Pink and Purple Horse Party!

What’s that thing your parents used to say to you? “Hey is for horses?” Well in this case…

HEEYYYYYYYYYYYYY Girl HEYYYYYYYY…

Following in the footsteps of her legendary Pajamas and Pancakes Party last year, my niece Brooke has officially cemented herself as luckiest little girl in history with another jam-packed birthday party. This time, we’re talking horses baby. Real live horses. So saddle up and get ready for some pink and purple horse party cuteness to celebrate Brookie’s 5th birthday. (Oh, and there’s a goat named Stu. Ha.)

The magical party took place at the beautiful Camp Whip-Poor-Will located right outside Charlotte. With 20 acres of land, creeks, hiking trails and of course horseback riding, the camp is a wonderful place for kids to frolic and do all those kid-type things they do during the summer. It was the perfect rustic and cozy locale for a pink and purple horse-stravaganza.

Guests were welcomed to Camp Whip-Poor-Will by balloons, garland, tissue paper poufs and of course, a “Welcome Friends” sign purchased from party mecca Hobby Lobby. All hail Hobby Lobby for its perma 50% off pricing, am I right? It’s like, how did they know we needed a chalkboard welcome sign with horses on it?

Also welcoming the little riders was a corral of stick horses for each of the girls to take home. The corral was handcrafted by my brother-in-law Michael (is there anything that guy can’t do?) and the horses were bought on Etsy shop My Lue (is there anything you can’t find on the internet?). They. Were. So. Cute.

In addition to stick horses there were real horses too. Each kiddo got to ride a horse around the ring twice and they obviously loved it. Here’s Brookie:

Even my almost 2 year old niece got in on the action, riding with her Mimi (who is being a good Mimi and holding onto Claire Bear for dear life)! That little girl’s got no fear and I love her for it!

The nice horse folks also bought a baby goat for the kids to pet which was amaaaaaazing because the goat’s name was Stuey. As in Stu? Mr. Fo? aka my husband? Hehe, Uncle Stu is a goat! Here are the kids petting Uncle Stu. I mean the goat.

Now that we’ve talked horses and goats, let’s talk outfits and nails because let’s be serious, this animal and farm talk has me a liiiiitle outside my wheelhouse here. I took Brookie to get her nails did for her party and she wanted pink and purple (obv). We went to my favorite place Polished where they all know her because I take her in to get her nails done a lot. Totes normal for a 5 year old. After we get our nails done I typically take her for a sugary treat because why not. #auntsarethebest

She sported a personalized horse shirt from Etsy Shop Bowdacious Baby, a cowboy/tiara hat combo from Party City and purple cowboy boots. Nothing says “Giddyup” like pink nails and purple boots.

Little sis Claire (who turns 2 in 10 days!) got into the pink and purple action too with her own pink cowboy boots. She couldn’t really walk in them properly so it was hilarious to watch her stumble around the farm. Are they not the cutest little sisters you ever did see?

Now for decorations and activities. Sticking with the rustic but girly theme, we used hay bales, burlap favor bags and flowers in galvanized buckets and mason jars to create a beautiful tablescape.

We picked up the bags at Michael’s (aka my second home) and Drew stenciled pink horses on each. We stuck a bandana in each bag and they made perfect table accoutrement and favor bags to take home all their goodies.

 

 

Goodies included these adorable horseshoe cookies by the wonderful SugarBakers.

And candy from the horse pinata. Yes, there was a horse piñata, are you surprised? Also, word to the wise. Piñata bats don’t actually work. We watched these poor kiddos try their hardest to break open the piñata for what seemed like 4 hours. Then we had to bring in a ringer (8 year old sibling) to finish the job. Voila – candy everywhere!

Flowers make everything better!

So does cake. The adorable ombre ruffle cake by Koris Kakes  was adorned with a horse (of course) and a rustic burlap banner handcrafted by yours truly. I will give a DIY tutorial on the banner later this week.

Here’s the birthday girl blowing out her candles!

There were also some horsey type snacks (think carrots, apples and rice krispy treat hay bales!)

The kiddos definitely needed their fuel for the fun activities like:

Pin the tail on the horse (horse drawn by my weirdly artistic husband Stu aka Mr. Fo. And no, he didn’t trace it!).

There was also crafting and roasting marshmallows. Claire got into the roasting marshmallows which is why her official hashtag is #claireeats. Check it out on Instagram and you will see Claire eating all sorts of things.

There were 15 little girls at this party and they all had an absolute blast. Here’s Brookie with some of her pals (and their new stick horses!):

Here I am with the birthday girl:

And here’s my wonderful sister-in-law (can we just drop the in-law part please) Drew with her beautiful girls. Drew has been planning this party for a long time and it turned out perfectly. Make no mistake, the vision was hers and I just helped implement! She rocked it out of the park on this one. 

And finally, as today is Brooke’s actual 5th birthday, I want to say happiest of happy birthdays to my first little niece who I love with all my heart. Brookie you have a sweet little soul (and it has to be said, absolutely perfect hair) and I can’t wait to watch you grow up. But for now, just stay 5 for awhile.