Evolution of a birthday party theme

Children’s party themes are never black and white. As children evolve – ideas for their party theme evolve as well to reflect their personality and interests.

Some of you have older children who themselves are constantly changing their mind about what they want for their birthday party theme.

My eldest Rebekah is only 2.5yrs so although she doesn’t really have an opinion on a theme, I try and match her theme with her interests and personality.

For her 2nd birthday it was an “I’m a little teapot” theme as she loved nursery rhymes and playing with her teaset.

 

I was thinking of a storybook theme or a care bears theme for her 3rd birthday as she was showing interest in both of those. However recently she has become obsessed with being a ballerina and wearing a tutu every.single.day.

So plans have changed to a ballerina party. This is such a popular theme for little girls and I had wanted to do something a little different, but my tutu wearing daughter would love nothing more than this party theme – so a ballerina party it is (which has grown on me now and I’m enjoying planning it!).

However I was trying to think of a slightly different take on it and was going to make it a “tulle and tassels” theme.

However my daughter really has no idea what tassels are (is she really my child?) but is loving bows! Something to do with a bow song by the new Wiggles. So now I’m thinking of a Ballerina and bows party.

Anyways you get the drift. Either way it will be a ballerina party.

In the end I’m trying to follow her lead when it comes to a party theme and what I think she would be excited to see at her party.

I need to decide on a colour scheme and this image of a coral, peach and blush dessert table is inspiring me at the moment:

 

We’ve just finished celebrating Naomi’s 1st birthday and I really was not going to start planning her 2nd birthday for a while now. However this Dreaming Collection from Kikki.K has really inspired me

I am loving rainbows, clouds and balloons right now. They remind me of sunny and carefree days in childhood. Who knows what this theme would be called but I am just loving the idea of planning a party based around whimsical images like these.

 

 

I am loving the colour combination as well of mint, orange and fuschia:

Is it weird to get a party theme inspiration from stationery?

Well I also felt inspired for this theme when I saw this cute “Milky” t-shirt with rainbows and clouds being sold at Little Red Chick in Sydney:

 

Too sweet!

I also saw this invitation the other day which caught my eye from Penny Lane Studio and also got me thinking that something with clouds and balloons would be really cute:

 

I will wait and see as Naomi gets a bit older if there is any particular theme based around her interests or personality. In the end she is the ultimate inspiration for her own birthday party theme.

However at 2 yrs old the theme could really be anything and I figure what little child doesn’t like clouds, balloons and rainbows?

It reminds me of this gorgeous “WISH” party by Frog Prince Paperie (click the image below to see more). Whimsical and magical!

 

So that is where I’m at with Naomi’s 2nd birthday which by the way is 11 months away so I am way ahead of myself here!

Sometimes I find if I start planning things in detail too early I get ‘over’ the theme before the birthday party even arrives. But these are just some of the images which are inspiring me at the moment.

How have your children’s party themes evolved over the year?

How many times do your children change their mind before their birthday? Do you have a cut-off date before the party that the theme can not be changed?

 

Hot Air Balloon Theme

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:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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:

 

 

Some other options for hanging decorations are these lanterns:

 

This is a fun hot air balloon foil balloon!:

 

 

Some more garlands and mobiles which can then be used in your child’s bedroom after the party:

 

 

 

 

These vintage paper fans are great for incorporating maps into this theme. They are so lovely!

 

 

Lovely hot air balloon garland available in various colours:

 

Of course you could use balloons to create your hot air balloon themed decorations. Love this idea:

 

 

 

You could use these berry boxes as the base of your hot air balloon decorations.

 

 

Gorgeous white pom poms can help create a cloud effect for decorations:

 

 

 

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:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table Decor

Some options for your table decor incorporating stripes to match a hot air balloon pattern:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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:

 

 

For some extra special treats, use these moulds for some cute hot air balloon chocolates and cookies!

