Our family fell in love with “Coco” the moment we saw it in the theater last year. Stella talked about it so much that I suggested using it as her birthday party theme, and that’s just what we did. A “Coco” theme meant we could have fun with colorful decorations, yummy Mexican food, and plenty of Disney music on the playlist.
My fabulously talented friend Stephanie designed the invitation for Stella’s party. You can find other designs or ask her to do a commission through her Etsy page, Millstar Creative.
This year was the first year we decided to do a friend party for Stella instead of a party with friends and family at our house. Between her preschool classmates and friends outside of school, a party geared toward the kids seemed like the best idea. Having the party a week after her birthday gave us the chance to celebrate with family closer to her actual birthday, and also spread out the fun.
Here are the details of Stella’s birthday party!
We held Stella’s party at TimeOut Play Cafe in East Lansing. TimeOut opened just under a year ago, and I have taken the girls there to play with friends on a few occasions. TimeOut is a play space for kids six and under, but also features a coffee bar and comfortable chairs for parents. They have dozens of toys, dress-up costumes, and even a confined, padded area dedicated to smaller children. The owner Christine and her staff do a great job of engaging the kids and allowing parents to relax a bit when they’re there.
One thing I loved about having Stella’s party at TimeOut was that we would have the place to ourselves for the afternoon. Because of its size, it is a manageable space for parents to keep an eye on their kids. TimeOut is closed most weekends to the public, allowing for opportunities to hold private events on Saturdays and Sundays.
Another awesome detail for busy parents: TimeOut does the setup and the cleanup! TimeOut offers a few different birthday party packages depending on the size and time of the event. No matter the package, TimeOut’s pricing includes decorations, plates, linens, balloons, a self-serve coffee bar, and drinks. I discussed the “Coco” theme with Christine, and she picked out decor and accessories to go with the theme.
I found Stella’s Coco leggings online from Kohl’s and her white dress at Target. Her felt flower crown was made by Kat Cooper English. Her Etsy shop is Thistle + Down Co.
We went for the bigger party package, which allowed for three hours and also included a face painter. I was able to come to TimeOut an hour early to set up the food, cake, and piñata.
My friend Tessa helped me find this awesome Day of the Dead piñata from Michael’s online. Instead of whacking it with a bat, the kids could pull on ribbons until one released the candy from inside.
After ordering some exquisite but also very pricy cakes in the past for Stella’s parties, we went the simpler route. Now that we have a Costco nearby, and after hearing how much people loooooove Costco’s sheet cakes, we went for a plain white cake that I then decorated with little “Coco” figurines I found on Amazon. I now understand why people love Costco cake. It costs $18.99, and it is DELICIOUS.
Costco was also our go-to for the rest of the party food, including taquitos, dips, and rolled-up chicken sandwiches.
One of the biggest hits of the party was the face painter, Catherine Chin Schwartz.
Cat brought a variety of designs that the kids could choose from, including some very special ones that fit with the “Coco” theme. Of course, Stella went for the sugar skull design.
Kids were able to sign up for face painting so that they could keep playing or eating until it was their turn.
Christine from TimeOut was on hand throughout the party to help welcome guests, tidy up the eating areas, and keep things on schedule so we wouldn’t run out of time.
All of the kids enjoyed the variety of toys and dress-up clothes, and the parents were able to hang out and relax for the afternoon. I would highly recommend a birthday party at TimeOut Play Cafe!
I think the birthday girl enjoyed it most of all.
Many thanks to all who helped make it such a fun afternoon!