• About
  • Contact
    • Media Inquiries
  • Privacy Policy & Disclosures
  • Shop
  • Our Lake House

The No Pressure Life | Crafts | Decor | Organization

Practical home ideas for busy moms.

  • Decorate
    • Decorating Tips and Tricks
    • Room Makeovers
    • Seasonal Decorating
    • Shopping Resources
    • Our Garrison Colonial Makeover
    • Our First Home {City Townhouse}
  • Craft
  • DIY
  • Organize
  • Declutter
  • Free Decluttering Planner

You Are My Sunshine Birthday Party Ideas That Are Easy & Adorable

April 7, 2016 by Laura Kiernan Leave a Comment

If you’re planning a You Are My Sunshine birthday party, these cheerful ideas – plus a free printable thank-you note – will set you up for success!

You Are My Sunshine party ideas that are cute and easy

Even on the rainiest of spring days, looking back at photos from my daughter’s first birthday makes me smile. My mom sang “You Are My Sunshine” to her a lot when she was a baby, so we chose a sunshine party theme for her birthday.

I’m a bit of a stress case when it comes to hosting, and this particular party will forever be known to my son as “That time Mommy threw butter on the floor because she was mad.”

So why did I throw butter on the floor?

Well, like most moms trying to host the perfect first birthday party, I went to Pinterest to look for cake ideas. Although I work full time with two kids and was incredibly sleep-deprived, I thought it was an excellent idea to bake a rainbow cake from scratch.

Unless you are a baking expert, take my advice and do not bake from scratch while sleep deprived. I forgot to grease the pans, ruined the cake and had to start over. Cue the hissy fit and resulting tossed butter.

Simple You Are My Sunshine Birthday Party Ideas

I want your sunshine party to be a shining success (pun intended), so here are several simple ideas – from an easy cake to a free printable thank-you note – that will help you host a great party.

You’ll learn how to:

  1. Make a sunshine party cake (it’s cute and easy!)
  2. Create a DIY sunshine party table setting for cheap
  3. Make a keepsake centerpiece for the table
  4. Find an adorable sunshine party banner
  5. Get a printable thank-you note
  6. Shop for your party supplies
sunshine party thank you note printable

FREE sunshine party Thank YOu Card

Saying thank you is easy with this printable card, plus get access to a huge library of free printable stationery, decor, and organization resources.

How to Make an Easy Homemade You Are My Sunshine Birthday Cake

This post contains affiliate links, which connect you to relevant products at no additional cost to you. When you click, I may receive a small commission. Please read my disclosures for more information. Thanks for supporting The No Pressure Life!

Thankfully, store-bought rainbow cake mix came to the rescue, and it probably tasted better, anyway.

To make this simple sunshine cake, you will need:

  • Cake mix (rainbow mix for extra credit)
  • White frosting
  • Yellow food coloring
  • Candy corns
  • Black and pink icing in a tube

Scoop out the white frosting into a large bowl, and add a little yellow food coloring. With a mixer, whip the frosting until it’s fluffy and yellow. Then, frost your cake and add the decorations. I’m not an artist by any stretch of the imagination, but the cake is still cute!

You Are My Sunshine Birthday Cake Homemade

How to Make Quick DIY Sunshine Party Place Settings

To make these easy, cheap, and disposable place settings, all you need is:

  • Cardstock printed with a cute geometric pattern, or plain yellow cardstock
  • Yellow paper plates
  • Die-cut suns and clouds (I ordered mine from Hello Sunshine Paper Co. on Etsy)

Cardstock makes for a cheap placemat, and the napkin rings are so easy to make! Cut strips of cardstock and wrap them around your napkin and utensils, then secure with tape. Attach the die-cut suns and clouds to the paper ring with a little double-sided tape.

You Are My Sunshine Party place setting idea

How to Create a Keepsake Sunshine Party Centerpiece

Sure, you can decorate the table with flowers or a throw-away paper centerpiece, but why not try something memorable, instead? This framed “You Are My Sunshine” print from Grass Green Design made a cute centerpiece and still hangs on my daughter’s wall three years later.

You Are My Sunshine Birthday Party cake and table decorations

Where to Buy a Cheerful Sunshine Party Banner

The final touch was an adorable, personalized sunshine party banner by Ciao Bambino Designs to decorate my parents’ mantel.

You Are My Sunshine birthday party banner

Free Printable Thank-You Notes for a You Are My Sunshine Birthday Party

It’s easy to say “Thanks!” with these printable sunshine party thank-you notes! The cards and lots of other printable art and stationery are available exclusively to newsletter subscribers in The No Pressure Life Library. Sign up now, then check your inbox for an email with the library’s link and password.

sunshine party thank you note printable

FREE sunshine party Thank YOu Card

Saying thank you is easy with this printable card, plus get access to a huge library of free printable stationery, decor, and organization resources.

Get these free printable You Are My Sunshine party thank-you notes and lots of other easy sunshine party ideas!

Everything You Need for a You Are My Sunshine Birthday Party!

The thing about first birthdays is that they are really more for the parents than the child.

Thankfully, Etsy and Amazon make it easy to get everything you need for the party (so you don’t spend hours cutting little paper suns!). Here are lots of great products to get you started. Just click on an image to shop.

The biggest lesson I learned: Don’t bake from scratch while under pressure, or butter may end up on the other side of the kitchen. 😉

Check out these other ideas!

  • 5 Easy Harry Potter Party Favors Your Kids Will Love + Printable Thank You Note
  • Free Printable Star Wars Bookmarks Featuring Your Favorite Characters
  • How to Transform Broken Crayons Into Perfect Party Favors

Filed Under: Birthday Parties, Celebrate Tagged With: kids party ideas

About Laura Kiernan

I'm Laura, a mom of two little humans and one furry rescue pup. As a full-time working mom, I understand how tough it is to keep your home looking nice and functioning well while juggling everything life throws at you. Check out my organization tips, decor ideas, and quick crafts that will help even the busiest mom feel more in control of her home.

« 8 DIY Art Caddy Ideas That Will Organize Your Creative Mess
How to Plan Your Dream Kitchen (When You Don’t Know Where to Start) »

I'd love to hear from you! Please keep comments respectful. Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Hey there!

I'm a working mom of two who loves making something from nothing, rearranging furniture, and finding a place for everything. Come learn more about me and my journey to a less-stress life!

Get Organized!

How to organize LEGOs - easy ways to organize LEGOs

More Organizing Ideas

Amazon Affiliate Disclosure

I’m a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no cost to you whatsoever.

Copyright

All text and images on this site are the property of The No Pressure Life unless otherwise credited. Use of photos or text on this site is prohibited unless I provide express written permission.  Questions? Drop me a line.

Privacy Policy

No spam here! See my full privacy policy here to understand how The No Pressure Life collects and uses data.

© 2022 The No Pressure Life Sprinkle Theme by Restored 316
3.8K shares

Throw the most magical party ever - easily!

Make your little witch or wizard's party the cutest ever with these coordinating party printables!

While you're waiting for the password for the free printable library, don't miss this offer!

Everything you need for the perfect wizard-themed party in a convenient digital file! One low price includes:

  • 5x7" invitations (2/page)
  • 4x6" thank you notes (2/page)
  • 2x2" stickers/labels (12/page)
  • Cupcake wrappers in 5 unique designs (3/page)
  • "Happy Birthday" banner (8 pages, 2 letters/page)
BUY NOW - JUST $9!

You'll get the digital downloads instantly!

x