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REAL PARTIES: A “Curious George” Inspired Birthday Party for Grant

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Curious George birthday party ideas

Today’s Real Party feature – a colorful Curious George-inspired birthday party – comes from the talented Esther of My Bride Story.

There are so many things I LOVE about this party, but here are a few stand-outs:

1. From the “milk shooters” topped with chocolate chip cookies to the colorful & contemporary DIY felt garlands, this party is filled with wonderfully creative ideas that are both stylish & budget-friendly!

2. In lieu of regular birthday presents, all gifts were given directly to charity.

3. The concept behind the party is very inspiring…and is even reflected in the chosen venue. More details on this below, but here’s one of my favorite comments from Esther: “It has been an incredible journey for our family this year, and we wanted to use this occasion to honor those who have supported us and Grant with their gracious support and wisdom.”

Curious George birthday party ideas

Curious George birthday party ideas

Read on for LOTS more pics and all the party details, as told by Esther

Curious George birthday party ideas

“One of the first things you may notice about our son, Grant are his “monkey ears”.  They stick up a bit and it always reminded us of the book, “Curious George“, so this was the perfect theme to go with for his first birthday party!

The main concept behind the party was to provide a fun and casual atmosphere at a photo studio where the kids and parents could have opportunities to take their own fun family pictures while helping us celebrate Grant’s first year of life.

Curious George birthday party ideas

Since all gifts/proceeds were going directly to support the foundation, “Giving Children Hope” (due to the recent events in Haiti), I wanted to keep things in line and make the party simple and budget friendly. We raised a total of $900 for the foundation and sent the check right after the party!

Curious George birthday party ideas

OUTDOOR DECORATIONS

The blue lanterns that hung from the tree were borrowed from my sister. We placed a red wagon, (which was borrowed from Kristine of The Final Touch), in front of the couches and stored ice-cold drinks in it.

Curious George birthday party ideas

The wheat grass boxes and the floral arrangements were donated by Jina from T.H.E. Flower, and I made paper pinwheels to line the the walkway in the grass that welcomed the guests.

Curious George birthday party ideas

Curious George birthday party ideas

INDOOR DECORATIONS

The dessert table rang with the colors red, yellow and blue, and (along with the help of one of my assistants – Angela) I made some garlands featuring these colors out of felt and yarn.

These garlands are actually hanging next to Grant’s crib as we speak, because I didn’t want to throw them away after the party!

Curious George birthday party ideas

Kayla of Kayla’s Kakes kindly provided the cookie lollipops with mini cupcakes, and the monkey logo was made by Heather of Chickabug.

Curious George birthday party ideas

Curious George birthday party ideas

Curious George birthday party ideas

The jelly beans, lemon drops and twizzlers were purchased from Sweet Factory and Smart&Final, and the blue runner and 6-ft tables were rented from KiKi Events.

Curious George birthday party ideas

Curious George birthday party ideas

On the other side of the dessert bar were rows of milk shooters with chocolate cookies on top, popcorn chips, and bottles of fruit juice from Cost Plus World Market (I LOVE THIS STORE!).

Curious George birthday party ideas

Curious George birthday party ideas

I made the birthday hats out of decorative paper, attached some pompoms on top, made a small hole and tied the elastic bands together and secured them with staples.

Curious George birthday party ideas

The main course was tacos provided by Aldofo’s Mexican Food catering truck and we also served some Costco pizza for the inner-child in all us grownups.  For those opting for a healthier meal, we offered fruit skewers and triangle-cut sandwiches.

Curious George birthday party ideas

Curious George birthday party ideas

Curious George birthday party ideas

Don & David Photography contacted us a few weeks before the party and generously offered to take pictures and also all our friends’ baby and family pictures!  Thank you!

Curious George birthday party ideas

Curious George birthday party ideas

It has been an incredible journey for our family this year, and we wanted to use this occasion to honor those who have supported us and Grant with their gracious support and wisdom.

Curious George birthday party ideas

The goal was to make this event meaningful and memorable, hoping that this will lay the foundation to teaching and educating our son to care for others when he gets older.

At times, we can whine and complain about what we don’t have, but as we took a step back to analyze this past year with Grant, we realized how lucky we are to have our basic needs met and loved ones around us.”

A big thanks to Esther for all the wonderful inspiration – in regards to both the party details and life in general!

45 Comments

  1. Jen Gentry March 19, 2010 at 4:15 pm

    LOVE – holy cuteness!! What a fabulous party :)

  2. Marisol March 19, 2010 at 4:35 pm

    Fabulous is all I can say!! Great inspiration for my sons 1st birthday party…

  3. Ani March 19, 2010 at 4:59 pm

    I absolutely love the family portrait with the frame

  4. Jennifer March 19, 2010 at 4:59 pm

    Jennifer
    I adore your blog so much. I was wondering if there was someplace you listed local party planners, and I am missing it?
    I live in San Diego too, and was interested in hiring a Children’s Party planner for my daughters next birthday…
    Thanks !
    Jennifer

  5. Cassandra March 19, 2010 at 6:03 pm

    I LOVE Grant’s Party! And your special comments really touched me! God Bless you and your beautiful family!

