DIY: Upcycled Mylar Balloon Banner

I know not everyone is a craft hoarder like me.  If I think something can be used for a craft, I hang on to it...like the huge number 1 mylar balloon from Harlow's first birthday.  Given that not everyone may have an old mylar balloon at their disposal, I know this craft may not be for you.  But even if you have a deflated mylar balloon from the grocery store that your kid just had to have, you could use that.

I took the mylar balloon and turned it into a banner for Harlow's second birthday.  It's simple, doesn't take much time, and requires minimal supplies.  I added an H to the banner that would require the purchase of cheap sequins if you decide to do something similar.  Harlow's birthday party was fish themed, so I was trying simulate fish scales.

Let's get started...

• Take apart the balloon.  I cut all around the edge.
• Begin cutting the balloon into strips.  There isn't a lot of rhyme or reason to this.  I tried to keep the strips close in size.  I was able to use most of the balloon since the number 1 was basically just a rectangle.
• Put a few strips (around 6 or so) together and fold them in half.
• Twist the top half a couple times to make a little hole at the top.
• Use string (I used the string from the balloon) to tie the twist in place.
• Scroll down for more...

Let's take a break to admire how quickly a toddler moves...

• I cut an H from cardboard and glued string to the back, using tape to hold the string in place until the glue dried.
• Get your sequins ready.  Glue them on the cardboard, making sure to turn them where the sequins layered on top cover the holes in the sequins.
• Scroll down for more...

^there's that toddler hand trying to steal some sequins again...

• I used twine to string the mylar and the letter.
• Each time you add something to the twine, tie a knot to keep it in place and to keep it from sliding around the twine (not pictured).

Hang that baby up!

For the party I added some of Harlow's books that have fish in them, the favorite part of books for her.

I think I'll be leaving this up for a while.  I like the shiny addition to the dining room!  This is a cheap craft if you have a balloon floating around your house!

Monogrammed/Applique Columbia PFG Shirt

Since my daughter LOVES fish, I knew she'd love a fish birthday party.  It took me awhile to decide what she should wear for her party.  I wanted it to be something she could wear beyond that day, so I knew I didn't want to put her age on the shirt or anything saying birthday on it.  I also didn't necessarily want to do something with a fish on it.

Then I had an epiphany-- monogram a fishing shirt!  You see them all over Pinterest, but it's usually for teenage girls on adult sized shirts.  Low and behold, Columbia sells their famous shirt in a kids size!  The smallest they had when I ordered it was a 2T, which was exactly what I needed.  And it was on sale!  Go to Columbia to check it out.  I ordered it through ebates and got 5% cash back (woohoo!).

The fabric used for the appliqué was a Hancock Fabrics exclusive, so sadly it's not available anymore.

The appliqué font is from Boutique Fonts.

The shirt runs big enough that I think she'll even be able to wear it next summer.

The bloomers and socks are from GAP if you're looking for something similar.

Fish Themed Birthday Cake + Food + Invitation + Decorations

I have a two-year-old!  How is this possible?  Our Harlow loves fish, so we had a fish themed party at our house.

The invitation artwork is free from freepik.  Stanton Aquarium is our house ;).

Let's talk cake...that's what's really important.

I made a strawberry cake in a bundt pan.  I cut it in half and put icing in the middle.  The icing in the middle had strawberries blended in with it.  You can't have strawberry cake without strawberry icing!  I didn't put strawberries in the icing on the outside of the cake, because I wanted the icing to be blue.  I used the same cake and icing recipes as last year.  Click HERE for the recipes.  This year I added blue food coloring to the icing (and of course left out strawberries on the outside).

I decorated the cake with gummy worms and fish and a gator and frog and shark sprinkles.  Blue cotton candy is in the middle of the cake (the bundt hole).  I made a fish (or mermaid) tail with cardboard and sequins.  The glitter number 2 candle is from Walmart.  Those confetti balloons are also from Walmart.

On the cake table there were also strawberries and jello with Juju fish.

The food table had chili cheese dip, chips, black bean hummus, roasted red pepper hummus, whales (Walmart's take on Goldfish) in a sand bucket, strawberry shortcake Goldfish, vanilla cupcake Goldfish, and a raw sushi bar Swedish fish, Juju fish, gummy worms, and sour straws.  We served drinks in a swimming pool, because duh!

I had books with fish in them around the dining room and a banner.  And lots of pictures of Harlow (these were printed from Parabo).

Harlow (with occasional help from me and Colin) colored lots of fish coloring pages we found online, and I hung them on the curtain rod and the doorway with yarn and small craft clothespins.

It was a fun day!  If you're thinking of having a fish themed party, I hope this gave you some ideas!