Ideas for a Beach Themed Party

by Marla Ellis

Here is how to put together a beach themed party, this theme can be used as a girls/boys birthday, pool, a cute summer bridal or baby shower theme.

Your Invitations:

For your Beach Birthday Party Invitations, please visit Kim at Little Ladybug Designs

Beach Party Decorations:

For wonderful decorations ideas look down your pool toy aisle, at your local discount or pool supply store. You will find wonderful primary colors, in red, blue, green, and yellow, these are prefect for a little boys birthday, or a pool beach themed party. Some times you can also find pool accessories in pastel colors, of purple,yellow,green, and blue, these would be great for a little girls birthday, bridal or a baby shower beach themed party.

While we are in the pool accessories aisle, pick up your party decorations,

Beach Balls and Floating toys, are great for putting in your pool, or if you don't have a pool, throw them on the ground right where they fall.
If you have a small wading pool, you can fill this with ice to keep your party drinks cool, or fill it with water and throw your beach balls in there. Just remember to always watch the children when you are around water.
Use sand colored plastic tablecloths, on your party tables, this will help give you the sandy island feeling.
You can purchase plates, cups, and napkins, that either have a sandy beach look to them, or in the different colors of the beach ball, ex your cups can be in the red color, napkins in the green color, plates can be in the yellow colors, and the white can be the forks, and spoons.
Use plastic beach pails for holding your forks, and spoons.


Beach Themed Center Piece Idea:

Here is what you can do for a fun center piece for your beach themed party. You can purchase some craft sand, sea shells, coral pieces,small bucket with shovel, a small plastic tub boat,and a plastic tray. In the center of the party table , place the plastic tray, fill this with the craft sand, place the small plastic boat leaning to one side. Now place the sea shells, coral, bucket and shovel around the boat in the sand. This is suppose to look like a recked ship at the bottom of the sea, so let you imagination run wild. When the party is over keep these pieces to use for an under the sea , or pirate type of party. If you are doing a beach themed bridal shower add little wedding rings, champagne glasses, to the sand. If you are doing a beach themed baby shower add these items to the sand, little baby bottles, rattles, and pacifiers. Most of these items can be found in your cake decorating aisle at your craft or discount stores.


Beach Party Menu Ideas:

Use fresh fruit, like Pineapple, Mango, Watermelon, Cantaloupe, cut in to chunks, Oranges, Apples cut into wedges, Kiwi, Bananas, cut into thick slices, and also Strawberries leave these whole. Place each of these fruits, in decorative bowls, line them up on the table for a fresh fruit bar.
You can also take these fruits and make fruit Ka-Bobs, by taking a bamboo skewer, and layering the fruit like this, one pineapple chunk, orange wedge, kiwi, and top it with a strawberry.
For the cake, you can use a lemon flavored cake, with white icing.
For the drinks, for a beach themed party you can serve, a tropical punch slushes, and fruit smoothies.

Beach Party Activities:

Here is a fun beach themed activity, all of these supplies can be found either at your craft or in the craft aisle at your discount store.
We will be making a Sand Art Buddy, here are the materials needed.
(purchase enough supplies for everyone doing the craft)
A Small verity of plastic bottles with cork stoppers
Craft Sand in at least three different colors
Small bowls ( for each color of sand used)
Small plastic funnel ( that will fit into the opening of the small plastic bottle)
Small plastic spoons
Google eyes
Fuzzy felt (looks like fur), cut this into strips, long enough to go around the top of the bottle
School Glue or Hot Glue (children should not use the hot glue, it is way to hot, a parent should do this step)
Here is what you will be doing, Line the center of the table with the bowls of colored sand, and give each child a plastic bottle with a cork stopper, small funnel,two Google eyes, strip of fuzzy felt, and a plastic spoon. Now have each child take their plastic bottle, and pick their first color of sand. Using their plastic spoon and the little funnel, pour the sand into the bottle, pick another color and repeat, doing this for each color of sand and until the bottle is full, leaving plenty of room of the cork stopper to be replaced. Now you can take a small toothpick or bamboo skewer, and run it through the sand down the front and back of the bottles, this will give your sand a wavy look. Now take a small dab of either school glue of hot glue, replace the cork stopper, add the fuzzy felt at the top of the bottle, and glue on the Google eyes. Now your little sand art buddy is done and ready for your little guest to take him home.

How to Do a Garden Party Themed Birthday Party for a Little Girl

by Marla Ellis
http://www.associatedcontent.com/marla

Here is how to put together a little girls garden birthday party.

Invitations:

For wonderful garden party invitations, please visit Kim at Little Ladybug Designs

Garden Party Decorations:

You will want to use decorations in grass green, coral pinks, with hints of yellow, and red.
An easy way of doing this is look at your own garden pr a neighbors, for inspiration.

You can use a grassy green plastic tablecloth to resemble grass.
Party plates, cups, and napkins, that look like flowers, will give the party table the flower garden feel,
you are looking for.

In the craft or boy toys, aisle at your local discount store or craft store, here look for little plastic ladybugs, butterflies, grasshoppers, and more. Just make sure these are age appropriate.
You will use these to by adding these to your table decorations.
Don't be neat here, just toss them on the table and leave them where the fall, they will get played with any way.

Flower Pot Center Piece Idea:

Purchase a small terra cotta or wooden flower pot, small dowel rod, floral foam, green acrylic paint, paint brush, glue and colored card stock.
Take the small terra cotta or wooden flower pot, and cut the floral foam to fit inside, you can do this with an old butter knife, insert into the flower pot.
Next cut the small dowel rod, so that at least 3 inches will stick out from the floral foam, paint this dowel rod with the green paint. Let dry then, insert it into the floral foam, inside of the flower pot.
Now, cut two small daisy shapes out of the colored card stock, place over dowel rod sticking out of the flower pot, glue into place. If you you are so inclined you can add leaves as well, just cut these out of green colored card stock.

A few more uses for these cute little flower pots, are using them as name place cards at the table, just write each of the guest name on the little flower, or on a leaf. They can also be the activity at the party, for the older children at the party.

Garden Party Menu Ideas:
First you will need some bread, you can use white, wheat, and any type your little one will eat. Lightly toast the bread to make the next step easier. Take a flower shaped metal, cookie cutter, this can be found at most craft and discount stores, and punch out the flower shape.
Then fill them with either peanut butter, tuna fish, or other sandwich fillings.
(Just be ware of any food allergies, that your guest may have)

You can use this same cookie cutter and make a sugar cookies, and decorate them with pretty pastel colors.

Garden Party Activities:

Can be the making of the little flower pots, from the center piece.
You can also draw a daisy shape and play, pin the center on the flower.
Or buy little flower pots, marigolds, potting soil, and have your little party guess plant there own, flower pot to take home with them.