My son wanted a Ninja party for his 5th birthday. May I just say, finding anything (mass produced) which is ninja related is nearly impossible (which is gloriously appropriate) and i didn't want to do a Lego Ninja party (too expensive, too... commercial). I really liked the idea of generic Ninjas.
The running joke around our house was:
The husband: "How do you decorate for a ninja party?"
Me: "How?"
The husband: "Leave dead bodies everywhere."
So... since it was a 5 year-old's birthday party I decided to forgo the dead bodies and, instead, focus on just 2 items:
The Ninja cake:
Super easy- round cake pan with a Ninja face. I've handmade/decorated all my kid's birthday cakes so far; I'm going to see if I can make it to their 10th birthdays...
If I were talented, I would have made: this cake.
Ninja peg dolls:
These were fun. Many of the kids played with the ninjas while the food was being put out; they were entertaining enough to hold their attention.
Misc / Not handmade:
The party bags were red Chinese take out containers. Plates, napkins, etc. were red and black (as were the balloons).
I've been trying to de-stress my parties. Jonah was more than happy with the decorative minimalist approach and everyone had a good time.
Other items I came up with but didn't have the time to do:
Game- pin the star on the Ninja. Take a silhouetted figure of a ninja, put it on a wall. Blindfold the kid, put a silver paper star in their hand, one side sticky. Who ever gets the star closest to the Ninja's head wins.
Ninja masks/ party favors: Take strips of black fabric (long enough to tie around the head). Cut out eye-holes.
Other Ninja items I found but didn't buy, make, or use:
Etsy: Ninja party bags
Etsy: Ninja stamps
Ravelry: Crochet ninjas (party favors)
Etsy: Ninja oragami (stars)
Etsy: Ninja cupcake toppers
Stuff from this party
I love the face on this cake, and the peg dolls. Where did you find those? Do they sell blanks and then you paint/decorate as you like? Brilliant as usual, Kate.
ReplyDeleteFaye! You can get the blanks at any craft store (look in the unpainted wood aisle) or- what I did was buy the blanks from 'goosegreaseundone' (I like that they are fair trade) on Etsy and paint them with soy based paint (non-toxic).
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