Gala Girl

Chic and unique party ideas for today’s kids

Wild West February 25, 2009

Filed under: Wild West — Caroline Kingsley @ 2:33 pm
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Calling all cowboys and cowgirls. The western party is easy to throw and so rustic chic!

Invitations

These boot invitations are so cute. They swivel open to reveal the invitation, and a magnet on the back makes it easy for guests to tack it onto the fridge. Looks and convenience all in one package!

Costumes

Encourage guests to come in their finest western gettup. Or dress your guests upon arrival.


Decorations

Use straw bales instead of seats around the party table. Use these fabulous top stitch brown plates and napkins.

Crafts and Activities

Kids can paint their very own horses to take home. Have a horse show after and award horses for the most beautiful, original, etc.

Have a horseshoe toss and gunny sack and 3-legged races for more old-fashion fun.


Treats

Serve up hot dogs and hamburgers from the grill, and for dessert, serve a horseshoe cake! Serve drinks out of plastic cowboy boots.


 

Sunshine Lollipops and Rainbows December 30, 2008

Filed under: Sunshine Lollipops and Rainbows — Caroline Kingsley @ 3:11 pm

What’s sweeter and brighter than sunshine, lollipops and rainbows? This makes a perfect party for a spring or summer birthday!

Invitations

What better way to send a “Sunshine Lollipops and Rainbows” invitation than using an actual lollipop? You can use wording like:

Sunshine, lollipops and rainbows,

Everything that’s wonderful is what

I feel when I turn eight!

Help celebrate … birthday

date

Address


Costumes

Dress each girl in her own twirly rainbow tutu.


Decorations

Drape a rainbow fringe curtain over the doorway to greet guests as they enter the party. Hang a banner announcing the special birthday girl’s birthday, and hang rainbow lanterns from the ceiling or trees. Dish desserts onto sunny yellow plates.


Crafts and Activities

There are so many different crafts that can match the theme. You can choose one or more depending on your tastes and preferences.

Another fun activity is always the pinata, and in this case, a rainbow pinata.

Treats

Serve cake and rainbow sherbet … and lollipops of course.

Favors

Besides the take-home crafts and tutu, you can also give guests these fun lollipop lipglosses. Provide rainbow bags for everyone to take their things home with them.

 

Thanksgiving November 3, 2008

Filed under: Thanksgiving — Caroline Kingsley @ 5:27 pm
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During the cold winter months when kids are cooped up inside and getting stir crazy, it’s fun to throw a pint-sized Thanksgiving party.

Costumes

Have the children dress up as pilgrims with these cute inexpensive pilgrim costumes.

Or try these boy and girl outfits for a more elegant option. And don’t forget to invite the Native Americans.


Decorations

Naturally, this party should revolve around a feast, so decorations should focus on the dining table.

Lay a turkey table runner down the center of the table, and top with corn pillar candles and a scattering of acorns. Use fun Thanksgiving placecards in front of either ceramic plates or melamine plates.

Crafts and Activities

To keep the kids entertained while you put the finishing touches on their feast, provide Thanksgiving trivia, tongue twisters and questions.


Treats

No reason to spend all day in the kitchen. Kids will love a turkey with apple slices entree and pecan tarts for dessert.


 

Pretty in Pink Christmas September 27, 2008

Filed under: Pretty in Pink Christmas — Caroline Kingsley @ 9:42 pm
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Who says Christmas parties need to be decked out in red and green? Be original and oh so chic with a Pretty in Pink Christmas Party for your special little girl.

Invitations

These oh so dainty pink and white wavy striped invitations with a green border are perfect for a Pretty in Pink Christmas Party.


Costumes

Have guests come dressed in pink party dresses.
Decorations

Purchase a kid-sized green or white Christmas tree. Make a pink tutu tree skirt to go underneath. Wrap the tree with a pink boa and decorate with pink ornaments. Alternately, you can buy a pink tree and trim the tree with white or pastel trimmings.

Tie pink organza sashes or pink boas around chairs and spread table with pink tablecloth and pink tableware.


Crafts and Activities

Have a pink gift exchange.

Make pink ornaments.


Treats

Decorate pink frosted cupcakes or cut-out cookies.

Fill a chocolate fountain with white chocolate tinted pink with red food coloring. Serve with strawberries and pink marshmallows.

Serve white chocolate hot cocoa tinted pink with red food coloring. Sprinkle with pink mini marshmallows.

 

Recital/concert after-party September 22, 2008

When a child has worked so hard, day after day, to learn an instrument and play it well, you may want to take the celebration past the recital into a recital or concert after-party. This has the added benefit of giving all the friends and relatives that attend the recital a chance to mingle.

Invitations

I love these beautiful elegant musical invitations. I think they set a really nice tone for an elegant party.


Decorations

Hang music notes on the walls.


Crafts and Activities

Invite guests to sing karaoke.

Play Guitar Hero.

Leave out an assortment of fun classroom musical instruments for kids to play around with as guests mix and mingle.


Treats

I absolutely love this cake. It’s only available to ship to Bangkok, but a local cake decorator may be able to reproduce it, or perhaps you can with a little creativity and elbow grease. And you may want to modify it using just the instrument your child plays. Here’s a good recipe for making your own rolled fondant. And here are molds for making little people out of gum paste. For making all the little flowers, you can purchase the Wilton Accents Floral Garden Ejector Set, which should make it fairly easy.

You can also serve little chocolate musical instruments and musical notes. Here is a large selection of musical molds.

 

Roaring Twenties September 16, 2008

Filed under: Roaring Twenties — Caroline Kingsley @ 10:30 pm
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If you’re looking for a party that is both glamorous and kick-off-your-shoes fun, consider a roaring twenties party.

