

I’m sharing Dana’s 2nd Birthday Celebration held on 2 April 2010 as part of the Birthday Blast linky hosted by Beanie N Us. We wanted a casual, relaxed party where guests would be pampered with good food and good fun. We also wanted kids to be actively engaged hence added in the carnival element.
THE CARNIVAL VENUE
We booked the poolside BBQ pits, prayed for good weather and proceeded to doll up the place. With the help of my cousins, we inflated 50 silvery mylar stars and secured each of them to the roof trellis using fishing lines. I love how they shimmer against the pool…



We ordered balloons in the shades of purple, pink and white from Party Blasters to beautify the party venue. They also suggested placing two gigantic balloon columns for guests to pen their birthday wishes for the Princess which we thought added some novelty.


THE CARNIVAL CAKE
Dana loved dancing to The Wiggles from a young age so we knew she would love a Wiggles Cake. I scoured the web for inspirations and sent them along to the home baker from Pink Ginger by Nee. She did her magic and we’ve a gorgeous 2-layer cake as the centerpiece for the party.

THE CARNIVAL COUPON
Every single child was given a ‘Royal Ticket’ which I designed using Adobe Photoshop upon arrival (that’s about the only DIY I did for this party). The kids would use the coupons to redeem treats or their desired hands-on activities at any of these four carnival stations:
A) Balloon Sculpturing
B) Face Painting
C) Cupcake DIY
D) Traditional Ice-Cream(on wheels)
Yes, we engaged an ice-cream uncle who pushed his ice-cream truck right to the poolside to dispense ice-cream potongs, old-fashioned ice-cream blocks wrapped in wafers or bread! All our guests love this nostalgic touch! Some residents even came to buy the ice-cream from the uncle after hearing the familiar bells. The Balloon Sculpturing and Face Painting services were negotiated as a total package (with the venue decor) by Party Blasters. The sisters are very talented and I highly recommended them for your kids’ parties!





We hired a bouncy castle from Lumineux as a bonus treat for the Birthday Girl and her little royal friends. This activity does not require any ‘redemption’ coupons. Dana had fun bouncing around inside the castle while Mommy and Daddy busied themselves entertaining guests.


THE CARNIVAL CATERING
No party would be complete without good food. We usually pay particular attention to the catering as we want to feed the guests well and have them leave the party feeling satisfied. For this party, we engaged Gustos to serve a delectable high tea menu.


THE CARNIVAL BLESSINGS
In total, over 80 friends and family members attended this poolside party. Here’s a shot taken in our home with Dana surrounded by the gifts she received. In the background are the two heart-shaped birthday balloon columns signed with birthday-wishes. Gifts aside, what we treasure most is the moment to celebrate the special milestone of Dana turning two with those whose closest to us. Even though she was warded for Kawasaki the next day after the party, we still want to give God the Glory for healing her swiftly and for His hand upon our lives. He is good, all the time!




Woo so cool! I cant believe you even got an ice cream man that’s an awesome idea! =)
I wish I was part of the invited guests! her party looks so amazing! 🙂 Am going to PM you shortly for ice cream uncle. hehe
Hi Madeline and Natasha
Thanks for leaving your comments! Yes, I called up NEA to ask for licensed ice-cream mobile vendors and actually received a whole list from them (according to districts)! Resourceful right? We then contacted the ice-cream uncles directly to see who’s keen to supply for our party. It was fun and well-received. You can consider this for your next function.
Wow the ladies that did the face painting, did a great job! What a blast Dana must have on her birthday. You surely know how to plan a party Angeline!
Hi Dana’s Mom!
I’m planning a party too and would love to hire an ice cream uncle. Could you please PM the list that NEA sent you? Thank you very much!
My email is afewsimplerats(at)gmail.com
Thank you!!
Hihi,
Would you mind emailing the list of Ice Cream uncles as well? Thanks. cchiow at gmail
Hi Cindy! You can contact https://www.facebook.com/pages/Uncle-Chua-Ice-Cream/506756199334674?sk=timeline for your party ice-cream catering needs 🙂
Hi! Do you mind sending me the list of the ice cream uncles’ contacts as well? My email is [email protected]. Thanks in advance!
Hi Candice, thanks for writing in. I’ve emailed the list to you. Do note that the info was obtained in 2009 so some may be outdated.