Creative Party Blog

Getting the wording just right for your child’s birthday party invitation can be daunting.  It certainly makes the invitation more personal if you can come up with at least one line of creative writing.  No need to make it up yourself!  Use ours.  I doubt any of the children coming to your party came to this one!

Wording goes like this:

AHOY MATEYS!
Shiver Me Timbers
Captain Carson is Turning 7!

Join us for cupcakes and Gorg
As we celebrate his big day!
Sunday, October 24th 2:00 -3:30 pm

Captain Henry’s Pirate Store
At Lloyd Center
(Located on the 2nd floor next to Eddie Bauer,
and near the ice skating rink.)

RSVP Ye Landlubbers to 503-222-5555

Invitation from Paper So Pretty out of Dallas TX.

What was also fun was when the invitation had a pirate sticker covering up the fold of the envelope.  So, you knew when it came in the mail something great was inside.  How often do we get exciting things in the mail these days?  And can you imagine what a kid feels like when they get mail?  Start the excitement with the envelope!

You know Pinatas are really fun for kids to have at birthday parties. And having a pirate skull head is the best!

I don’t believe the hostess made this one but there is no reason why you couldn’t. It’s been a long time since I’ve personally made a pinata but maybe I’ll endeavor one and give you a run down. But this one looks super simple. Just a balloon and some paper sticking out for the cross bones would be all you need for this pirate paper mache pinata.

Speaking of making the pinata for a pirate party….why not have your kid be involved in making their own pinata for their birthday party. My daughter is in first grade and she just did paper mache in her class and did a great job. It may not look like a professional but if your child is like mine, she love to be involved in the planning process……when I let her……I know that’s terrible.

What ever you decide, kids never tire of smacking something like a pinata with a bat. Might as well be something you don’t mind them tearing up. Fill it full and don’t forget to hold some back for the kids who aren’t as aggressive and don’t get any candy.

Ar….There is nothing better for a birthday party than a little story time activity. Especially during a Pirate Birthday Party that can easily get out of control, a story being read will calm those crazy energy bugs down!

The great thing about this activity during a Pirate party is not only that this type of party can be crazy. But there are some great Pirate books out there that can be read. You can even have the kids participate by repeating the words that the crew does.

My favorites are: How I Became A Pirate and Pirates Don’t Change Diapers. I think you would be hard pressed to not find this author. And if I’m not mistaken, I think there is another coming out. These stories are very fun and a great activity for a Pirate Party!

What kind of pirate birthday party do you think you’ll have without a little Pirate Booty????? I’m sure that there are more snacks out there that include the word pirate. But this one is an all natural snack for your kids. And at a party, the kids will devour it!

Pirates in general didn’t have the best diet…..or I would imagine. All the photos I’ve ever seen their teeth are all gnarly, skin atrocious and overweight. Who knows, they may have been healthy guys but all the photos and drawings like to show awful portraits of the pesky fellows. But that doesn’t mean that your kids have to eat trash at your child’s pirate birthday party.

I’ve never bought Pirate Booty online. We have it here at our Trader Joes. If you don’t have a Trader Joes, there are tons of places online that sell the yummy snack. The full name is Roberts’s Gourmet Pirate’s Booty. Comes in cheddar, bbq, veggie and others. Just do a search for the name and you’ll get lots of results. Enjoy!

Setting the stage for a party can easily be done at the feast table. And when you are talking about a Pirate Birthday Party, a Feast Table is just what it is. It doesn’t take much to create an inviting place. Use a few things from home or even find objects at the local thrift store.

This pirate’s table has some simple square red and white check table cloths draped along the length of it. Then in the center, you can see some lanterns that might have been hung on the back of a pirate ship. You could pull some tarnished pieces out of the cabinet to put along the center of the table. But if you don’t want to risk something happening to your own items, you can certainly head on down to the local thrift store to find some nifty booty. They always have silver and brass items that folks aren’t interested in purchasing that would be perfect for the center of a pirate’s table.

Spread some coins either real or chocolate wrapped and some booty and your centerpieces are set for your Pirate’s Birthday Party Feast Table!

Let me hear you say “Arh.” These were common words to hear coming out of this captain’s mouth. At birthday parties, moms and dads are often busying around with the party and all the details that go with it and aren’t enjoying the party itself. Whether it’s a pirate party or another theme altogether, you are going to have the same experience.

