Luke DIGS Being 2 – A Construction Party!

Description

A construction-themed 2nd birthday party for my son, Luke!

Design Inspiration

A construction party was really a no-brainer since my son, Luke, LOVES trucks and well, my husband works for an asphalt paving contractor. All construction items you see were borrowed from my husband's work. I don't think the party would have been half as awesome if it weren't for our real props.

Decorating Style

I'm all about the classic look and with this probably being my last birthday of Luke's where I get to pick the theme for him, I wanted it be timeless and not full of licensed characters. When everything was said and done, I called it, "Construction Chic."

Project Details

Big thanks to my husband for collecting all the construction props - he even got in on the action and did a little crafting of his own. He printed up the no parking signs you see throughout. Pretty creative and he thought of it all on his own!

I filled in the decor gaps with things from around our house - toy tools, dump trucks, and borrowed a few toys from Luke's littlest friends. I put Luke's current favorite book on the entry table since it fit our theme perfectly, along with a framed copy of the invitation and some toy tools, and florals. Authentic blueprints from the office helped to really set the space and create little decor vignettes throughout our home.

I kept the centerpieces simple since well, it's a construction party. I picked up the sunflowers at Trader Joe's for a steal and arranged them in some mason jars. My husband brought home some "bot dots" (road dots) which made the tables look almost like roads themselves.

It's a good thing come every April that I still have a blank wall in our dining room as it allows me to create a big "focal piece" for Luke's birthday parties. This year, I pinned up some blue prints in a haphazard pattern and then put up black and white monthly pictures that I have been taking over the past year. I added how old Luke was to each picture so everyone could see the progression of time.

The easiest thing about the party was the food. And what screams construction more than a box lunch? I was able to work with a local deli to customize boxes for the adults and the kids. The adult lunch consisted of a turkey sandwich, fruit salad, and pasta salad. The kid's lunch had 1/2 a turkey sandwich and fruit salad. The food was SO good and I loved the fact that set-up and clean up was a breeze. Nothing to wash! I also had stickers made to further personalize the lunch box "Caution: Luke's Lunches Eat At Your Own Risk."

For party favors I gave the kids a shovel and bucket filled with a cloth tool belt (thank you Home Depot!) and a construction stationary set (stickers, crayons, and paper all inside a truck box). I also had construction hats for the kids to wear at the party along with construction sticker activity mats on the tables

Dessert was also no-fuss. Cake and cupcakes. I sent our baker a few pictures I found off Pinterest for some inspiration and let her have some creative freedom.

And I almost forgot the best part! We were able to get a real live dump truck from my husband's work and parked it in front of our house! Yes, this monstrosity is what greeted guests when they arrived. The kids couldn't get enough of it! Luke loved sitting in the driver's seat and blowing the horn. I definitely think it put the party over the top. And it made me realize I have no idea how I'm going to top it next year...

All my vendors were absolutely fabulous to work with and if you are local to Southern California I highly suggest you check them out if you are planning a party in the future. Everyone I worked with was very reasonably priced and offered high quality products and services.

Dump Truck and Construction materials: JB Bostick Co.
Paper Goods (lunch box stickers, and utensil tool tags): The Divine Invitation
Banners: Banners by J
Party Favors: Oriental Trading
Rentals (tables, chairs, linens): Create-A-Party Rentals
Catering: Stefano's
Cake and Cupcakes: CocoaBerry Cake Company

Favorite Items

It had to be the dump truck. All the kids loved it and Luke STILL talks about the "big truck" whenever we are in our front yard. It was definitely the highlight of the party!

Advice

There are TONS of ideas on Pinterest so make sure to take a look! You can look at my my pinterest board, "Luke's 2nd Birthday here for some ideas to get you started.

Also, keep it simple! It's easy to get caught up in all the little details but focus on a few things that you want to do really well and the rest will fall into place!