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Here's what I would suggest. If you have your heart set on a specific Elmo theme, go online to find printable coloring pages you can use to get Elmo images for decorations. Buy a sheet of Elmo stickers, then stick them to a wax paper backing. This will allow you to put them on top of each cupcake as a decoration without the shortening in the icing bleeding through the paper.

For the general decorations, hit your local Dollar Tree and use red plates and streamers, and your homemade decorations to set the theme. Or, buy just one or two packages of Elmo plates, and the rest color-coordinated from the dollar store.

A balloon shape makes a perfect pinata. Use red tissue to decorate, and make the kind with a trap-door type bottom, rather than the kind you need a bat to break. I did that for my daughter's party, and it's much easier for that age group.

If you have an artistic side, a cheap game is this. Enlarge an Elmo picture onto a piece of posterboard. Color or paint, and cut it out, cutting holes where his eyes and mouth are. Get some fabric scraps and dried beans, and sew some cheap beanbags. Voila---an Elmo themed bean bag toss for a game!

Have fun, and don't sweat it. At two years old, the party decorations are more for the adults than your daughter. She won't remember except in the pictures! :-)

First she is two years old! Second, do you have a herd of jerk friends that are going to judge you for being a mother that cares enough about your child to make everyhing by hand instead of buy a bunch of crap at the store, if so dump your crappy friends not the homemade care you are putting into your todders party. Remember back in the day way before people were idiots about overspending on everything and before the fashion was to get kicked out of your house because you couldn't afford to pay for it? Yeah, that was called living within your means and really taking care of your family. Stop being so hooked on commericial crap, including ELMO and just enjoy the day with your child, a few REAL friends and family and reflect about how happy your child makes you regardless if you are throwing money at them or not. The children will be thrilled to have homemade anything to play with and to eat, screw the rude adults that can see things the way things should be.

I doubt your daughter is going to recall the quality of decorations from her second birthday; two-year olds are just starting to formulate memories at that age. And she won't have any memories to reference against her experiences. Besides, it is the amount of love extolled upon the child during these occasions which will be remembered in the future; not that the decorations weren't of "professional" quality. In other words, if you have fun, that is what she will remember.

If you use "real" elmo images for a home party it should be fine. My kids are having their first non-homeade b-day party at 5 and 6 years old so if you can manage everything and your child is happy with it you go ahead and poop on those people that seceretly think they are better then you.

no just buy bunch of balloons and decoration and make sure you put whip cream on the cake and real fruit such as strawberries and raspberries and blueberries