Just like you might hire a caterer or servers for a dinner party, hire a party “captain.” This gal was part of a package that the birthday boy’s mom purchased at a local store that sells pirate garb. But even if you are having your party at home, you can still do this. Now, I’m not talking about an entertainer. I’m talking about a person who takes the planning that you have set into motion and carries it out. This leaves you to pay attention to the pirates or to other moms.

A college student would be perfect but really any responsible kid could carry it all out. My daughter “big kid helps” at my son’s preschool. She is only 7 and totally guides the little ones in the activities for the day. I don’t see why she wouldn’t be able to carry out the basic functions of a birthday party if she were allowed to be in charge.

Regardless or not if you have someone else run the party for you or it’s you yourself running the party….don your favorite pirate captain’s costume and it will make the party all that much more fun for the kids. And it helps you get into character as well!

We recently went to a Pirate Birthday Party at one of our local malls. The store was a Pirate themed store and in the back they had an area for the kids table and room for activities. What a great idea to generate extra revenue for those guys!!!

Anyway, during party times and peak times, they have a “warm up” guy out front of the store to greet the kids. He makes all kinds of balloons into swords and hats and whatever can be dreamed up. I can see this being a fun addition to the beginning of any birthday party. Really not even just Pirate parties. There are tons of clowns and balloon guys around who could do this to warm kids up and set the tone for the party.

So for the next Pirate or other type of Birthday party, consider just having a balloon maker come to warm the kids up or to be the primary entertainment.

So, as you all know the Build A Bear stores are all in the malls. That is a good and a bad thing but when our kids want a certain type of party we make do with what we have…..right?

This party ended with the kids having a snack outside the Build A Bear store in the middle of the mall walkway! They so don’t care. And if it’s a mall that has tables around, you can just move a few in front of the store. Now depending on your mall, you MIGHT have to talk with them and let them know what you are doing. But I don’t think it would be a problem. People are eating out in the mall hallways all the time.

There are several positive aspects about this. You have control over the food and cake. Often when you go to certain party places, they require that you use their food and cake. Not the case here! And it’s indoors. So, no matter what time of year it will be warm and dry. Always a plus. I had a party for my son last year that was FREEZING in May and it was outside. Disaster.

Anyway, even though you are thinking of having a party at a particular store in a mall, don’t let that box you in. No matter if it’s Build A Bear or some other store, think outside the store and use your surroundings.

If you are having a bear themed party or even a formal Build A Bear Party, go out on a limb and make a cake that looks like your child’s favorite bear!!! Honestly it’s not that hard. Just a little time and tlc. As you can see, this cake looks just like the birthday girls favorite Build A Bear.

The mom took the bear and as you can see next put it right next to her work as she was making it. Don’t forget when you are cutting out and preparing your own custom cake that you do it on the serving platter or plate.

One thing you may or may not be able to tell is that the bear has a double layer of cake on the nose to make it higher.

Honestly, these are my favorite kind of cakes. You can certainly pay several hundred dollars for a beautifully decorated cake and if you don’t have the time or don’t want to fool with making the cake yourself then I’m not downing the idea at all! I just like to stay up ’til midnight the day before my kids parties to make and decorate home made custom cakes…..ha! Seriously, it does take some time. But the kids love it no matter what it looks like and they do see the time you are putting in to THEIR Birthday cake.

Resources: This cake was made by a friend, Kerry Scroggins, and was willing to allow me to share her masterpiece.

Anywhere from a first birthday for as long as kids love stuffed animals, you can have a teddy bear themed birthday party. My daughter recently attended a birthday party at Build a Bear and she is in the 1st grade. We were even at the mall this weekend and there was a girl walking out with a Build a Bear box and she had to have been in like 5th or 6th grade. So, it’s just up to your child and their interests as to what age you can have a party like this.

Anyway, let’s talk invitations!!! This is another really cute popup I found that can be generic or for the Build A Bear Birthday Parties! So simple to make in comparison to some of the other popups. You could do a bunch in no time. This is even one that your daughter or son could help you cut out. Below is a link to the website where you can find the templates for the pop up cards.

Suggested wording as follows (just print it out on your computer before attaching the bear):

(On the left hand side)
He’s squishy and loyal
We love him so!
Who? Jonathan?
No, His Build a Bear!
Join us to celebrate Jonathan’s Birthday.

