Creative Party Blog

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.

There is nothing more simple yet impactful than a centerpiece of balloons!

This birthday party revolved around a Magic Theme. In the center of the table was a magician’s hat with a group of helium balloons nesting in it. The hostess, aka mom, pulled the whole party together with a few simple colors which I thought were perfect. Blue, White and Silver with punches of red made the party really come together.

Remember that great ideas don’t always have to take you a lot of time to put together. Some of the best ideas are simple and easy to pull together!

It really doesn’t matter the age of a child…..you give them a few balls or riding toys or a net and a gym and the kids will figure out something to play! This party was in a neighborhood gym and these parties really end up being the easiest parties that still let you put your own mark on.

Many times when I’m planning a party, I think of all the cool places that are out there that we could have a party at…..you know the places. But when it comes to being able to individualize the party, it’s really tough. Now, I’m sure that’s my own hangup and not one that my children share but it really does make a difference to personalize a party.

When you want to personalize a party it doesn’t mean that you have to plan and schedule every second of the party. Have the party at a location that lends it’self to free play. You can eat up 30 min to an hour with the kids just getting their wiggles out.

Don’t be afraid of the down time and let them make their own fun with free play.

Birthday banners are fun to hang up no matter the party theme or no matter if the party is outside, in your home or on location.

The paper ones out there are so completely hum drum. I’ve even tried to make paper one and they can be very personal and cute. The party where I photographed this had a paper banner as well.

But I really liked this idea. This is a purchased banner. It was cut in triangles with seams 1/2″ in from the edge so keep it from raveling. And then the top is sewn on to some seam binding or fabric folded over that resembled seam binding. You could totally make this yourself. Use left over fabrics or a specific theme of fabrics for the banner. With quilting at an all time high in popularity there are an unlimited number of themed fabrics out there. No matter if you are planning a vintage, outdoor, bug or halloween birthday party, this idea can be transformed to work.

Now, if I were making this myself, I might sew the seam binding on as it would be the fastest way of doing it……. But, if you don’t sew, you could make this birthday party banner by simply using hot glue or fabric glue to glue over one of the edges of the banner. I don’t have a template for the triangle but I plan to make one of these for one of my kids parties and when I do, I’ll certainly offer the pattern.

Just another way to let your creative juices go. Have fun with your birthday party banner and add some color to your child’s birthday party.

If you are planning a flower Themed Birthday Party or an Outdoor Birthday Party, having these flower decorated cupcakes will be perfect!

We attended a party where the hostess had made these herself. If you could have seen the kids faces, wow. I don’t know if it was the super cute decorations or the fact that each child not only was getting a cupcake to eat but also a sucker. Ha!

To make the flower cupcakes, they were iced with regular white icing. Use any flavor of cupcake….whatever your child prefers. Take the cupcake and dip in yellow sprinkles. Besides the one shown above, there were also ones with orange and green “grass” or base coat. Or sprinkles. Simply stick a sucker the color of your choice and then add some green taffy as the leaf.

I think I overheard the hostess say that she had seen this done before, not sure where. I just thought these Flower Cupcakes were super cute and a big hit with the kids!!!

Kids and adults alike love to eat ice cream cakes. So, what better time to have them at a birthday party? We have some good friends that purchase ice cream cakes for every birthday no matter if it’s a kid or adult and no matter if there’s a party or not!

Ice cream cakes a wonderful alternative and I’ve never seen an ice cream store that doesn’t make or offer ice creams cakes of some sort. They aren’t always the most creative cakes but what’s to say that you couldn’t get a plain one, take it home and decorate it yourself? I might have to try that and share it with you for one of our parties. Why do you have to do it all???

Depending on the cake, you can experience a few glitches with ice cream cakes. If you don’t plan to eat it at the ice cream store, don’t forget to take along a strong sharp knife to cut the cake. And depending on how hard or soft you want the cake to be when you serve it up, you’ll need to gauge the outdoor temp. The above photo was taken at a party where the ice cream store is right across the street from a water park (aka location of the birthday party). The store didn’t have a knife to share with the host and was relegated to try and cut the cake with a plastic knife!!! It was not a super hot day and it took forever for the cake to get warm enough to serve. Just food for thought!