Invitations

Go high class with these string musician invitations. They exude elegance and style and are so flapper-chic.


Costumes

You gotta go in style. Flapper costumes are available in both toddler and child sizes. For a grand party, dress up the guests, too. In this case, put the birthday girl in pink so she shines like the flapper star she is, and put the others in black. Dress the young gentlemen in 1920’s gangster costumes.


Decorations

The All that Jazz kit has everything you need to recreate the twenties. Get the whole kit or parts of it to create a personalized look to suit your needs.

To further the mood, play music from the era.
Crafts and Activities

Teach the Charleston dance and then hold a contest.

Listen to jazz music.

Watch a movie set in the 1920’s, such as Chicago, Chaplin or The Great Gatsby.


Treats

Serve sparkling cider in clear champagne flutes and elegant finger foods, such as cut fruit on skewers and shrimp cocktail.

 

Cinderella September 15, 2008

Filed under: Cinderella — Caroline Kingsley @ 4:24 pm
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A magical pumpkin, glass slippers, a handsome prince who whisks a girl away from servitude to castle – it’s no wonder Cinderella is such a favorite among little girls. For this little girl birthday party, roll out the red carpet for an event to remember.

Invitations

For a truly special and memorable invitation, choose a customized invitation that shows off what a princess your daughter truly is.


Costumes

The birthday girl should be the belle of the ball by wearing a Cinderella princess gown. Encourage her friends to come dressed in their own (non-Cinderella) princess gowns. It will be a royal ball, after all.


Decorations

Use red butcher paper to create a red carpet entrance to the birthday party.

Have royal ball music playing. I think this Great Waltzes cd is perfect and you can download it right off the internet.

Use blue and white streamers, balloons and tableware to decorate. Stick scene setter pictures of princesses “attending the ball” on the wall. Oriental Trading sells scene setter pictures of Cinderella, Ariel, Aurora and Belle.


Crafts and Activities

Have all the little princesses decorate their own princess pillowcases to take home! They’ll remember the party for months or years afterward every time they go to sleep at night!

Afterward, play Cinderella Dreamland Bingo.

Treats

Even novice bakers can make an amazing looking princess castle cake with the right cake pan. Serve with ice cream and a choice of “royal” sprinkles for decorating their own ice cream.

 

P.J. Party September 15, 2008

Filed under: P.J. Party — Caroline Kingsley @ 12:21 am
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Pajama parties are casual and easy to throw and yet are one of the most memorable events in a child’s life. Don’t even wait for a birthday or for a child to be old enough for a sleepover to throw one! They can begin and end at any time of day and can be held any time of the year.

Invitations

Here are some really cute invitations for a perfect pajama party girls night out. And here are some great invitations for a perfect pajama party boys night out.


Costumes

Have everyone come in their pajamas and (optional) favorite stuff animal.


Crafts and Activities

As soon as all the children have arrived, have them decorate brand new white socks with fabric markers. I like the Crayola fabric markers because they look just like the regular markers kids are used to using.

While everyone is busy working on their socks, I like to walk around the table and paint stars and moons on the temples of all the children with face paint.

As soon as everyone is finished with their artwork, throw the socks in the drier for 30 minutes to set the die, then hand them out to their respective owners to wear for the remainder of the party! This is a fun activity for all ages.

The younger crowd will have fun doing a parachute teddy bear toss. Have everyone hold onto handles around a parachute, place a teddy bear in the middle of the parachute, then have the children try to toss the bear off the parachute by waving the parachute up and down. If the children have brought their own bears and stuffed animals to the party, give each one a turn in the parachute.

Throw a huge heap of pillows and blankets in front of a t.v. so the kids can snuggle down for a movie. Make sure there’s plenty of room for everybody and maybe add extra chairs on the sidelines for those who might like a little extra personal space.

Treats

Pizza is the perfect p.j. party food and is oh so simple. For a creative and extra fun twist, have the children make a pizza. Individual pizzas can be made using english muffins.

 

Out of Africa Safari September 8, 2008

Filed under: Out of Africa Safari — Caroline Kingsley @ 2:03 pm
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Take your child on an exotic tour of British East Africa without leaving the comfort of your home or backyard.

Invitations

Here are some really cute safari invitations.


Costumes

No one wants to be improperly dressed for a safari. Provide your guests with a safari hat and binoculars for the special activity to come.


Decorations

Decorate the walls or fence with removable animal decals and place animal print balloons throughout the party area.

Top the party table with a tan table runner, animal print candles, and zebra print plates and napkins.

Crafts and Activities

Send the kids on a safari! Hide plastic animals throughout the party area. Hand the kids animal print bags and send them to find animals (just like an Easter Egg Hunt) and they get to take home the animals they find! Don’t forget the binoculars.


Treats

Top the green-frosted birthday cake with animal cake toppers. Serve gummy worms, banana chips and shelled peanuts.

 

Halloween September 4, 2008

Filed under: Halloween — Caroline Kingsley @ 4:15 pm
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There’s no reason Halloween has to be gruesome. Here’s a collection for a chic and dramatic children’s halloween party.

Decorations

Go with a classic black and white theme. Greet guests at the porch with white gourds from a pumpkin patch and a black feather wreath on the door. Inside, wrap the banister with a matching black feathered garland.

Decorate the dining table with a spooky tree centerpiece, white pumpkin candles and a scattering of black roses.

Decorate the fireplace mantle or a console table with battery operated candles and black ravens.

Crafts and Activities

Keep kids busy with a paper Halloween lantern craft kit.

Treats

Serve up steaming hot cocoa and a delectable – not to mention gorgeous – pumpkin cake.

Dole out tricks and treats from a halloween treat basket with personalized liner.