Ahoy! This popular boys theme suits little men of all ages!
You can go rustic and wooden, or pick from a range of colours to combine such as black, white, red, blue and brown. Incorporate pirate elements into the party through the use of props to represent a wooden plank, treasure chest & pirate ship mast and include items such as treasure maps & pirate eye patches & hats. The only limit is your imagination for this fun theme. Make sure you also have a look at our Nautical theme for a few ocean inspired ideas as well.
Here is a sample of great items you can use! For loads more ideas and unique finds please contact me for an Inspiration board or Custom Styling pack!
Invitations/Printables
Love this range of invitations and printables which are all unique and showcase the different ways you can begin to style this theme:

Pirate invitation - Jennifer Birkhead Designs

Pirate Invitation - The Candy Tree

Pirate invitation in a bottle - Le Petit Party

Pirate Invitation - The Princess and the Pirate

Paper Eskimo Shipwrecked invitation - P is for Party
Pirate Printables - Fairydust Stylish Stationary
Decorations
Decorate to theme with these options incorporating skulls:

Pirate bunting - Piece of Cake Parties and Celebrations

Skull and Crossbones Garland - Lark

Black and White Pirate bunting - Giggleberry Creations
Your hanging decorations can make a huge impact in the overall look of your party space and really contribute to highlighting the colour scheme:

Paper lantern - Occasion by Design

Balloon pack - Piece of Cake Parties and Celebrations
Brown pom pom - Ah - Tissue

Gold Lantern - Vivid Room
Tableware
Carry on your colour scheme in your tableware options. Have a look at our ‘Special Themed Ideas’ section below for some items you can also use to decorate your table for this theme such as gold coins and rope elements!

Red and white table runner - P is for Party
Love this unique gold mesh table runner to bring in an element of treasure into your tableware:

Gold mesh table runner - Le Petit Party
This selection of other tableware items are chosen to showcase how you can find different items out there to work with any colour palette you are going for. I particularly love working in the wooden aspects for this theme:

Polkadot plate - The Party Studio

Candy stripe red plate - Sweet Style

Rectangle palm leaf plate - The Party Studio

Pine food boat, wooden cutlery and stamp - Sweet Style

Meri Meri Pirate Napkins - Design My Party

Skull paper cups - Lark

Red and white stripe straws - The Inspired Occasion
Sweet Treats
There are lots of ways to provide and decorate treats for this theme that all the little one’s will love, and will ensure your dessert table/food table looks coordinated:
I am sure these lollipops will be a great feature!

Frosted pirate Lollipops - The Little Big Company

Skull cookie cutters - Details, Details
So many options for ways you can dress up even the simplest of cupcakes:

Pirate cupcake toppers - The Candy Tree

Cupcake flags - Piece of Cake Parties and Celebrations

Pirate cupcake toppers - Mon Tresor

Meri Meri pirate cupcake set - Design my Party

Red and white baking cup - Occasion By Design

Candles - Occasion by Design

Rococo Noir Skirted cake stand - Little Sooti
Special Themed Items
These flags are great to use all around the party area!

Pirate flag - The Little Big Company
These pirate ships would make a great table centerpiece and a lovely gift for your little one as well:

3D build and colour pirate ship - The Little Big Company

Pirate table centrepiece - Design My Party

Wooden pirate ship - Twinkle Kids

Pirate ship table centrepiece - Le Petit Party
Some unique pieces which you could also use around the party area to bring this theme to life:

Pirate brass compass - The Little Big Company

Handpainted wooden pirate - Twinkle Kids
Such a sweet block set that would look lovely afterwards in your little one’s bedroom:

Pirate name blocks - Retro Ragamuffins
Fabric such as this could be used as a tablecloth or backdrop, or if you are crafty you could make it into anything at all – buntings, party hats etc:

Treasure Map fabric - Sarah J Home Decor
Get your little one in the pirate look with these items! Also great for the other little guests at the party:

Pirate Eye Patch - P is for Party

Pirate cap and eye patch set - Latoriana

Pirate telescope - Heaven Costumes
This treasure map could be used for a range of things, whether for decoration or for a treasure hunt activity! It can be personalised to include locations, names etc:

Personalised Treasure map printable - Easy Invitations
A cute modern version of the traditional pin the tail on the donkey game!

