Thursday, August 17, 2017

Merryn's Epic Fixer Upper Party: Part 2

After months of requesting a "Chip and Jo" birthday party, and after weeks of planning, Merryn's party day had finally arrived.  

The cuisine: Chips and JoJo's (sloppy joe's) compliments of Mama Hop.  The buffet decor perfection was compliments of our wonderful neighbor, Kyle, who threatened me not to move anything a single inch!

Party favors included a child-sized hammer and birdhouse to assemble.
The "photo booth" was a huge success featuring a backdrop re-purposed from my friend, Erin's, wedding and various Fixer Upper related props.



Of course all of the props in the world couldn't make a cluster of children gather together, face the same way, and smile simultaneously.  Hey, they're cute and sweet as can be, but they're not robots; especially not mine! 
Erin, kindergarten teacher and crafty genius, came up with a super fun project where the children covered a canvas with "shiplap" (or "Chiplap," if you will).  

Then, the kids applied a magnetic strip and spelled their names with magnetic alphabet letters.
The finished products were adorable and unique - just like the party guests.
That brings us to the cake; Merryn specifically requested a "Chip and Jo" rainbow ice cream cake with the plastic balloons on it.  I flipped through the book of children's birthday cake options at Dairy Queen and shockingly, I didn't find the page featuring cakes with popular HGTV personalities on them.  But the young lady behind the counter assured me that they would make it happen.
And boy did they deliver!  The cake was executed flawlessly and it tasted delicious.
Then it was time to reveal the big surprise.  If you read the last post, "Merryn's Epic Fixer Upper Party: Part 1," you're aware of the crippling anxiety that flooded my soul when Merryn requested a party theme that required creativity, craftiness, and several trips to Michael's.  But fortunately for me, we have lots of talented friends with innovative ideas on Instagram.  So I threw it out there and requested input.  What followed exceeded any fathomable expectation.  You see, one of our InstaFriends, Marianne, passed along our information to her friend, an executive producer for the show, "Fixer Upper."  The next day, I received the sweetest email in my inbox with this video attached and I squealed at the top of my lungs!  Travis quickly lowered the volume on my phone and suggested we save this as a surprise for Merryn.  And that's exactly what we did...
And as if that personal greeting wasn't enough, Chip and Joanna Gaines sent Merryn a whole box full of gifts from their Magnolia shop in Waco, TX.  What a sincerely kind-hearted and thoughtful couple Chip and Jo are.  And they clearly work with an equally benevolent team.  So from Marianne, to Michael, to Chip and Joanna, we'd like to extend our heartfelt gratitude for making Merryn's 6th birthday extra special!  Goodness knows, our precious, little Mother Hen deserves it. 
Merryn unwrapped many additional gifts that appealed to her unique and innovative interests.  
Then, it was time for us to reveal the product of six years of love, dedication, and blessings.  I ordered an enormous poster of Baby Merryn (is it me or was she absolutely delicious?!) and Travis and I stood on either side of it.  In true Chip & Jo fashion, I said, "Merryn, when we first met you, you were practically bald, you drooled a lot, and you pooped in your pants.  Six years later, you are mobile, wise, caring, compassionate, and completely potty trained; let's reveal the new Merryn!"  Travis and I then pushed the poster back to reveal six year-old Merryn.
At that point, it was time for the customary piñata.  Except, for the life of me, I couldn't find a piñata in the shape of a house.  So I appealed to my creative genius friend, Erin, and she walked us through the steps of making our own paper mache piñatas.  And just like on "Fixer Upper," we handed the kids a hammer and let them have "Demo Day." They gleefully whacked the daylights out of that beautiful piñata with Chip and Jo in the windows...

Perhaps the most creative and hilarious idea of all, came directly from Mama Hop.  She commissioned a local confectionery to create milk chocolate cockroaches for the party.  Who could forget the episode where Chip ate the cockroach?!  Brilliant, I tell you.  Absolutely priceless.
After the party, Merryn and her friends burned off all of the sugar they consumed in our swim spa.  The perfect ending to a wonderful party.
Special thanks to everyone who contributed innovative ideas, enthusiastic greetings, and birthday love to Merryn.  This was a birthday we'll never forget!

5 comments:

  1. Wow this is incredible! Merryn is so obviously loved. I've never seen that show, but those stars get extra points in my book. Thanks for sharing.

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  2. I was thrilled to see part 2 was up, I couldn't wait to see the big surprise. What a great surprise it was. How lovely of them to make a video message for Merryn & send her some things. It looks like it ended up being an amazing party for a pretty amazing little girl.

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  3. I knew Chip and Joanna would come through - they are so sweet, and I just love that Merryn got her own special message from them! The "reveal" poster was a brilliant idea, and OMG, I'd forgotten about Chip eating the cockroach but Mama Hop's version sounds much better! What a perfect party for your special girl!

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  4. Wow what an amazing celebration!! I love Chip and Jo even more now! So glad Merryn had the perfect party!

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  5. what an amazing birthday she will never forget. love chip and joanna even more now

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