Pinwheel Party

This party was by far the most fun and colorful event I've ever planned! Sophia has a lot of interests at her young age, but no such love for character themes; hence, the pinwheel theme. Pinterest and Google Images were a great source of help! I have always loved pink and yellow, and somehow teal fell right in line with her early spring celebration. Below are links to specific tutorials or ideas that I used to make this party a success.

Stationary and Decorations

• Pinwheel Invitations
• Inspiration
• Invite (Microsoft Publisher file includes postcard option and 4x6) printed on white paper with black and pink ink and attached (spray adhesive) to yellow cardstock (cut 4"x6")
• Paper pinwheels (double-sided paper) with yellow centers (cut-out cardstock) and sticks (double-sided paper scraps) attached (rubber cement) to white paper
• Folded Paper Pinwheels Wall Installation
• Inspiration
• Used scoring board
• 1/2" folds were accomplished by marking every whole inch [i.e., mark 1", 2", 3", etc. lines] on the front of the paper and marking every half inch [i.e., 0.5", 1.5", 2.5", etc. lines] on the back side
• 1" folds were accomplished by marking even whole inches [i.e., mark 2", 4", 6", etc. lines] on the front of the paper and marking odd whole inches [i.e., 1", 3", 5", etc. lines] on the back side
• 13" Diameter (1) - four pieces of 3"x12" folded every 1/2" 
• 12" Diameter (3) - four pieces of 3"x12" folded every 1"
• 11.5" Diameter (4) - four pieces of 4.25"x11" folded every 1/2"
• 9" Diameter (4) - 3 pieces of 4"x12" folded every 1/2"
• 7.5" Diameter (1) - 4 pieces of 3"x9" folded every 1"
• 7.5" Diameter (1) - 2 pieces of 4.25"x11" folded every 1/4"
• 6.5" Diameter (2) - 2 pieces of 4.25"x11" folded every 1/2"
• 6.5" Diameter (1) - 4 pieces of 3"x12" folded every 1"
• 6" Diameter (1) - 3 pieces of 4"x12" folded every 1/2"
• 5" Diameter (1) - 2 pieces of 3"x12" folded every 1/2

Attached to wall w/masking tape.

• Hanging Tissue Paper Fans (similar item)
• 16" Diameter (2)
• 12" Diameter (2)
• 8" Diameter (1)



Should have hung fans lower for better photos.

• 5" Diameter (1)
• Pennant Banner on Highchair
• Inspiration
• Single-sided fabric cut into 5"high x3"wide triangles
• Attached to teal ribbon with hot glue (to help provide extra grip to highchair)
• Ribbon attached to highchair with painter's tape to take care of finish --- very temporary hold!
• Paper Straws (similar item)
• Lime green and white stripes
• 2" paper pinwheels (single-sided paper) with dots (cut-out cardstock) hot glued to straws

Favors

Piping icing took FOREVER!

• Sugar Cookies with Buttercream Frosting (family recipe)
• Pinwheel Cookie Cutter
• Plastic Bags with Paper Labels (Publisher file grey lines are cut lines)
• Working Paper Pinwheels
• Single-Sided scrapbook paper turned double-sided with spray adhesive
• Cut into 6" squares
• Attached by pins to cake pop sticks

Food

It was delicious!

• Yellow Banana Cake (four 8" round & one 6" round) with Buttercream Frosting. I really wish I had gotten some photos of this. I made the cakes the day before and iced the day of. Would have been better to bake AND ice the day before because it took quite a long time the morning of the party! To ensure a beautiful cake, butter and flour your pans! The easiest method is to take one tablespoon of butter and push it all around the sides and bottom of the pan with a piece of wax paper. Then add one tablespoon of flour and shake the pan until it's covered, dumping excess into next pan. The box mix says to use an ungreased pan, but I think they must be crazy! To ensure a worry free icing experience, be generous! Ice the "crumb coat" at least an hour before applying the rest of your icing. The crumb coat is a layer of icing that goes all around the cake and on top so that when you apply the rest, your cake doesn't crumb off. YouTube has some great tutorials on this.
• Cut Fruit with Dip
• Spiral Wraps
• Cranberry Meatballs
• Vegetable Tray
• Hummus (from local shop)
• Pink Lemonade with Sprite

Sophia's Pink Dress
This might have been the most enjoyable task. I used McCalls Pattern 6015 to create the dress I couldn't find in stores. I wanted a very traditional, long dress with just enough poof. ---Ok, I'll admit, I added extra poof! The pattern wasn't the easiest to figure out, but thankfully YouTube is chockfull of video tutorials! I even managed to fully line the zipper. I used pink broadcloth from Hobby Lobby and added gathered tulle from my 6" wide rolls that I typically use for tu-tu's. The final touch was the addition of two felt pinwheels (made from typical craft felt)! They are simply pinned on so that I can add a different pop of color just in case we need to match for another occasion, Easter perhaps.