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| Mason’s custom t-shirt was created by the seller SewingByGrace on Etsy. |
Last month we celebrated my son, Mason’s, second birthday with a pirate-themed party (read my planning post here) inspired by the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction at Disneyland Park and my little guy’s love of “Jake and the Never Land Pirates” on Disney Junior.
I had a lot of fun finding ways to incorporate the nautical pirate theme into the party food and décor. Cheese balls became “cannon balls,” Hot Tamale candies were “lobsters,” Swedish Fish gummies were “shark bait,” and we had “Yo Ho Yogurt Pretzels.” All of these snacks were purchased in bulk at my local warehouse store.
The food was simple but delicious–gourmet, made-to-order pizzas prepared by Mattie’s Wood-Fired Mobile Oven, a local catering company. The pizzas and green salad each had a pirate-themed name. Card stock tents are an easy and inexpensive way to add thoughtful detail to any event.
Most of the décor items, like the shells, gold coins, beads, and jewel rings were purchased from local craft and party stores or online. A bag of sand from the hardware store was perfect for giving the tables an island feel. Wooden boxes from the craft store can be easily stained to create authentic looking treasure chests.
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| The little mateys went digging for hidden treasure in the sandbox. |
We live in Central California where weather is characteristically very warm, but it just so happened that Mason’s party fell on the hottest day of the year. To beat the heat we had swimming, water table play, and—a favorite among kids and adults alike—a mobile snow cone truck, Kona Ice.  |
| Guests chose their snow cone flavors at a self-service syrup bar. |
I was absolutely thrilled with the cake, which was a layer of chocolate with ganache filling and a layer of vanilla raspberry marble with cheesecake filling. It exceeded all expectations I had while planning it with the bakery, Frosted Cakery. I love how they were able to incorporate elements from the party invitation, like the ship and red stripes, while adding unique details like the rolling blue waves and edible “sand.” I repurposed Mason jars from his first birthday party by filling them with sand (but not the edible variety!) and cake pops.
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| The kids enjoyed perfectly-portioned chocolate and vanilla cupcakes. |
The paper décor products, including the cupcake toppers and banner, were created by One Cute Cookie and followed the pirate theme and the red, black and white palate. They provided the perfect accents to the dessert table.
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| Each child got a paper pirate hat along with a treasure box containing Disney pirate temporary tattoos, chocolate gold coins, an eye patch, a miniature telescope and other small treats. |
My son and his little swashbuckling pals had a blast and I loved bringing a piece of the Disney magic home for our family and friends. Now, if only he would let me pick his party themes for the next 16 years!
A mom can wish, right?
Read more from Courtney on her blog Theories of a Thirtysomething. You can also find her on Twitter (@2courtney).
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What a gorgeous birthday party! Loved all the details – great job! Happy birthday to Mason!
Wow, amazing!