My Rock Star Princess

Just look at my Rock Star princess Bela:

Thanks to my friend’s sister, Jonah for taking this picture. This picture was taken a few months ago when we attended the rock star party of Margaux. Bela enjoyed the party that is why we had a rock star theme for her 7th birthday too.

I too love the concept of a Rock Star party that is why I am so excited to plan for this party too. We had Jives, the popular sing and dance trio that we often see in parties, and they really rock the house down and they did not fail in encouraging the kids to go up on stage and dance with them.

We also had an illuminated dance floor which added fun to the party. Bela and her dad of course had a presentation again as what they always do every year.

If I will to do it again, I will still go for a Rock Star themed party for Bela's 7th birthday. The theme was really fun and very much appropriate for their age that is why everybody did had fun. And all those months of preparation and stress got all paid off when Bela said this while watching the on-site video at the end of the party: "Mom, Dad, I will never forget this day."

DVDs of Pictures: Bela's 7th Bday by Jojo Francisco

We have received the DVDs from one of our photographers, Jojo Francisco, containing all the pictures that he took during Bela’s party. This reminds me that I have to check for cds duplication as I need to make copies of these DVDs to give to the doting grandparents and aunts and uncles and even to some of my friends who want to have a high resolution copy of their kids during the party, especially the fashion show part and the mini concert.

Hopefully I can sort the pictures during the holiday break so I can update my Facebook and Flickr account. I am so behind with our online album as I haven’t uploaded pictures of: 

* Jacobo’s 1st and 2nd birthday

* Bela’s 6th and 7th birthday

Bela's SDE

Sharing the Same-Day-Edit video of Bela’s 7th Birthday party by KSnaps productions:

BELA turns 7 (SDE) from K snaps on Vimeo.

We have attended a party of my daughter’s friend where KSnaps Productions introduced their Same-Day-Edit video. Bela really enjoyed watching the video, especially when she saw herself in the video. That is why she really requested to have the same video on her party.

She calls it “Behind-the-scenes” video and she said that she wanted to play it before everybody leaves, so that her classmates and friends will also see themselves in the video.

Hubby was really impressed with the editing skills of KSnaps Productions, considering they only have a limited time in editing it as they shoot the video and edit it on the same day so the video can be played at the end of the party. They were able to capture all the highlights of the party, including heart-warming moments like the daddy and daughter scene of Bela and Howell.

This is really a must have for your party, especially if you have an extra budget to spare. You can contact my friend Kathy of KSnaps Productions for inquiries: 0915-8793831.

Post Birthday

I am filled with so much happiness now after seeing some photos and videos shared by my friends over at Facebook as I saw how much our guests had fun and most especially how much Bela enjoyed her special day.

Pictures snagged from Annie Guzman's Facebook Account (More pictures coming soon from our Official Photographer)

After the party, I received a number of text messages, Instagram and Facebook tags thanking us for inviting them and how much they enjoyed the party. This really made me really happy as this means that almost a year of preparation was all worth it.

Now I can relax as my next big birthday party is not until 5 years for Cobi’s 7th birthday party. LOL. This also means that I might have extra money again to shop for myself like buy purses, wholesale yoga supplies, makeup and more. LOL.

To all our friends and family, we would like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for taking time to be with us to celebrate Bela’s birthday. You are the reason why the party turned out to be really special.We will forver remember this day. Mwah, mwah!!

Flipbooks

As the party of Bela draws near, I got this email from our Flipbooks supplier:

This will be the layout for the Flipbook cover. They asked me to submit photos of Bela that they can use for the cover. We had a photo shoot months ago with Bela’s dad and this is one of the photos from that shoot.

Hubby was the one who selected the photo and I just sent it to the artist of Flipbooks and this is the layout that they came out with. Nice.

I always love Flipbooks after seeing it in one of the parties that we attended. That is why I booked them right away when I learned that they are having a promo (thanks to my friend Peachy who alerted me with the deal from Deal Grocer).

I am sure our guests will love this.