Pin the patch on the pirate game - The Princess and the Pirate
Team these coasters with simple cups as another way to dress up your tableware:

Coasters - Roller Coaster
Tin pails work well in this theme, either on your table to serve items, as party favours, or purely for decoration:

Silver tin pail - Occasion by Design
Use rope to dress up your table or work into your backdrop for this theme. Gold coins help finish the look off:

Pirate rope table decor - Le Petit Party

Pirate gold coins - Once Upon a Party
Crates like these can work into many party themes and really help recreate the pirate ship feel for this party! You could turn them over and place your party favours or drinks on them:

Lime wash wood box crates - Sharnel Dollar Designs
These fun play tents are a cute way to bring the pirate theme to life and would be lots of fun after the party too:

Pirate play tent - Bambini Pronto
You can also hire an item such as this if you don’t wish to keep a tent for after the party!

Pirate ship for hire - Tiny Tots Toy Hire
Favours/Take Home Gifts
These cute party favours would work well for this theme! You could also purchase some of the gold coin chocolates available from most grocery stores and combine them in with these:

Pirate chocolates - The Party Parlour

Pirate party favour kit - The Spotty Napkin

Skull and crossbone bouncing balls - Le Petit Party
Package your favours in matching options:

Paper Eskimo party bags - Piece of Cake Parties and Celebrations

Chevron tote box - Sweet Style

Pirate party lolly sack - Le Petit Party
Muslin cloth bags are perfect to fill with gold coin chocolates:

Cloth bags - Lovely Little Parties
These cute options are great for topping off your pirate theme!

Pirate treasure favour box - The Little Big Company
Mini Treasure Chests - The Little Big Company

Gold bar lolly box - P is for Party
Loving twine – not only for embellishing packaging but you could use it to dress up other items as well such as glass bottles:

Black licorice twine - Sweet Style
This cute peg brings in the black and wooden look. Scribble a cute Thank You message on here and attach to your party favour packaging:

Chalkboard pegs - The Party Studio
For a more novel look, attach your thank you tag with a cute pirate peg:

Pirate pegs - P is for Party
Real Parties
A wonderful Captain Hook party by Australian based Whimsy Petite Styling & Polkadot prints, featured on Kara’s Party Ideas. I love the pirate ship mast and the walk the plank game!
If your little girl wants a pirate party, then have a look at this Girly Pirate Party on Kara’s Party Ideas!
Love the rustic wooden look of this pirate party featured on Celebrations At Home
Lots of great details in this pirate party. Especially love the mixed fabric backdrop !
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I hope you enjoyed these selections for a Pirate party and they provide a starting point to inspire you in planning this celebration for your little one!
Please contact me if you would look further inspiration and ideas custom sourced for you, as this blog post is truly only scratching the surface of what could work for this theme.
Enjoy the planning & the celebrating!
Life’s Little Celebrations is launching a new service to help you with your party styling needs which I announced in this post! Perfect for busy mums who want to remain hands on with party planning but want extra inspiration or detailed ideas and sourcing of items to save them time!
Our services include inspiration boards (including inspiration boards for specific aspects of your party if that is all your need) as well as the most comprehensive party styling pack you can wish for, e-mailed to you based on your requirements, vision, colour scheme and budget! For more information please pop in here.
Now for a fantastic giveaway to celebrate this launch!!

