Spork's Pirate Party

All hail Pinterest!  I love party planning, and it is so much easier and more fun when I raid Pinterest for ideas, then tweak them as needed!

 

Cheap homemade invitations on cardstock, trimmed to fit in basic envelopes.

Font:  Pieces of Eight

Clip art: Galleon sail ship

 

X marks the spot, of course!  I would have hung it on our front door with a wreath hanger, but our front door had a little incident the day before the party.  Tempera paint on poster board, hung with twine.

 Kraft favor bags with party blowers and eye patches from Target (eyepatches were sold in bundles on Halloween clearance) and Palmer chocolate coins.  Those coins are not nut-free, so our one allergic guest got a Go-Go Squeez pouch in his.

 Favor bags all lined up and ready to go.

 The Nugget and I found and washed rocks, then painted them gold earlier this summer.  This morning, I hid them under fresh sand in the sand box and set out shovels for my little treasure hunters.  I have to remember to use Sharpies instead of washable markers, because the humidity did make the ink run after awhile.

 Especially with outdoor parties, I like to set out some basic amenities.

 Face painting table

 

Thank you, Pinterest!  The kids LOVED this game.

 

Snacks were done minus a working fridge! Cut watermelon and fresh pineapple.  "Peg leg" (honey wheat twist) pretzels and goldfish in freshly washed sand pails with shovels for the servers.  We have done many different kinds of party beverages and have found the combo of iced tea, lemonade, and ice water to be popular and economical.  Solo cups with Sharpie for names.

 

Store bought frozen meatballs in slow cooker with hoisin sauce.  Not pictured are the pizzas and breadsticks that Daddy picked up midway through the party.

 

Pump and balloons by Spritz at Target for balloon swords

 

Cupcakes with homemade chocolate buttercream frosting. We had "green ice cream" (mint chocolate chip) too on Spork's request, though he was so excited, he didn't actually eat any dessert. The cupcake wraps and anchors were left over from Spork's 3rd birthday party but were originally by Spritz at Target.  Actually, if you frequent our parties, you will note that I reuse quite a lot of our party goods from year to year, from the number candles to little banners, which makes hosting kids' bashes a good deal cheaper.  I store leftover party goods in giant Ziploc bags in the basement.

Thank you notes from Vistaprint; I like to replace the "Thank you" with my child's full name, then it becomes personalized stationery they can use all year long.