Daily Party Dish : Birthday

Casino Theme Birthday Party Ideas

My grandma decided right away that she wanted to go to the new Horseshoe Casino for her milestone birthday party, so my sister and I immediately decided to throw her a bash with a ton of our favorite Casino Theme Party Ideas!

Before heading out to the casino to win big, we wanted to celebrate the traditional way with cake and presents. As the centerpiece for our party (which would also work great for a party room at a casino), we designed a party table with a bunch of great Casino Birthday Party Ideas. Family and friends loved it! Need more ideas for a casino party? Check out our Casino Theme Invitations and Party Favors to help you get started.

Of course, everything from the banner to the balloons to the desserts needed to be casino themed! We chose a black, white, and red color scheme and carried it throughout the decorations. Cards suits made appearances in the casino party theme banner, on napkins, and on the three-sided casino theme party centerpiece.

I loved the casino party theme banner which we personalized with our own wording and then hung as a backdrop. We added some fun casino cutouts underneath to tie in the theme even further!

Cassata cake in red and white matched the color scheme perfectly; plus, it's one of grandma's favorite desserts! I loved the three-sided casino theme party centerpiece which we filled with red tissue paper and cards glued to wooden skewers.

On the other side of the table, we had a Casino Queen of Hearts Centerpiece that we personalized with a photo of the birthday girl when she was 25! We filled the centerpiece with tissue paper and cards and attached a balloon bouquet with black, red, and white balloons of course! (If you're interested, we also have a Casino King of Hearts Centerpiece.)

To finish off your look, just add some personalized money, scatter poker chips as confetti, and purchase some casino theme paper goods. Grandma loved the personalized money - unfortunately, we couldn't use it at the casino!

Grandma felt like a Queen of Hearts at her 88th birthday party! Make sure your birthday boy or girl feels the same way by throwing them a casino theme party, too.

Posted at 07:36 AM in Birthday, Christine's Posts, Theme Parties | Permalink | Comments (1)

1st Birthday Party Photo Wall Ideas

When we began coming up with First Birthday Party Ideas for my niece Lizzie, we knew we wanted to decorate the entrance of our venue with a photo wall, chronicling her first year one month at a time! It was a lot of fun putting up the twelve months’ worth of pictures. And because the party was UNO themed, we had to make sure to incorporate that into the decorations as well. Check out how we set up our UNO themed photo wall below, and take a look at our Kids Birthday Party Invitations and Favors for more party inspiration!

We used A LOT of pictures for this amazing photo wall - we printed at least 175! In order to put all of those photos up, we strung twine between two tall metal display stands. (Don't forget to put some weights on the bottom of the stands - all those pictures get heavy!) We then hung the photos with clothespins onto the line - one month of pictures went onto each line of twine. We made sure to pull the twine tight so the lines wouldn't sag, and we secured the ends with lots of clear packing tape. With a little help, it took about 45 minutes to display all the pictures, but the final effect was definitely worth it!

So the pictures were all of the birthday girl, ranging from newborn to twelve months. We put the newborn pictures at the top and then moved through her first year with twelve months down at the bottom of the display. Because the party was UNO themed, we thought it would be fun to mark which photos were which month with giant UNO cards! This worked out great because the giant cards not only covered up the packing tape and twine that we had twisted around the stands, but it also made it easy for guests to see how old the birthday girl was for each picture. So cute!

Anyone who's played UNO knows about the WILD card! We added a fun themed touch to the photo wall by putting giant WILD cards near the birthday girl's silliest photos. Of course, once the party ended the photo wall doubled as favors! The hosts told guests to take any photos they liked as they headed out the door.

Want to see more from this UNO themed first birthday fiesta? Check out my posts here:

Posted at 08:51 AM in Birthday, Christine's Posts, Decorations | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fiesta Theme 1st Birthday Party Cake Smash

My niece Lizzie just turned one, and of course, we needed to have a cake smash at her first birthday party! Because her party was UNO themed, we knew we needed some amazing Fiesta Party Ideas to add to the cake table that also matched the party’s color scheme: red, blue, green, and yellow!

