Brooke decided this year it would be fun to have her friends over for a campfire- to roast marshmallows and maybe even hot dogs, to sit around the fire and just “hang out”. Of course that’s more fun when it’s nearly dark outside for the REAL campfire feel, so we planned an evening party.
Yep, for a 10 year old birthday- invitations to show up at 6pm and head home at 9:30pm.
So we had an activity planned….and “campfire” is the overall theme, but how do we decorate for that?
Brooke wanted dolphins. I had no clue how I was going to incorporate DOLPHINS into a campfire themed birthday. So we talked about other animals….and decided that owls are cute, outdoorsy, and campfire worthy. And so there we had it….. OWLS.
This was her original inspiration:
A trip to the party store resulted in this purchase:
And thus, a pink and purple and teal owl theme became a breathing and living being.
INVITATIONS:
You betcha- I used my Panstoria Artisan software to create these cuties….
She wanted to invite 11 girls and 4 boys. Something I swore I would never do again. Not the boys, but 11 girls. For an overnighter. Gah. Remember this fiasco? Yeah, well apparently “never” = “5 years”. It’s 5 years later and I’m doing it again.
DECORATIONS:
This has to be the fastest I’ve ever put together a “theme”.
I’m particularly grateful to Pinterest for the idea of turning paper lanterns into owls!
And following similar suit from years past… we made our own accent pieces:
I hung them from curling ribbon and bunched several together for the hanging table centerpiece:
The only items I purchased for party decorations:
(2) rolls of streamers: pink and turquise
(8) mylar balloons from the Dollar Tree
(1) pack of plates & coordinating napkins (owl birthday print)
Everything else I had on hand- the turquoise accordian/fold out decorations, the turquoise and purple and pink table cloths, and the paper lanterns. WHEW!
Did you see the “photobomb”?
PARTY ACTIVITIES:
The biggest activity…. the campfire, of course!
Although in retrospect we should have required NO flip-flops! And although it might seem obvious that putting a metal stick in a fire results in a HOT metal stick…so don’t touch it when you are pulling your marshmallows or hotdog off. ((sigh)) We heard lots of “ow!” but nobody was bothered enough to want ice or anything.
The tent was also a huge hit. It’s very spacious and can hold a ton of people- and there’s even room to stand up! I lined the floor with a giant rug and we added every pillow and blanket and sleeping bag we could find…and two new fluffy dog beds! Ha!
The kids spent a lot of time in there… I even added lanterns for after dark. The intent wasn’t for them to sleep in there, but ultimately that’s where they decided to spend the night.
Also a hit- “Flickin’ Chickens” and Moustaches from the Dollar Tree. Oh, and about 100 glow sticks. Gotta love the Dollar Tree!
It was a total blast!
Elisa's Ramblings 