Bela's Souvenir Tags

Almost everything is ready for Bela’s 7th birthday party (well almost as I am still waiting for hubby’s output for the things that he decided to DIY and honestly, I am getting nervous already as I don’t think he will be able to finish it).

But as for the things that I am in charge off, everything is all set to go. This week, I finalized the design for the souvenir that we will be giving out courtesy of Nyree of Embellished Design Studios:

Can you guess what would Bela’s souvenir be?

Bean bags?
Director’s chair?
Wooden basket?
Military coin ? (you can check about military coin here).
Rock star bracelets?

I am keeping it as a secret for now but it is just 3 weeks to go before Bela’s big birthday bash.

Save-The-Date: Bela's 7th

So excited when I received Bela’s Save-The-Date made by my good friend Nyree of Embellished Design Studios:

Please save the date as our Rock star Princess turns 7.

Nov 18, 2012
1 PM
YWCA Manila, Taft Avenue cor UN avenue (near The Pearl Hotel Manila, Medical Center Manila and Emilio Aguinaldo College)

Please come in your favorite Rock star outfit.

Please RSVP by November 3, 2012.

Formal invites to Follow.

Bela's Pre-Birthday Shoot

Two weeks ago, hubby has been trying almost everyday to setup a studio at home for Bela’s photo shoot. But since it is a weekday and Bela is tired already from the school, she is always not in the mood for the shoot.

Thankfully, we were able to do an indoor shoot at home last Saturday and an outdoor shoot last Sunday and here is a Sneak Peak from my camera and hubby’s:

Hubby was able to take a lot of good shots that we have a lot to choose from for the invites, save-the-date, VIP backstage pass, and tarpaulin. I have sent two pictures already to my friend Nyree of Embellished Design Studios, which she will use to make the VIP Backstage pass nametags and the Save-the-Date.

I am so excited already and I am sure Bela is as excited as mommy.

Special thanks to hubby who is the photographer for the shoot and my cousin Joseph who is our videographer and MTV editor.

First Attempt for a Photo Shoot

Hubby has been really keen on finishing Bela’s photo shoot ASAP. He said that he will be busy and would be out of town the coming weeks and so he thinks that he will not have enough time for the shoot and to edit Bela’s AVP and MTV.

Since he was on training this week, he always came home early and so last Monday, they had their first attempt for a photo shoot:

Thanks to my sister and my mom who acted as Bela’s stylist and make up artist for the photo shoot. But they were able to start quiet late already, around 7:30ish that Bela was already feeling sleepy and tired since she came from school also.

So the result, epic fail. LOL. After just a few shots, Bela was complaining already and was not in the mood to pose.

I told hubby that we should do it on a weekend so Bela will still have the energy to be the star for that day.

Save the Date: Bela's Rock Star Birthday Concert

We attended numerous birthday parties with a Rock Star theme and I just noticed that unlike kids of her age, Bela is still not into the music of popular bands and singers like Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, One Direction and the like. She is still stuck with the songs from her favorite kids’ show like Hi5 or from her favorite movies about animals like the movie Rio or Madagascar.

Being the usual worrier mom that I am, I asked my husband if it is just normal if her preference for music or TV shows hasn’t change. Some kids her age are into Teen magazines already while Bela still enjoys watching Penguins of Madagascar. Kids of her age would love girly toys like Barbie, but Bela would still love to play with her Littlest Pet shop or her My Little Pony toys. My husband always reminds me that I should not rush things and that I should let it be because her princess is still a baby. So I just let it pass.

So I was really surprised when we attended the 7th birthday party of Sandy last Saturday. The group Jives had a mini concert and I find pleasure seeing Bela enjoying  Jives' performance as she sings Fireworks, Call me Maybe, and more with them. Then yesterday, she requested her dad to save Music Videos of Katy Perry on her iPad so she can listen and watch it on her way to school.

Now I am excited for her party because I am convinced that we made the right decision in having a Rock Star themed party for her upcoming 7th birthday.

