I remember myself as young as five years old, eagerly handing out homemade invitations to my friends on the playground, helping my mom bake a cake, blowing up colourful balloons, and hanging Pin-The-Tail-On-The-Donkey on the living room wall.  At-home parties were the norm and I loved it.
Fast forward a few decades. I?m now a mom of two boys, and birthdays seem to have morphed into expensive playland propositions so grand that I feel like I need to take out a twice-yearly loan to meet these kids’ party expectations. Not anymore. For my oldest son Nolan’s recent 10th birthday, I decided to kick it old school with an at-home fete!
Photo: Michael Carson
Since he was old enough to hold a crayon he has been art obsessed, so I proposed that we put the ART in PARTY. Here?s how we threw a budget-friendly art-themed birthday party:
Photo: Michael Carson
1. Plan a colourful menu

One of my biggest considerations when hosting an at-home party is ensuring there are plenty of menu options for picky eaters and children with serious food sensitivities. Several of Nolan?s classmates have severe peanut, gluten and lactose allergies, so the spread had to be inclusive for all kids.
To fill everyone’s bellies, I created a build-your-own rainbow nacho bar, complete with gluten-free corn chips, lactose-free cheese and sour cream (with a drop of blue food colouring to make it fun), mild salsa, homemade guacamole, and a few extra veggies for good measure. You could eas...