Are you planning an outdoor water type party? If you are having a summer party, it is just too much fun to have it at a water park, where you can turn on a sprinkler or even at a pool if the kids are old enough!

First off, it’s always good to either put on the invitation or on an insert that your guests should bring a swimsuit, towel and sunscreen. But I don’t care who it is or what age party it is…..someone…..will forget one or more of the required water enjoyment items. We’ve been to 3 water involved parties this summer and at the most recent one, another one of the little girl’s mom forgot to bring her swimsuit. Tragic! Luckily, I had taken my swim bag and it had an extra swimsuit in it! It was about 2 sizes too big but the kid didn’t care. All she wanted to do was play in the water.

So, as the hostess of a party that includes frolicking in the water it would be good to remember extra towels, sunscreen and a swimsuit or two. That is if you have extra you are willing to share. Forgetful moms and/or dads will be thankful!

When creating a festive birthday atmosphere, it’s important to add personal touches. Do you have fabrics at home that you love? Do you have dishware that you love to use? Or do you have just the cutest chairs and/or tables in your home?

These vintage chairs were brought out for the kids to sit on while at an outdoor kids birthday party. When you have enough to provide adequate seating for the kids, please use these items. They really set the tone and make the party stand out. And if vintage is what you are going for….anything beaten up will look vintage even if it’s not truly vintage.

Don’t have these items yourself? Know someone who does have them? Don’t be afraid to ask to borrow items. I just loaned 3 table cloths to a friend who needed them for a party today. I loved it as I want the items to be used and enjoyed and in my closet, no one will enjoy them. So, crack out those special – vintage items or borrow them and you will not regret it!

Don’t want to pay $100 to $200 or even $300 for someone else to make your child’s birthday cake? Don’t feel comfortable doing cake cutouts and all kinds of fancy stuff? Or don’t have the time to do it yourself? No worries, a regular homemade 3 layer cake can be beautiful and can certainly do the job!!!

This one was beautiful. It was the centerpiece of a vintage inspired outdoor birthday party. Pink on a beautiful pink glass cake stand was perfect. I don’t know the name of the glass but I’m sure someone knows. And making it this way insures that it will taste good! And coming from a mom who has tasted a lot of birthday cakes. I certainly love the parties where the cake is good.

So, if you don’t have the money, time or don’t think you have the talent or tools to make a fancy cake, never fear. Just make a pretty cake. It’s all about blowing out the candles anyway. Did you know that?

Birthday Pinatas don’t have to be traditional! It is much easier to find a pinata that matches the theme of the party you are having. But if you can find a unique decoration like this one, go for it.

The mom of the birthday girl found this decoration that a local store was about to discard. She took it, filled the center hole with candy and put some plastic in front to secure the candy. This party was for 4 year olds so she knew that her pinata wouldn’t be torn up that much. Even if it was, it didn’t really matter.

So, when thinking of having a birthday party pinata, think outside of the box and don’t feel like you can only use a pre-made pinata. Or even have your kids make one…….who knows.

Many outdoor birthday parties will be at your home but probably more of the outdoor parties that we go to are on location somewhere. At a park, at a swimming pool or did I say at a park? If you are blessed to live in a city that is filled with parks, they are the perfect location to host a birthday party. And don’t forget how important it will be to mark a spot where the party will take place.

When you choose to have a party outside, decorations can be important to anchor where the “party” central is going to be. Another great way to designate the gathering spot is by throwing out a blanket or two. Blankets can add color as well as provide a space for the kids and moms for that fact to sit and enjoy.

I don’t know what it is but putting out a blanket provides a natural gathering spot. If you don’t own a “picnic” blanket, don’t worry. Use a colorful quilt or even a colorful sheet. I will say that a light sheet may be a bit pokey to use a term my daughter likes to use. Enjoy your party and be aware of the items you use to make your outdoor party cohesive.

Setting the mood of your birthday party is just as important as with an evening cocktail party. Besides everyone being incredibly visual, folks are also auditory. I know that I’m not telling you anything that you don’t already know! But when you are planning a birthday party, especially for kids, you get all caught up in the minutia of the party and forget about some of the other important details.