Rosanna Decor Bon Bon Footed Bowl - My Garden Party
To celebrate the launch of our new online party styling service & inspiration boards, we are giving you the chance to win a free Online Party Theme Styling pack (from Life’s Little Celebrations) AND a gorgeous Rosanna Decor Bon Bon square footed bowl from My Garden Party!
I’ll also be drawing a 2nd prize to win a custom Inspiration board!
My Garden Party is a new unique party shop & hire service offering children’s tables and chairs for hire. They have vintage and new chairs to make your garden party extra special for your little one, a beautiful range of partyware will also be available when they launch in November 2011. In the meantime look for them on Facebook.
You have the opportunity to gain 2 entries to this competition! To enter:
1. View the Rosanna Products photo album on the ‘My Garden Party’ facebook page and then comment below on this blog post stating which is your favourite cake stand! = 1 entry
2. Subscribe to the Life’s Little Celebrations blog using the subscription link on the right hand side of this blog and then comment on this blog post to state that you have done this= 2nd entry
That gives you 2 fantastic opportunities to enter this giveaway!
We’d love for you to share this competition with your friends! Don’t forget to tag us if you do =)
A few simple conditions:
1. Entries close on Wednesday 14th September at 8:00pm (AEST) when the winner will be drawn randomly and announced on this blog.
2. Entries are strictly limited to people located within Australia
Thank you and good luck!
Note: This is a bit of a wordy post so I’ve dabbled in some pretty inspiration throughout 🙂
Since I started this blog I have received so much lovely, encouraging and positive feedback about how these posts have helped you, inspired you and saved you time in your party planning for your little one’s celebrations. This was the whole point of this blog and I am truly happy that I have been able to help all of you who visit my blog and have become part of the facebook community as well!

Icecream Truck party - Kara's Party Ideas
Embarking on this blog has also helped me realise how much I enjoy providing this service and how it is a much needed service. After being approached by a mum to assist her with sourcing of products for her upcoming child’s party I decided that this was a service I wanted to offer to other mum’s as well.
So today I launch my Online Party Theme Styling service ! Perfect for those of you who want to be hands on with the planning for your little one’s celebration but would like to save time regarding sourcing items & ideas and seeing what would work together.

Tea Party 'Down the Rabbit Hole' - Blue Satin Sashes blog
If you have found my blog posts useful, imagine something like this tailored for you specifically based on your theme, colour scheme, budget, requirements, tastes etc – all e-mailed to you in an electronic document with hyperlinks. It would save you hours of time and help you source some gorgeous as well as practical items! This is what you receive in a “Complete Theme Styling Pack“.
If you are after something smaller then I am also offering Inspiration boards, again tailored to your specific requirements offering either overall inspiration or inspiration for just a specific aspect of your party you want assistance with (Eg: decorations).

Confetti system bronze garland - Third Drawer Down
I put in hours of time into finding unique items for various party themes and you can be assured I will contribute the same amount of thought and effort into these services for you.
You can find more details of my new services here.
I will still be blogging suggested party items for various themes and endeavour to showcase some wonderful ideas to you. My future blog posts will be great starting points for your theme planning however my Complete Theme Styling pack will provide a much larger range of ideas all tailored to your needs.

Ferris Wheel Cupcake Holder - Horchow
In addition to this I will also be doing blog posts showcasing fabulous party finds and general party items which could fit into a range of themes (eg: vintage items, girly items etc)!
Rosanna Decor Bon Bon White Footed Square Bowl - My Garden Party
To celebrate the launch of this new service I will holding a giveaway where you have the chance to win a Complete Theme Styling Pack AND a gorgeous Rosanna Decor Bon Bon Footed Bowl (courtesy of My Garden Party) for first prize, and an Inspiration Board for 2nd prize.
Details will be posted up tomorrow on how to enter, so keep an eye out for this!
In the meantime you can view more details of my new services here.
Thank you for your support and encouragement!
A classic childhood experience is enjoying the merry go round and this Carousel party captures the fun and magic of this as well as the beauty of a gorgeous carousel! Pastel colours, carousel horses and florals can all make for a beautiful setting! This theme could stand on its own or you could incorporate aspects of the carousel theme into a Carnival/Fair or Circus theme as well (have a look at one of my very early blog posts on a Circus theme). It is truly a sweet and unique theme for a little girl!
Invitations/Printables
A few gorgeous invitations (which are often part of a matching set with other items) and as you can see a variety of colour combinations work well for this theme:

Magical carousel invitation – Lovely Little Parties

Carousel invitaiton – Letter D Parties & Paperie

Alannah Rose Take Me to the Fair invitation – Twiggi

Carousel Birthday party invitation – Photo Greetings
Decorations
Carousels often combine beautiful colours, florals and lights. Recreate this with some of these decorative options:

Paper folding balls – Sweet Style

White ribbed lantern – Details, Details

Lavender paper fan – Little Sooti

Small ruby rose lantern – The Party Parlour
A pretty bunting would look perfect for this party theme:

Alimrose Designs bunting – Tots n Tales

Pretty in pink paper bunting – The Party Studio
Wall decals can really help create an effect and setting for your theme. Here are some beautiful ones for this theme which also is such a gorgeous theme for a girls bedroom as well, so you could definitely reuse them!

