Once upon a time an adorable baby was born, he grew up, got married, had two boys, and all of a sudden he was about to turn 30! 30, being a significant accomplishment, was worthy of mass celebration. Hence, his loving wife decided to throw him a surprise party, which wound up being a joint surprise party for two other friends of his who were turning 30 as well! True story.
The theme? Angry birds!
The location? A nearby clubhouse, thanks to our friends the apartment dwellers.
The event? Awesome! Few 30 year olds get themed birthday parties.
The invitation:
I found a free vector file with several Angry Birds and Pigs. I used a simple background and border and used a free font. I added the outline around the words myself though.
*Note: Names and Locations have been changed to protect privacy. No need to worry that three friends have the unfortunate demise of being named after The Three Stooges.
The decorations:
We kept the decorations simple, using the piñata as our main decoration, and a few prints of the angry birds from the vector file. I also used the birthday invitation to make a sign for the doors. If I'd thought ahead I think I would have Laminated the images. The kids were thrilled to take them down and play with them!
The menu:
In the game Angry Birds the birds smash Pigs that stole their eggs. As we planned the party the menu came together easily.
Pulled Pork & Salsa Chicken served with rolls
Fruit Salad
Veggies and Dip
Deviled Eggs
Fruit Punch
Cake Pops
I can't take credit for the awesome cake pops. My friend made them. She used different color chocolate chips for the different birds, and cut the tip off chips for the round noses, and then the same, but cut in quarters for the eyes. Little sprinkles turned out perfect for the eyebrows. She used edible pen to mark the eyes and noses, and Starbursts flattened and cut for the beaks. On the biggest pig, she used a Starburst for the crown! Everyone loved them!
We got the idea for the cake pops from a local bakery. (This is actually what got us started on the whole theme.)
Other Menu Ideas: Sugar Cookies or Rice Crispy Treats.
The cake:
Thankfully Costco came through and sold me an un-decorated cake. Did you know they would do that? I wasn't sure! The white frosting and edges are all them. I stepped in with the decoration of the top, add to that the glorious cake pops from my awesome friend and it was perfect!
To get the red bird shaped right I used a paper, cut circular, and traced the edge, then loosely followed the image from the birthday card.
The activities:
The kids arrived and decorated their small paper bags to be used later for the piñata. We just had markers and stickers. If you want to go farther, you could fringe the tops of the bags, and have them decorate "the nest".
Of course, eating and socializing were the main event. We had planned to set up the Wii, but there was an important Basketball Game to be watched.
The kids enjoyed playing in the gym and were extremely excited to assist with breaking the piñata open. Needless to say, after some thorough bashing from the men with their slingshots, some good wacks from several kids, and further attempts on the part of the fathers, the pull cord was pulled and even then, it had to be picked up and shaken to get the eggs and candy out.
Yes, that's right - the Piñata was stuffed with Eggs!
The Piñata was originally a sports piñata. We covered the sides in green crepe, printed out pigs, taped them together and glued them on and then I drew the nest and eggs. It was pretty easy to do, and saved money that way.
If you're planning this event yourself you might consider: Dodge Ball, some sort of game with the Angry Bird Plushies, or any other idea involving a Sling Shot!