1st Birthday - Pirate Party

Do you want to have a pirate party that is not too hardcore "pirate-y?"  Look no further!  Here is everything that you need to plan, decorate, and pull off a great little boy's (or girl's) pirate party.  

Invitation

I chose to create an invitation from scratch that featured my son's picture as a little pirate.  You can learn, step-by-step, how to create this invitation by reading my post titled, "Kids Pirate Party - DIY Photo Invitation."

Decorations

Banner

I thought it would be cute to showcase how my son grew and changed during his first year by creating a banner that displayed 12 months worth of pictures.  The banner is made out of paper pennants.  Each pennant has a picture of my son and states his age at the time when the photo was taken. 

Follow these directions to create your own banner.  Get all of the 4X6 photos that you would like to use on the banner.  Cut large scrapbook paper into triangular pennant shapes.  Trim the 4X6 photos to fit within the confines of the pennant.  Cut out background scrapbook paper to place behind the photo to create a nice finished look (I used yellow paper).  Using a Cricut machine (which is what I used) or by hand, cut out the numbers and words that will go on the pennants.  I did this using a yellow scrapbook paper for the number/word and a blue scrapbook paper for the shadow background of the number/word.  Next, hole punch two holes at the very top of the each pennant.  Tie the pennants onto a cord using short, thin ribbons.  I tied the ribbons in knots rather than bows to keep the banner masculine looking.  I then hung the banner at the entryway of my house so that guests could check it out upon entering the party.

Signs

At parties you often have information to communicate to guests, like "don't forget to take a party favor!"  Most of the time you aren't standing planted next to the favors to make sure each guest takes one.  In this case, create a sign to direct your party guests! 

Blackboard signs are easy to create and can be used at any kind of party.  The signs below were created by painting a small art canvas with blackboard paint.  In order to infuse the pirate theme into the party I created tiny pennant banners and hung them on the signs.  In order to create the banners, I cut tiny triangles out of scrapbook paper.  I used patterns that are found in other decorations at the party.  I attached the triangles to a piece of twine using double stick tape.  I then taped the twine around the back of the blackboards. After your blackboards are prepared you can write messages on them with chalk.

Wooden #1 Welcome Sign

 

Make a statement at the entrance to your party by creating a door sign!  I created this sign by cutting the shape of a number one out of plywood.  I painted it blue then attached the letters and paper hat.  In order to create the words I glued small wooden letters onto the sign.  I then cut black and white striped scrapbook paper to cover the letters in order to incorporate a different pattern.  You can see the scrapbook paper in the picture below.

I wanted to make the number one "pirate-y" so I thought I'd add a pirate hat just like the one that I made for my son, as you will read about under the section titled, "Pirate Hat."  I cut the shape of a pirate hat out of red and white polka dot scrapbook paper.  I then double stick taped it onto the wooden number one, as shown below.  

3D Wooden #1

 

A wooden number one is a great decoration for your party and also an awesome photo backdrop!  My handy husband made this number one out of a piece of wood.  He sawed and sanded it, then attached it to the base at the bottom.  I painted it blue, and we were all set to display it at the party.  I tied a bunch of balloons to it and sat it in the house as a decoration at the party.  After the party I used the number one and the balloons as a background for photos of my son.



Flowers

 

I cut some flowers out of my garden to use as décor around the house.  I made a few small pennant flags to stick in some of the food and in the flowers, as you can see in the picture below.  I cut small triangles from black and white striped and red and white polka dot scrapbook paper and attached them to wooden bar-b-que skewers.  They were cute accents!

In the picture below you will notice a picture frame containing a picture of my son.  In the picture my son is standing next to a picture of himself on the day that he was born.  I plan to repeat this picture every year to show how much he has grown! 

Watermelon Pirate Ship

 

A watermelon pirate ship is the perfect addition to any pirate party!  It is actually pretty easy to create.  Follow the directions on my post, titled, "How to Create a Watermelon Pirate Ship." Carve the watermelon then fill it up with fresh fruit.  You are sure to impress your guests! :) 

 

Pirate Hat

 I wanted to wear a birthday hat on my son while he ate his cake.  I didn't want to use the generic type of birthday hat, so I decided to make a comfy pirate hat for him.  In order to make the pirate hat you will need an old baseball cap adjusted to a size to fit your child.  You will cover the baseball cap with material, like the red and white polka dot material used above.  Leave one edge extra long to make the tails on the hat. Fold the material over the edge of the cap and pin it to secure it (do not pin the area near the tails).  You will then need to stitch the material to the hat (do not stitch the area near the tails).  Take the extra material where the tails are going to be and make a cut in it so that you have two long tails.  Tie the two tails into a knot to complete the pirate hat.

I cut a number one out using my Cricut machine and double stick taped it onto the front of the pirate hat.

Cake!

