Summer Fun Birthday Parties with Oriental Trading (Sponsored Post)

Celebrating Over 80 Years of Fun!

It is hard to believe that summer is coming fast.  Where did this year go?  I seriously have been trapped inside a time warp and I am living on overdrive.  Do things ever slow down as a parent?

So in a cruel twist of fate, everyone in my house has a summer birthday.  Technically, Brie is a fall baby, but since she is born right at the beginning of September, I think it still counts since all of us have birthdays back to back.  This means I have to be creative and prepare for the days well in advance if I want to do everything I would like to make their days special.  This year is extra special because we have been celebrating different countries for each child’s birthday theme for five years now and this is Brooke’s last official country b-day theme.  She is now old enough to really care about her parties and she now gets to choose.  So perhaps we will be doing another country for her next year if that is what she wants.  We will just have to see!

So what are the themes this year?  Brooke has the United States of America and Brie has Egypt as their birthday countries.  As usual, I like to make the birthdays really fun and educational, so the colors match the country’s flag and I try to get prizes and games that are authentic to that country.  As for food, my wonderful husband who loves to cook, comes up with a specific menu that encompasses each country’s cuisine.  So far, each party has been a wonderful event and equally enjoyable memory.  I also save quite a bit of money by preparing and purchasing decorations from Oriental Trading, who has fantastic party supplies at a very good price.  In fact, this company has been a real life saver for us in the event department!

In order to get the most bang for our buck, we always look to Oriental Trading for decorations.  I am almost always able to get all the major decorations we need for both parties for under 75 dollars.  That includes tablecloths, napkins, plates, straws and even some extra party favors for all the guests!  I can always find great prices for the exact color scheme and their great party bags (I’m going with all white for both girls’ parties this year so I can decorate them and make it even more cost effective) for individual gifts for all attendees.  Here is the breakdown of my list of party supplies for both themed birthday parties this year from Oriental Trading:

1. Red Gingham Tableware Caddy    IN-3/7320  $3.75
2. Stars & Stripes Folding Fans           IN-9/572    $3.50
3. Vintage Patriotic Cake Bunting     IN-13597148 $1.38
4. Red Tablecloth                       IN-70/236 1.50 x2 – $3.00
5. Royal Blue Forks                                 IN-70/1510  $ 4.50
6. Blue Striped Paper Straws              IN-13617379  $3.99
7. Blue Luncheon Napkins                 IN-70/1082    $3.99
8. Round Blue Dinner Plates              IN-70/1074     $4.25
9. Patriotic Hanging Fans                 IN-13598087    $8.99
10. Small American Flags on Wooden Sticks IN-5/161  $5.25  – USA Party
11. Round Metallic Gold Dinner Plates IN-70/1434 $ 4.25
12. Black Tablecloth                   IN-70/432  1.50 x2 – $3.00
13. Metallic Gold Forks                         IN-70/1507      $4.50
14. Metallic Gold Luncheon Napkins IN-70/143       $3.99
15. Shiny Gold Coins                          IN-39/525          $5.25
16. Egyptian Sticker Scenes               IN-9/1075          $5.25 – Egypt Party
17. Medium White Gift Bags              IN-26/515         $7.25 – Use for Both
    Total – $ 76.09 

Egyptian Party Ideas!

• Egyptians knew how to party!  They played some games that are familiar to us such as  tag, tug-of-war, leapfrog, marbles, ball and even board games.
• Why not do an Egyptian artifact ‘dig’ in a sandbox?  You can bury mini clay pots, jewels or coins and let your little diggers keep everything they discover.
• Fruit was a big hit in Ancient Egypt, so make sure to have lots of  grapes, figs, dates, apples, melons, pomegranates and coconuts on hand.  To be more authentic, only eat with your hands and keep out some small bowls of water for guests to dip their hands into to wash off.
• Create some hieroglyphic art!  There are lots of great books to have around for some inspiration.

American Party Ideas!

• We are going for a 19th century USA party game theme, so things like cup-and ball, bean bag toss, marbles and Capture the Flag are all great things to play.
• How about a Union soldier meal?  Union soldiers ate things like (salted) pork, cornmeal muffins, beans and potatoes, and a few bread varieties.  Definitely make outside on the fire, if possible, and let the kiddos help.  Fruit leather, jerky, and unshelled peanuts would also be great snacks.
• Bonnets, aprons, hats and stick-on moustaches are fun costume ideas.  We had bloomers made for the girls and I found a fun vintage dress where I could pull off the theme.
• Patriotic everything!  This is an extremely easy theme for a summer birthday with 4th of July themed stuff on sale, so make use of the holiday items from the discount bins.  I know I did!

Summer Fun Birthday Parties with Oriental Trading (Sponsored Post)

http://www.orientaltrading.com

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