Add Cake Blog

Besides the cake, have your other refreshments match the theme.

Shaped Sandwiches
Even Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches are fun when they are in a shape. Use a Cookie Cutter that matches your theme and cut out the shape in bread slices. Then make your shaped sandwiches. This is a fun easy way to spice up the snacks.

Fun Punch
Have a Cat or Fish Party? Use a Large Fish Bowl for the Punch. Or match the color of your punch or drinks to the party!

Cookies
Cookies are an easy way to keep the theme going. Using Cookie Cutters in shapes that match the theme are always great. Food Markers are a fun easy way to have your kid’s help decorate the cookies or for you to make them perfectly cute!

Get your kid’s to help in the party plans and décor.

Decor: Have your kid’s decorate signs, banners, etc within the theme (Examples: Create Wanted Posters with their pics for a Western Theme)

Food: Have your kid’s help decorate cookies. Food Markers are a great way to get them involved! They can color on the refreshments (So Cute!).

Create Invitations/Thank you cards: Have your kid’s color or decorate the Invitations or Thank you cards. What a great way to say Thanks!

Need Local Party Ideas?: Check out local fairs and expos. We just did an expo and there were tons of kid friendly businesses with lots of great products and ideas. Most of them were giving away free stuff and it is a fun outing with the kids!

Party Schedule
Make sure and set a party schedule! It is really difficult to go to a party with young children when you have to wait for hours to get through the big moments.  It really makes it miserable for the kids and especially the parents.  If you are inviting youg children, a schedule is a MUST!

I went to a birthday party with my 1 year old and had to wait 3 hours for them to get to the cake. My little girl was a mess by that point which made me miserable! So definately keep all the big events (Food, Cake, Presents - in that order) within the first 1 1/2 hours-2 hours.  The people who can and want to stay longer can.  The ones with little kids will be appreciative!!

Sample Schedule:

0 - 15 min: First Arrivals and Hellos
15 min - 45 min: Games and Crafts
45 min - 1 hour 15 min: Eating and Cake
1 hour 15 min - ????: Gifts

Do you have a Boy and Girl who have birthday’s close together (brother and sister parties/cousins/friends).  Try combining the party with these fun boy and girl themes.

Boy and Girl Parties (Themes that you can mix together):

Above Ground/Below Ground Party: Flowers and Bugs

Fairy Tales: Princesses and Princes/Dragons/or Knights

Super Party: Supergirl and Superman or any of the male and female super heroes

Soccer: Use Pink/White and Black/White Soccer Balls

Dolls and Bears: Dolls and Teddy Bears

Western: Cowboy and Cowgirls

A great way to keep the memories going is to create a Scrapbook before the party so all the guests can sign their wishes.  This is a perfect keepsake for a 1st Birthday (Or any really!). 

There are so many “ready made” scrapbooks that make this easy now days.  For my daughter’s Kitty Cat Party, I bought a “Cat” Memory Album that has fish and cute catness all over it!  So be creative and easy!

You want to make sure even the littliest guests have a great time which will in turn make their parents have a good time!

Sippy Cups: Have Disposable Sippy cups with your other party cups so all the babies can have a drink too, especially if the party is outside and hot!

Snacks: Make sure you put out some snacky foods for the littlest guests (Graham Crackers, Goldfish).

Baby Games: If you have a bunch of babies have them play a “find game” that matches your theme.  Place toys or small Stuffed Bears, Fish, Cars, Cats, etc around and have the babies crawl or run around to find them.  It is quite fun for the parents to watch as well.

Favors: Bibs are a great Favor for a 1^st Birthday (Preferably if it has the birthday baby’s name and picture on them), Rubber Duckys, Bubbles, Fill a Decorated Sippy Cup or Snack Cup with goodies, Pacifiers, Stuffed Animals, Bath or Car Seat toys

I love having a Photo Opportunity for all the kids at a party!  I usually use these pictures in the thank-you cards as well. 

• Decorate a Special Chair in the colors/theme for a picture. 

• Create a fun spot with Poster Board Flowers, or other Designs for the pictures. 

• Tie die a sheet and hang it up as a background for the special spot

• Make a Large WANTED Poster for a western party

These make great memories!!  However, never force anyone to take a picture.  If they don’t want to, they don’t want to!!  I had a huge stuffed tiger Photo Op at my daughter’s cat party that half the kid’s were terrified of! (This made for some even greater pics!  Hehehehe)

Once you come up with your perfect theme idea (Bicycles) you notice that you can’t find matching plates and tableware. Pick a color that goes with your theme (For Bikes, I would use red). Get all the tableware, plates, napkins, balloons, crepe in that color. Integrate your unique theme (bike theme) in the following ways:

Invitations: Use custom bike invitations or make your own (have your kids help) with stickers and crayons.

Favors: small toy bikes and bike stickers or books about bicycles

Crafts: Make bike tags

Decorations: Decorate with Bike figurines, your child’s bike, Bike accessories (helmets, horns, etc.)

Cake: Make or get a cake in the shape or with a bike on it

Decorations: Decorate with rope, hay bails, stuffed horses, bandannas, etc. Make a large WANTED poster to take each kid’s picture in front of.

Food: Cookies and Sandwiches in shapes like cactus, horses, stars, horseshoes and of course a Western Party goes great with grilling foods

Crafts: Decorate Sheriff Badges (Cut out stars with construction paper and have each kid decorate them.

Games: Dig for gold. Fill a container with sand and put plastic gold pieces in it. Have the kids dig them out.

Favors: Gold coins, badges

Decorations: Decorate with tons of Beach balls all different sizes. Use them like you would balloons and hang everywhere. Use buckets for the centerpieces filled with sand and stick pinwheel suckers or any lollipops in them.

Food: Circles, Beach ball shaped cookies, sandwiches

Games: Swimming Races/Diving Competitions

Favors: Beach Balls, Squirt Guns, Sunglasses