates. ($1.99 at Hobby Lobby) and white or red beverage napkins ($1.99 at Hobby Lobby)
  

Activities:

• Download these adorable vintage paper dolls from Photobucket for free!! Let your guests cut out the clothing items and play with the dolls. (Note, there are several sets!)
• Play music from the 20's/30's in the background- you can probably find some at your local library.
• Play classic party games such as "Pin the Tail on the Donkey", "Duck, Duck, Goose", a clothespin drop, etc.

Food:

• Cupcakes are an easy, budget-friendly birthday treat. Bake vanilla cupcakes and top with delicious homemade buttercream. I made the following recipe and it was so yummy.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting from Cooks.com

I also make my own cake mix because all store-bought brands (besides organic, which is pricey) contain transfats. If you want to make your own, this is the recipe for you. For a rich, custardy taste, add an extra egg! Basic Yellow Cake Recipe from About.com

Red polka dot baking cups

At $3.50 for 45 baking cups, this deal's too sweet to pass up! layercakeshop.com

Top your oh-so-sweet cupcakes with these vintage-inspired pink rose picks. $2.50 for 12. layercakeshop.com

For a fun beverage: Countrytime pink lemonade (always my favorite)- add lemon and frozen strawberry

Favors:

Fill brown paper sacks with pink and red vintage candies such as

• Good and Plenty candies
• Big Cherry candies
• Bubble tape dispenser
•  Pez
• Pink and red rock candy
• Pink and red Push Pops
• Pink and red Pixie Stix

 For a more inexpensive option, simply send each guest home with a Pez dispenser or a single Bubble Tape dispenser! To save, buy in bulk.

And, for a party for ten, the grand total is...(drum-roll, please!)

$53.44!!!

Here is my complete list of what I would choose to purchase to keep my party under $60!! WOW:

Baking cups- $3.50

Rose picks- $2.50

Plates- $1.99

Doilies- $1.00

Cups- $2.00

Mason jar- $1.27

Supplies for paper flowers- About $5.00

Cord for banner- $1.00

Glue dots/photo adhesive squares- $3.50

Napkins- $1.99

Forks- $1.69

Tablecloth- $2.00

Countrytime Lemonade- $2.40

Frozen strawberries (Aldi) - $3.00

Lemon- $0.50

Cupcakes- $3.00

Frosting $3.00

K&Co. paper pad- $7.00

Paper ribbon- $2.60

Bubble Tape- $7.50

Of course,  your party cost may vary depending on where you are, what you choose to purchase, etc. I have not added the cost of shipping (only a few dollars more- Amazon often provides free shipping), but you will probably be able to find almost everything at a store near you. There are a few things on the list that could have been more inexpensive (like the picks and the cupcake wrappers) but they add so much vintage flair that I decided to keep them. If you choose to purchase cake mix and frosting, you might save a couple dollars, but to me, the value of your health is greater than the value of your money. That's just me. The activities listed barely cost anything. By keeping it simple, we saved almost $250!! (That's right, from looking around on the internet, I've found many parents who say that they spend from $100-300 on their child's party alone!!!)

Coming soon- Elegant spring garden party and an Everything Boy Outdoor Party!!