(On right side)
Meet us at Build A Bear
Location
Date
Time
RSVP

Resources: Paper – Scrapbooking weight paper found in any scrapbooking store. Templates found on www.RobertSabuda.com.

Have fun with these! I’m loving the pop up birthday card invitations!

I found by accident this guy who creates pop up books. What an art!!! Anyway, by luck, he also had some fabulous pop up card templates on his site. I have the web address below. Anyway, in looking through them, I was able to use several by just adding color and some personal touches.

This particular popup card could be used for a First Birthday Party Invitation or even a Baby Shower invitation. So easy to make. It took a little time to cut out the animal shapes so I don’t know that I would want to make 30 or more but they are soooo worth it. I don’t mind spending a little extra time on the invitations. When I’m watching T.V. with my husband, I just sit and cut.

Wording as follows:

Two by Two
They’ll say to you….
Happy Birthday John!

(under ark)

Join us for John’s 1st Birthday Party
Date
Time
Location
RSVP

Resources: Get the template for this and other Pop up Cards at www.robertsabuda.com.

I decided that I wanted to make a pop up card for one of my kid’s birthday party invitations. Maybe I was a gluten for punishment….not sure. Anyway, I thought I would have to create them all from scratch so I set out to learn how to do pop ups. Ugh. This is a real art.

Then shazam, I found this website from a man who produces pop up books. AND…..he has some free templates on his site that allow you to print out and make your own cards. The selection is not vast but you can find some cute ones. The ladybug being one of them!!

I simply printed out the template on colored paper and then embellished it with dots. For you purists out there, I know that the dots are not perfectly symmetrical like they are suppose to be. But whenever my daughter draws ladybugs, she never makes the dots right. So, I went on her lead and did them random as well.

I have done several of the pop up cards on this site and you will be able to see them under the invitations section of our blog.

Have fund creating your own ladybug party invitation for your bug or ladybug inspired birthday party!

Resources: Template available on www.robertsabuda.com, I used light weight scrap booking paper but not too lightweight. If it’s like construction paper it won’t hold enough shape!

A Bug Theme (or “Insects” as my daughter’s 1st grade class is now calling them) lends itself to some very creative parties and activities. We are actually using the “insect” or bug theme to make their school class auction item…..but I digress.

It’s fun to share different wording options for birthday party invitations. Sometimes it’s impossible to be creative with the wording. But whenever possible, I at least try and put in a couple of creative lines on the invitation. Following is just a suggestion but if you have others please share them with us!

Bug Party Invitation Wording is as follows:

“We’re bug-eyed and happy to say
It’s time to celebrate John’s 3rd Birthday
Picnic (without the bugs) at Crutch Park
Saturday, June 2 from 12 to 2 pm
Join us behind the swings.
RSVP”

Resources: For information on how to make this invitation, go to our post on the Lady Bug Party Pop Up Invitation.

This might be one of my favorite thank you notes that we’ve ever gotten! This was an outdoor vintage theme party and it was held in downtown on a boardwalk. Because it was in the middle of summer, the hostess put out a water sprinkler and the kids went wild.

The thank you note was a photo taken from the party. Not only did it have both my kids in it but it had the party girl in it as well! The personal note was written on the back. Now, what is so interesting about this is that the card was an actual photo. Then the backing looked like a postcard backing that was a sticker that was just applied to the photo.

This particular postcard backing was from Photopostos.com. They are made in the US. They are acid free so the image will keep forever! I haven’t done this yet, but I feel it coming in the near future!

Nothing like a magic show theme for a kids birthday party. There is that special age where they still buy into everything and the tricks are really magical for the kids. I love watching their faces. Once they get to like 2nd to 4th grade, the kids get too skeptical and you have to have a really good magician to fool them.

This was the invitation for a party we went to and the kids loved the party. The tone was set when the invitation arrived. It was address to the kids and it was to both kids so we know right away who is invited. Then a kid appropriate stamp was chosen which is another little detail that enhances the party planning process!

The Magic Show Birthday Party Invitation wording went as such:

Magic Show
Birthday Party

Abracadabra William is turning 5!
Join us for cake, fun and a furry surprise!

Date
Location
RSVP and Date

This is such a fun theme even if you don’t like this invitation there are so many out there to chose from. This one was ordered from Tiny Prints.