Now I can’t wait for her Rock Star Birthday concert party. Please save the date: Nov 18, 2012 / 1 PM.

DIY Stage Décor

I am working on a tight budget for Bela’s 7th birthday party because I chose to splurge on one item for the party, as per Bela’s request. That is why I am looking for ways on how to save but still be able to have a memorable party for my daughter.

One of the things that I am planning to scrimp the budget on is the stage backdrop. I found a better alternative to achieve the rock star concert look that we want without spending a lot but hubby is not agreeing with my plan. He finds it too bare, especially since we have a big stage to use.

We have been disagreeing for days now but looks like he will not give in to my request. He plans to take on a DIY project with my sister-in-law’s brother and they will be doing the styling for the stage, instead of getting the service of a party planner.

They went to the venue last Sunday and in fairness, I am happy and impressed with the design that they have in mind. Now all I need to do is get some packing materials to make sure that all the decors that they will create will be packed properly to avoid any damages as we transport it to the venue from our home. And of course, I have to pray that they will really be able to execute all their plans and finish this DIY project in time for Bela’s party, which is happening in 2 months.

Bruno Mars and Taylor Swift

Bela will be having a Rock Star Concert Theme for her 7th birthday party and the hubby is excited in preparing for their song number. For all of Bela’s party, hubby will always perform with Bela for our guests so I am sure hubby would not want to skip this same tradition for Bela’s 7th birthday party.

I am now busy thinking what hubby and Bela should wear for their performance. For Bela, I think a Taylor Swift peg will be nice and I will have to ask my sister to help me with that.

As for hubby, I am not sure if he is keen on showing up as Bruno Mars for the party. LOL:

I guess he will have to start working out and get some yoga gear here so he will be in shape so he can really carry a Bruno Mars peg. LOL.

Party Preps Update: Souvenirs

It was a productive weekend for me in terms of the party preparations for Bela’s 7th birthday. I have been looking for the best souvenir that will match our Rock Star concert theme that will fall within my budget and I must say that it was a great challenge. I was already set on ordering a personalized souvenir from one of my party planner friends even if it is a little bit way over my budget but thankfully, my sister-in-law found a shop where we can buy the souvenir for Bela’s birthday.

We have been postponing on visiting the shop as our weekends are always full but since we were in the Pasig area last Sunday after attending the Baby Shower of Jody and Dicky at El Pueblo, we were able to finally drop by the store in Greenhills. And we are glad that we did as we were only able to buy their last remaining stocks. Even their suppliers run out of stocks already (according to the owner of the store, Manny Pacquio bought 400 pieces of the same souvenir too).

Now all we need is a material handling rack to line up the souvenirs and prepare it for Bela’s party.

The party is just 2 months away and I am getting excited and stress out all at the same time. LOL

Preps for Bela's 7th Birthday Party

The brother of my Sister-in-Law is very talented and patient that he was the one who did the styro backdrop for the stage for my niece’s first birthday party last Sunday.

Renting styro backdrop nowadays is really not cheap and when I inquired the last time, it will cost me around P8,500 just for the rental and it does not even include balloon decorations. That is why hubby is suggesting that we also ask my SIL’s brother to do the backdrop for Bela’s party.

But I know how much time and effort my SIL’s brother put for this project and so I don’t want to bother him for Bela’s party just so we can save.

But I am thankful that I found a way in avoiding DIY projects, which will require a great amount of time and stress on our part (and maybe double edge razor blades to turn this project into a reality. LOL), without costing us an arm and a leg. Credit goes to my good friend Peachy who gave me this idea.

I am happy because I was able to find an affordable supplier that can execute this plan for me. I actually paid the down payment already.

With just less than 3 months to go before Bela’s party, I am starting to get excited already to see how these months of preparations would all turn out.

Souvenir Options: Bela's 7th Birthday Party

One of the things that I am having difficulty with for the preparation of Bela’s 7th party, is finding the souvenir that we will give to our guests.