 

 

 

If you’re going with a striped look you could use these small favour boxes to fill up with savoury or sweet items:

 

 

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

 

 

Use these suitcases (available in different colours) to create extra layers on your dessert table while also tying into a travel theme:

 

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

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 Favours/Take Home Gifts

 

 

Gorgeous muslin bags for a vintage feel:

 

 

Unique favour boxes:

 

 

 

 

Top off your packaging with a tag such as these attached with twine or a cute peg for a vintage look.

 

 

 

 

 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!

 

 

 

 

Aeroplane Theme

‘Come fly with me, let’s fly, let’s fly away….’! This sweet Aeroplane theme is so cute and perfect for little boys!

Let images of planes (vintage or modern), clouds, pilots, wings, airports, luggage & travel inspire you!

You could use a blue/white/red colour palette however I love some recent Aeroplane parties (see the end of this post) which have used the unique colour scheme of blue/white/orange and so I’ve incorporated some of my choices around this selection. However some of our previous posts such as the Nautical Theme & Fire engine theme have cute ideas for red decor.

You can have a lot of fun with this theme with the use of boarding passes, a luggage claim area (where the kids can collect their meal boxes or party favours), paper aeroplane making activities and more! I hope this collection below inspires your ideas and sets you on a fun journey of planning for this theme.

Invitations & Printables

To launch this post, here are a few printables and invitation collections which I thought were really cute for this theme:

 

 

 

 

A vibrant vintage invitation which is really unique!

These cute airplane printables can be used for lots of different items at the party and I love the boarding pass invitation!

 

Hanging Decorations

The Aeroplane theme is perfect for hanging decorations of clouds and flying planes and you can really be creative in creating a sky effect which you can then transfer into the bedroom/nursery after the party for a cute style:

This cloud and plane paper garland is too sweet for words!

 

Buntings always look great at parties and here are a few lovely options which would work for this theme:

 

 

 

 

I’ve featured this delightful cloud mobile (which comes in various colour raindrops) in my Nautical theme post as it can be worked in for a few different themes and would look great in creating a cool sky effect!

I also love this unique paper cloud balloon! It would look fantastic suspended with some clear string:

Another great effect could be created using these colourful Aeroplane mobiles above your dessert/cake table!

 

Wall motifs and stickers continue to be a unique decoration which can be moved into the bedroom after the party:

 

 

 

Tissue pom pom’s would be ideal for a cloud effect. You could bunch them together to create cloud clusters or spread them out throughout the room for a gorgeous cloud scene. The best thing is – they are white so they could be reused many times over for different themes!

Hang a bunch of these blue paper fans together for a blue sky backdrop that you could then mix the white pom pom’s into as well!

To incorporate balloons into this theme, these blue and white polka dot GIANT balloons would look sensational in the party area!

 

Table Decor

Your table decor can be worked around the colour scheme you have chosen, but here are a few different options to have your party table flying high!

 

 

These chalkboard placemats could be used in the centre of the table to create a tarmac centrepiece! You could draw runway lines onto the placemat and place some toy planes on them for a great look!

Another unique way of dressing the table is this fun world map tablecloth to connect the idea of travelling into your plane theme!

Some colourful tableware choices which we are sure will make the food taste even nicer!

 

 

 

 

If you are incorporating orange into your colour scheme then these stripy straws look fantastic in this colour!

A cute alternative to the milk bottle is the use of small glass milk carton’s! They are so fun and different and I am sure all the kids will love drinking out of them!

 Sweet Treats

A nice cupcake wrapper can instantly dress up the simplest of cupcakes! Here a few choices which could work for you:

 

Blue and orange look so great together don’t they?

These pom pom cupcake toppers are adorable! They look like little mini fluffy clouds – just perfect for this party!

Also loving these cupcake toppers with a cute design and colour scheme:

It’s easy to have Aeroplane theme cookies using these cutters!

For your main cake, these blue details will ensure it takes centre stage on your table!

 

 

Special Themed Decorations/Ideas:

Your little boy may have some cute toy aeroplanes you can use to help decorate the party table/area however if not, or if you want some more, here are some really lovely choices which will be great for the Birthday boy to keep and play with after the party too!

