Do-It-Yourself: The 3D Letters for the Candy Buffet

Spelling out my bubba's name has been a favorite of mine ever since I found out that I was pregnant and it was something that I wanted to do for his birthday as well. I've searched online on how to make 3D letters for the table and it seemed pretty easy.

My initial plan was to put the letters on the candy buffet but we decided to scratch that out given that the candies were already looking good on its own. But I had other plans for the letters after, it's perfect for the room as a wall decoration.

I would've wanted to cover it with washi tape but to be honest, I was too overwhelmed and confused with all the designs of the tapes online that L and I just settled on solid sticker paper on each letter and then go from there. Hahaha! If I had more time and patience on my hands, I might be able to muster the courage to look at the hundreds of designs of washis and then choose at least 20! LOL!

Anyway, I printed out the letters from MS Word and just made sure that it was one huge letter on each page. I believe the size was between 900-950, depending on the letter, and then printed it out. We used Gibson chipboard and then traced it on there, made two traces of each letter and then backed it up with an inch long chipboard to make it 3D. Covered it with the sticker paper and then voila...3D letters for the candy buffet!

It's perfect to be placed on the dessert table with the cake and cupcakes as well coz it makes a great statement and people would wanna take pictures of it too!

Do-It-Yourself: The GIANT 3D Letters

Blame it on Pinterest and Martha Stewart but I wanted D's bash to be as picturesque and as picture-perfect as possible...given the situation that we were DIYing the whole event, you can imagine my stress level during the last week of preparations!

I've always wanted those giant 3D letters that I see in Pinterest birthday bashes. First, it's such a nice statement piece and people can always have their pictures taken there. Also, I love the idea that D's name is spelled out in huge, ginormous letters! It was a week-long battle between L and I since he wasn't sure that he can do the letters in the way that I wanted it to look. He made small-scale samples of other ideas, of which I was okay with it (but I was still praying that he would do the giant 3D effect that I wanted). In the end, I was able to get the letters that I wanted...and more!

L's sister suggested that they make the letter A into a house from the movie itself so that it'd look cooler. I was all for it as long as they do it before the allotted deadline so that I wouldn't be too stressed about it. It took them a weekend (sleepless, at that) to finish all six letters and the house. I am proud as it looked fantastic and everyone raved about it as well.

The materials used were:
- Gibson chipboard (the ones that are used for cake boxes)
- white satin sticker paper
- scotch tape
- a whole lotta PATIENCE!

This is what I also loved about Las Terrazas, it had the perfect backdrop for the 3D letters.

D's Bash: Las Terrazas Clubhouse

D's venue was something that L and I have thought about long and hard. Given that it's going to be a children's party, we needed a space where they can easily go around and maneuver their way through and we also wanted the parents (especially with babies) to be able to run out in case their babies have a wet nappy or already in the midst of their tantrums. We also wanted it to be a big space and not enclosed so that the loud sound system would not scare some of the babies and kids (as D hates it when he's in an enclosed space and the sound system is blaring).

Las Terrazas Clubhouse was where we had our wedding reception. I wanted it because of the view and also because guests can have their pics taken everywhere and anywhere and still have a great background of Davao City. I also loved the fact that we had our glam shots taken during the wedding and our photog didn't have to edit the photos anymore.

We needed to move the area from the second floor to the ground floor since the stairs was something that I was wary about. I didn't want the babies and kids going up and down the stairs during the party, that's extra work for the parents and nannies! Also, I wanted it to be a worry-free kind of party since the kids can just wander without really getting lost. And it doesn't hurt that the backdrop is simply the view of Davao City...nothing can beat that.

Las Terrazas Clubhouse (photo grabbed from their FB page)

The rates of their function room rents aren't as bad as well. We booked the lower left function room but we were free to use the corridors and space surrounding it (ground floor) so we were able to maximize the space. There was a veranda right outside the function room but I opted not to use it since it was raining the night before the party and water was leaking through, I didn't want the horror of putting the guests there and having to move them in case it was going to rain hard on D's birthday night.