I actually like the flip top jewelry box that I saw from Wooden Kiddie Stools and I am sure they can customize it for my theme and this will be perfect for the girls who will attend the party. I will just buy cheap bracelets and jewelries from Divi to put inside the jewelry box to complete the ensemble.

However, I still need to find for a souvenir for the boys and I am running out of ideas already. Thankfully I discover the site of Personal Creations and saw their personalize an Avengers gift which gave me the idea for the souvenir that I can give to the boys. 

Just look at some of the items that I am considering:

Now all I have to do is choose among these options so I can submit my orders soon and that would be one item ticked off my list (and I am sure doing this will lessens the stress that I am getting in planning for this party. LOL).

Party Theme Options: Hollywood Night Theme

It is just 6 months before Bela’s 7th birthday and I think I am starting to panic already, as we still haven’t decided yet what theme to incorporate for her party. I still have to talk to my party planner as I know she will help me consolidate all my ideas and the event stylist that my cousin recommends so we will know if it is possible to execute all my plans.

But for now, this is another party theme that I am considering: Hollywood Night Theme complete with director clappers, stanchion barriers, paparazzi standee, popcorn table centerpiece and more:

I got all this idea from Pinterest and I am not sure if we will still have the time (and the energy and money) to execute all this. I was telling my friends that the more ideas I have, the higher the budget shoots up. LOL.

I will be meeting with the events stylist next week and let us see what he has to say.

Party Planning Update

I know it is still early to post party planning updates for Bela’s 7th Birthday when it is still 7 months away (and even without a definite theme yet), but I already booked suppliers as early as now as I know how fast they get booked.

So far, here are the suppliers that I already ticked off my list:

1. Magician. I had a hard time deciding who to book as Bela is requesting to get Lou Hilario and he is way over my budget. Thankfully, Bela agreed to get Ricci after I showed him some pictures of his performance from Migo and Sam’s party.
2. Balloon Artist. Eric has been my regular balloon artist for all our family’s parties so I did not think twice in getting him again for Bela’s 7th. Bela was requesting at first to get Jiggles the Balloon Lady after seeing her in one of the parties that we attended but I compared her price with Eric and I don’t think that the P3,000 difference is worth it as they can do almost the same balloon art. Again, I am thankful that I was able to convince Bela to get Eric instead but her condition is Eric has to make her a flying dragon balloon sculpture.
3. Singing and Dancing Trio. Jacqui told me that I should book Jives as early as possible as they are in demand so they are one of the few suppliers that I booked right away with Jelly Bellies. I have seen them performed many times already and I love how they bring life to a party so I want them to do the same thing for Bela’s birthday.

Now I am on the look out for the souvenir that we can give our guests. I am running out of ideas already but I am checking out yoyofactory and other on-the spot souvenirs also.

Now if only we can already settle on a theme for the party then I can go full blast with the party preps.

Executing a Themed Birthday Party with Zurchers Party supplies

Header Tag: Different themes for your children’s party and party supplies from Zurchers to execute the theme

Unlike adults who dread their birthday as it means that they are getting a year older again, kids loved turning a new age and they very much welcome the idea of getting older. They are always excited for their birthday especially if there will be a small party that their parents will prepare for them so they can celebrate their special day with their friends.

For parents, the exciting part will be planning for the party and thinking of a nice theme that they will incorporate for the event. The theme can be based on the kid’s favorite show like Angelina Ballerina or the kid’s hobby like Arts and crafts and more. Every kid differs so there are a whole lot of possible themes that parents can choose from.

Parents nowadays are lucky as there are a lot of online sites where they can order their Party supplies to execute a themed party easily. Zurchers is one of those online store where you can get all your party needs for any occasion like birthday, baby shower, wedding and even special holidays like St. Patrick’s Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving and more.

