Bowling Birthday Party

Have you ever realized that your child’s birthday was a week away and you had nothing planned for it yet? I know I have, and so did Amanda of Shindig Parties To Go, however when you’re a creative genius like she is, it’s no problem pulling a party together at the last minute. She decided on a bowling party for her daughter’s 11th birthday {a very popular party destination around here too} and added all kinds of stylish details to make it pop with excitement and fun that kids desire. Check out all the party details and read Amanda’s tips for all you last minute party planning moms out there… ; D

“Sometimes being the owner of a party business means your own children’s birthdays can sneak up on you. And this year, a week before my middle child’s birthday we realized we had no plans — Oh no! We decided a last minute bowling party was the way to go. Acting quickly to pull it all together involved an almost all-nighter of designing a set of bowling party printables and luckily, we sent out invitations the very next day. ”

• I decided to create an eye-catching centerpiece made from paper mache boxes covered in paper patterns to coordinate with the BOWLING PARTY COLLECTION. The base in bold black and white stripes was a fun find from Hobby Lobby. The red center box was covered in red wrapping paper from Walmart and the top box was covered in the printable black chevron paper from the printables collection.
• The “11” on the top was created from wood numbers covered in turquoise glitter cardstock.
• On either side of the centerpiece, tiered boxes held a fun bowling topper created from the printable bowling pins from the collection and a styrofoam ball covered in decoupaged black napkins to resemble a bowling ball.
• A simple backdrop made from a 4’x4’ piece of ¼” plywood covered in alternating pieces of black and white 12”x12” scrapbook paper was a striking complement to the rest of the dessert table decor.
• Another fun element of the table included plates of store-bought chocolate covered doughnuts placed on DIY cake stands made from thrift store candle holders and lazy susan tops. I love these cake stands and use them all the time for different parties. I can glue on different ribbons and trims and completely change the look from party to party.
• To save time, the cupcakes and cookies were store-bought and embellished with printable cupcake toppers and gorgeous fondant toppers from the talented Brittany of Edible Details.
• Since I was in a time-crunch the marshmallow pops were the only food I made myself. In only about an hour, I covered the tops of over-sized marshmallows with turquoise and red chocolate candy melts sprinkled in colored sugars. A fun little “bowling ball” made from a chocolate candy melt with three white dots topped off the treats. Placing the marshmallow pops in Dollar Tree glass vases covered in a red/white dot printable paper made a simple display. Surrounding them with cups of gumballs added a touch of color and another sweet kid favorite.
• Other items on the dessert table included candy bars wrapped in the party printable design and Dollar Tree favor boxes covered in a printable black and white stripe paper to hold popcorn for the guests. A printable bowling ball design was added to the front of each snack box to tie in the theme.

• After a rousing round of bowling, the kids sat down to a fabulous party table with their own place settings including a trophy holding pixie sticks and a small pennant flag name card.
• Paper cups were embellished with ribbon and a printable bowling party logo. The table itself was covered in turquoise and a simple strip of black and white dot wrapping paper was used as a table runner. This is a great way to add visual interest to the center of a long table without spending alot.
• Miniature bowling themed candy bars and Hershey Kisses lined the center of the table as well as various centerpiece pennants and starbursts from the party set.

• Awards were given to the highest scoring bowlers which the kids just loved. The award ribbons were made with scrapbook paper, ribbon and a printable award circle from the collection.
• The kids also had a chance to win a bucket full of gumballs by playing the “Guess How Many?” game.
• A photo booth was created with a simple backdrop of red/white dot fabric and the kids had so much fun “Striking a Pose.”
• Each child took home a favor basket filled with a “Thanks, I had a ball!” treat bags filled with black gumballs, some pixie sticks, twizzlers, and a water bottle. Macy had a FABULOUS 11th birthday with her friends!”

_________________________________________________________

Once again Amanda has created an eye-popping party full of fun and creativity, and she thought of everything. I know bowling parties are popular and she’s shared some fantastic ideas to make them more festive and special.

Great job!

Styling & Printables – Shindig Parties To Go / Fondant Toppers – Edible Details / Red & White snack cups – Pick Your Plum / Striped Straws – Shop Sweet Lulu / Adhesive Paper for water bottles & candy wraps – Online Labels

Sharing is caring!