Cooking Up a Party: Thomas and Friends

If you have a little boy, chances are you can name all the trains on the Island of Sodor. Thomas was (and still is) a big part of X's playtime life as he approached his second birthday so it seemed a natural pick for his party theme. Little did I know what I was getting into when I tackled this train-tastic party theme. There is SO much to choose from when it comes to train parties. I started planning his party a couple of months out from his actual birthday and began by creating a mood board of different cakes, invitations and decorations I liked. Here are a few of the links to train parties that inspired me:
Modern Train Party by The Well-Heeled Hostess
Modern Train Party Recap on The Hostess with the Mostess
Vintage Train Party
Train Party

We ended up using the Modern Train invitations designed by The Well-Heeled Hostess. These invitations provided the jumping off point for the color scheme for the cake and party favors. I really wanted the party to be recognizably Thomas but to have a flair of its own.

We ended up with three types of desserts for the party. A custom cake from a local bakery in California - I took in a photo of the Thomas and Friends logo for inspiration. The chocolate cake is one of the big chocolate cakes you can find in most big-box warehouse stores (rhymes with Roscoe) and the chocolate cupcakes were gluten- and sugar-free (one of X's friends is diabetic and on a gluten-free diet so we wanted to make sure she could join in the dessert fun safely).

I'm not sure which X is looking at more longingly - the chocolate cake or the trains. As always, he had a wardrobe to match the theme. The shirt was made by Alm Designs and you can find it in their Etsy store.

We did favor bags again, and since we were high-tailing it out of California the week after the party, I felt I could get away with slipping in a train whistle. (I didn't, by the way - if you want to hear a lot of complaints from parents after your party, be sure to include a whistle in your favor bag. Oh well - it was a cute idea!) I easily customized these with full-sheet label paper and clip art from the Modern Train party collection.

We also included a couple of cookies in the favor bag - these I also found on Etsy. They are made by Batches and we were really pleased with both the appearance and the taste of these treats! Again, I used clip art from the Modern Train collection to make a bag topper for the cello bags. Easy Peasy.
The menu was simple - tea sandwiches cut with a train cookie cutter, fresh fruit, and a vegetable platter. We had plenty of bottled water and juice boxes to keep the kids hydrated, as well.

As for activities, we came up with a simple ball toss game by applying a wall decal to a large sheet of foam core board and then building a wood frame to support it. The Dad built the frame and in my rush to get packing for our move to Texas, I gave it away on Freecycle. If I had been thinking more clearly, I would have found room on the truck for this! It was really well-built and we could have used it year after year, just changing the foam core board to suit the theme of the party. We also had a "pin-the-number" on Thomas game and a Thomas pinata. Oh - and a HUGE bouncer. And a craft/art table. No, we didn't go overboard on this party at all. Luckily, I had the assistance of one of X's great babysitters and a couple of her friends. They kept the party moving and all our little guests had a great time!

Cooking Up a Party: Cirque du Bebe Birthday

Last week, I told you a little about the Kid's first birthday luau so I thought this week I'd tell about how we celebrated his first birthday with his first play group! The day after our family and friends party at our house, we invited 20 or so of our play group friends to join us at our local baby gym for more food and fun. And being one not to miss out on an opportunity to create a party theme, I took a look at one of my favorite printable party stores, paper & CAKE, and picked out their French Circus themed printable party for our playgroup birthday play date.

French Circus party by paper &CAKE
image used by permission, copyright paper & CAKE

For decorations around the food table, I printed and cut out the animal silhouettes but the idea I am most proud of is what I came up with for party favors. Abigail, the designer behind paper & CAKE, graciously allowed me to use JPEGs of the circle animal motifs on edible fondant applied to sugar cookies - a tasty and tasteful favor, if I do say so myself.

 Then I packaged them in little cello bags and topped them with a coordinating bag topper. Now, I wish I could take credit for actually making the cookies but I can't. For the actual manufacture of these tasty favors, I looked to the good bakers at Gumdrop Cookie Shop in Brooklyn, NY.

Then I made custom party favor bags for all the kiddos, using the circle motifs from the French Circus printable party, colored card stock and scrapbook paper in pretty patterns. Inside each bag, we put a beach ball, a cookie and a bottle of bubbles.

And since the guest of honor can't be without a wardrobe to match his party, I found this adorable Lion Ringmaster shirt on Etsy. The store, Lil Cubby, even custom-made this adorable party hat to match.

Of course, the Kid only wore that for a few seconds - not even long enough to snap a photo. But it looks super cute in this shadow box/shelf thingy - it's destined to be hung in his playroom...someday. Unfortunately, when I went back to Etsy to find a link to the store for this blog, they were no longer in business. But I guess that's how it goes with handmade stuff - you've got to grab it while you can!