My children never make it easy for me when it comes to their birthday parties. I suppose I have created the problem because they know I will create anything from scratch to make them happy. But if you are crafty, this is what drives you, right? That being said, they always pick the most obscure birthday theme for me to bring to life and there is usually very little available from the store. This year my oldest son picked The Regular Show for his 8th birthday. This is a really funny cartoon that has very little available at the stores, just a few toys at Toys R Us. I had to sit down at my computer and start designing! Here is how I made this party happen.

I started with the invitation, which is modeled after their infamous “FREE CAKE” episode. Those of you who have been dragged into watching this show with your kids will appreciate this reference. Next, I designed the party materials to bring the theme to life. When the party theme you are doing is not readily available at the store, it can be enough to make you retreat to a more common theme. I say go for it! If you plan well and allow yourself the proper time, you can make any theme come to life for your next party. If you are having your party at home, you will be fortunate enough to be able to hang decorations up all over the walls. This year I had my son’s party at a fun center , so I had to make mobile decorations. Party centers don’t let you attach anything to their walls, so I grouped bunches of helium balloons with Regular Show add-ons attached to the balloon weight, These were place at the door entrance and tabletops. I also scattered table confetti which can serve double duty as a cupcake topper.

I always serve bottled water at my parties along with juices and other beverages. The bottled water is a great place to add your theme for a really pulled together look. I simply print the custom labels on heavy cardstock, cut them out, wrap around the bottle, and secure with a small dab of hot glue. You could print the labels on weatherproof shipping label sheets and stick them on, but I prefer the permanence of the hot glue which guarantees no moisture slippage. Trust me ,this can happen!!

Regarding the birthday cake, there are many options. You can put your favorite bakery to the test or bake one yourself if you are so lucky to be blessed with baking skills. I can not bake and do not particularly like the fondant cakes for children’s parties. I like a classic buttercream birthday cake and so does my family. I order the closest theme and colors that can work with my party and embellish it with figurines and printed signs. It looks cute and we get the cake everyone enjoys eating.

At the end of the party I handed out favor bags. You can simply use plastic baggies with a favor topper folded over or paper party bag with printed thank you notes attached. This year, I handed out the baggies to my son’s classroom on his birthday and the paper party bags to the guests as they left the party.