See more henna designs here
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An Instagram photo by henna artist, Kelly Caroline.
See more henna designs here
Instagram Likes: 
An Instagram photo by henna artist, Kelly Caroline.
Oh WOW! I have got to share the photos from my collaborated birthday party with my wonderful sister-in-law. We had a 1950s themed birthday party this past weekend and it was SO much fun! All of our friends really enjoyed it so I thought I would post some 1950s party ideas and tips that helped make our shindig a success!
Retro party ideas
How to throw a DIY Retro 1950s Party
First, we picked a color scheme. Reds, pinks, & black and wanted it to feel like a 50’s diner threw a party. Since it was for both of our birthdays, we collaborated on pinning to our Pinterest board our 1950’s ideas. Everything made visual is SO much easier to envision how the party should go.
1950s party table decoration and diy
We ordered our black and white checkered table cloth from Amazon. It really gave that “diner” vibe without breaking the bank.
black and white checkered table cloth
One of the BEST props we got was the HUGE jukebox standee that was just perfect! If you host a 1950s party, this is the one prop to get. You can find the jukebox on Amazon here.
Jukebox standee prop for our 1950s party
Rockabilly 1950s photo wall
Even though I don’t drink pop (or “soda” if you’re from the South) I just HAD to have Coke in a glass bottle with pink striped straws. The Coke from Mexico has real sugar in it and people really loved them. Get them here
pink and white paper straws
coke in a glass bottle
1950s party table design
I needed a lot of crepe paper so I ordered one 500 foot roll of each color – Hot pink & Candy Pink
magenta crepe paper
candy pink crepe paper
Balloons I ordered online and rented a helium tank locally to fill them. We made our own balloon arch and I used Hot pink, magenta balloons & white balloons
*TIP! Helium only lasts 6-8 hours! Don’t fill your balloons until the day of your party!
magenta balloons
white balloons
Since this was a late night party, we did snack foods – white cheese fondue, pizza bites, veggies, mudslide milkshakes & chocolate mousse cake.
We used this popcorn maker to make our own freshly popped snack foods! So DELISH !
popcorn maker
I made the prop hamburger and hotdog out of air dry clay and paint.
I made some prop candy since candy to fill jars is SO pricey. I used air dry clay for the sugar sticks, let them dry, then painted them. I used my food sealer and a strip of cellophane to wrap them in.
How to make fake candy for a party
For the other candy jars I used wadded up paper and cellophane to look like taffy and balls of aluminum foil for more candy filler.
I cut out the music notes for the walls out of construction paper.
Using photoshop, I designed the 1950s party invitation.
I put it up on Zazzle so you can customize it for your own party, too! Check it out on Zazzle
If you want to make it easy, check out the list I put together of ALL my party supplies for your 1950s party !
outfit ideas for couples going to a 1950s party
drink station for 1950s party
rockabilly party, couples outfits, photo wall
Well there you have it! I hope you’re party goes just as well as ours! Don’t forget to put thought into the music selection- keep it authentic and throw in a few 50’s remixes to make it interesting!
Diy retro 1950s party ideas
Safari Party – DIY Food & Decorations
My son turned 4 this January – I can hardly believe a year has past since his last birthday party ! Last year we did a Lego themed birthday party. This year he wanted to have a Safari Party (with Lego Ninja Turtles as the accent theme hah ) . With our friends at the Ann Arbor Creature Conservancy , we planned an interactive animal presentation for the kids & adults with food, cake & presents to boot . We had a blast ! Our animal guests were the three-banded armadillos, a sloth, the boa constrictor, a giant tortoise & a skunk . Anyone who lives in or around the Ann Arbor area, I would highly suggest hosting an event at the Creature Conservancy – they are a great non-profit that works with rescue animals and they help you host a great party.
For the food, I wanted the Safari party theme to be apparent so I enlisted my talented sister-in-law & went with all fruit and vegetables since Judah is a vegetarian anyway. Our guests gobbled up most of the food, but the left over fruit and veggies we left and donated to the animals to eat – and they were happy to have it, too.
Here are the pictures we have of the safari party food & event space, food table design, food ideas & easy decorations I set up .
food table set up for safari party
safari party food ideas – fruit lagoon
vegetarian kid party food ideas
Snake sandwich – roasted red pepper, mushroom, pesto & mozzarella sandwich – What a hit! Everyone loved that one. The kids had an option of a almond butter and grape jelly sandwich on gluten free bread that we used an elephant sandwich cutter to cut them out which was so helpful because you can get two elephants per sandwich.. brilliant!
snake sandwich and elephant sandwiches
snake sandwich – safari party food
Fun monkey head we made with a cantaloupe , oranges, sliced strawberry and blueberry eyes
Monkey head made of cantaloupe and oranges – safari party decoration
Gorilla grape kabobs with ants on a log with animal crackers
gorilla grape kabobs
The juice bar for the kids . I love those monkey cups !
safari party juice bar
All the kids LOVED the explorer safari hats they received as a party favor .
kids table for safari party and party favors
And of course, it’s so helpful to let them just color all over the table so cover it with a big roll of paper – they are having fun, giving mom & dad a breather & decorating – a win win win.
kids party activity
My cute sister in law and her adorable safari party outfit showing her food labels she made with animal stickers .
safari party outfit
His Lego Ninja Turtle cake made by my cake girl and safari cupcakes with plastic animals on each
Lego Ninja Turtle Cake
Lego Ninja Turtle Cake
We had a great time. I hope this helps you throw your own fun safari party for a birthday party.
*Kelly*
