Pirate Party!!!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE planning parties. It is like my thing. Before having kids I always tried to get my husband to let me throw birthday parties for him, and he just never wanted anything to do with it. He is not into people or parties like I am. Now that I am a mom, I get to plan parties for my little loves and they LOVE it! My daughter had a hard time deciding between a space themed party and a pirate themed party. I loosely planned both and finally she decided about a month ahead of time that she really wanted a pirate party. I knew doing a pirate party would mean making everything since I didn't want skulls or swords on any décor. I usually like to plan for months and months and start gathering supplies and making decorations weeks before the party. I was a little rushed in getting everything for this party, but it turned out exactly how I envisioned and Lovey had a fabulous time!

The party prep started with this outfit. I knew I wanted to make Lovey a Pirate dress but I wanted it to be less costumey and more cutesey. I went to a local fabric store and chose several different prints with a nod to nautical. We also got her a crown/tiara since she was the birthday princess, but she said it was uncomfortable and didn't end up wearing it for the party.

(Just a note about pictures, these do not do the party or décor justice. My camera/photog skills are not top notch, and most of the pictures are cropped really tight, but you can get the idea.)

The party was a pirate theme with chevron print and stripes in pink, white, and navy blue. The party was originally planned outside, but the weather forecast called for 40% chance of rain and 40 degree temps, so I moved half of the party festivities inside. Usually November is beautiful in our part of the country and I always have Lovey's parties outside. I was a little bummed that we had to do some of it inside. I made all of the decorations you see here. The tea jug, I covered with leather-like wallpaper scraps from my scrapbooking stash and twine. The number and letter, are paper mache found at our local craft store that I covered with scrapbook paper. For snacks we had planks (graham crackers), peg legs (pretzel sticks), and cannonballs (black seedless grapes). I love making the cakes for our parties, some come out better than others, but I'm still learning. This was a vegan chocolate cake with vegan frosting. Cake toppers were pieces from the game Who Shook Hook and I made the paper banner from the same scrapbook paper I used for the pennant banner on the table front.

I had three activities planned as well as the treasure hunt. The first activity was the Plank Walk. My husband and I built the plank and set it up in the yard. I wanted the plank to be safe for kids of all ages, so we used a 2x6 and used 3 inch blocks so it would only be 5 inches off the ground. We bought one 2x6x8 and cut 3 inch sections off one end. We nailed the blocks to the bottom of the board in 4 evenly spaced sections.  I made foam eye patches for the kids to "earn" after walking the plank.

I used this eye patch as a template to create skull-free eye patches for the kiddos!

"All ye Pirates, to earn your pirate wear

You must walk the plank if you dare!"

The next activity was the boat race. The kids colored a piece of white paper then I helped them fold it into a boat. We filled a kiddy pool with water and plastic alligators and gave each kid a straw to blow their boat from one side of the pool to the other. They had so much fun with this simple game! Even the big kids enjoyed it.

"Thar she blows! Create a boat that you will race,

Blow through the straw to set your pace."

The third activity was making spy glasses. We saved paper rolls and cut small pieces of paper to fit the roll. The kids got to color their paper, then we taped it to the roll. They used them to search for the buried treasure. I don't have a good picture of this, so here is a picture of the pennant banner on our swing set and the picnic table we turned into a ship! Lovey and I painted the sail.

"Use paper and crayons to decorate each one unique

You will use them as the treasure you seek."

The last activity was the treasure hunt!!! The best part for me by far! I bought a really cool chest from our local craft store and filled it with treat bags, beads, and coins. I sewed the treat bags from muslin fabric and filled them with rings and mini crowns for the girls, and bouncy balls and soft foam balls for the boys. Also included in each bag was an all natural fruit strip.

I made the map out of scrapbook paper and leather-like wallpaper, and tied it with twine. I drew out the map, numbered with each clue they were to find. The clues were hidden around the yard and as they found them, they would add that piece to the map.

I printed the clues on paper I already had and tore and burned the edges,

 then tied on the map pieces with twine.

Ahoy Pirate Princess and Friends!

If you listen carefully and follow the clues,

You will find a treasure waiting for you!

The Birthday Pirate Princess will lead the way,

To get started let's all say Yay Hey!

Clue #1 For your first clue, you must look in a tiny house

Too small for a pirate, too big for a mouse.

Clue #2 Next you must find the place pirates by swingin'

And climbin' and slidin'.

Clue #3 Find the spot with leaves of green

Where squirrels run and chase and glean.

Clue #4 So close to the treasure ye all be.

The treasure is buried between two small trees.

X marks the spot so look all around,

Treasure may be buried above the ground.

We used a large planter to bury the treasure in so it would be easy for the kids to dig up.

We wrapped the treasure chest in a black t-shirt so that the chest would stay clean.

I originally planned to use shovels and hooks for the kids for dig with, but I couldn't find shovels anywhere this late in the year. My husband suggested wooden spoons and it worked very well!

We switched to hooks toward the end because dirt was flying everywhere! Also, the treasure was not buried very deep. They all loved the wonder of the treasure! They were so excited to see the treasure chest open and grab a bag, necklace, and coins!

I also made these hooks using paper cups and foil. These were sooooo easy!