a rainbow carnival 4th of July fourth birthday!

Lauren’s fourth birthday (and 4th of July!) fell on a Saturday this year so we celebrated her champagne birthday all weekend with family. We held the party in my parent’s beautiful backyard and it was the perfect setting!

We had been planning a “rainbow party” for weeks but as it all came together, it felt like more of a carnival! A hot, sunny day in July complete with balloons, sparklers, popcorn, donuts, ice cream and of course - hot dogs! there was a piñata, bounce house, slip and slide, and a picnic set up on the lawn.

My dad made this cute ice cream cone stand and I already know it will be getting a lot more use this summer! I designed the cone wrappers to match the other party graphics.

these paper sparkler flags can be downloaded here in my digital shop!

I made this chandelier using two brass hoops, ribbons I hand-tore from an old sheet, and dyed them using different food dyes that I experimented with (avocado skins, turmeric, matcha tea, and blueberries!) I suspended the bigger hoop below the small one with fishing line and added the ribbons after it was all balanced and level (this was the hard part!) We hung it over the food table with fishing line and I loved the carnival-vibe it added to the rest of the party decor.

I made this fun banner with canvas fabric and extra ribbons I had. I used felt for the letters and glued them on. I love that this can hang in her bedroom after the party! I also sewed this fabric tic-tac-toe game for the kids to play at the party.

My dad also cut out these rainbow shapes out of plywood for me and I painted them.

you can purchase a custom download for your own rainbow invitation, rainbow tags and sparkler flags in my digital shop!

For the treat bags, I bought these white paper bags and cut them down so that they were more square/smaller. I just didn’t like how tall they were! It was super easy though - I just pealed the handles off and re-glued them on after I trimmed them down. I was worried the handles wouldn’t be strong enough but I’m happy to report that they all stayed intact! (even with kids dragging their bags around full of candy and play dough!) Inside the bags, I included a custom jar of “rainbow dough” - you can find a full post on how I made them here! (including a free download for the cute rainbow labels!)

The adorable neon-coral edged pastel plates and napkins are from A Little Confetti, and the headband is handmade by yours truly! I asked Lauren if she’d wear a party hat and she said “uh, no thank you” (4 year olds!) but she told me she’d wear a headband, and I’m so happy with how it turned out!

I made the little star wands with assorted ribbons and yarn, using 6” long wood dowels, and these wooden stars.

For her cake, I made a funfetti bundt cake using this recipe (but with rainbow star sprinkles!) and it was sooo good (if I do say so myself!). I made the cake topper using gold glitter canvas paper, and more of my assorted ribbons. The gold sparkler and cotton candy is from Bon & Co.

I also made the piñata (which is a super easy DIY - just really time-consuming!) I just cut out the cardboard shape and sides, taped it together with painters tape, and covered it with a mix of fringed tissue paper and steamers. I filled it with some fun candies, fruit snacks, balloons, silly straws, stickers, and glow sticks.

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