Hudson's party DIYs

I started quite a while in advance of Hudson's birthday party. Ordering things on-line and mostly making stuff. My scrapbook room became birthday prep central. It was a lot of work, but I really had fun doing it. :)

Highchair:
I searched for months to find a vintage high chair for Hudson. I finally found one on etsy at midnight one night and ordered it right then and there. When it arrived, Nic fixed a loose nail, then I got to work sanding it down. I had never sanded anything before and it really took a long time! Once I was done, Nic spray painted it. We are so happy with how it turned out.

Clothespins:
I bought regular clothespins and took them apart (apparently this step is optional). Then placed them in jars with boiling water, vinegar and food coloring. I let them soak for over an hour, then placed them on a towel to dry. Once dry, I put them back together. Here is the tutorial I followed: http://www.hellobee.com/2012/09/18/diy-stained-clothespins/

Crates:
I bought white crates from Joanns (on sale). I wanted two of them to be shelves, so I bought wood planks, painted them white and glued them in. Then Nic added nails to make them more secure. They turned out great and are so functional. They fit my mason jars perfectly. 

ONE: 
I bought cardboard letters from Michaels, painted them white, then added scrapbook paper to the fronts using mod podge. 

Banners:
I used scrapbook paper, chipboard, my cricket for the letters, and ribbon to make the banners.

Washi Flags:
I wrapped washi tape around the toothpicks, then cut out a triangle in the ends. These were really easy and looked so cute! (I also used the washi tape to cover the red handles on the turquoise suitcases I bought, I wrapped plain chalkboards that I bought from Joanns with washi tape and used the tape on the back of the envelopes for the invitations).

Bowties:
I bought fabric from Joanns (the small squares they sell at a discounted price). The followed this tutorial. http://www.fourthandhazel.com/diy-bow-tie/ I used clips on the back though instead of bobby pins. 

Centerpieces:
I bought two bouquets of hydrangeas from Costco, $1 buckets from Party City, florist foam from Michaels and wooden dowels from Michaels. I used one bunch of hydrangeas for each bucket. Then I printed out the bowtie image I made and glued them onto the dowels. I stuck three bowtie dowels in each bucket. It was a total last minute idea and they turned out really cute!

Signs:
I used the Creative Memories Software I own to design all the signs and personalized labels. I placed most of the signs in hand painted wooden frames from Michaels. 

Photo Booth: 
We bought a backdrop and ipad holder from Amazon. We then downloaded the app pocketbooth. I made and/or bought tons of props and my parents brought their wireless printer with photo paper. The app makes it possible for everyone to e-mail the pictures to themselves, plus we got a copy of every picture taken. It is easy to use and everyone had tons of fun with it!!