FUN PARTY ON A TIGHT BUDGET!! I am a single mom on a limited budget so I had to get really creative with my son's third birthday.  We decided on a barnyard theme. Invitations: I made postcard sized invitations on glossy cardstock with a barnyard theme printed on one side and the information on the other.  I thought they turned out well. I used a 'piggy' font that I found on the net for the first letter of the headings. Decorations: We used barnyard toys that I got a thrift store, the Old MacDonald game grandma gave him and various other items that fit the theme. It is very cold here in the winter so it was all inside. For the table cloth I used an inexpensive paper one in red, it was big enough to cut in half and also cover the gift table. I used many colored baloons and red and white streamers. All very inexpensive. Cake: He wanted a piggy cake!!  I had a hard time finding one I liked on the internet so I made my own plan.  I took a large pan and made brownies and frosted them and took mud and bugs cereal and crumpled it up on top to look like dirt. Then I took a few gummy worms and put them around in the 'mud'.   Then I took carrot cake mix (my son's fave) and made cupcakes. We put red food coloring in the cream cheese frosting and made it pink.  All of the cupcakes were frosted pink.  Then I took large marshmellows and cut them in half.  Holding the sticky side I dipped them in the frosting and then placed them sticky (white) side down. Then I took M&M minis and places them as nostrils and reg. size M&M's as eyes. For ears I used LARGE pink conversation hearts with the words down so they were plain pink.  I put a few pigs in the mud and the rest on a serving tray. When the cake was served everyone got a piece of brownie with a piggie on top. Games: We played 'pin the tail on the cow', barnyard bingo (the cards had pictures of animals and the sounds were called out), and 'pass the pig' (we took a stuffed pig and passed it around the circle until the music stopped, that person was then out and it continued until only one was left - first and second prizes awarded).  All games were created by me using the computer here at work.   Goodie Bags: I spent the most here and on the prizes.  I am broke but I wanted the kids to leave with nice things. I bought mini watercolors, stickers, lots of candy, bubbles and toys.  Food: We served potato salad, fruit salad, fresh veggies, cheese and crackers and mini corn dogs.  Friends helped provide food, potluck style. Plates were the little hefty animal plates, white napkins and red cups leftover from another party.  I made stickers out of labels on the computer and put them on the cups. Everyone had a good time and the pictures are great. I likes making a lot of the things rather than buying them prepackaged and in a 'kit', it makes it more personal and fun.