Along with the use of the function room, they have a wet kitchen where the catering staff can use to store their food (of course, clean as you go policy), it also includes the use of the 25 square-shaped tables and 100 chairs (rattan and wrought-iron), a marble-top table for the gifts or cake, lattice divider (that we used as the backdrop for the stage) and the platform as the stage. We were also lucky that one of our moms from the Peas in the Pod group put the event under her name so we were able to get a 20% discount on the use of the clubhouse (whee!).

Were there any other events booked together with D's party? Nope. They make it a point to book only one event per day so that they can also maximize the use of the facilities. And they allow decorating of the place a day before the actual event as long as there are no other booked events. Their sound system was available though you need a back-up in case their sound system would not be working, we were able to bring a back-up sound system from our godmother so that was ticked off our list.

If you'd like to contact Las Terrazas Clubhouse, call them at 244-0432. Also, make sure that you call them before heading there so that they can set an appointment with you for an ocular inspection and if you wanna check the place out.

The First Birthday Bash

The day has finally arrived as we celebrated D's first birthday last Saturday, July 27.

I will try to write a post for each of my suppliers as well as post some pictures as well.

Here are the details of his bash:

Location: Las Terrazas Clubhouse
Dinner Catering: Alternative Catering Services by Mila's
Lechon: Porky's Lechon
Candy Buffet: Tina's Candy Buffet
Video Highlights: Tonn Navales
Photos: CJ Liamzon
Party Host and Magician: Bonjee Entertainment Services

Everything else, including the physical arrangement and decorations, were done by Team Damien (me, Lau, Jam, Shimran, Rap2 and more relatives and friends). We made it a point to hire the professionals that are already good at what they do and have been part of our occasions through the years. D's godmother was nice enough to offer that she be in charge of the cupcakes for his big bash. We opted not to have the cake as it wouldn't be enjoyed by everyone since that would mean slicing it and putting it in platters and then distributing them to everyone and also because there's no space in the refrigerator for the leftovers.

Being the OC that I am, I made sure to book the suppliers at least 2 months in advance (except for the catering as they live a block from us and we know that they can be booked last-minute). It was around April when I was already full-on party-planning mode (see my previous posts) and have finished almost all of the things for the party itself.

There were definitely a lot of kids at the party and that made me happy because the party program and magician were really meant for the kids. I was also very happy, though terrified at the same time, that James the magician brought along Snakee, his 2-year-old Burmese Python at the party. A lot of kids and parents were ecstatic and happy to have pics taken with Snakee but I was a scaredy cat. Hahaha!

If there's anything that I am proud of, I am proud that L and I didn't kill each other with the decorations (LOL!) and also that it really made us more patient with each other as we work in very different ways. I was planning for the worst (given that it was supposed to be the rainiest night of the week) and L was planning it to be the best bash in pictures...in the end, we both wanted the best for D, who was very happy and was smiling in almost all of the photos!

Speaking of photos, I have yet to get the photos and video highlights of the big bash but I'll be posting separate posts with my suppliers and how our relationship evolved to being good friends.

Do-It-Yourself: How Hardcore I Am

D's birthday is a month and a half away...yes, time is fast and it flies like the man of steel and the question that all mothers ask, 'What kind of party should we throw for our little one?'

If you ask any mother, they would love to splurge and go all out...who doesn't? Our babies only turn one ONCE and even though they're not going to remember it and all (that's the point of photos and videos, hello!) but we, as parents, do. We remember every single detail and the happenings and we will always tell them in detail when they're all grown up.

My parents didn't have a lot when they started their family...in fact, they barely had the essentials! So, it was very natural for them to DIY the first birthday parties of Paul, me and Jam. They have all the pictures to prove it and some videos as well. What made it so special was that everyone appreciated it and it was unique...no one could follow what they did! Hence, the inspiration came to mind!

