Sunday, August 26, 2012

Calling all Pixies and Pirates!

This past Saturday, we celebrated Ava's 3rd Birthday by throwing a Pirates and Pixies party. I came up with the gender-neutral theme because most of Ava's closest friends are boys-- which meant it couldn't be a girls-only party. Once I had the theme in mind, I got to work. I borrowed ideas from Pinterest, Catch my Party, and a handfull of other party planning websites. And if you know me, you know I like to go a little overboard when it comes to my kids' birthdays.

So rather than bore you with the details, I'll show you the pictures and offer up the links where I found the original inspiration. I'll also share the recipes we snacked on. Here goes nothing!

The Fairy Table





Fairy Cake! Inspiration found online here.

Butterfly Sandwiches (PBJ's cut out with butterfly cookie cutter)

Cutesy Caterpillars! These were a hit with the kids! Recipe here.




The Pirate Table (this shot was taken before all the food was brought out)

Pirate Cake-- inspired by a cupcake




Catch of the Day

Other food not pictured: 
Cannonballs (meatballs)
Pirate Fingers (pigs in a blanket)
Pirate Gold (cheese cubes)

Enough about the food though. Aren't you just dying to know what the kids were up to??? I gave each pirate or pixie the necessary items to transform themselves into their character of choice. Each girl was given wings, a tutu and a fairy wand (ordered from Halo Heaven) and the boys were given a hook (DIY: red solo cup with aluminum foil shaped hook), pirate eye patch, bandana and mini scope. These were also their party favors... but instead of handing them out at the end of the party, I gave them to the kids at the beginning so they could play in them while at the party.

Getting some of the boys decked out in their pirate garb.

Favor station: Fairy outfits and pirate gear


Now that we've got them dressed, onto the activities!




The kids loved it! Paint, stickers, glitter... it was a (washable) MESS!


And you can't forget about the Tattoo Parrrrrlor!


The (dirty and very sweaty) birthday girl, helping YaYa with her tattoo


And of course I just had to build a pirate ship! I (yes, I am actually going to admit it) did my first ever (and hopefully last) dumpster dive. I needed a refrigerator box and ya know what...? I got one! A few cuts and a few cans of spray paint and it came to life. It wasn't anything fancy, but if you're a mere 36" it was pretty cool. I even made a plank that the little ones could walk. 




And no party is complete without a giant bounce house!



When your kid asks you to bounce-- you bounce.




When the kiddos were good and worn out, we wished the birthday girl a very happy birthday!








And here are just a few more shots from the day that I wanted to share. It was a fantastic day and a super fun party. Thanks to all who could come!








Sweet Jill! The kids' babysitter and my super-party-helper!

Making the pirate hooks

Pierre (the pirate pinata). We forgot about him until the very end of the party. I'm keeping him around for a day that I need to relieve some frustration.


My fabulous Mom made this birthday crown. 


I think they thought there was buried treasure in the sand box. 

And to my two very special helpers, Jillian and Mom-- I couldn't have pulled it off without you! THANK YOU! 
Jillian- hard at work on making all of those cute cakes!