In the end, we came up with a few First Birthday Party Ideas that we absolutely loved! We DIYed some cupcake stands, made a fringed crepe paper backdrop, hired a local baker to design a smash cake and cupcakes, and even decorated the birthday girl herself. Because we focused so much on presentation and decoration, the cake smash ended up being the hit of the party, and it actually was one of our Easy Fiesta Party Ideas.

We started off with a crepe paper backdrop in the party's fiesta colors: red, blue, yellow, and green. The backdrop was simple to make! We just took a large piece of cardboard (a flattened box works just fine!) and layered strands of crepe paper in each color. (Use packing tape to secure.) Then, we just used scissors to fringe the crepe paper to finish off the look. It was simple to display as well! We just placed it on the back edge of the table and leaned it up against the wall.

I LOVED our super easy cupcake stand! The circular trays were white foamcore (which we traced, cut, and then glued thin ribbon around the edges), and the "pillars" holding the stands were just mailing tubes wrapped in fringed crepe paper. Super simple decoration with big impact that cost almost nothing to make! YUM!

For the smash cake, which a local caterer made to fit the fiesta theme, we even bedazzled a first birthday candle. All we had to do was buy sticky jewels at the craft store and get our bling on!

Of course, we had to dress the birthday girl for her first birthday pictures! The felt UNO hat was handmade by her mom in the theme's colors. And check out that cake! It has four layers, red, blue, green, and yellow ones.

Enjoy planning your little one's first birthday cake smash. Spend time on the decorations and dessert presentation and you're sure to end up with some pretty amazing photos! Want to see more of this fiesta theme first birthday party? Check out more of my posts:

Posted at 07:29 AM in Birthday, Christine's Posts, Decorations, Food and Drink, Theme Parties | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fiesta Party Ideas: How to Host an UNO Tournament

My sister Kathleen recently hosted an UNO theme party for her daughter’s first birthday. Aunt, uncles, friends, cousins, grandparents, and co-workers were all invited to this fiesta theme event! With almost 100 people attending, Kathleen needed some Fiesta Party Ideas to keep a mixed group of adults and children entertained, and what better way to do that than with an UNO tournament!

Getting ready for the tournament began with party set up. We designated a special table at the center of the party room for UNO tournament play. In front of the table was a bracket board for people to sign up. The bracket board was specially made by Party411.com and was very similar to a bracket you might see for March Madness, only the four brackets were each designated an UNO color – red, green, yellow, or blue.

In order to sign-up for the tournament, guests pulled a card from a special UNO deck. The deck had 16 red, 16 blue, 16 yellow, and 16 green cards. (One card for each of the spots on the bracket.) If they pulled a yellow card, they put their name in a spot underneath the yellow section and then put their card in a “discard” pile. This continued until all of the spots on the bracket were filled.

Then, the games began! Guests took a look at the bracket, found their partner, checked the UNO rules posted on the tournament table, and faced off. The winners then moved on to the next round! The tournament lasted for about an hour as family and friends dueled to the final round. The winner was a five-year-old boy named Brandon (see picture above), and his reward was the taco pinata which had served as a decoration on the taco buffet!

Have fun planning your UNO tournament, and for more fiesta theme party entertainment, check out these posts, too:

Posted at 08:09 AM in Birthday, Christine's Posts, Games, Theme Parties | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fiesta Theme Party Buffet and Menu Ideas

Let’s get ready to Fiesta! My sister Kathleen came up with a bunch of amazing Fiesta Party Ideas for her daughter’s first birthday party. The theme was UNO (get it?), and Kathleen decided to have a taco buffet to feed the horde of guests she invited. With around 100 people attending (and no caterer!), she needed an easy set-up where family and friends felt free to help themselves.

