ideas to make someone's birthday happy

recently one of my best friends turned 22! though we had a failed attempt at finding an ice cream cake in his favorite flavor, my roommate had the clever idea of opting for these ice cream cupcakes instead. it's essentially cupcake mix in an ice cream cone, which she baked (nope, they don't burn!) and let cool. to make it look like ice cream, she added icing and sprinkles! aren't they cute?

 

birthday banners are always a great option for easy, simple decor, but if you have some time to personalize it you can use an x-acto knife and some cardstock to make letter cut outs of their name. trust me, it's easier than it looks. here's a trick: print out the letters on microsoft word (insert word art with only the outline) and cut around the edges

**don't forget to use a cutting mat!

 

and, this is an easy way to make it interactive. we had everyone at the party sign a note on the letters of sammy's name so he had a take-home card at the end of the night. so simple & multi-functional!

for food, we had a potluck - which works out well because everyone is invested in the party and brings a little something to share. sorry, i failed at taking photos of the food, but it was delicious. i made barbeque ribs this time (instead of the sweet and smoky ones) and i definitely think they were more of a hit this time because i marinated them overnight (drenched in bbq sauce) and baked them for 2 hours at 300° F. again, so simple and delicious. although, i didn't eat any, but i heard they were fall-off-the-bone good.

 

all this to say - put some personal touch into the next party you throw.
even stocking up on their favorite drinks (in this case, IBC root beer in the bottle & sweet tea) or desserts (we had 5 tubs of ice cream) shows your dear friend how well you know them & how much you love them. make a friend's birthday special this year (: