(party) disney pixar cars #dreamparty celebration

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and it client. #DreamParty #cbias

Because I knew I’d be pregnant and too exhausted to throw a huge party in July, we decided to celebrate Logan’s 3rd birthday a month early. I still wanted to do something special for him on the day he was actually born, so I headed to WalMart and picked up some Hallmark Disney Pixar Cars #DreamParty décor, a Disney Pixar Cars DecoPac decorated cake, a few Disney Pixar Cars birthday toys and even a Disney Pixar Cars shirt for the birthday boy for a fun celebration. Walmart had everything I needed all in one spot! I mixed the pre-made décor with a few of my handmade touches, plus some things I already had around the house, and the party was still just as cute as doing it from scratch – and way (way, way, way) less work! You can totally still throw a pinterest-worthy party for way less work and on a budget.

Logan was able to invite over 2 of his little friends and we had a low key celebration. You know I love throwing a big party, but I think there is something to be said for smaller parties at this age. It’s less chaos, less sensory-overload and much more enjoyable for the birthday boy. I recently had a conversation with a Montessori-minded mama and she purposely only invites a limited number of children to her kid’s parties (2 kids for 2nd birthday, 3 kids for 3rd birthday, etc.). It’s much more kid-centered that way, something these huge pinterest inspired parties have gotten away from. I’m totally guilty of this and it was nice to see that my kiddo enjoyed himself just as much, if not more, at a smaller shindig.

The cake was one of my favorite parts of the party. The cake is usually the most time consuming part of a party and who wants to turn on their oven in the summertime?! I loved that I was able to call my order in to Walmart and pick up a Disney Pixar Cars DecoPac decorated cake on the morning of the party. So easy and who knew that they had such cute birthday cakes at Walmart?! I added checkered bunting, attached to black and white striped straws for a festive touch. Such an easy way to dress up a cake on a budget. Ignore the messy icing on the bottom, I smeared it as I was moving it to my cake stand (it was perfect when I picked it up).

Speaking of cake, see that Lightening McQueen cake topper that came with the cake? It’s a real toy that works. Talk about cool points for mom! I made a “road” out of painters tape in our entryway and the kids had a blast driving their Disney Pixar Cars toys on it. They also watched Disney Pixar Cars while they ate, a movie made for a 3 year old! The kids also munched on pretzel “oil” rods, Rice Krispies Treats stop light pops (scroll down for the tutorial!) and the Mater snack truck held the chocolate donut “wheels”. Just a few inexpensive handmade touches, mixed with store bought décor, totally made this party fun and easy.

To make the Rice Krispies Treats Stop Light Pops, cut premade Rice Krispies Treats in half. Cut black and white paper straws in half and stick one straw in each treat, as shown in the photo. Use premade cookie icing to “glue” red, yellow and green M&M’s to the Rice Krispies Treats. Place in refrigerator flat to set for 10 minutes and then enjoy!

The party was a total hit with the kids, way less work for mom and totally pinterest worthy. I’d call that a success! My biggest party planning advice is to outsource what you can – whether it is the cake, décor or food and add your own special handmade touches to them. Dream Parties from Hallmark and Disney at Walmart makes it super easy to do just that! Make sure to follow Disney, Disney Pixar and Hallmark on Twitter for more kid-friendly (and definitely mom-friendly) party planning inspiration!

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and it client. #DreamParty #cbias