Archive for the ‘Birthday Parties’ Category

Modern History: 1970’s Party!

Monday, September 7th, 2015

modern-history-1970's-partyThis post contains affiliate links. I was compensated for my work in writing this post.

During our study of modern history, we decided to throw a 1970’s party. I wanted our kids to experience what the American culture was like in the 1970’s. We read about the 1970’s in the book All American History, Volume II, so the kids were able to learn about the major events from the 1970’s.

1970's-family

Preparing for a 1970’s Party

We began preparing for the party by collecting 1970’s costumes from a local second-hand store during October. We found enough costumes for our whole family, including bell-bottoms for me and an afro for my husband. He was a good sport and looked incredibly crazy, as you can see from the picture. My 13-year-old son wore stick-on sideburns from a local party store.

1970s-sideburns

We played 1970’s music in the background of the party, and we set up a refreshment table with a punch bowl and snacks. We bought some old-fashioned records for ten cents each, and we used packing tape to tape them to the wall as decorations. (See video demonstration to see how the snacks were arranged, along with the records on the wall.)

lava-lampThe decorations in the dining room were simple: we threw a dark blue bed sheet on top of the table, threw down some sparkly star confetti, and plugged in a lava lamp that we bought at Walmart for $10. The lava lamp looked like red lava bubbling out of a volcano and was groovy.

1970’s Cake

Speaking of groovy things, here is our 1970’s record cake! I show you how we made this cake in the demonstration video at the bottom of this post. It was super easy and fun to make, but we needed an extra large cake pan. We personalized the information in the center of the circle by printing it out as a green circle with the words on it. We laminated the circle with packing tape so that the icing wouldn’t soak through it.

1970's-record-cakeAn Old Picture of Me in the 1970’s

We interrupt this party description to give you a real photo from the 1970’s. Yes, I was alive during the 1970’s. (I know, right? There’s no way I’m that old!) I’m the red-head on the right. That’s my gorgeous mom, wearing those bell-bottoms, yes, the genuine thing. Notice the 1970’s hairdo on my mom. My mom is holding my younger sister, and by big sis is posing in her 1970’s kid clothes.

1970's-photo1970’s Disco Ball

We resume our party description by adding a disco ball, which we attached to the ceiling. It was mesmerizing to watch the ball spinning around after turning off the lights. My daughter and I were lying down on the floor watching the cool patterns on the ceiling, like a kaleidoscope of colors.

disco-ball

How to Throw a 1970’s Party

1970’s Couple

My husband posed with me in this cute picture:

1970's-coupleWe had so much fun posing in our 1970’s costumes! Why not throw a 1970’s party of your own?

mother-daughter-1970s

Modern History: 1950’s Party

Wednesday, September 2nd, 2015

modern-history:1950s-party

If you are studying modern history, you might want to throw a 1950’s party! You will want to grab some poodle skirts from a local costume shop (or at a yard sale!) Match those pink poodle skirts with white or pink shirts, and you will have a 1950’s look. The men can wear white T-shirts and jeans. They can slick back their hair with jell, while the women can wear a pony tail or two. Ribbons can be wrapped around the pony tails.

If you have a 1950’s diner where you live, you can go out for a hamburger and a malt. Back when I lived in California, I took my dad to the local 1950’s malt shop. Unfortunately Eastern Washington does not have a 1950’s diner, but you could create a similar ambience in your home.

If you want to make your dining room into a malt shop, that can be fun. Back when I was in college, my friends threw a 1950’s-themed murder mystery party, and the entire downstairs was transformed. Use your imagination.

How to Make a 1950’s Jukebox Cake

1950s-jukebox-cake

If you are throwing a 1950’s birthday party, you will want to have a cake. My dad loved the 1950’s, so I made him a jukebox cake for his birthday. I started with a long rectangular pan, and I baked a chocolate cake. I rounded the top part of the cake, and I frosted it with chocolate frosting.

Next I mixed some white vanilla frosting with some food coloring to make yellow, red, and gray frosting. I put each in a ziplock bag and cut off a hole in the corner to place the icing where I wanted it. I make an outer arc of red and an inner arc of yellow. I flattened it out with a table knife.

