Disclaimer: This party was thrown weeks before the outbreak of COVID-19. The three of us are currently quarantined to our home and following the news closely. Please stay safe during this time.
Hi Loves,
I had a birthday “pawty” for my dog.
In true Hayden fashion, the event was completely EXTRA in the best way possible. I can’t tell if the “hoomans” had a better time or our fur babies.
Throwing a huge bash for your pet may sound like you are a crazy dog mom. However, I can assure you that the idea was well received by our friends. At twenty something, we are starting out in life. Many of my friends do not have children yet. Their four legged friends are their children. They worry about them while at work, pay expensive vet bills, socialize them at dog parks, and Instagram their cute moments. My mom says that pets are great at preparing us for our future babies. They teach us so much about responsibility and thinking about someone other than ourselves. Sky’s birthday was approaching, and I knew that I wanted to celebrate it with everyone that supported Bryce and my decision to adopt her.
Here are the details and the “how-to’s” for throwing a Hot Diggity Dog PAWTY:
Invites:
I created my party invites through Paperless Post. I prefer to use them over creating a Facebook Event because it is way more chic and extremely efficient. You can see who RSVPs, send follow up reminder emails, customize a card, or send out intriguing text invites. Most of the flyers (otherwise known as text invites) are completely free. I love the graphics that you can choose from when creating the invite.
Menu:
Pinterest was a main factor in deciding what our menu would consist of. My mom stumbled across the idea of a Hot Dog Bar and we rolled with it. In addition to that, we also provided a vegetable sculpture of a dog (not kidding) that could be dipped into ranch dressing. I created a sign for the Hot Dog station that listed different dog breeds and the type of hot dog to create. This helped me decide what topping to purchase. My dad came in clutch and grilled our hot dogs. We kept them warm in a crockpot. It was a simple menu with chips and dips and veggies as the side dishes. Doggy Tip: Place out more than one bowl of water for your four legged guests. Ours were playing hard and got very thirsty.
Decor:
I feel signage is such a great, inexpensive decor piece when having a party. I printed signs that said things like Bone Appetite, Dig In, and Come, Sit, Stay. I placed each image in Dollar Tree frames making our home look so festive. The Dollar Tree is a great spot for party decor. Serving trays, balloons, and tissue paper flowers are all available there. I bought the honeycomb tissue paper balls at Party City. The colors were perfect for our girl, Sky. On our bar, I placed 2 large vases from the thrift store. Each were $1. One I filled with tennis balls because what dog doesn’t love a great ball and the other one was filled with dog treats. I purchased a bouquet of spring tulips to make this centerpiece complete.
Cakes:
I ordered a pet-friendly cake from Three Dog Bakery. Every ingredient they bake with is extremely clean. Not to mention that they are also very affordable for the size. I picked a peanut butter bone-shaped cake for Sky, and she absolutely loved it. Her doggy friends, Della and Stanley, thought it was delicious as well. For the humans, you just can’t go wrong with McLain’s Bakery. I purchased a very small vanilla cake for our guests. The cake topper was from Party City.
Cocktail:
What’s a party without a signature cocktail? Since our theme was “Hot Diggity Dog,” we wanted something that paired well with our menu but was also meaningful to Sky. We made “Sky Blue” spiked lemonade. The recipe for the cocktail can be found here. A trip to the thrift store made it possible to serve our gorgeous drink in unique glasses. Each were 50 cents. This is such a great tip for stocking your bar or having a gathering. The City Market provided fresh mint and lemons for garnishes.
Floral Collar:
I thought a floral collar would be cute for the birthday girl. Target dollar section had a pink floral garland that I could make to fit around Sky’s neck. I added a few festive ribbons to it. Very simple to make, and I must say Sky looked so beautiful wearing it. Aunt Ashley came in clutch with a darling party hat for Sky. It was perfect.
Treat Bags:
I headed to the Dollar Tree once again for dog bowls I could fill with treats. I used the dog bowl as my base for the goodie bag. In it the Dollar Tree had pet tennis balls and a rope toy. TJ Maxx has the very best dog stuffed toys, and I was able to stay at the $4 mark. Next I zip locked bagged Three Dog Bakery cookies that Walmart and Price Chopper sell. They look identical to chocolate chip cookies and smell equally as delicious; however, they are made for dogs. Dollar Tree had large, clear bags to set the dog bowls in and made it easy for our guests to take their treats home.
Activity:
Our party plan was to have everyone over for a hot dog lunch followed with cocktails and cake. Afterwards we would walk to Bar-K. The weather was gorgeous on the party day, so every owner and their dog was at Bar-K. We ended up at Columbus Park dog park instead. Plan B was perfect. The dogs were exhausted afterwards and so were their “hoomans.”
Thank you to all of our friends and family for making Sky’s birthday so special. We had a pawsitively perfect day! I hope you enjoyed a peek into our lives and can use some of the ideas when planning your own celebrations.
Until next time, spread kindness.
HW
by Twofold Media 
