Teddy bears, airplanes, rainbows, oh my! was the theme for my daughter’s 3rd birthday. Red was the main color for the party with lots of rainbow and metallic accents. I found an adorable little stuffed teddy bear wearing a pilot costume that quickly became the focus of the theme. I thrifted a circular woven basket to use with an oversized red circle balloon to create a hot air balloon for the bear. In addition, I added a set of three vintage-style cargo mini suitcases with custom luggage tags on the food table. Since the party would be on the smaller side with family and close friends I tried not to go overboard!


There was a variety of sweet and savory food options for all ages: airplane and balloon shaped pb&j sandwiches for the kiddos, deli style sandwiches on bulky rolls for the grown-ups, veggies with dip, deviled eggs, chips and salsa, animal crackers, Teddy Grahams, white frosted cupcakes with cloud Happy Birthday toppers and JELL-O cloud parfaits for a sweet treat.

The birthday cake was designed to resemble a cloud floating in the sky. I continued the theme of the party as I decorated the top of the cake with light blue sprinkles, a polar bear figurine wearing a handmade little blue party hat, tiny red balloons attached to metallic gold star picks with a silver number 3 candle (of course!). Simple, but it turned out cute.


Katie got out her sewing machine for the first time in ages to make the birthday girl an adorable handmade cloth doll. The pattern Katie used is from the shop OhSewDollin on Etsy. In addition to the soft doll she made removable catseye glasses, a variety of removable skirts and a little purse filled with personalized ID cards. Such a wonderful keepsake!!

Each child got to take home a balloon with a red basket filled with themed goodies as a birthday favor. The baskets were stuffed with a little stuffed polar bear, red polka dot party hat, animal crackers, a hot air balloon suncatcher art kit and their name printed on an airplane shaped tag.

Happy Party Planning, Friends!
– Maghan