HOW TO: The Ladybug Birthday

We're constantly getting calls and emails for a last minute Little Ladies shoes for a birthday party!  Who woulda thought, our little ladybug shoes would be the finishing touch to a cute little ladybug themed birthday party.  We're so honored to be a guest at each and every one of those cutie patutie parties. And with so many requests I decided to recruit The Indie Tot's (@theindietot) very own Erika Pitera to show us HOW TO throw your very own ladybug party.  Whether you're crafty or not I know YOU can do it :). Enjoy...

 If you’re looking for a children’s birthday party theme that’s simple, fun and guaranteed to be a smashing success, try planning your party around a ladybug theme! For those of us who aren’t so crafty, a ladybug theme is really easy to shop for and decorate. You can do a lot with simple, inexpensive store-bought decorations, but if you really want the party to pop, give some of these ideas a try.

Invitations

(1) Once you get an idea of how many children to invite, you can find plenty of sources for customized and personalized birthday party invitations. I particularly like vanillaink’s Ladybug Custom Birthday Invitation because the shop will customize the design to fit any message you want.
Then, within 24-48 hours, you’ll get an e-mail proof. Once you give the okay, you’ll receive a high resolution file via e-mail that you can take to any professional printing store or print at home. It’s simple, affordable and great for last-minute planning!

Partyware

(2) With solid red and black partyware, you can create a cute ladybug theme with relatively little effort. Plates and Napkins, for example, offers solid red and solid black plastic utensils, plastic or paper plates, crepe paper streamers, tablecovers, etc. You can mix and match the solid colors and then accent with the red and black polka dot balloons.
If you purchase extra red paper plates and some craft store staples like glue sticks, felt, wiggle eyes, etc., you can even let the kids make their own paper plate ladybug crafts (click here for some ideas).

Sweets

(3) Thanks to Wilton’s Lady Bug Cake Pan, you can even have a sweet little ladybug birthday cake!
If you’re not up to baking a cake, there are plenty of options online for ladybug-themed cupcake wrappers or even edible fondant cupcake toppers.

Outfits

(4) You can really let your little one be the star of her birthday party with a pair of Little Ladies MJs from Monkey-Toes. These adorable little handpainted Mary Janes are for infants and toddlers and feature an elastic buckle for easy on and off. You can also try the Little Ladies Tennis Shoes with springy laces!

(5) Monkey-Toes can easily pair with a simple red and black outfit, but if you want to go one step further, check out the Miss Ladybug Tutu Costume from PoshTots. It includes a handcrafted red prima ballerina tutu with black polka dots, a pair of polka dot wings, fur antennae and a ladybug wand!
If you’re feeling up to a craft project, you can make antennae for all of your little guests fairly easily. You’ll need thin headbands, ribbon, pipe cleaners and red or black pom poms (click here for instructions).

Handmade Ladybug Party Goods

In our recent feature of handmade ladybug party goods on Etsy, we found some adorable party favors and invitations. Click here to check out our finds!
These are just a few tips to help you with your party planning. A quick search of the Web will surely help you find even more ideas to prepare for the party.

With a little creativity and a lot of love, you can throw a fabulous birthday bash for your little ladybug!

What other themes are popular right now?  Share your favorite...