Happy 7th Birthday, Christian!
The Invitations ...
For this year's birthday party, we planned a small celebration with cousins and two friends at Build-a-Bear Workshop. Since our guest list was so small, I attached the invitations to stuffed bears purchased at Wal-Mart. Colorful signs proclaimed, "We're Making Memories for Christian's Birthday and Can't Bear to Celebrate Without You!" Quilter's measuring tape wrapped around the bears alluded to the workshop theme, and a handwritten note explained party details.
The Cake ...
Christian wanted to make a tiger at Build-a-Bear, so I went into my own creative workshop to surprise him with a tiger cake. I used the Wilton stand-up bear cake pan for this project. I asked our resident expert on big cats, Carson, to draw stripes in the icing with a toothpick. Then I filled those in with black icing and a star tip. Orange icing piped on with tip 233 covered the rest of the cake in fur. A single cupcake held the candles and added a festive touch. The birthday boy ate this cupcake during the party.
The Crown ...
Making a birthday crown is one of our special traditions, and I will crown Christian the Birthday King for as many years as he enjoys it. Each year near his birthday, Christian is fitted for his birthday crown with a measuring tape. This year the circumference was 20 1/2 inches, so I used a wide ruler to lightly trace a rectangle 5 inches tall and 21 inches long. To create the points in the crown, I placed dots at 3-inch intervals across the rectangle. Then I centered dots 1 1/2 inches below the first dots. I used the ruler to draw straight edges connecting the dots in a zigzag pattern. I cut out the crown, overlapped the ends, secured the seam with invisible tape, and trimmed the extra points at the seam. (Christian was so excited that his crown had seven points!) Then I hot glued pompoms around the crown, starting at the center and working my pattern outward. Pompoms and plastic jewels glued to the points added pizazz, and a puff paint birthday message completed the royal tradition.
The Table ...
After a trip to Build-a-Bear Workshop, we turned home for cake and presents. Christian requested a jungle theme, so I went wild with this year's decor. Place mats, glass tumblers, lime green and turquoise ramekins, and a roll of zoo-themed wrapping paper from Dollar Tree were economical choices for decorating the party table. Paper plates from Target and napkins from Wal-Mart fit our color scheme perfectly, and Martha Stewart animal stickers added a cute touch to place cards made from card stock. Our tiger cake made a festive centerpiece, joined by the bear invitations. Blue, green and white balloons cascaded over the table; and moved to a side table, my Thanksgiving centerpiece added warmth to the room. Snacks were kept simple with Goldfish, cake and ice cream. Orange soda was a special party treat, and the children enjoyed bringing their Build-a-Bear buddies to the table. It was a beary special day celebrating a super-sweet boy!
We Love You, Christian!