  6. dora March 19, 2010 at 6:05 pm

    what a great idea! lots of fun stuff at the party

  7. Red Velvet Confections March 19, 2010 at 6:31 pm

    Those little red cups are adorable! The family picture is so special … what a nice party.

  8. courtney toney March 19, 2010 at 7:00 pm

    So cute! Great job Esther!

  9. Beth March 19, 2010 at 7:08 pm

    This is the CUTEST thing I have ever seen! Thanks for sharing!

  10. Kim March 19, 2010 at 7:12 pm

    so fantastic! Love all the details and who doesn’t love curious george!

    Kim @ http://frostmeblog.blogspot.com
    party inspiration

  11. Diapers and Divas March 19, 2010 at 8:55 pm

    Adorable! We almost did a monkey/Curious George theme for our little guy’s first birthday because we love monkeys and so does he. We opted for Mickey Mouse theme instead because he’s gaga for Mickey, but maybe we can do monkeys next year. :) GREAT ideas. Thinking about using some for Will’s 1st bday next weekend.

  12. Ashley March 19, 2010 at 9:13 pm

    Adorable!!!

  13. Adriana March 19, 2010 at 9:26 pm

    This party is so adorable, the paper lanterns are my favorite element! Awesome Party!

  14. Elisha Akram March 19, 2010 at 10:43 pm

    Adorable!

  15. Esther Kim (My Bride Story) March 19, 2010 at 11:45 pm

    thank you so much for the feature! I’m incredibly honored to be featured on one of my favorite blogs! my son is darn too cute~ :)

  16. Marie March 20, 2010 at 2:09 am

    Thanks for the great idea. I’m planning my son’s 1st bday in May and had plan to do Curious George for theme.

  17. Brittany @GreyGrey Designs March 20, 2010 at 5:39 am

    So cute! I love the pre-done cups with the straws and lemon already in them.

  18. Candy and Cake March 20, 2010 at 12:49 pm

    That is pure party perfection!!!

  19. Paula March 20, 2010 at 5:34 pm

    Precious! This is just cuteness all the way around!!!!

  20. marina March 21, 2010 at 11:11 am

    Are the drinks the italian sodas?

  21. Esther Kim (My Bride Story) March 21, 2010 at 2:27 pm

    yes marina, they were italian sodas from the world market-cost plus. they’re so good!

  22. Emily March 21, 2010 at 5:07 pm

    That is soooooooooooo adorable! I love monkeys! Thanks for sharing!

  23. The Fairy March 21, 2010 at 6:38 pm

    so cute! The details really make this simple yet special.

  24. angela March 22, 2010 at 2:16 am

    i love curious george and i love esther’s work!

  25. Heather March 22, 2010 at 7:53 am

    I am in awe of Esther’s talents! Just gorgeous – all of it! It makes me so proud of the small part I contributed to this amazing party! : )

    Heather : )
    http://www.chickabug.com

  26. Lize March 22, 2010 at 12:32 pm

    All the bright beautiful colours are perfect. I love that you gave the gifts to a charity, teaching your young man good things from the start!

  27. Jackie March 22, 2010 at 6:25 pm

    this is so funny – i am planning a party for a soon to be 1 year old… the party is called “Curious Pearce!” and its based off of Curious George! I am thankful for the inspiration!

  28. Elaina March 24, 2010 at 8:04 pm

    Love this party! And more importantly — are you really posting all this just 3 days after having a baby?! You party girl.

    Enjoy this special time with your little one. Congratulations!

  29. Jussara March 29, 2010 at 4:18 pm

    Delightful and inspiring!!! The whole idea is wonderful and the details are sooo charming!
    Thanks for sharing!

  30. Beth March 31, 2010 at 5:40 am

    Thanks for the great idea! I am adjusting it to make it more grown up and taking many ideas to put in a mother daughter banquet. I wanted it to be whimsical and pretty. Love them cups with lemon, the polka dot garland in more pastels, pinwheels in white vases with grosgrain ribbon, cupakes and candy bar. i just saw this and felt it was inspired and fun.

  31. kathy March 31, 2010 at 4:19 pm

    So beautiful… Wonderful idea… I wish I have done that on their 1st bday…

  32. Tracie Banks April 13, 2010 at 1:16 pm

    I SO love this theme. I would love to do this for my child. Can you tell me how to get started?

  33. Trish April 13, 2010 at 6:38 pm

    this is perfect, well done!!!! all I have to say is Congratulations!!!!
    https://www.etsy.com/listing/43145762/curious-george-boy-and-girl

  34. Tracy August 16, 2010 at 1:52 pm

    This is fantastic, did you actually sew the felt around the yarn or what?

  35. Alberta Leong September 19, 2010 at 8:58 pm

    I love your attention to details! I totally adore these party decorations!

  36. Molly November 14, 2010 at 11:07 pm

    Very cute ideas! My son is obsessed with Curious George and I’m thinking I will follow most of your ideas for his party. It was so cute! Love the pictures. Kudos for the ideas

    -Molly
    Antique Jewelry

  37. Alyssa June 7, 2011 at 8:31 pm

    this is so great! i love so much!

  38. Alyssa dress June 7, 2011 at 8:33 pm

    wonderful ideas! so amazing!

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  40. Daisy Chavez February 2, 2013 at 7:14 am

    I love this idea of Curious George. It’s so cute! Thank you!

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