Last Thanksgiving we visited my sister and her family who live in the Seattle area. During that trip my sweet niece offered to use her own allowance to buy E. a set of nesting dolls she spotted at a fair. I was so touched by this act of kindness that I suggested to my daughter that perhaps we do a matryoshka doll/nesting doll theme for her upcoming birthday...and after spotting these at the Beehive Bazaar how could either one of us resist?
And so the party planning progressed...oh, it was so much fun to plan! Can I just say how grateful I am for Etsy? What would I have done without this fabulous resource?
Here's how the party flowed...
Decorations were simple...I bought the tableclothes, lanterns, plates, utensils, balloons at a local party store and Xpedx. Everything was very inexpensive. I think the lanterns ended up being 50 cents each. For the banner I printed out one of the pdf's I purchased on Etsy, punched it out into a scalloped circle, and thread it with thin satin ribbon. It didn't take long at all to make. The little nesting doll set that spawned the whole theme flanked the fireplace too :)
At the beginning of the party I led the girls to a crafting table where they could make matryoshka doll notecards for themselves. This was a fun thing to do for 15/20 minutes while guests trickled into the party. I wrapped up each girl's cards in a clear cellophane bag so they could take them home after wards.
Then, we played "Pin the Bow on the Matryoshka Doll", which is a classic game all children seem to love. Following that game we played "hide and seek" with a set of nesting dolls from IKEA. We hid the dolls, the girls had to find them. After we played "hide and seek" a few times, we played "duck, duck, goose", which didn't follow the theme, of course, but was fun to play anyway! We continued with "limbo"and "pass the button" before sitting down to eat cupcakes & apples. Prizes included little notepads from Japantown in San Francisco, mini-Kolo albums, and handmade goodies picked up on Etsy & Art Market over the past year (those little gifties always seem to come in handy!). I wrapped them in {always-handy} cellophane bags and cut out a little nesting doll to adhere onto the bag. Super easy!
Since I'm all about reading up on "sources", I've listed mine below:
Decorations
Jewelry/Hair Accessory Set for the birthday girl to wear for the party (and counted as a gift)
Crafting Table
Matryoshka doll stamp
Matryoshka doll printable paper for crafting
Party Favors & Prizes
Printable pdf for mini-bookmarks
Babushka ponytail holders from here
Matryoshka doll muslin drawstring bags made by a talented local I discovered at Art Market. Contact me if you want here contact info :) She is willing to create custom bags and offers excellent pricing.
Food & Tabletop
Cupcake toppers (a great stop for kitschy toppers too)
To eat? Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting (half the amount of lemon juice the recipe calls for) and apple slices (my daughter's favorite) to curb the sweetness; both were a big hit with the kids.
Set of 5 Matryoshka dolls from IKEA.
Update: A few more beautiful birthday party ideas inspired by postage stamps... take a peek!
So fun and unique! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteso cute. Never seen anything like it....and I love that!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun and adorable party!
ReplyDeleteIt turned out so cute Steph!
ReplyDeletehow fabulous. so much fun!
ReplyDeleteCute ideas. My one year old loves to play with those dolls. We have a few from Russia a friend brought us. I would never have thought to use them for a party!
ReplyDeleteAdorable!
ReplyDeleteWow-this is fabulous! I'm working on a roundup of birthday party theme ideas and I'll be linking!
ReplyDeleteI'm new to your blog and boy, your kiddies are lucky to have you as a momma. Such creative ideas!!
ReplyDeleteI love it all. It's hard to think of a unique theme for a little girl party, but you've certainly done it.. and with such flair! Beautiful.
ReplyDeletestephanie, you are amazing! what a great party!
ReplyDeletePin the Bow on the Matryoshka Doll? I love it!
ReplyDeleteSOOoo much cooler than a Hannah Montana party. (And cuter by far.) I love how little kids are so entertained by such simple things. Who needs a bounce castle? :) Good job. Thanks for the pretty pictures.
ReplyDeleteI have such a fondness for nesting dolls. Have you seen the make-your-own kits available? I think I saw them on Amazon.com awhile back. The party turned out darling! A theme but not cartoonish or obnoxious, and suitable for many ages.
ReplyDeleteI wish we had made it! Argghhh! Darn flooding. The party looks so lovely and I have committed myself to planning wonderful birthday parties for my kids now.
ReplyDeleteare you kidding me?! That's a great idea and you seemed to figure out how to work in the dolls perfectly! What a darling, darling party!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter will love this idea when she gets a little older. Really very sweet. I hope you don't mind but I passed your blog onto another Party Perfect.
ReplyDeleteMaraka
adorable!
ReplyDeleteStunning! And such a unique theme. Love the colors.
ReplyDeleteman, my bday is this week and i want a party like that! i love the color, most of all. you are so great at finding one cool thing and making it a party. way to go!
ReplyDeleteabsolute perfection Stephanie. you are a total genius.
ReplyDeleteYou are the party queen!
ReplyDeleteWow. Impressive. Great photos, as always!
ReplyDeleteVery Original! I love every detail!
ReplyDeleteI love, love this party idea. It is absolutely darling!
ReplyDeleteI am all over this idea!!!! Than you for sharing and inspiring me! I adopted a sweet little girl from Russia 2 years ago. My friends gave me a "Matryoshka" baby shower...and still it didn't occur to me to give similar party to my daughter. I am definitely doing this for her!! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous !
ReplyDeleteI'm 37 in 5 days, can you organize my matryoshka party in France ?? ;-)
Unique and inspiring! Thanks for posting it!
ReplyDeleteI completely love this! My daughter was instantly sold on the idea and we'll be making Matryoshka doll cupcakes for her kindergarten class. Thanks for a great idea.
ReplyDeleteYou have done such a wonderful job with this party. Very fun and unique. FYI, we carry Matryoshka Beverage Napkins at our store. They have been very popular this year so it must be a growing trend. http://www.platesandnapkins.com/pan/matroshka-beverage-napkins.html
ReplyDeleteYou provide wonderful inspiration for a Matryoshka Doll Party! It's such an unusual party theme that we can't resist but to link up to you. Cheers! -Christine
ReplyDeleteI would like to exchange links with your site www.blogger.com
ReplyDeleteIs this possible?