Creating life's memories that are both Magical and Unique. Keepin’ it Memorable, Keepin’ it Crafty, Keepin’ it Simple, Keepin’ it Affordable. All while Keepin’ it Magical and Unique!
About Manda Panda Parties
Where it all began
Hi, I'm Amanda!! I am the voice and mind behind the page. I am a mother to totally opposite, amazingly charismatic and spunky, twin 8 year old boys. And once I had them, that is really where it all began.
Let me tell you a little about myself. I'm a Virgo, a list maker, a perfectionist, and my own worst critic. I am constantly on the go and my friends and family are always telling me I need to relax and stop planning out every calendar month in advance. Above all, I am an advocate for living a life filled with purpose and capturing those memories every step of the way. But what I am not.. is afraid to take risks, to work hard, to learn from my mistakes, and to live my life as I see fit no matter what anyone thinks, as long as I am in the pursuit of happiness.
I have always loved planning, crafting and being creative in any way possible. I have about 50 photo albums because I am OBSESSED with pictures-an obsession which has turned from albums to scrapbooks as a way to expand upon my creativitity and better hang on to every one of life's prescious moments.
I am not cheap- but I AM frugal. If I can save .18 cents one something well you better believe I'm gonna take advantage of that. That combined with my passion for DIY, cooking, and creating one of a kind parties, is how MandaPandaParties became more than a dream.... It became a plan.
I have always had a knack for planning and organizing, as well as being extremely resourceful and creative at the same time. With my boys, I was determined to plan and design themes that you can't find at Party City or Walmart. I wanted the classics, and when I chose "Mr. Potato Head" for their second birthday's, that is when the fun began and I started making EVERYTHING by hand because of course you couldn't find that anywhere. I was constantly asked the same questions by friends, family, and guests. Who planned this? Where did you get these decorations? Over the years I have learned that I can make any party decor out there for 1/2 the price and I truly love doing it. Better yet, it actually fast and simple!
So here I am. After planning, designing, and executing 8 of my twin boys birthdays (each one more extravagant then the previous), and then diving in to hand make every decoration and party favor for all friends showers, anniversary’s, and weddings, I’ve finally took the advice of friends and family and decided to share my low cost, handmade, and customized creations with like minded Mom's like myself, who are busy, on a budget, and just trying to do our best.
My goal here is to share with you all the things that I have learned along this journey. All of the epic failures that have taught me the invaluable lesson of what NOT to do. All of the wins I have celebrated. The in-between of what I would have done differently or better had I known. In the next section I tell a personal experience that I think helped shape who I am today, and if your here on my page, I'd be willing to bet you can relate!
I know your a busy Mom, just like me. Trying to juggle kids schedules, make everyone happy, and prepare for all the birthdays, holidays, and soccer games that come along in between. We don't have hours to spend in the kitchen after working all day, nor the energy to do so if we did! And we certainly don't have the budget to splurge on a party planner for our kids 6th birthday.
If I can give you back just 10 minutes a day by sharing my time saving tips and tricks, take just a shred of weight off your shoulders, and save you even a little money on ways to create life's memories, than I'd say my mission has been accomplished.
A Little About Me
The is my "Why?"
I can‘t believe my babies are 8!
I‘ll never forget their first birthday, I thought it was THE biggest thing ever. Justice and Maddox, who we’ve adopted into one solid nickname of “JustMadd”, were turning the big 0-1. We had people in from out of town and it just had to be perfect, and well because I’m a Virgo ♍️, everything must be perfect.
Dr. Seuss’s Thing 1 and Thing 2 was the theme. I had a planning notebook, Dr. Seuss quotes printed and mounted on cardstock, booked a Jumphouse for Twin 1 year olds with no friends, maybe 2 other kids in the Fam, and a bunch of adults. I Handmade name signs out of red and blue felt to hang on their high chairs that we dragged from our condo to the park up the street where we had the party (shout-out to Daddio for helping trace the felt letters). Planned out the menu and desserts ; 2 smash cakes with RED frosting and the numbers 1 and 2 which was the most horrific idea because there little faces were stained red for 2 days. The cupcakes also had red frosting and blue cotton candy as the “hair” that I bought online for like $20 because I couldn’t find it locally. OH- and it was July in San Diego, so the $20 blue cotton candy hair melted in just minutes of arriving. The morning of the party when Dad went to get the balloons, I was informed that there was a helium shortage and there was none. After tears, demanding, and if I remember correctly, 3 or so stops and another $20-$30 later he found a place with helium and order was restored. How could I ever throw my children their first birthday without balloons!!
I could go on, but when I look back I can see how tremendously stressful that was. Although what I just described above sounds as if their first birthday was an absolute disaster, it was so far from it, that it was just what I wanted to be - perfect! No one ever knew that there was almost no balloons. The 2 kids jumped on that darn jumpy until the guy came to tear it down. Their chubby little red frosting dyed faces did eventually fade back to their smooth pink natural tone. The high chairs squeezed into the 5th and final trip from the park back home, and the Cotton Candy? What Cotton Candy, I didn’t know the cupcakes were supposed to have that on top?
We are all just Moms (and Dads and grammas) just trying to do the absolute best we can. We are busy, and we’re tired, and usually working on a budget. I’ve have always loved planning and organizing, and if you ask anyone who knows me I may have a bit of an obsessive personality so when I get into something I engulf myself until I’m bored and the next thing comes along. I have learned so much from that first party and I want to share it with all the Moms out there that are in tears because the cake you ordered for your daughters birthday has Magenta colored fondant flowers and you asked for Fuschia!
I said year after year that I was going to take it easy the next one, and do a simple Chucky Cheese or bowling. Here I am 8 years later, just wrapped up their 8th YouTube themed bday complete with its own Hashtag, #JustMaddSeason8,YouTube Video Invitations, and handmade Photo Prop Booth to name just a few things. Why do I do it you ask? Because I love it. And I want to help you make the most memorable occasions for your loved ones as well. With my simple party ideas and inspiration, tips and tricks I’ve learned along the way, event planning how-to’s (and how to nots), recipes, and hands on DIY crafting and planning services for people just like me who are busy and on a budget and just trying to do our best.
My nickname my dad would call me when I was little was MandaPanda. I say now I’m the Pandicorn of Party Planners. Everything I create is unique and makes for a Magical affair!
~Amanda DiNovo