Of course, with a fiesta theme, Kathleen decided to have a “Taco Bar” (love the taco pinata decoration)! Ole! Easy Fiesta Party Ideas were a must, so she kept it simple by offering a variety of taco and nacho fixings – guests could mix and match their own tacos to their hearts’ delight.

Below are the menu items Kathleen chose for the "Taco Bar"! It gave guests a lot of mix and match options, so they could build their perfect meal (and you can also check out our Fiesta Party Food for more ideas...):

Taco Shells: Soft corn tortillas, flour tortillas, and hard corn taco shells (a favorite with the kids!)
Nacho cheese and tortilla chips
Ground beef flavored with taco seasoning
Pulled pork
White rice with cilantro
Black beans
Queso dip
Shredded lettuce and cheese
Guacamole
Salsa: Mild, medium and hot flavors along with a pineapple salsa
Sauces: A variety of hot sauces
Spicy taco coleslaw
Sour cream

To start off the buffet, guests grabbed their taco shell - corn and flour tortillas were stacked in a basket and refilled throughout the party!

Of course, if guests didn't want a taco, they could always fill a tray with chips and top it with delicious nacho cheese! Guests were so excited for this novelty treat, and the funny sign was a bonus (and a classic corny joke the hostess likes to tell). A favorite among the kids were the "walking tacos" (see top picture). We made sure to have a sign with instructions - open a bag of Doritos and add your favorite taco toppings (ground beef, cheese, lettuce, sour cream, etc). Mix with a fork and enjoy, all while walking around the party!

Family and friends finished off their tacos with a variety of fun toppings! Mild to hot salsas (check out that verde salsa!) along with spicy taco slaw, guacamole, cilantro, lettuce, cheese, and sour cream gave each guest a chance to individualize.

With all that spicy food, the hostess Kathleen had to make sure guests had something to drink! Fiesta Theme Water Bottle Labels that she had specially designed for her daughter Lizzy's UNO theme party were perfect.

Instead of serving traditional sodas, Kathleen ordered specialty Mexican pops for guests to enjoy! They fit right into the fiesta theme, and the glass bottles were a favorite with kids and adults alike.

DIY faux pinatas were easy to make and also made a big impact on the buffet! Along with a bull pinata, the buffet needed little else for decorations other than this donkey pinata and the taco pinata pictured above. The decorations were in the party theme's UNO colors of course - red, green, yellow, and blue!

Kathleen made the faux pinatas by cutting the donkey and bull shapes from cardboard. She attached rows of fringed crepe paper with glue, and voila! An easy and colorful decoration!

Family and friends loved the fiesta theme buffet - it was the party's main attraction! Everyone went back for seconds and thirds!

Enjoy planning your fiesta party menu! If you need more fiesta theme ideas, check out my other posts on this great party as well as Party411's invitation and favors ideas:

Posted at 07:16 AM in Birthday, Christine's Posts, Kid's Parties, Theme Parties | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ombre Rice Krispie Treats for a Milestone Birthday Party

Ombre is in! So I decided to make some blue ombre rice krispie treats for my cousin’s tenth milestone birthday party. This dessert was a favorite with the kids and also was one of several fun milestone birthday party ideas we had for a blue theme party table.

I lined up the rice krispies on a white platter – lookin’ sharp! And I refilled the tray as the party went on. Follow my easy tutorial on how to make these fun birthday desserts, and take a look at our other kids birthday party ideas for more inspiration!

Materials

Large cookie tray
Wax paper
Spatula
Cooking spray
Rolling pin
3 batches of Rice Krispie Treats (click to see the classic recipe)
Food coloring or food gel (any color, I used blue!)

