Birthday parties are my favorite kind of parties. Scratch that. I just like to have an excuse to decorate and go crazy! That’s exactly what I did when a client asked for help with her daughter’s circus-themed birthday bash. Her daughter is a bit of a tomboy and she knew that pink just wasn’t going to cut it for her. A circus-theme can be perfectly gender-neutral and fun. With vintage candy-filled goody bags, a simple cake, and some animal masks, this party really took on a life of its own!
I was lucky enough to live near a Michael’s crafts that had dollar bins filled to the brim with circus-themed paper goods. Naturally, I bought out almost the entire collection. These animal cards served as the perfect invitation for guests. They also doubled as frame-able favors for the party-goers.
No circus party is complete without Ring of Fire Cupcakes. To make them, just twist red and gold pipe cleaner together and form a circle. Place the circle on the top of each cupcake and put a small plastic lion (found at your local craft or toy store) in the center!
To me, a circus has a sort of “vintage” feel so we just had to have some vintage Big Red sodas at every place setting. A stamped luggage tag wrapped around the bottleneck with twine was the perfect personal touch.
Every good party has a photobooth so we created a mini version for the minis. The children took turns jumping in and posing with their animal masks and the pictures were printed out on the spot.
And then of course, the spoils. Everybody went home with a bag filled with all sorts of vintage candies and toys. Plastic toy animals found at the craft store were spray-painted gold before being tossed in each bag. There were so many simple little details that really helped everything come together! I’d say it was a success!
And I may have walked away with a goody bag or two…
Styling // Lexy Ward of The Proper Pinwheel
Photography // Ashley Swapp Photography
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