When I sat down with my (at the time) 2 year old to find out what kind of birthday party he wanted, he chose airplanes, which was interesting because he’s super into dinosaurs and all things trucks. But, if that’s what he wanted then we would rock an airplane birthday party. Then about a month before his party he said “raaaaace cars!”… no more airplanes, it MUST be race cars. Let’s just say the kid is real lucky I like party planning! So, here comes our take on a race car birthday derby!
I found these adorable vintage race car invitations on Etsy and edited them to work with our theme. This has been my go to for DIY invitations since Luca was born. It’s easy and totally affordable. We printed ours at home, but if you want a better quality, you can upload them to Costco or Vista Print and have them mailed to you.
I made the backdrop out of 3/4″ plywood, cut into an arch with my jig saw, then painted black. I used my Silhouette machine and removable vinyl for the “Can’t catch me, I’m 3” words. The balloons and stand are all linked below for reference.
Now that my son is old enough to appreciate birthday parties and sit still long enough to eat and do crafts, my favorite part of planning a birthday party is the kid’s table. I think a great kid’s table should consist of all the fun. Fun plates/cups, lots of fun activities, and fun goodies to take home! These race car plates from Meri Meri were perfect! They are really big and great quality. Luca still has fun just playing with the extra plates. I bought these small, wooden race cars from Amazon for the kids to decorate with paint pens, crayons, and stickers then built a race track for the kids to race them down once they were decorated.
I also threw in some tattoos (because what would a party be without rad tattoos?) and a super adorable, personalized coloring page from Etsy. Once the kids were done with their projects, they used these canvas bags to take home all of their goodies.
The race track was built from 3/4″ plywood and 1×2 pine boards. We made it stand by securing 2x4s to the back.
Luca’s Third Year board template was from Etsy and printed at FedEx on foam board.
The next best thing about a party is the dessert table. That probably has something to do with my sweet tooth. Luca’s birthday is in August, so after his first birthday party it was quickly relocated inside. Imagine lots of melted chocolate and sticky hands. I’ve been waiting to buy Luca his name banner for above his bed and this finally gave me the perfect opportunity. We got it on Etsy and it is SO GOOD! I made the Happy Birthday banner, but you can buy one like it (maybe even better) here. I almost did and I wish I had. Sometimes you should just save the time and spend the money!
Our cookies are from the best @thecoookiedealer on Instagram. She always outdoes herself and they taste AMAZING! We ordered the cakes from Whole Foods this year and they were delicious. Just one thing to say about that…Chantilly…drool.
This board is from Etsy and comes with 3 different size letters, numbers, symbols, and cursive words. We used canned food cans with these labels from Etsy for all the flowers and candy. Easy, affordable, and cute!
Last but not least, every year I make Luca head cupcakes. This year I purchased these cupcake toppers, then printed out a bunch of my favorite photos of Lu, cut out his head, and taped them to the race car toppers. This is another super easy and affordable craft that adds the perfect personalized and fun touch. You don’t have to spend a ton to have unique parties, you just have to get creative!
And that’s how we raced into 3 years old! If you need any more details or have any questions, let me know. I’m always happy to share!