 

 

 

These vintage planes would really stand out wouldn’t they? Just lovely!

 

Now for a few other unique items which may be useful for this theme. If I had a boy I wouldn’t be able to resist this cute pilot hat! It is just gorgeous and would make a great beanie too in winter months!

These pilot accessories are great for decoration or for your little one to wear:

 

An aeroplane theme compliments a travel decorations/items as well, and these unique notebooks could be used for the little one’s to obtain stamps  during the party (for example when they they complete a party game). If you wanted you could even have different  “Country” stations set up at each game area, so they are “flying” to different countries for each game and receive their stamp on arrival! These notebooks would also make great party favours too!

Cardboard suitcases are great to be used for decoration for this theme or as a way of displaying your tableware for the kid’s to collect (cutlery, plates etc), or to display your other unique items such as the above notebooks! They work as fantastic storage for after the party too!

You could decorate the suitcases (or other items for your party) using these cute plane and travel stickers:

 

How lovely is this globe (and not as pricey as it may look)! It would make a unique decoration for this theme and an educational toy for your little boy for later on too!

For a personal touch this stamp with a vintage plane means you can personalise a range of items for your party! Your little one is sure to love this and it could be used to label all sorts of items for him in the future too!

It’s great to have a hands on activity at a party and these kits to create your own planes/gliders are sure to keep the little one’s busy. You could also have your little boy work on this before the party and then use the plane as a decoration for a personalised  touch!

 

 

Love the vintage look of this Aeroplane carousel which would be a unique table decoration and look lovely as room decor as well:

Another centrepiece idea which would make a fun toy as well is this toy airport! Really liking the wooden look!

 

Take Home Gift

All the little one’s at the party are sure to be in love with aeroplanes by the end of this party! So here are a few cute ideas for take home gifts for them:

 

 

 

 

 

To package these items or some sweet treats there are lots of cute options for this theme! First off are these fantastic luggage favour boxes! They would look so good all packaged up and ready for the kids to take home!

Another adorable option are these unique milk carton favour boxes which match with the invites/printables shown at the start of this post. The clouds look so sweet and the personal touch of the name is a really nice extra!

To go along with the travel theme are these cute mailbox favours ! If you have travel related crafts at the party ( eg. creating a postcard or drawing on some letter paper) the kids could take these home along with this favour box:

These suitcase favour tins could also be used for some unique decorations too! You could even stick your food labels onto them and place them on your table!

Also loving these other cute options which you could embellish with ribbons, tags, mini pegs or stickers.

Gingham is such a sweet pattern which we don’t see enough of in partyware even though it looks so lovely here in blue and white!

You can never go wrong with polka dots. They always look good!

A touch of orange if you are working this into your colour scheme:

This carry box could also be dressed up to look like a suitcase, which makes it another great option for this theme!

Can’t go past these luggage tags to top off your favour packaging! They could also be used to label your food or as an embellishment on your drink bottles too:

This airmail twine really compliments the Aeroplane theme and would finish off your packaging nicely:

Or to bring in a touch of orange, this vibrant ribbon would do the trick!

And finally some special items for the Birthday boy! I love that these ride on planes are wooden – they have a really unique feel about them and would make an extra special gift for your little man!

 

Real Party Inspiration

I wanted to end this post off by providing you some links to some real parties using this theme as they can be a great source of inspiration and ideas! However just like every child is unique, so should every party be unique. So pick and choose the elements and ideas you love and then work in your own touches!

• Levi’s Aeroplane party by Polkadot Prints
• Little Aeroplane party by Kate from Sambellina
• Captain Archie’s 2nd Aeroplane party by Nicole from Little Soiree
• Aeroplane party by Not Just a Mommy
• Aeroplane party styled by RubyJu
• Aviator Airplane party showcased on Kara’s Party Ideas

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Hope you enjoyed this post on this adorable theme! I have enjoyed sourcing these various items for you and would love to hear from you if you use any of these ideas for your little one’s celebration!