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C’s Spectacular Summer Soiree

Last month, my oldest daughter turned 7.  We tossed around several themes like having a pool party, a hawaiian luau, and a beach theme, until we finally settled on the one thing these all seem to have in common: summer.  We decorated with lots of bright and fun colors, which I love, and balanced it with kraft paper.  Summer is a really awesome theme, because you can incorporate so much into it – pinwheels, flowers, gardens, hawaiian themed items, swimming, ice cream – everything good in life!
For the food table, I covered the back of my deck in kraft paper, and did the same to the table.  For the backdrop, I made paper accordian flowers with scalloped edges.   I also made a big 7 collage with photos of Cecelia from every year.  On the table, I used a plant stand to hold the cupcakes and cake, and I used small Ikea frames as menu labels. (Please forgive the lack of food on the table – it was 40 degrees Celsius – about 105 degrees F – on the day of Cecelia’s party, and we were having an ice cream party.  It was get it out and get it ate before it melts, unfortunately.  The little “astroturf” placemats held the lemonade, popcorn bags, and the ice cream toppings.

We did a make your own ice cream bar.  The toppings were placed in condiment trays with labels made out of scrapbook paper and toothpicks.  For toppings we included cherries, strawberries, bananas, chocolate chips, skor bits, oreo pieces, sprinkles, gummy bears, and gumballs.  The girls had a choice of waffle bowls or sugar cones, and butterscotch and chocolate sauce with whipped cream was also offered.

 Here is the cake and cupcakes we made for the party, in the plant stand turned cake holder.

For the “dining” table, it was covered in kraft paper again, and brought to life with bright pink polka dot plates, green napkins, and an orange “7” napkin ring that I made with DIY printables and paper towel rolls.  A bright sundae spoon was tucked inside the napkin.  The cups had a sticker that I designed and printed on sticker paper, and then the tops were dipped lightly in corn syrup and blue decorating sugar.  Bright refreezeable ice cubes kept their lemonade cold, and a krazy straw finished them off.
I scream,  you scream, we all scream for ice cream!  These are the popcorn bags as well.  I cut the top off with scalopped scissors and then punched holes with a plain ol’ hole punch.  I added a sticker that I also designed.

 The first activity that the girls did when they arrived was make a glitter shell necklace.  I picked up a bag of shells at the dollar store and added a bail that I had found lying around.  (You could also drill holes in the top, since the shells from the dollar store aren’t “real” shells and don’t crack like the real thing.)

 The girls added a stripe of glue, and then some glitter, and repeated for each color they wanted.  The one my daughter made is below.  It such a simple idea, but the girls LOVED it.

Another thing that was a smash was the photobooth.  If you have kids who love having their pictures taken, I highly suggest this!  I used a white sheet, some twine that I had lying around, and some paint chips.  I then raided the dress up bin and voila – fun AND free!

After all of that, we held “The Great Water Battle”.  The girls put on their swimsuits and we turned on the sprinkler.  We had four buckets for the girls to choose a “weapon” from – sponge balls, water balloons, water guns, and spray misters.
The girls had such a great time with it all, and Cecelia got spend an awesome afternoon with her friends.

And, of course, her family!
Happy seventh birthday to my sweet, sweet girl!

About Sarah

Sarah Desjardins is a mother of two girls, a wife, an elementary school teacher, and a self proclaimed glitter addict. The Simply Crafted Life is a place for anyone who wants to make their domestic life more beautiful and creative. Sarah started The Simply Crafted Life as a place to find bliss between the diapers and the dishes, and invites you to do the same.

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Comments

  1. meet.make.laugh. says

    Wow! Looks like a great party! I love the big colourful circles behind the table…. and who doesn’t love an ice cream bar??

    Reply

  2. [email protected] Made Me says

    Looks like a blast!! LOVE all the color. Putting together a party is so much work but you nailed it! And I’m so happy to see an actual toy on the cake! We always had some type of gift on our cakes growing up, and lately I haven’t really seen it done that way. I thought maybe I was just weird for doing that! And if I am, at least I’m not alone 😉

    Reply

    • Sarah @ The Simply Crafted Life says

      I know! It’s more fun when you can keep something for the cake. Barbies are her favorite, and we almost had a Barbie party, so I had to put it in there somewhere.

      Reply

  3. Lisa Joy says

    You did a great job! So many fun details! {dang you, Pinterest, for the never-ending-must-add-that-to-the-list party ideas} 🙂

    The Barbie on the cake with the cake pop beach ball cracks me up…so cute. Your water games sound perfect for a 105 degree day–I’m sure the girls never wanted to stop.

    I think ice cream bars are the perfect summer party treat. I styled an ice cream + cookie bar for my daughter’s Pre-K graduation at school in June and then saved and re-used it all for our 4th of July BBQ, since it was red, aqua and white. For James’ birthday in August, part of the dessert table will be mini banana splits and I’m serving all the toppings in waffle bowls. Mmmm, can’t wait! 🙂

    I love the paper accordian flowers/medallions you made for the backdrop and I’ve made a ton of little ones before, but what size paper did you use to make the big ones? Multiple sheets of 12×12 cardstock?

    ~Lisa Frank, via Pinterest 🙂

    Reply

  4. Jill @ Create.Craft.Love. says

    You are so stinkin’ talented! I love how this turned out! The bright colors and decorations are perfect! Happy birthday to your little girl!

    PS – I can’t believe it was 105 in Canada too! This heat wave is certainly taking its toll on everyone!

    Reply

  5. Sky says

    Oh my WOW! Is this the first time I’ve been to your blog?!? I echo- you are incredibly talented! I love the colorful gingham in your banner- had some scrapbook paper similar awhile back and I treasured every last bit! What amazing details- the photo booth, shell necklaces and your paint chip garland are fab! I sure hope to keep up with you and be inspired some more! Adding your button to my “Fav Finds” in my sidebar 🙂 Have a great rest of the week!

    Reply

  8. creativeladyofthehouse says

    I am sure your daughter and her friends will remember this wonderful party for years to come.
    I have a sunshine award waiting for you, you can get all of the details on my blog.

    Reply

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