Nothing pleases us more at Big Dot of Happiness than party planning! We’ve built our days around it!! Our shelves are full of big baby balloons, space alien napkins and ladybug shaped dinner plates. Our normal conversations consist of talk about centerpieces, themed invitations and party banners. Creating remarkable events is our passion, and the reason we do what we do. The only thing that we love more than planning parties, is hearing stories and seeing pictures of the parties our amazingly talented customers throw. Through the years we have been truly in awe of the effort and creativity our customers put into celebrating the big milestones of life.
Recently we launched our first ever Facebook contest!! The rules were simple…share your favorite party story! Happy, funny, scary, sweet…there were no limitations. Post your most amazing pictures and let our Facebook fans vote their hearts out for their favorite story! As always, our fans did not disappoint!! From first birthdays, to sentimental weddings, to flaming kitchen stoves, your stories had us rolling with laughter and tearing up with emotion. We were beyond impressed with the stories posted and the votes received. So impressed, that we couldn’t just pick one winner. That’s right, the stories and the votes were so remarkable, we just had to have both a first and second place champ!! We’re excited to announce the winners of the first ever Big Dot of Happiness Facebook contest. Drum roll please……
A huge first place cheer, and $100 Big Dot of Happiness gift certificate, goes to Suling Prayitno and oh-so adorable “Eva’s First Ladybug Birthday” story!!!
The second place shout out, and $50 Big Dot of Happiness gift certificate, goes to Liz Kennedy Wiechert and the outrageous “The Christmas the Oven Caught on Fire” story!!
Thanks to all who posted and voted!!! Stay tuned for the next Big Dot of Happiness Facebook contest, but until them, sit back, relax and enjoy the two winning stories!
First Place:
Suling Prayitno
Story: Eva’s First Ladybug Birthday!!
Post by Suling:
Little spots and polka dots are the components of a little ladybug. We had a lady bug theme party for my daughter’s first birthday. We ordered a specialized invitations from the Big Dot of Happiness! The invitation said that our little Eva is turning one so fly on over and come have some fun. I mailed the invitation with a lady bug stamp with Eva’s name on it.
Decoration: As the kids arrived, I gave them a black and red color headband with antenna I hand-made. I created a red and black display wall with all my daughter’s photos. Some photos include the day she was born, first Easter, first Halloween and her newborn’s outfit next to it. Our house is filled with red and black ladybug balloons from Big Dot of Happiness!
Costume: My daughter wore a special order ladybug dress with her name and number one on it along with a matching hat.
Food: I ordered two ladybug shaped cakes from a local bakery, one was for the guests and the other cake was for Eva to smash. All the foods at the party were either red and black or circle to coordinate with the theme. The food included ladybug crackers, ladybug jello, devil eggs, cookies, fruit kabobs, and ladybug cupcakes. We used ladybug plates and cups from the Big Dot of Happiness!
Activities: We played two games throughout the party. The first game was a guessing game on how many diapers Eva used for the whole year. I kept track of the number of diapers Eva had worn throughout the year, and the guests had to estimate that number. The second game was called ” Who knows Eva the best?”. The game consisted of multiple choice questions. Some questions include where she was born, how many pounds did she weigh, what is Eva’s middle name, what hospital she was born, etc… All the guests had a wonderful time and were able to learn new things about Eva during the game. The winner received a ladybug coffee mug and a ladybug soap from Big Dot of Happiness!
Everything turned out beyond everyone’s expectations. Everyone enjoyed the food especially the ladybug crackers and ladybug devil eggs. My guests said it was such a memorable party and even after a year they are still talking about it. Thank you for being a part of this special occasion and for making it such an unforgettable moment!
Second Place:
Liz Kennedy Wiechert
Story: The Christmas the Oven Caught Fire
Post by Liz:
30ish people here (all family) on Christmas Eve. My brother had baked 4 pistachio nut pies in my oven earlier in the day. They dripped goo all over the bottom of the oven. The self cleaning mode needed to be pressed more that day than any other. I having 20ish lbs of skewered shrimp decided that the 4 hour process (at least) to clean the oven would have to wait. I also had an oyster cracker snack mix that just needed to be toasted for a few short minutes before I broiled the shrimp. Well, you know that plastic “oven safe” disposable roasting pans? Not so “oven safe”. It did, however, lend to my oven being disposable. The goo at the bottom of the pan caught on fire melting the pan, causing more fire. I did grab the camera before I grabbed the fire extinguisher. My niece and I grabbed the 20ish lbs of shrimp and trekked across the street. There, I was lucky enough to have a neighbor lend me the use of her oven while she, her sister and brother-in-law enjoyed a quiet dinner for the three of them. Then back thru the snow to my house and the 30ish family members there. And no, I did not cause a fire in the neighbor’s kitchen. That brother with the pies? Ya, he sells appliances for a living and was only to happy to accommodate my needs after the holiday. Half off his commission, of course.
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