Earlier this month, my family celebrated my daughter's 8th birthday with a Mad Libs Pajama Party! Originally, she wanted a sleepover but family commitments and a big guest list made that wish a challenge. So, we invited 15 girls (plus family) to come over for an afternoon of fun and encouraged them to wear their warm PJs. The result was exceptionally colorful ... and a lot of nonsense and laughter! Below are the highlights in hopes of inspiring your next party!
The theme of the birthday party was established with the invitation, which included Mad Lib text and a rainbow of colors. The invitation and labels were designed by Lindi Haws of Love The Day, whom I met at Operation Shower in October. She's a talented grapher designer, easy to work with and a great local (Northern Virginia/DC) resource! I printed the invitation on Paper Source note cards and tucked them inside a red envelope.
Inspired by the invitation, I created a playful party space by incorporating many colorful elements: ribbon wreath on the door, paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling (shown below), layered table runners to resemble a rainbow (shown below), bubble gum flower display, polka dot tissue paper, colorful popcorn and even a rainbow-layered cake. The look was really festive and fun!
We had a sand art project for the girls to do when they arrived. Using red, orange, green, purple, blue, yellow and white sand, the girls filled big plastic pens and bracelets to make unique art. The pens were part of the goodie bag gift.
Entertainment for a Mad Libs theme was easy! I called my friends at Now This!, a musical comedy improv troupe. Together, they led the girls in creating silly songs, outrageous stories and even a human symphony! The girls started on the couches but quickly moved to the floor and participated in the fun. It was non-sense ... in the most creative manner!
At the end of the performance, they made up a silly song about the birthday girl. She doesn't like being the center of attention but she couldn't control her laughter!
More color! For this afternoon party, I chose easy snacks that offered lots of color like fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as colorful popcorn - made from Jello-O! We made Raspberry, Grape, Lime, Orange and Blueberry. Hands down Raspberry and Orange were my favorite flavors; my mom and sisters, too! Did I mention the popcorn was really easy to make? I'll share the recipe in my next post.
Additionally, I rounded out the menu with mini crescent roll wrapped hot dogs, stuffed pizza with marina sauce and chips and dip. To drink, we served pink lemonade and ice tea.
The birthday cake was yummy - and again, colorful! My favorite local bakery, Patisserie Lille, made the cake with 5 layers of color, creamy white frosting and a design to complement the invitation.
As the girls departed, the birthday girl thanked them with a goodie bag. Tucked inside the white paper bag and colorful tissue paper was a Happy Birthday Mad Libs book, the sand art pen that each girl made and a rainbow lollipop stick.
To thank family and friends for the many birthday gifts, I created these Thank You notes using Paper Source red envelopes and white note cards with the custom rainbow labels.
So ... lots of fun, lots of color! What was your favorite design element? What other rainbow or Mad Lib details could I have incorporated?
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