Party Planning: Vintage Baseball Theme

My little man will be 5 soon! So, of course I am hard at work trying to plan his party. This year we decided on a baseball theme. Let's take a minute to talk about choosing themes. When Shane turned one he had no care as to what theme of party he had. He couldn't say much and it was pretty awesome. By that I mean he couldn't knock down my ideas! He always wants a character party. I hate character parties! I always want to do something creative. I can't be too creative with Power Rangers...I just can't! So, I "suggested" maybe a Cowboys/Indian party...Nope. A Robot party...No. A camping party??? Uh Uh. Baseball???? YES! Home run! I don't watch baseball but, Shane has developed a love for it and  could work with that theme.

I was thinking Hot Dog stand, cracker jacks, The Bambino, The Sultan of Swat(totally reminds me of The Sandlot). I pictured more of a Vintage Baseball feel, well because I'm a weirdo. I went to work as soon as I got the go ahead from the bday boy. Now, with only a few weeks left, I am scrambling to get everything together. I tend to plan early on and then weeks go by of no planning and near the end I have so much to do. I am part planner... part procrastinator...strange??!!

Here are a few of my favorite places to go for party supplies:

Antique/Thrift stores:
The hardest part for me, as a penny pincher, is buying things I know I will never use again. I was at the Flea Market on Sunday(found nothing I was looking for BTW) and there were vintage baseball mitts and balls. They were awesome, but what would I do with them afterwards? Shane's room is a superhero room(no characters..just my version of industrial meets superhero...my poor child). However, I did go to an antique store and found an old baseball plastic hat thing(seriously...don't know baseball). I also found an old bat, which I know is used to hit the ball:). They were both reasonably priced and could be used as decor at the party. The bat will be used for the guests to autograph and for Shane to keep as a "souvenir".

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Oriental Trading:
I am not always impressed with the quality of items found on Oriental Trading. Reviews are your best friend on this site. I like to order goodie bag items here. They usually come in large quantities, which will come in handy as we invited 115 people. Yes, I just wrote 115. Moving along....Oriental trading also has customizable items. I ordered some bubbles and some labels that say "Thanks for Swinging By". They were affordable and a cute thank you for our guests.

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Party Planning Sites:
Pinterest is an obvious place to get inspiration. I have a few other sites though, that I always check out once I have a theme, for unique ideas. Hostess with the Mostess is a great site that offers party ideas and also allows people to upload their own parties they have done. Kara's Party Ideas is another great site. She has many free printables and is always up on new party planning trends. Last, but not least, is hands down my favorite place to check out for invites. This lady is amazing! Her name is Loralee Lewis. She is a wonderful artist and throws the most adorable parties. She makes the most beautiful invitations and stationary. She has a vintage feel to her work. You must check out her site (after you are done reading this post) :)

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Etsy:
I may be a bit biased, as my sister and I have our own Etsy shop, leeleeandsumsum. I truly love Etsy though. I am all about handmade items. Handmade invites are so unique and add a bit more character than invites from the store. My sister was on still on Maternity leave when I needed Shane's invites so I went to Etsy for some help. I did feel like I was cheating, but it was nice to support another shop. Etsy is great if you are in a time crunch. You can instantly download so many items from invites to food labels. It is a wonderful source. If you are looking for anything unique it is the place to check out.

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Can't wait to share the big day with you all!