One Fish, Two Fish: A Goldfish Themed Birthday Party

Browsing Etsy + insomnia + being-too-pregnant-to-get-off-the-couch-to-do-anything = a dangerous combination!

Case in point: I just bought all the supplies for Noodle’s 2nd birthday party. Which is in JULY.

My excuse? I’ll be recovering from a c-section and juggling two little ones so I might as well do it now while I’m sitting on the couch ignoring the dirty dishes. Just hope the hubby doesn’t catch a peek at the Paypal account any time soon…

Her first birthday was a huge celebration for a little girl who we were told would not make it one week, let alone one year. Her second birthday, while still momentous, will be quite a bit smaller due to the new addition. {sorry, Noodle, just the first in many disappointments that will be thrown your way this year…}

For some reason, I loved the Gymboree “goldfish” line this season. I snagged a few pieces on mega-sale, and realized that would be our theme for the party. Goldfish, that is. Not Gymboree. After that, planning was easy!

Want to take a peek into my sleep-deprived brain for my party ideas? Proceed with caution… it’s a pretty full place right now despite the lack of sleep.

Here’s a piece from the clothing line that sparked this madness:

Real goldfish as favors? BAD. Soap goldfish as favors in an orange creamsicle scent? GOOD!

My curly girl needs Goldfish Clippies like this or this or this.

I’m going to turn these cuties into cupcake toppers:

The invitations, favor tags, and stickers all come from Chickabug’s shop:

The favor stickers will be used on paper cones filled with goldfish crackers:

See that cute ice cube tray in the upper right corner from Ikea? I’m using orange juice to make cute goldfish for the punch bowl!

For a game, I’m going for the classic “fishing with a magnet game”, similar to the one below but with sturdier fishing “poles”.

In case it rains and we can’t run around outside, I have a back-up craft for the kiddos. Can 2 year olds do crafts? I figured it would be interesting, to say the least. I couldn’t snag a photo from the site, but here’s the link to the tissue paper fish craft kit.

This fish net could be used for something, right? Again, can’t snag the photo, but for $3.99 this decorative fish net could be a background for a banner or a tablecloth for the party table.

Hopefully our little “fishes” will enjoy “swimming” through this blue Ikea tunnel I purchased last year:

See what I mean about the insomnia and party planning thing? NOT GOOD! Amazingly, so far I estimate the whole she-bang will cost less than $100 (not including the Gymboree party outfit, since she’ll wear that again and again). I’ll let you know how it goes. Most of the items are ordered, but as to whether they’ll get prepped in time we’ll see. How do you handle birthday parties? Are they big, over-the-top bashes or smaller get-togethers? I honestly planned to go the “smaller is better” route, but went a little goldfish crazy. Blame the hormones. 😉

{Disclaimer: no goldfish were harmed in the making of this birthday party. I promise.}