Horse Carousel wall decal – Tots n Tales
This lovely carousel horse is available in a range of colours!

Carousel wall sticker – Little Shop of Stickers
Tableware
For your table, combine pretty colours and patterns for your Carousel setting. Stripes work well for a carousel/fair theme or you could work florals into your table decor as well:

Pink table runner with lace trim – I Love Parties

Pink/white stripe tablerunner – The Party Parlour

Shabby Chic pink table runner – Le Petit Party

Pink rectangle plates – Mon Tresor

Provence rose pink napkins – The Party Parlour
Classic soda bottles are perfect for the feeling of being at the fair!

Glass soda bottle – Invite Me
Combine your drinking bottles with a striking colour paper straw! These striped paper straws could also be made into a creative decoration as they are similar to the poles on a carousel. You could attach a carousel horse cut out to them for a cute touch such as the one I’ve shown below!

Purple paper straws- The Little Big Company
Isn’t this gorgeous? Perfect for straws, cake pop sticks or just to use as a decoration!
Carousel horse topper – Charli Mae
Sweet Treats
A few items for your carousel theme sweets:

Carousel cookie cutter – CW Cakes

Carousel Horse chocolate mould – Inspired by Chocolate
You can’t have a fair without fairy floss and this soft persian fairy floss is so pretty:
Persian Fairy Floss – Shoppe with Lily
For something different, serve the fairy floss (or other sweets) in these colourful icecream cups. The colourful stripes are perfect for this pretty carousel at the fair theme:

Icecream cups carnival stripe – Invite Me
If you are going for a classic carnival look then these pink and white striped options will look great:

Pale pink stripe candy box – Invite Me

Cupcake wrapper – The Party Studio
I was in awe when I saw this find….a ferris wheel cupcake holder! Could anything be more delightful? It is just gorgeous and it can be shipped to Australia. *Swoon*!

Ferris Wheel cupcake holder – Horchow (US)
This is a simpler version for your candy:

Ferris wheel candy holder – Karas Party Ideas
Special themed ideas
What is wonderful about a Carousel theme party is that any special item you purchase will look wonderful in your daughters room afterwards. Remember for a theme, you may just need one or two stand out items which really bring the theme to life. You can then carry on the theme in smaller details. Work within your budget and go for items you can reuse or display again in your child’s room.
Hiring is another great option for stand out features to match your theme and this amazing Carousel horse is a gorgeous example of that! It can be hired out and would be a great photo spot too during the party!

Carousel horse for hire – Addie and Me
A lovely carousel will not only make a beautiful centrepiece at the party table but also a precious gift for your little girl as well:

Musical Horse Carousel – I Love Parties

Musical Carousel – Flying Dreams
This beautiful music box would make another stunning gift or centrepiece:

Carousel music box – Honeybee Toys
I know rocking horses are different to Carousel horses but these two items are so pretty and could definitely work into this theme as well!

Rocking horse mobile – Kate Finn
Pick a sweet print to display behind your cake table or around another main item in your party area to carry on the Carousel theme:

Personalised carousel canvas – Bright Star Kids
Place a gorgeous welcome sign to welcome everyone to the party:

Carousel door sign – Toadally Cute Products
These carousel horse items could be used to create some of your own decorations or embellishments to attach to party favours:

9 x 17 Carousel Chipboard – Scrapbook Valley

Clip art images – Goodness and fun
Love the colour of these sweet pink carnival tickets which could be attached to party favours or given to the children to use for party games or perhaps you could come up with a creative way to use them as a hanging decoration?

Watermelon pink carnival ticks – Koko vanilla Designs
Sweet little horses you could use to hold labels for your food table:

Placecard rocking horse – Elegant Bomboniere
Cute tin toy for your little girl and as a decoration especially for a vintage style party:

Carousel spinning top – The Hip Infant
This gorgeous pony is beautiful isn’t it? It would make a lovely gift, keepsake and decoration item for this theme:

Alimrose designs jointed pony – Cheese and Pickles
Have your little one dressed for the theme in these items!

