Lucy and Winnie's Puppy Party!

I’m so excited to share the details Lucy and Winnie’s joint puppy party with you today! Lucy and Winnie are exactly two years and three weeks apart, so we decided to host a joint birthday party this year! Lucy turned four on January 25, and Winnie will turn 2 on February 13, so we hosted a birthday party right in the middle of their two birthdays! We haven’t thrown a proper birthday party (outside of our family) since Lucy’s 1st birthday and I was SO excited to go all out for their party! After the overwhelming and weird last couple of years, I was ready for some over-the-top joy. 💛

Lucy wanted to have a ‘puppy party’ because they LOVE dogs. I got a bunch of great ideas and inspiration on Pinterest and decided to just run with the theme! The adopt-a-puppy ‘event’ was SO fun and interactive for the kids and just so so so sweet. In lieu of gifts, we asked guests to donate to a local animal shelter or bring food/gear we could donate. Many guests did that which was so thoughtful and meaningful to us 🐾 and a few others brought gifts for the girls (which they obviously loved 🤪).

I wish we could throw the same party all over again! Below, I’m sharing a bunch of party details and photos from Lucy and Winnie’s special day!

THE ACTIVITIES

We turned our guest room into an “Adopt a Puppy” area! This dog adoption activity was a huge hit ✨🐾 Here’s how it worked:

1. Pick out your puppy 🐶 I ordered four types of these adorable stuffed dogs from Manhattan Toy (Corgi, Golden Doodle, Husky, Brown Dog) for kids to choose from. I cut a round hole in the front of craft bags so the dogs’ heads could pop up. So cute, right!?

2. Decorate a dog collar and name tag 📿 I set out little cups of inexpensive, colorful beads and pipe cleaner. I also had small circle tags so they could add a name tag for their pup’s collar!

3. Fill out your official adoption certificate and color your certificate + your dog carrier with markers, crayons, and stickers! 🖍 I ordered this adopt-a-puppy printable from Etsy and had the adoption certificates printed at FedEx. At this station, we had the adoption certificates, plus a bunch of coloring supplies. I ordered this 50 pack of assorted dog stickers, and also had everyone’s favorite Paw Patrol stickers too!

4. Pick up dog food on your way out. I mixed together Reese’s Puffs + Cookie Crisp cereal in a little plastic cup with a lid. It looked like ‘kibble and bits’ and obviously, was edible for humans too! 🍪

5. Bring your puppy home and give it lots of love! 💞

We also rented a big castle bounce house for the backyard, which was obviously a huge hit for the kids (and grownups too!). Lastly, I found these Dog Bubble Party Favors and had these sitting by the front door for kids to grab on their way out.

THE FOOD

I decided to really lean into the puppy-theme and have fun with it the food! I wrote the name of everything on these cute Dog Party Table Tents (which feature four different dog illustrations). We had these Dog Party Plates and Dog Party Napkins on the food table too. Here’s the menu:

‘Ruff-age’ Veggie Cups – small cups with ranch dressing in botttom, topped with celery, carrots and red peppers

Pesto Paw-sta Salad – homemade pesto pasta salad with cherry tomatoes and mozzerella

Fetch Sticks – pretzel rods

Pup-corn – bagged popcorn in these Mini Popcorn Cups

Bone-Shaped Rice Krispies – we made traditional Rice Krispy treats, cut them into bone shapes using this Bone Cookie Cutter, and dipped the ends in icing and sprinkles!

Barkuterie Board – simple cheese and cracker plate featuring a variety of cubed cheese and different crackers

Fruit Kibble – a huge rainbow plate of strawberries, clementines, pineapple, grapes, and blueberries

THE DESSERT

We ordered a 100 pack of assorted Baked by Melissa mini cupcakes (‘pupcakes’) for guests. I first had these at a friend’s party and they were SO yummy and since they are so small, people can try different types! You order them online, and they ship on the day you select and you can keep them in the freezer until 30 minutes before you want to eat. It was SO easy and a huge hit! We only had 3 left after the party!

I also picked up two simple sprinkled mini cakes from Whole Foods for the girls for singing happy birthday. I put these Cute Dog Candles on top! The sprinkle cakes were $7 (!! each) and were just available right from case. I’ve ordered cakes from Whole Foods for all birthdays and been very pleased! For Winnie’s 1st Birthday and Lucy’s 1st Birthday Party , I ordered custom ombre cakes and they were so yummy, looked incredible, and were very affordable.

On the dessert table, I set out these Puppy Dog Plates (HOW CUTE!) and these Dog Party Napkins too.

THE DECOR

We really let the food and the adopt-a-puppy activity be the main ‘decor’ elements of the party. I had this customized Adopt a Puppy sign printed in a large size and outside of the adoption station. I also swapped out the print above the dessert table with a photo I love of Lucy and Winnie! 💛 I had these cute Glitter Pom Pom Party Hats and Sequined Mini Party Hats on display, which also doubled as another party favor.

We had rose gold Let’s Pawty Balloons above the bed near the adoption station and picked up some other balloons from Party City. I also ordered these Walking Dog Balloons which were very on theme, too! We did have some balloon hiccups (different type of balloon mix-up, helium issues, etc.) so next time I’d probably just order from a local balloon shop and not deal with the balloon headache of doing it myself.

The gold glitter star banner was a couple bucks at Target. Other than that, I hung this colorful Happy Birthday Banner (that I’ve had since Lucy’s 1st birthday!) on our family room fireplace, with two little stuffed dogs in party hats on top of the mantle. 🐾