Allison's friend Meghan lives in Virginia Beach, and since she can't be there to celebrate her birthday, she sent along a little celebration in a box. As a mother of three small children, she spends most of her time keeping them busy, and doesn't make a fuss about her own birthday. 

The box included all the essentials: candles, plates and banner (not pictured) plus a few extras to make the day more fun for the little kids (silly glasses and tiaras). The majority of the items came from Target's party isle, but augmented with a few additions from the grocery store and Ikea (cupcake tea towel and flower ice tray). Everything fit nicely in a small shipping box and is on its way for the big day.  

Happy Birthday Meghan!

When I was at the San Francisco Anthropologie store, I did a double-take when I saw these tear-away cloth napkins by MYdrap:

They come in a number of colors, patterns and sizes, including cocktail, luncheon, dinner and placemat.
What a perfect solution for events where paper just won't do, but you don't want to spend a fortune. We're going to try them out for sure!