Carousel felt crown – The Rice Babies

Milky Pony Tee – Kids Boulevard
Oopsidaisi makes just gorgeous items! Keep an eye out on their page for new releases of items featuring their carousel design:

French Carousel singlet – Oopsidaisi
I just had to mention Vintage Sew and So who makes stunning creations such as this canopy used by Boutique Affairs on this dessert table. You could contact them if you were after a carousel looking canopy for over your dessert table:

Canopy on dessert table (Styled by Boutique Affairs) – Vintage Sew and So
Another option is the use of a playtent such as this one to decorate the area around your dessert table or another space in your party area. Your little one will love it for many months and years after the party!

Pink play tent – Stix and Stones
Take Home Gifts
These lovely Carousel theme gifts will be surely treasured by the little party guests!

Pink Carousel colouring book – I Love Parties

Carousel horse glitter sticker book – I Love Parties

Carousel bag tag – Katy Jane Designs
Sweet windmills and ribbon wands carry on the fun of the fair:

White windmill – Invite Me

Mini ribbon wand Mauve pale blue – Tout Mon Amour
For your sweet favours how gorgeous are these carousel favour bags?

Pink carousel favour bag – I Love Parties
These would also work in well with the party decor with a cute tag attached:

Tote box with handle and window – Mon Tresor

Dusty pink paper bag – Emerald and Ella
Finish off your packaging with some striped ribbon, pretty lace tape or this fun carousel tape!

Provence ribbon – Sweet Style

Pink lace tape – Emerald and Ella

Musical carousel tape – Huckleberry Hill
Real Parties
I really could not find many specific Carousel theme parties online which shows what a unique theme this is. However you must have a look at this amazing party by Sharnel Dollar Designs which is based around Mary Poppins and has lots of gorgeous Carousel features!
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As you can see, this is a sweet theme and there is so much you can do with it! It really creates that magical childhood feeling and because of this makes for a memorable birthday theme to celebrate your little one!
Up, up and away! This theme has become popular recently and I am not surprised! Such an enchanting theme and one that captures the wonder of all little one’s. A sky filled with hot air balloons is certainly an amazing sight and this theme gives you the opportunity to share that amazement with your little one!
This round up of party supplies includes many items from vendors on the Life’s Little Celebration’s children’s party directory – make sure you visit if you are planning a celebration!
This theme can work for a boy or a girl (I have some lovely girl selections to show you in this post!) and looks gorgeous as a vintage style party, or you could make it modern and bright!
Think hot air balloons & clouds as well as travel inspired items such as globes and maps! Use stripes to create a classic hot air balloon look or other patterns for a unique look.
Make sure you also check out our previous Aeroplane Theme post and the Peppa Pig theme post which has ideas for some cloud and travel related items as well!
Invitations/Printables
There is no shortage of amazing designs in this theme. Here are a few I found, some of which are also available in other colour schemes:

Girls Hot Air Balloon party printables – 2 Love Birds

Hot Air Balloon baby shower invitation – Coco and Ella Designs

Girls hot air balloon printable invitation and other items – The Paper Lantern (boys set available)

Hot air Balloon party backdrop – Giggles and Grace Designs
Decorations
For your hanging decorations you can’t go past hot air balloons themselves!
The talented vendors in the “Handmade Decor” category of the children’s party directory can easily create some Hot Air balloon garlands, toppers and other decorations for you.
Here are a few other options you could use:
I also love these handmade hot air balloon mobiles available in different fabrics:

Hot Air Balloon mobile – Down That Little Lane
Some other options for hanging decorations are these lanterns:

Hot air balloon lantern – Celebrating
This is a fun hot air balloon foil balloon!:

Hot Air Balloon foil balloon – Just Party Supplies
Some more garlands and mobiles which can then be used in your child’s bedroom after the party:

Hot Air Balloon paper garland – Young hearts love

Hot air balloon mobile – Trailofivy (ETSY)

Hot Air Balloon mobile – The Bear and the Whale
These vintage paper fans are great for incorporating maps into this theme. They are so lovely!