I was hellbent (hahaha!) to prepare for D's first birthday party myself, maybe because I felt that most of the decorations were very generic and I thought to myself, 'I think I can learn how to do it.' I'd like to believe that I'm creative enough that I can whip up something and besides, L has the artistic hands and can always carve something out of nothing (that beats any basketball-hungry husband, anytime!). Right after D's baptism last November, I was already busy looking for possible themes for his birthday. We already had a rough estimate of the budget since we knew that we would be contacting the same suppliers, but I wanted it to be lesser so I knew that DIY was the road I was going to take.

After the holidays and having settled down after New Year, I was busy looking through different ideas and possible decors...for me, I wanted a theme that would reflect the same passion that L and I share and something that D would be able to look back and say, "That was a good theme Mum...excellent choice." It took me about a couple of weeks before I was able to confidently say that his birthday theme was going to be Disney Pixar's movie Up.

Here was the fun part: gathering all ideas and information for his birthday party. From the decor, to the lootbags and giveaways, and even the shoot for the invite! All of that was playing in my head and I needed to make sure that it was organized in my laptop, thank God for Pinterest since I was able to follow boards and mix different ideas. Also, it was great that the website of Disney had TONS of printable designs and templates. My parents were very supportive as well since they knew that it would slash the budget in half, yes, half!

Last month, I was able to convince my Dad to help me in financing the fee for a DIY Balloon Decor Workshop here in the city. I figured, I wanted to make a statement and be as creative as I could be...might as well do our own decor and trimmings! Being OC, I didn't want it to look so DIY and amateur, I wanted it to look good on photos and look as if it could be featured on Martha Stewart's website! Hahaha, being domesticated has never been this fun but trust me...you'd want it to be picture perfect!

People ask me, how DIY is the party? The only professionals that I hired were the caterer for the dinner buffet, the candy bar buffet that my high school friend did for D's baptismal, the character host and magician tandem and the photographer & videographer. Everything else is on me, well...me and my team (family!), that is.

Was it at all difficult? Of course it is! Which decor? What kind of giveaway? Which lootbag? What design? Tons of questions and quite difficult to answer since I wanted to put everything! But reality (in the form of my husband, L) came into picture and told me to calm down. Haha, thank God because imagine how the party would look like! He definitely made things easier in terms of pinpointing which ones we can handle in making ourselves and the time frame. In the end, most of the ideas that I wanted were put in place...he just ironed all my ideas out so that I won't look so frazzled.

I guess it pays off to be OC and really organized because while L was at work, I was busy already making the giveaways and doing mock-ups of the centerpieces and lootbags (yes, we're making the lootbags!). He never really saw this side of me given that we only met in college, but it was also nice that he saw a different side of me...where I was really into it and I was crazy about it, I even dream about it (no kidding!).

Most of D's playmates are also turning 1 this year...I love sharing ideas to other moms especially those who want to DIY their babies' parties as well.

My Dad always told me that parties (whether it's wedding, birthday or any other reception) is a communal celebration...have people who care about the celebrant and celebrate happiness together. I can't wait for D's party! A celebration of his life and a celebration of our parenthood as well!

Learning A New Skill

I love learning new skills! If it's anything that I wanna do, it's adding more skills in my arsenal and then get to use them anytime!

I found a page on Facebook offering a Balloon 101 Workshop, D.I.Y. (Do It Yourself) Party Balloons and Party Supplies. I jumped (literally) out of my chair and carried my laptop to my Mum and told her about it. I was so game because it would come in handy for D's first birthday! Hello, I get to actually decorate my own son's birthday...how cool and fun would that be?!

I suddenly had this flood of ideas as to how the set-up was going to be and how the stage is going to look like, and yes that includes the backdrop and centerpieces. I felt like a migraine was coming pretty soon but good thing my Mum slowed me down and giggled. I asked my Dad if he could help me finance the registration (it's P3000) and he agreed that we split it 50/50. Whew!

L was giggling and was really happy when I told him about it during lunch. It's probably not a surprise to him that I'm all giddy with the party planning...up to the tiniest details! Again, that's my ever-supportive hubby!

If you guys wanna join me in the workshop, just head on to their Facebook page and check out the details!

Birthday Prepping Part 3: Lootbag Ins and Outs

I've always loved doing handmade gifts so it came to naturally to want to DIY almost everything for D's first birthday, that included the lootbag!

