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.


 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

Polar Express September 2, 2008

Filed under: Polar Express — Caroline Kingsley @ 10:05 pm
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All aboard a ride on the Polar Express. Take the birthday child and his or her friends on a magical journey on a cold winter day or night.

Invitations

Make boarding pass invitations that read:

This is your boarding pass to join

[child's name]

aboard the Polar Express

Destination: North Pole!

at 6 p.m. Saturday, December 16

Costumes

Have the children come dressed in their pajamas.
Decorations

Decorate the walls to look like a winter wonderland with a scene setter. Play music from the Polar Express soundtrack. Decorate one room or area to look like the North Pole. Since you probably already have a Christmas tree and Christmas decorations, this will probably be the easiest part. Place railroad crossing balloons around the room.


Crafts and Activities

As children arrive, have a designated “conductor” take their tickets and escort them to the craft table where they can make pictures with rubber train stamps. Once all the children have arrived and had a chance to make a craft, have the children line up to pull the train pinata strings. Children can then munch on their goodies while watching the Polar Express movie. Later, after the cupcakes are eaten, have the children form a “train” by standing in a line and placing their hands on the hips of the child in front of them, with the birthday child in front. Lead the train to the North Pole room or area and have the birthday child sit in a special birthday seat to open presents. Have the first present be a small bell, like in the movie.

Treats

I am in love with this railway cake pan from Williams Sonoma. Use your imagination to decorate it beforehand, or let each kid decorate a car or two at the birthday party and then they can eat their creations!

Favors

Either at the beginning or end of the birthday party, give each child a engineer cap-filled goody bag.

 

 
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