Directions

Make three separate batches of Rice Krispie Treats according to the directions on the Rice Krispie website.
As you are mixing in the marshmallows for each batch, add in food coloring/food gel. Make the first batch the darkest, and then add half as much food coloring to the next batch. Do not add any food coloring to the final batch.
To layer the Rice Krispie Treats, first line a large cookie tray with wax paper.
Then, spread the darkest layer of Rice Krispies on the tray with a spatula that has been coated with cooking spray. Use a rolling pin (also coated with cooking spray) to squish the layer down.
Set the layer off to the side to harden. Repeat this process the remaining two layers.
Combine all three layers by flipping the second layer onto the first layer and rolling them together. Then, flip the third layer onto the first/second layer and roll once more.
Cut the rice krispies into squares with a knife sprayed with cooking spray and serve to hungry guests!

Have fun planning your milestone birthday party, and check out more posts on this blue theme party table here:

Posted at 10:00 AM in Birthday, Christine's Posts, Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (0)

Milestone Birthday Party: Ombre Link Chain Party Table Backdrop

For my cousin's milestone birthday party, we made a blue ombre party table backdrop to match a blue theme. Instead of using just a plastic cloth or banner as a backdrop, the link chains added some fun texture and color. Plus, it's something a little different!

Do you need Milestone Birthday Party Ideas for your color theme birthday? You can't go wrong by decorating with this fun DIY backdrop in any color. Another great place to start is with our Milestone Theme Invitations and Party Favors - there are all sorts of color options to choose from, including blue!

While everyone knows how to make link chains, below are a few helpful tips to help you save time and avoid any problems:

I started off by buying heavy card stock in white and various shades of blue to create the ombre effect. Heavy cardstock looks better and is more durable then construction paper but is a little more expensive. I say, it's definitely worth the extra cost!
Use a paper cutter to cut 6" x 1 1/2" strips. I got 8-10 strips out of each 8 1/2" x 11" piece of cardstock.
While you might think glue is the best way to go, a stapler was actually the easiest and fastest way to make the link chains.
To hang the backdrop, we attached two Command hooks to the wall and strung the chains on a dowel rod (from lightest to darkest). Then, all we had to do was set the dowel rod on the hooks.
Keep in mind, your backdrop will look better if you pack the link chains tightly. You'll need 25-30 chains to make a backdrop for a 6-ft table (or about 5-6 chains per foot).

Want to see more ideas from this blue theme birthday party? Check out these posts:

Posted at 08:17 AM in Birthday, Christine's Posts, Decorations | Permalink | Comments (0)

Blue Theme Milestone Birthday Party Ideas

Every year, my sister and I throw a birthday party for our cousin Lily. We celebrated the big 10 this year, so I had to make sure to come up with some pretty great Milestone Birthday Party Ideas for the birthday girl to choose from. We tossed around a bunch of great Kids Birthday Party Ideas: Ocean Theme Party, Bubbles Galore, and even Knights of the Round Table. But in the end, Lily picked the theme, and she chose blue. Just blue.

At first, I was a little stumped with this party theme! How could I take it beyond just blue paper goods and crepe paper? It didn’t seem like I’d be able to come up with any ideas that would top last year’s party.

Our Milestone Theme Party Invitations and Favors helped to jump start our planning process (lots of color options, including blue!), and then we got down to planning the all-blue decorations and menu. In the end, the party table we put together was a huge hit with the birthday girl! Who said a color theme party wouldn’t work? Not me! :)

Of course, the WOW factor of our table was the ombre link chain backdrop! See my instructions on how to make your own party table backdrop here.

All of the delicious desserts needed to be blue, too! Blue Jello cups were easy to make and perfect for our young guests. A blue ice cream cake made an eye-popping centerpiece, and rice krispie treats along with Oreo favors were party favorites.

These ombre rice krispie treats were not only tasty but they also fit the theme perfectly and looked absolutely beautiful! See how to make them here. I served most of the menu on white or clear platters and serving trays. It helped give the table a bright look while breaking up some of the blue.