With so many ideas swarming in my head, I needed to type it all down and finally get to researching the how-to's and methods. I was thinking of maybe doing a unique lootbag and putting all kinds of different goodies that the kids will enjoy!

So, I found the template online (seriously, everything is found online!) and got started but realized that the lootbag was a little too small to fit the giveaways that I was thinking of. So I made the template a little larger...to make a long story short, I've made three samples before actually getting into a size that L and I were happy. I tried placing the mock-up giveaways and found that there was still enough space for the food goodies!

I was too excited. That night, I showed it to L when he got back from work and all he could ask was, "You had time to make three samples? Wow...you really are crafty huh?" I wasn't too sure what he meant by that but I'd like to believe that he was being nice and sincere. He smiled and gave me a hug (aww, trying to make up for what he said probably!). L has never seen me do a lot of crafty and DIY stuff so I'm sure this is such a surprise for him.

I've also listed down the DIY giveaways that I'll be making as well. So far, I've gotten them in the list but I still need to do a little canvassing so that I can start buying them soon. With the way that I'm going...I might be able to finish the lootbags before booking all the rest of the suppliers! Haha!

At least I've ticked another item off my list of things to prep for D's big day!

Birthday Prepping Part 2: Centerpieces Mock-up and Template Invitation

Finally finished with the DIY centerpieces as well as the template for the invitation. It was quite inspiring since there were templates of the characters available online. Also got the pattern for the invite online...everything is just so convenient because it's found online!

D's already asleep (yes, thank God he sleeps at around 7pm) so I'm left with more time to do some research and finish the DIY projects. I'm quite excited because I've already started with some of the goodies for the loot bag! Whee! I also got to talking with my Mum and she was quite happy with the outcome as well, even my Dad is amazed with the things that I found online. Well, I think he's more amazed that I'm so into it. Again, it's been awhile since they saw me getting crafty with anything.

Ocular inspections of the possible venues will be next in line although Lau and I already have favored our wedding reception venue (hehehe!). And I'm usually the type of customer that if I like the place and I also like the way that it was presented to us and the staff and crew are very accommodating...I book and pay on the spot. So, usually I stick with the same suppliers since they already know how keen on details I can be.

Once we've booked the venue...it's time to brainstorm for decor ideas! Glad to see that my long list of to-do's are slowly being ticked off...

Birthday Prepping Part 1: Brainstorming

Ever since April hit...I've been brainstorming ideas for my bubba's upcoming first birthday. If you're asking as to when his birthday is...it's July 27th. I know, it's still months away but if you look at the details and being able to pin down suppliers at a reasonable price, and finalizing the guest list...there's not a lot of time left.

I've always been the type of person who loves to put ideas together and I've been busy brewing ideas already for D's theme for the past few months. Why too advanced you might ask? Because there's still the possibility that I could change my mind. Besides, I'm the one doing most of the planning and Lau's in charge of the legwork. And of course, being able to be within the budget doesn't hurt as well!

The theme's been decided. The template of the invitation is already done as well, only the details are missing including D's photo (shoot is scheduled around mid-June). I've already prepped a mock-up of how the centerpieces will be, there are still some elements missing though but that's all right...all of those will be done by tomorrow (yes, you heard me right...tomorrow!). After the mock-up of the table, I'll go straight to hunting for suppliers for the goodies in the loot bag. There's actually one particular goody that I've been dying to do a craft project on. Once I've got the materials ready, I'll post at how I did it and the outcome as well.

Lau's going to do an ocular tomorrow on our fave spot (where we had our wedding reception) as I've pictured the whole decor in my mind with a bit of tweaking. My goal for this month is to be able to book the venue so that we can already start with a sit-down of how the decor will be and where to put what.

To be honest, I seem to be spending more time planning my son's birthday than I did with our wedding almost two years ago. And yes, it looks like we'll have more guests with this celebration as well! LOL!

The next few weeks will be a huge brainstorming session for my brain...I don't mind, I like the exercise and it's good that I get to do more crafts this time! I can't wait for the outcome...