How The West Was Done

Sophie turned five at the beginning of September yet I started planning her party sometime in January/February. I knew her party would occur shortly after her little sister's birth so I had to start early. I came up with the theme and then slowly started collecting ideas, props, etc.

Sophie was rather fascinated with the Toy Story 3 movie last Fall. She especially loved Woody and Jessie. Since I don't do commercialized parties, I suggested we have a Cowgirl/Wild West themed party. As it turned out, I really liked this theme because it was easy to put together and rather inexpensive. The color theme was red and blue so I was able to reuse a lot of our July 4th party goods. I found inspiration from so many sources.

Without further ado, here are my favorite party details....

The Western Town (inspiration found here). I loved this idea and was committed to carrying it through....even when it meant going to Lowe's at 6:00 AM (gulp!) to collect the boxes. My Dad ended up painting the cowboy cutout ~ thank you, Dad!!! Sophie also painted a desert scene which we ended up putting on the wall of the saloon.

Sophie's photoboard. I do this for all of Sophie's parties. I think it's fun for people to see and for Alain and I to be reminded how much our daughter has grown....

The dress-up table. I have to admit that I rarely saw the kids wearing their hats, bandanas, etc. It seemed to me that they liked the badges the best.

The "Pin the Badge on the Sheriff" game. I had a lot of fun painting this. It was so therapeutic. And the cowgirl's attire is modeled after Woody's. Can you tell?

Our simple and rustic dessert table.

The Cake. My friend Elizabeth is so talented. I sent her this image and she created the amazing delicacy you see here.

One of my favorite party details is the cowboy-themed bunting I made. I love handcrafted party decor! I hung the bunting from a neighbor's old window that I picked up off the curb on trash day. This is the first time I've used it but I know there will be plenty of other uses!

I picked up this "whiskey bottle" at our local Strawberry Farm where they were giving them away for free. I wasn't sure what I would use it for but I thought it fit the theme well. So it served as a flower vase. In hindsight I wish I'd put some vinyl "XXX" letters on the front. The kids wouldn't know any different but the adults sure would.

Cowgirl Cookies. We used the Bakerella recipe. YUM.

Good ole' classic Rice Krispies Treats. Otherwise known as "haystacks". Inspiration for the food labels from here.

The Flower Wagon. Once we'd selected the party theme, this was one of the first decor items I picked up. Hobby Lobby. Where else?

Another Hobby Lobby find were the cow-print balloons. LOVE those! They were perfect for this party!

The Coloring Table. Because art/drawing/coloring is one of Sophie's most favorite things. "Wanted" coloring sheets from here.

The Eating Table. A simple red&white checked tablecloth, some mason jars and white daisies....

For me, one of the major highlights was the food. I LOVED THE FOOD at this party. We served veggie chili (made by Alain), cole slaw and mac & cheese (from Mac's Speed Shop) and cornbread (from Fresh Market). It was so delicious. I've never been that happy to eat leftovers for three days in a row.

Lastly, this was Sophie shortly after the party ended. She crashed hard on the couch. I'll take that as a sign of a successful party!