My boys' birthdays are three weeks apart, one at the end of June and one in early July—one of the busiest possible times of year to plan a party. Luckily, they are young enough that they are happy to have a joint one. I had vowed never to have a home birthday party again, but they both wanted a Star Wars theme, which I hoped would be easy to host at home.
When decorating for the party, I focused on the one room in our house that the kids would spend the most time in—the dining room. I found these adorable printables from Party Posh Printables on Etsy and used them to create a piece of canvas art to hang over the buffet. All I had to do was print the images, cut them out, and Mod Podge them to the canvas. Easy, it was.
I then hung the banner across the front of the buffet and used the other printables to complete the look. The great thing about Etsy stores is that they are often able to customize items for you. I sent along the food names to Party Posh Printables and had them printed on their cards for a small fee. We had so much fun coming up with food names, like Obi-Wan Kebobies and Death Star Donuts.
The cupcake toppers and food cards are printed on heavier cardstock, but for the water bottle wraps I used regular paper. I printed everything at Staples. The cupcake toppers are taped to toothpicks.
I had a couple of extra faces, so I taped them over art I already had in the dining room.
Instead of loot bags, each child received a small Star Wars Lego set and a foam lightsaber. Again, these were so simple to make—cut a pool noodle into three equal pieces, wrap one end of each piece with duct tape and use a narrow roll of black tape to add the details. The boys loved helping make them.
When everyone arrived at the party, I called them all together and told them that our backyard had been invaded by Storm Troopers. Each young Jedi grabbed a lightsaber and went out to battle the Troopers, which were white balloons hanging from a tree. It was hilarious!
I had actually dreaded hosting a home party after I did one a few years ago. This time was so much easier. I think the key is to choose a popular theme so you can purchase some of the decor, rather than make it all yourself, which is what I had done the last time. Also, the fact that the boys are a little older made it much easier to keep everyone on track.
Another reason (the main reason if you ask the kids) the party was a huge success was because of Creative Club Inc. They came to our house and ran an hour-long Star Wars Lego activity with the kids. They supply the Lego (in a variety of themes), and the children worked in pairs to build a space station. The absolute cutest part was when each group presented their creation. So adorable.
One thing I do for the boys every year is make them a mini birthday cake of their choice. In keeping with the Star Wars theme, my youngest wanted Luke Skywalker's lightsaber. And, well, it was quite.....ummmm.....something. See for yourself:
I have yet to make the Yoda head my older son wants. You can get a peek of that soon if you pop over to my Instagram account.
I am already excited for next year's DIY home party for the boys. And I am pretty sure I am going to add party styling to my job description....it was way too much fun!
Need more birthday party inspiration? Check out 10 Easy Ways To Throw An Eco-Friendly Birthday Party and Loot Bag Alternatives.
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