It was easy to pick up blue bottled drinks that the kids would love. Just rip off the labels and add a fun paper straw that you can find at any party store. Pile extra straws in a themed cup or bucket! (See my blue one in the background?)

Don't forget party essentials to match your theme, too. Blue cups, napkins, and plates are a must! And a few extras make a party fun and memorable. We bought a blue inflatable crown for the party girl, and scattered homemade card stock confetti to finish off the decorations.

Make sure to handout party favors as guests head home! My aunt made these chocolate covered Oreos (with blue sprinkles!), and we piled them in a bowl on the party table. They looked great!

Even the birthday girl wore blue to go with the party theme! Happy Birthday to Lily from the Party Girl, and good luck planning your milestone birthday. Check out these links for more ideas:

Posted at 07:36 AM in Birthday, Christine's Posts, Decorations, Kid's Parties, Party Planning | Permalink | Comments (0)

Teddy Bear Hats for a Kids Birthday Party

I love celebrating my nieces’ and nephews’ birthdays! They are still so young (all of them under 3!), and each birthday is a new surprise where they get to be the center of attention. My little niece Lily is turning three next week, and her mother is hosting a Teddy Bear Birthday Party! Because I’m the auntie with all the best Kids Birthday Party Ideas, I knew I just had to make these adorable teddy bear party hats as my contribution to the festivities!

They were easy to make (all I needed to know were a few simple sewing techniques), and I’m sure these party hats will last for years to come in everyone’s dress up bins. Plus, my baby niece Lizzy loved this hat (see pic above) - wouldn't these be great 1st Birthday Theme Party Ideas, too? Follow my tutorial below to make your own easy headbands, and take a look at our Personalized Kids Party Invitations and Kids Party Favors to coordinate your party’s look!

Materials (makes one party hat)

1-2 sheets brown felt
1 sheet tan felt
1 plastic headband
Dark brown embroidery floss
Embroidery needle
A little poly-fil (for the ears!)

Directions

Cut out four half circles from the dark brown felt. (These will be your ears!) Next, cut two smaller half circles from the tan felt.
Using the brown embroidery floss, use a straight stitch to attach each of the tan half circles to one of the brown half-circles. These will be the front of your ears.
Next, put the ear pieces together, wrong sides facing each other. Use a blanket stitch (see tutorial here) around the curved bit to attach the pieces. (For right now leave the bottom of the ears open.) You should have two ears ready to go! Lay these off to the side.
Then, cut a long strip about 1 ½” wide to wrap around the headband. The length of this strip will depend on the size of your headband. I actually needed two strips (about 18” in length total) to make it all the way around mine.
Lay your strip(s) flat and fold it around the headband. Using a straight stitch, work around the inside of the headband until it is completely encased in felt.
Finally, fill each of the ears with poly-fil, and then position the ears where you like on the headband. Wrap the bottom straight edges of one ear around the headband, and sew them together with a straight stitch so the ear is attached to the headband. Repeat this with the other ear, and you’re done!

Have fun planning your little one's party, and Happy Birthday from the Party Girl!

Posted at 08:44 AM in Birthday, Christine's Posts, Party Favors | Permalink | Comments (0)

Daily Party Dish

Party Basics

Posts categorized "Birthday"

May 30, 2015

Casino Theme Birthday Party Ideas

May 16, 2015

1st Birthday Party Photo Wall Ideas

May 14, 2015

Fiesta Theme 1st Birthday Party Cake Smash

May 05, 2015

Fiesta Party Ideas: How to Host an UNO Tournament

Fiesta Theme Party Buffet and Menu Ideas

April 17, 2015

Ombre Rice Krispie Treats for a Milestone Birthday Party

April 09, 2015

Milestone Birthday Party: Ombre Link Chain Party Table Backdrop

Blue Theme Milestone Birthday Party Ideas

February 19, 2015

Teddy Bear Hats for a Kids Birthday Party

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