Vintage map paper fans – Elizabeth St
Lovely hot air balloon garland available in various colours:

Printable hot air balloon garland – Prettiest Print Shop (ETSY)
Of course you could use balloons to create your hot air balloon themed decorations. Love this idea:

Balloon decoration idea – Green Wedding Shoes website
You could use these berry boxes as the base of your hot air balloon decorations.

Berry baskets / boxes – Ruby Rabbit Partyware
Gorgeous white pom poms can help create a cloud effect for decorations:

White tissue pom pom – Ruby Rabbit Partyware
Wall stickers are another fantastic way to decorate and there is an abundance of fantastic wall stickers available for the hot air balloon theme! These are often easy to remove which means they can be transferred to the bedroom after the party:

Hot Air Balloons – My Munchkin Home

Bosco bear art Hot Air Balloon – Ekidna Kids

Hot Air Balloon wall stickers – French Key
Table Decor
Some options for your table decor incorporating stripes to match a hot air balloon pattern:

Pink stripe table runner – The Party Parlour

Blue reversible table runner – Just Party Supplies

Hot Air Balloon party plates – Just Party Supplies

Powder blue striped plates – Sweet Celebrations

Pink striped plates – Just Party Supplies
Hot Air Balloon Dessert Table Items
For your Hot Air Balloon dessert table, you can use some of the above printable packages to create your cupcake toppers and buffet labels etc to help theme your table!
You can use this mould to create your own chocolate coated oreos with a balloon shape:

Chocolate coated oreo moulds balloons – Confectionately Yours
For some extra special treats, use these moulds for some cute hot air balloon chocolates and cookies!

Hot Air Balloon chocolate moulds – Inspired by Chocolate
If you’re going with a striped look you could use these small favour boxes to fill up with savoury or sweet items:

Striped favour box – The Party Parlour
This gorgeous hot air balloon fabric (also available in other colours) could be used as a tablerunner, tablecloth or backdrop for your dessert table:

Beautiful balloon fabric in various colours – The Elephant Room
Use these suitcases (available in different colours) to create extra layers on your dessert table while also tying into a travel theme:

Cardboard suitcases – Bickiboo
Some amazing cake and cupcake toppers you could use to decorate and theme your Hot Air Balloon party cake!:

Hot Air Balloon cake toppers – Glistening Occasions
Remember to visit the Cake and dessert category on the Directory to search for a vendor in your location to create a Hot Air Balloon cake or other items (cookies, macarons, cake pops etc). Some of our vendors also post their items such as cookies Australia wide.

Hot Air Balloon cookies – Miss Biscuit
Favours/Take Home Gifts

Hot Air Balloon favour box – Just Party Supplies
Gorgeous muslin bags for a vintage feel:

Hot Air balloon muslin bags – Penny Lane Studio
Unique favour boxes:

Hot air balloon printable favour boxes – Piggy Bank Parties (ETSY)

Hot Air Balloon milk carton favour boxes – My First Paper Love
Top off your packaging with a tag such as these attached with twine or a cute peg for a vintage look.

Hot Air Balloon gift tag – Koko Vanilla Designs

Blueberry twine – Sweet Celebrations
Real Parties
Here are some amazing Hot Air Balloon themed parties to provide more inspiration for you, some of which are by stylists in the Event Stylist category of the Directory:
A gorgeous Up Up and Away party by Kiss With Style
A fresh and stylish Hot Air Balloon 1st birthday party by Red Wagon Events
A pretty pastel Hot Air Balloon party by Opulenticity Party and Buffet Styling
Amazing Hot Air Balloon party setup by Sweet Bambini Event Styling for Confetti Fair
This party which combines Hot Air Balloons and a fruit theme has some fun styling ideas by It’s a Cake Thing by Jhoanee
Simply stylish hot air balloon dessert table styled by Lou Lou Events
A classic and sweet pastel girly dessert table by Little Sooti, featured on Amy Atlas
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I hope you have enjoyed this inspiration for a Hot Air Balloon theme and your little one enjoys this enchanting theme! Don’t forget to visit the Children’s Party Directory for all the fabulous vendors you will need when planning this party theme!