This past week I had the super fun task of designing, planning and hosting a birthday bash for my seven-year-old daughter, Sienna. Setting the perfect stage for the festivities to unfold is just as key for kids as with any other form of entertaining. Granted, the audience and expectations are shifted with a different focus, but the fundamentals of hosting remain the same. For this week’s Five Finds I explored the realm of designing a soiree set for a free-spirited princess, and put my real life findings together to share my top tips for the perfect kiddie party.
Perfect the palette
Perhaps it’s just the natural course when your mother is a designer, but Sienna didn’t just want a “pink” or “purple” party. She awakened her inner creative and asked for a “Ruby Red ombre to Flamingo Pink” palette for her backyard soiree. Every detail, from the balloon garden wall to the serving ware to the cake reflected her colour scheme – nailing the consistency in the palette immediately pulls the look of the party together before it even gets started.
Step up the games
While “Pin The Tail On The Donkey” is nostalgic for us all, kids today have a heightened sense of entertainment. The biggest hit at this celebration was a self-made photo booth: I hung an indigo-dyed sheet as the backdrop, used random costume pieces and the largest Big Love Ball as props and set the girls free to create their fave photo shoot ever. Easy and affordable, and left all the kids feeling like superstars.
Create gathering spaces
I wanted the girls to take time to engage with each other, so I made sure to create a variety of seating areas for them to sit, play and chat. A long table style for eating, a smaller table and chairs for getting pampered and casual blankets and floor pillows under the deck for gathering allowed the kids to navigate the party however they felt most comfortable.
Entertainment value
For me, sparking creativity was one of the most important elements of this party. Rather than relying on my own ability to entertain ten little girls on my own, I enlisted the help of professionals. I called in the team at Feel Fabulous Mobile Spa to set up a manicure station for the girls, at which they designed their own nail art patterns to be applied; following this, we joined the incredible crew at The Luminous Elephant to learn about the properties of different crystals and the kids created their own Mala Bead bracelets.
Tune in
Nothing kills a party vibe faster than a lame playlist, so I invited the girls to create the party tunes with me when they arrived. I asked the girls to each tell me their favourite song of the moment, and compiled a list that I was able to blast out using my iPhone and my portable Marshall speaker.