Shopping for birthday party supplies for kids from Zurchers is very easy as the site is organized by theme for easy choosing and browsing. Here are some birthday party themes that is a favorite and is a sure hit among kids and the party supplies from Zurchers that can help you execute the theme:
1. Princess Party. Every girl dreams of becoming a princess and so throwing a princess themed party for your daughter is one of the closest thing that you can ever do to make her feel like a princess, even just on her birthday. Zurchers has a lot of Princess-themed items from crown shaped invitations, pink and purple table napkins, plate and cups, castle piñata, and you can even buy a princess crown that you can distribute to all the girls to make them all feel like a true princess.
2. Superhero Party. If princess are for girls, then it is super hero for boys. Every boy has one or two super heroes that they idolized. You will often see them pretending to be one of those superheroes during play time so why not turn that play-pretend into a super-hero themed party for your son’s next birthday. Zurchers also has a lot of super-hero themed party supplies like batman party kit, Spiderman loot bags, super hero balloons and more.
3. Animal or Jungle Safari. If you have mixed guests of girls and boy, you may want to have non-gender specific theme like a Jungle Safari party. You can get monkey birthday party supplies, animal masks, animal parade table centerpiece and more.

Birthday comes only once a year and planning for a simple party with the aid of party supplies from Zurchers will definitely make your child feel extra special on her birthday.

7th: Party Preparations

If only I have access to web conferencing solution, then I might be online most of the time to discuss my party plans for Bela’s 7th birthday with my ever reliable party planner, Angelette and her team.

Angelette was teasing me as I have been bugging her since December for the party preparations for Bela’s birthday. She said that I am way too much excited to book for the suppliers when I still have 11 months to go before the party.

Well, the reason why I am planning in advance is I have to plan very well so I have at least a year to save for the budget that we will need for the party. We can't pay for the party in spot cash you know, so it will take more than a year for us to pool the funds for this party.

In my family, 1st and 7th birthday is a big celebration as it is a way of thanksgiving for the 7 years of our child’s life that is why I wanted to plan ahead so I won’t miss on anything.

So far, I have booked the following already though Angelette:

1. Magician
2. Sing and Dance Trio
3. Balloon Artist
4. Host

My friend already pencil booked us on our venue of choice and she will settle the payment this February as the venue is not accepting payments yet for 2012 events.

I am so excited for this party as Bela is so much involved now with the planning so I can’t wait to see how our party planning collaboration will turn out.

Tips for Throwing Party on a Budget

My daughter will be celebrating her 6th birthday this coming November 16. We initially have no plans to give her a party but parents can’t say no to their daughter’s request. So with a limited budget, I started my quest to plan for a 6th birthday party for my daughter.

I thought that it will be a big challenge at first but then I realized that with creativity and imagination, we could still give our daughter the party of her dreams.

Here are a few things that I learned on how to throw a party on a budget:

1. DIY. If you have a lot of creative minds in your family, tap their talents and ask for their help to create DIY items that you can use for the party. Here are some DIY party ideas:
• Instead of ordering invitations from a printing company, make your own invitations. There are a lot of resources on the web to get birthday party invitation ideas and you can use this as a template to create your own invite.
• Do not hire a professional to do the balloon decorations. Look for promo codes and vouchers and order your balloons online and search in You Tube for demos and videos on how to create simple balloon decorations.
• Bake your own cake. If you know how to bake, why not make your child’s birthday cake as one of your major baking projects. Your kids will appreciate it more as it is your labor of love for them.
2. Host the party in a venue that is free like a park, or a community center. That way you can bring your own food without corkage fee and you don’t have to pay for a rental fee for the venue.
3. Set the timing of the party early in the afternoon so you don’t need to serve heavy meal.
4. Do not hire professional host for the party. The Internet will be your best friend to search for games and activities that you can have during the party. You can search by theme and you will surely find a lot of suggested activities and games that will go well with your theme.

Birthday parties need not be expensive and always remember that the presence of family and friends during the celebration is more important to make the celebrant feel loved and special.

This is a guest post written by Melissa who works for You Love Coupons, where she writes articles about different diet programs like weight watchers and ediets. Her last project was an article about weight watchers code and ediets code.