Decorating for RAMP IT UP!’s launch was so much fun! I feel kind of sorry for people who are healthy enough to have regular launch parties and miss out on this tradition!
When my first book came out, my mom stayed up all night to surprise me with decorations on my launch day. This time, we took a more collaborative approach: I did most of the shopping and Mom provided the muscle. My parents also supplied the congratulations banners and balloons, including the now traditional rocket for “launch day”!
RAMP IT UP! was such a fun book to decorate for since it’s all about toys!
Lots of kids have LEGO birthday parties, so there were tons of cute things available. I found a building brick garland, oversized storage bricks, and fun LEGO heads! And, of course, I broke out LEGO sets I already owned and added some new ones: cars, Toy Story, and a fun Duplo ramp set.
I found several toys that use wheelchairs—LEGO, Barbie, Little People, and a cool remote control stunt wheelchair based on a real athlete, Aaron “Wheelz” Fotheringham!
It’s good that I found a decent number of toys with wheelchairs because I didn’t find any wheelchair party decorations. That’s not super surprising, but I did think *someone* would have wheelchair confetti or cut outs or something. But I love this poster I got from PlaySpark. And an adorable enamel pin! They have lots of cute disability-related designs available on shirts and other products.
Finally, I invested in some character cutouts, which will be great for book events. I got a 3-foot standee of Zoe from Etsy and smaller versions of Car and Miles from Square Signs. Plus, Zoe stickers!
My sister and her kids came to celebrate. My nephew enjoyed the three kinds of LEGO sugar—my mom made LEGO Rice Krispie treats and I got two kinds of LEGO candy. (You can really build with the Building Blox candy! They don’t taste fantastic, but my nephew didn’t mind. Annie’s gummies are delicious but don’t hold their shape very well.) My niece loved the Zoe cutout—as a drum. She kept picking it up and thunking it on the ground, and was very upset when we made her stop!
A very happy launch to RAMP IT UP!