I purchased the two cakes pictured above at Wegman's.  I got the tiny round cake for my son to dive into and the 1/4 sheet cake for all of our guests.  This cake was delicious!  I think it's the first party I've had where the cake was completely gone!

Here are some photos of the birthday boy eating his cake...

He didn't know what to think at first!

Then he got a taste of cake (and more importantly, icing)!

Yummy...

...and messy!

 

1st Birthday Photos

Check out my post titled, 1st Birthday Photo Ideas - Pirate Party, for some creative ways to take first birthday photos.



1st Birthday Party - #1 Theme!

It can be difficult to decide on a theme for a first birthday party because baby doesn't really have an interest in any specific characters that you could base the party off of.  For my daughter's first birthday I decided to go with the "number 1" as the theme.  Here are some ideas that you can use for a first birthday party regardless of your theme!

Invitation

I found this invitation on a website called Lil' Duck Duck.  You can find it at www.lilduckduck.com.  You can choose the colors you would like to use, and you have some ability to customize the invitation.  I liked this particular invitation because it showed how much my daughter grew and changed during her first year. 

Wooden #1

My husband made this wooden number 1 out of a 4x4.  He then affixed it to a sturdy board so that it would stand.  I painted the number 1 light pink and set up a backdrop of balloons so that it would look cute for photos.  I later tied some balloons to it and used it as a decoration at the party. 

#1 Welcome Sign

This wooden number one is cut out of plywood.  I then painted the plywood white and added stripes of various thickness and colors.  The writing was done with wooden letters that I covered with sparkly purple scrapbook paper.  At the time of this party I did not have a Cricut machine.  If I were to do this sign over again I would cut the letters out of vinyl using my Cricut machine.  I added a crown and made a wand out of a wooden star.  I covered the crown and the wand with scrapbook paper as well.  I drilled two small holes in the top of the 1 and placed wire and ribbon through it to make a hanger so that the number 1 could serve as a welcome sign on the front door.

#1 Decorations 

Balloons

I found a really big number 1 balloon at the local party store, and I used that as a decoration where guests entered the house.  Balloons are not expensive but make great decorations because they stand out.  Plus, there is no better way to be festive for a birthday party than with lots of balloons!

Shoe Photo Decoration

It is a little difficult to notice in the picture above, but there is a tiny pink shoe holding a stick in the shape of a number 1.  That stick has small pictures attached to it with tiny clothes pins.  In order for the stick to stand in the shoe you must insert a piece of floral foam in the heel of the shoe.  I then placed shredded tissue paper over the floral foam.  This is a fun and easy way to display some pictures of the birthday girl or boy!

#1 Cookie Favors

For party favors I made some cookie sandwiches and tied a number 1 to the cellophane bag holding the cookies.  To be honest this process of making the cookies, wrapping them, and affixing the number 1 tag took quite a while.  If you choose to do a favor like this, I suggest making the cookies a couple of days before the party.  I then stuck the "Thank You" sign in a little vase behind the cookies so that guests knew that they should take some home.

Happy Birthday Banner

To make a simple birthday banner like this one, you will need scrapbook papers and ribbon or cord. If I were to make this banner today, I would use a Cricut machine to cut each of the letters.  Since I did not have a Cricut machine at the time of making this banner I typed and sized each of the letters in Microsoft Word and then printed them out.  I cut out the letters and traced them on scrapbook paper.  I then cut the scrapbook paper to create the finished letter.  (Yes, this was the long way around...but it worked!)  Glue the letters onto rectangular pieces of scrapbook paper.  Punch two small holes at the top of the scrapbook paper to feed ribbon through.  Hang the banner somewhere that lots of guests will notice it at the party!



#1 Cake

I got a cake and cupcakes at Sam's Club, which was easy and inexpensive.  I was very specific, however, about the colors and design on the cake and cupcakes.  I wanted it to match the party colors perfectly.  I took a printed picture of a crown and wand to the bakery at Sam's Club and they used their fancy machine to make it edible and place it on the cake.  I created a 3D number 1 to use as a cake topper.  I created this out of scrapbook paper.  (Create a sample first and then work on the real thing.)  I also purchased a small round cake for my daughter to dig into.
 

1st Birthday Party Hat

You can buy some very cute party hats on Etsy or you can attempt to make it yourself like I did.  The best way to do this is to use a sample party hat as a guide.  Take a piece of scrapbook paper and cut it the shape of the sample party hat.  There needs to be a notch in the back where it will hook together (you will see this on the sample hat).  You can also tape the inside of the hat to make sure it is secure.  Glue some feathery ribbon/cord around the bottom edge of the hat.  Make a small bow out of ribbon.  Put a piece of floral wire through the bow and insert the wire through the small hole on the top of the hat.  Tape the wire to the inside of the hat.  Add a number 1, flower, or other embellishment cut out of scrapbook paper to the front of the hat to complete it.  There you go...super cute and you saved yourself some money!