Now that Ipods are so popular, providing your own music can not be easier. Really you can’t go wrong with background music. We’ve been to parties where the music is all kids oriented and others where the music is more along what the parents like. And to my surprise, the kids love much of the adult music as well. As long as it’s up beat, the kids will love it.

If anyone is interested in play lists, let me know and I’ll get my husband on it. He’s the one in charge of music in our house! Just let me know.

The thing you first learn in any Marketing class is to provide a customer a way to buy multiple ways. The same goes in a lot of other life lessons. And this is no exception.

When you set a birthday party at a location that is either a large park or at a condo complex or somewhere you need to guide your guests to where the actual party it, you need to think creatively. We attended a party over the weekend where the hostess put streamers on anything she could to attract attention to where the party was.

This outdoor party idea came from a party we attended where the address was the birthday girl’s townhouse but the party was actually held out on the boardwalk 100 feet away. The hostess provided us 2 ways to find the party.

The first was to put vintage lanterns in the trees from her front door to the party site. The second was to draw fun curly lines for the kids to follow on the ground. So, no matter if you looked up or down, you were guided along your way to the party.

The biggest thing to remember when directing traffic is to think about where people might park, which direction they might come from and bright colors. At a park, your guests will come from many directions and it may be prudent to provide multiple party directions. If the park has “entry” points, I really like the chalk idea. Have fun with yet one more creative outlet.

When it comes to outdoor Birthday Party Games, the old faithful seem to win out over all others. Pretty much any game that can be played inside can be played outside. But not vise versa….. We’ve been to several birthday parties and the best games and activities are the ones I played when I was little! And I’m not even going to begin to tell you how long ago that was.

Having a water hose attached to pretty much anything can provide a long span of fun for almost any kid. Especially if it’s hot outside. If you plan to do this, it’s always helpful to give the parents a heads up to bring a bathing suit. But even if they forget, up to a certain age, the kids can just strip down to their skibbies. Why not?

I’ve seen all variations of pin the tail on the ??? You fill in the blank. In our outdoor bug party, they pinned the spots on the lady bug. I had at a winter party, pin the parts on a snowman. Use your imagination here but these can be fun for many ages. I will admit that kids that are about 5 or 6 and up have more fun with this game. The little ones don’t seem to get as much out of it and lose interest pretty quickly.

For older kids, sometimes all you need to do is to carry along a bag full of sports equipment. At this party, they had 3 hula hoops set out. This is a skill that ages 5 or 6 and older have got down but much younger they don’t. And throwing a ball back and forth takes too much effort on a parents part. But for older kids, it’s a great time filler. Our super hero party that we’ve highlighted, had an obstacle course outside. I’ve seen duck duck goose done effectively. Face painting. Don’t let the outdoor party part of it throw you. Let your imagination go free and enjoy being outdoor for your kids’ birthday party!

A Super Hero Birthday Party lends itself perfectly for an outdoor party. This party could be held at home or at a park. Very easy to set up once you know what you are doing. Remember these guys are super heroes so make everything BIG!

We’ve outlined all the detail for this very creative outdoor party under the Super Hero category. This particular party was held at the birthday boy’s home. With all the activities outside and the food inside but with how friendly parks are these days, it could all easily be held outside.

Super Hero Birthday Party Details

There are lots of themes that will work for an outdoor birthday party. This particular party was a bug party. Everything revolved around creepy crawly bugs, spiders, butterflies and lady bugs.

To see the full party, click on this link to our Outdoor Bug Birthday Party. Here you’ll see games that were played, activities well suited for outdoors, favors and the perfect setting for an outdoor birthday party……a city park!

Looking for a creative idea to use for your kids Halloween Birthday Party? Here is a great idea for saying Happy Birthday. See a link to the full directions below.

Resources: Heavy Stock Scrap Booking Paper and glue stick found at craft stores like Michaels. Card shops carry velum for letters that can be cut down.

Directions for Project: Halloween Birthday Party Lantern Idea Directions

To See Template:
Click below link through 2 screens.

Ghost Template for Lantern Idea

Image taken by Amy Hall Photography, Portland, OR.