Pirate Party - Part 1

Well, it has been awhile.  We've been really busy this fall/winter, and I just haven't felt motivated to blog.  This is conflicting because I do want to record all of these memories we're making on this blog, especially since I'm not really completing a traditional baby book for our little man.  So, I didn't stress about it and took a little break--making sure to keep taking pics along the way.  Now, its just a matter of getting everything on here.  A little at a time...

My last substantive post on here was a sneak peek of Nate's first birthday party.  I went with a pirate theme, mainly because, I thought it would be so cute!  Little boy, pirate stuff...it just goes together!  And, it was exactly as I had envisioned.  Precious.

To capture everything about his party, without having a post that takes 30 minutes to read, I'm breaking things up into parts.  First up, decor.

I absolutely love party planning (possible second career later on in life??  Maybe!)!  And I think decor plays a big part in any event.  I had a blast decorating for Nate's big bash.

I didn't get a picture of it, but on our mailbox (which is the variety that attaches to the brick next to our door) was a big red X that I cut out of foam board and hung from the mailbox with twine.  X marks the spot for this pirate adventure!

Entry way parrot!

Dress up station.  We had hats, bandanas, eye patches, and wrist bands for all the little pirates.
You can see a couple of the other pirate books I had setting out as well. 

Just inside the door, the treasure maps to lead the guests to their loot!

Close up of the maps.
I created the maps using Powerpoint, printed them off, and then  made them look the authentic by tearing the edges and tea staining them.  Once they dried, I rolled them up and tied them with some twine.

Inside of the map

Treat table!
We had various red, black and gold candies for the party guests to help themselves too, and a few cracker items too.  This table also held the cake pops and Nate's smash cake.

Cake pops!  So cute!



I made this pirate ship out of Styrofoam, poster board, fabric and wooden dowels to hold the cake pops.

View of the buffet table.
I had a couple of pirate themed books  scattered around for decoration and playing.  This book was specifically designed for Nate.

Another buffet table pic, in progress.

With the food!

Fruit bowl close up.

Drink station with Pirate Grog and Adult Pirate Grog.
I found the Ahoy cups at the Target Dollar Spot.  Couldn't be more perfect!

Love these blocks!  The "one" is from Hob Lob.  I painted it red and added a ribbon to theme it out!

Monthly Pics from Nate's first year.
I mounted each pic onto scrapbook paper, affixed it to a dowel and pushed it into each  bucket (from Oriental Trading), which had a small styrofoam ball in the bottom and was covered with black mesh fabric.  I added a few pirate coins to complete the look.

Outside table set up.

This Pirate blow up was awesome.  It came from Oriental Trading.

Nate's b-day gift: a pirate sandboat!
Found this at Wal-Mart {dot} com for 1/2 of what it sells for at Chasing Fireflies {dot} com.  Score!

Another view of the boat.

Water table.  The kids loved playing with this!  Another Wal-Mart {dot} com purchase.

Baby pool.  Another big hit! $5 from Target!

As you can see, I used red, black and white as my color scheme, with a few teal touches thrown in.  I decorated with a printable collection from Shindig Parties to Go, made a few tissue paper poms to hang around, and then accented with any and all pirate goods I could find.  Most items were from Oriental Trading company, Target dollar spot, or Hob Lob. 

Next up, activities!