If you are inviting new friends or you live in an out of the way place, it’s always thoughtful to assist your guests in finding the party location! I have to be completely honest, this is a detail I personally often forget.

It seemed like for so many years we were inviting friends to our parties who knew our neighborhood. Now, that my daughter is in first grade, we are inviting a whole new set of folks. It’s no longer the kids of my friends who are coming but her friends from school. And not very many of them live in our specific neighborhood so they get lost!!!

Really all it takes is a simple sign that your kids help to make. Or get a couple of extra balloons to tie to the front gate or a stop sign where they need to turn.

Another nice gesture is to put a copy of the directions in the invitation and not just an address. I’m so dependent on my IPhone to get me where I need to go that I forget not everyone has one or uses theirs in that way. This is really easy to do if it’s your home. Just type the directions in a word doc and size it small so you don’t have to resize all the time to print. Save the Directions Document for all the parties you throw.

So, no matter what kind of party you are giving or gathering, it’s helpful to assist your guests in arriving on time and with as little stress as possible!

Magic Show Birthday Parties are becoming very popular. And what’s a magic themed birthday party without a real magician? For the right age kid, it can really be fun for them. This birthday boy is obviously having a great time.

I’ve been to several of these types of parties over the last year or so and really it doesn’t matter much how good your magician is. The kids seem to love all level of talented magician. There was one in particular that the adults didn’t really care for but the kids loved him. Then there have been others that both adults and kids love. The best way to find these guys is just by word of mouth referrals.

As you can tell by the faces of these kids, this magician was a bit hit. I will say that kids get to a certain age and they really try figuring out how the tricks work. You’ll have to base it on your child and their friends. But I think that the perfect age range for a magician is where the kids are from say 4 to 8…..maybe 9. At some point, they start heckling the magician and that’s not fun.

This particular magician was at a birthday party for a 5 year old and his name is Presto from Portland, OR. I’ll just say that the kids loved him.

Professional Cake makers are amazing these days. Growing up, we never had such fancy birthday cakes. And the company that makes these not only makes them look great but they taste great too.

This cake was made as a layer cake to resemble a magicians hat and then the bunny and wand on top. Between the layers, there was something like a fruit type jam. Hum. Then with the roll out fondants that you can get and make, the creative juices can just flow. Use cookie cutters or cut the designs out yourself!

Have any of you watch the cake maker on HGTV or something like that. These guys are really amazing!

Anyway, this cake was bought from the Beaverton Bakery in Portland OR and really make the theme of the magician birthday party come alive! ADORABLE!

Having a magician them birthday party? Dress your little magician for the part! Kids love to dress up.

Letting the birthday boy or girl play a part in a themed birthday party is like allowing them to be a character in a play and what kid does not act out characters ALL THE TIME? My kids want to be animals all the time but that’s off the subject! For this magician birthday party, the birthday boy simply wore a bow tie for most of the party. He also had a top hat and cape which were shed pretty quickly but he did put them back on for the magic show……if I remember correctly.

Magician dress up items can be found at most costume shops or stores or really anywhere online. But even if you just went with a bow tie, I think the above magician looks great….don’t you?

Add a personal touch to your magic show’s party table. The party table is always the centerpiece of a birthday party. It doesn’t matter where you host the party or the age of the kids or what activities there are, you always sit down and at least have cake! Right? So, make the table a memorable one.

Often we have parties at these large facilities or at a park or at home and it’s extremely hard to decorate the whole place to fit your theme. That is unless you totally want to blow the budget!!! So, pick a place and do it up! The eating table is a great place to start. You could also chose the serving table. It doesn’t really matter where, but concentrate some personal touches in one area and that will make more of an impact than trying to decorate and entire gym….for example.

Here the hostess, purchased some fabric yardage at a local store to use as the table cloth. So often the table cloths you buy are either not original or are just not what you want. But, especially now that quilting is so big, there are tons of fabrics to chose from. And the designs range from Disney to very sophisticated. And really you don’t even have to hem it. No one will ever notice. For the magic show theme, blue fabric with stars was perfect.

Simply cut the fabric the size you need for the table and lay it down! Nothing could be easier or more impactful. It really won’t take long to find what you want and add some solid plates and cups and you are done! No matter if you are doing a magic show theme or really anything else, there is something out there for you.