I made a red rectangle with yellow bars across it for the speaker. Then I used gray frosting for the bottom of the arcs and the bottom part of the jukebox. I cut two Peppermint Patties to place on the top and middle of the cake in the configuration shown in the picture. I used red M&M’s as embellishments.

When we lit the candles, it looked like the jukebox was lit up from the inside!

1950’s Music

You can find plenty of 1950’s music on YouTube, and you can play it in the background of your 1950’s party. One of the most famous songs of the 1950’s was “Rock Around the Clock” by Haley and the Comets. Watch the fun 1950’s dancing and the styles of clothing back then:

Have fun throwing your very own 1950’s party!

1920’s Party

Monday, August 24th, 2015

1920s-partyThis post contains affiliate links. I was compensated for my work in writing this post.

If you are studying the Roaring Twenties, why not throw a 1920’s party! You can dress up in helmet-shaped hats and wear beads with your dress. Have the men wear a black shirt with a white tie to represent a gangster from this time period.

We are using All American History, Volume II this year for our American History studies, and we are going through the different decades of the modern era. To actually feel like you are there, it’s fun to have 1920’s-style decorations. For example, for our centerpiece, we had a glass vase full of beads, with white ostrich feathers sticking out.

1920s-party-decorations

1920’s Party Invitation

For our invitation, I found a picture of a gramophone, and I cut out a silhouette in black card stock paper. I glued that to some purple card stock paper, writing the party information on the inside of the folded card.

1920s-invitation

1920’s Gramophone Cake

The cake was similar. I made a gramophone cake by frosting a chocolate cake with purple frosting. I outlined a gramophone with chocolate frosting, piping it on through a Ziplock bag with a corner cut off.

1920s-gramophone-cake

1920’s Music

We played some 1920’s music in the background of the party to create the ambience. Here is some 1920’s music you can play:

Old Family Photos of the 1920’s

We looked through some old genealogy pictures to find family members who lived during the 1920’s. It brings this time period in history home because this decade wasn’t so long ago after all, if grandma’s mother lived at that time!

genealogy-1920s

1920’s Headband Craft for Kids

We made a 1920’s headband craft. We started with a ribbon that I found in the curtain section of a craft supply store. We used hot glue to add embellishments like feathers, buttons, broaches, or tassels.

1920s-headband-craft-for-kids

Watch this video demonstration to see how I did these fun 1920’s activities:

Boat Birthday Party

Monday, June 29th, 2015

boat-birthday

A boat birthday is perfect for the summer! What better excuse to spend some time on a nearby lake? Last weekend we celebrated my son’s birthday by giving him a boat birthday party. If you have friends who own a boat, it doesn’t have to cost you any money. If you don’t have friends who own a boat, you will need to save up to rent a motor boat. But it’s an experience that your family will never forget!

boat-party-invitation

How to Make a Boat Party Invitation

I made the boat invitations by using some origami paper and folding it into a boat. ThenĀ  I stabbed a wooden skewer in through the bottom of the boat, and I taped it in place. Then I printed out the information for the party, and I cut it out in a sail shape and stabbed the skewer through the sail. Finally, I added a tiny flag at the top, taping it in place.

lake-cupcakes

How to Make Lake Cupcakes

Bake some cupcakes and frost them with blue frosting. You will need to stir blue food coloring into white frosting. With a knife, make little waves on top of the blue frosting “water.” Super easy!

You will want to make cupcakes rather than cake if you are planning to eat it on the boat. Make sure to place the cupcakes into a container and put them on ice in a cooler so that they do not melt on a hot summer day in the boat.

boating

Enjoy a day of boating. Often the best gifts are experiences.

My daughter had never been on a boat, so it was super exciting for her. We borrowed a large innertube from a friend and attached it to the boat. The kids loved taking turns being pulled on the innertube by the boat!

boating-party

Okay, maybe the children weren’t the only ones enjoying the boat birthday party!

lake-12