Thursday, May 22, 2008

Wild Wild West and a Giveaway

Help! Jake's 7th (OMG!) birthday is just a few short weeks from now. We are planning a Wild Wild West party for him which will be held in our backyard.
So, I've planned the invitations - Wanted Posters - which need to go out soon. I'm working on them now. I have some ideas for the food, decorations, and fun, and I've bought a few decorations, but need your help with some crafty ideas.

So, please help me by adding a comment giving me your best ideas for the party. On saturday night, I will choose one lucky reader to receive some wonderful scrapbooking goodies. Here are some pictures of the yummy things you will receive. Thanks for your help!
Here is another picture: felt fusion (2: black scroll and orange flowers), white Signo pen, beach/summer word stickers, and Studio K letters. Cute!
Another shot: journalling tags, K&Co chipboard words, and rub-ons (some numbers and Bohemia "Summer". Again, cute!

31 comments:

Stacy said...

Fun party idea. Go to a craft store and get some cheap bandanas. Use them to make your treat bags. Even if you wanted to use cellophane bags to hold things better and use the bandana for the outside and use raffia to tie them up. Hope that makes sense :)

Jingle said...

That sounds like a blast! Maybe for favors you could find some inexpensive cowboy hats (like the plastic mesh kind at IParty or somewhere like that)and add a bandana and some beef inside the hats! That way they can wear them right away and you will have a coordinated factor to all of your guests, making it WAY easier to scrap when you get the photos back! You could also use the Cosmo Cricket western papers to make your thank you cards and maybe even little placecards! OH! and those cute cowboy stamps....I will have to find a link, but they are "Bobby" or something like that! They would be perfect!

Unknown said...

You could play musical chairs to the song "Wild Wild West" by Will Smith! ha ha! Or get a pinata in the shape of a horse! So fun!!

AFScrapperMom said...

Cool idea

Have a scavenger hunt and call it a roundup with western themed little toys as the items they hunt for (plastic cows, squirt guns, plastic sherrif's stars)

Get one of the fuzz dart sets (is that the right word, you know the velco dart sets with no points and have a "knife throwing contest" a cowboy skill from old

A cute goodie bag if your giving them out would be Saddle bags made with plain lunch bags and red and blue triangles of paper cut into bandanda's.

Good luck and have fun!

Anonymous said...

Okay, I haven't had my coffee yet this morning, so I had to steal this one from a website, but I hope you like it just the same...I thought it was great: Post all kinds of Western-slang signs around the birthday theme party area. You can also have a sign for every area, for instance near the food a sign saying "Grub"; near the drinks "Waterin' Hole"; where the bathroom is "Outhouse", etc. Post WANTED-type posters of your kid or other family members and friends (each with a crime and bounty; also give them names such as "Wild Bobby Smith" or the "Coyote Kid")." (from www.coolest-kid-birthday-parties.com). Thanks for letting me play, and have a wonderful party!
~Erika/journeyfan

jan farnworth said...

if you know anyone who has horses you could arrange to go ride them to add a real feel. if not you can get some of those toy ride on horses that have the heads and sticks for the kids to gallop around on. You could have some face paint available and the kids could put fake blood wounds on for when they get shot for being bank robbers or defending there hostess from some party theives.

Carly said...

Howdy! You have have a little dress up station with different hat's and sheriff clothes and have the kids take a picture and then make frames out of 8 popsicle stick's glued together (2 on ea. side) with elmers glue and then paint them and decorate with stars and stuff. Attach a brown piece of yarn to hang them. Print the pic. out for their frames. You could buy a thing of brown felt and cut them out "vests" and have them decorate those to wear at the party. Or buy cheap cowboy hats and have them decorate those. For games you could play horseshoes, pin the tail on the donkey, Pass the rattle snack (hot potatoe) or find the nickels in the haystack. We played that at a fair recently-the kids loved it. Have an area with hay bails and spread some of the hay in the middle on the floor and mix in a couple of rolls of nickels-keep them busy too! For food you could have BBQ, beans served in tin cups & smores. Maybe have them roast marshmellows. You could decorate with red & white table clothes and bandanas (wal-mart). Have Fun!

Mylee said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mylee said...

I love the Wild West theme!!!! Things I have done with this theme in my classroom are:

1. Make Sheriff Badges out of Yellow Craft foam and hot glue them to a pin.

2. Make Lucky Horseshoes out of gray craft foam to hang above their bedroom doors.

3. Pin the tail on the horse or cow.

4. Have a competition to see who can design the best belt buckle, using craft foam of different colors.

Have fun and I hope you are able to post some pictures of what you actually do!!!

4.

Nicole said...

What a fun idea. My idea is as a game you could do a treasure hunt and make a map (old and inked up) for them to try to find the gold. Give them clues at each spot until they reach the end. Make each team a treasure map to follow.
It would be cool to take each childs picture when they get there in a hat and bandana and then put it on a wanted poster for them to take home with them.
Good luck with the party, sounds like a great time.

Kimmie said...

little badges are fun. How about pin the tail on the bad guy?

Or photo them and have them make a wanted poster.

lunch sacks with "loot" in them.

Wendy said...

I recently read a person did this at her child's birthday party. She made paper bag albums with only 2 bags...just sewed them together and made the holes in the spine. With just 2 bags it has fewer pages so its quicker to finish. Then she put the unfinished paper bag album into a lunch sack and started adding the items needed to make the album...glue stick, some diecuts, stickers, patterned paper cut to size, and other goodies along with theme items. The children(boys & girls)loved making the albums! If you can borrow a polaroid camera or take pictures and have someone print them off you can add those as they are working. It could be so much fun just putting together the project bags! Well, I didn't mean to write a novel. I'm sure the party will be great! Have a wonderful day!
Wendy

Spongemom Scrappants said...

Take home bandanna bags could include beef jerky, sheriff's stars, water gun, and other western-theme items.

Definately have a target practice area for the young gunslingers. Water guns would work or nerf dart guns maybe. Set up empty cans on a log to "shoot" at.

A photo area to get an individual shot of each guest with the birthday boy is easy to do. Use a bale of hay, borrow an old saddle if you can, have a couple of ten-gallon hats, and stuff like that. Include the photos with the party thank-yous so you don't have to hustle and print them that day.

A fun game could use stick horses. Set up a barrel race course for example.

If I think of more, I'll pop back in. Good luck with a party that sounds like lots of fun.

Scraprageous said...

Wow - there are a lot of great ideas for you already! We have done a few of these, any chance of having a pony ride? (not sure if you are in or out of town) That always makes for a great pic/party favor - have them add a few stickers and kids are thrilled.

No room for pony? Do a sherrifs office/jail from cardboard - kids dress up as sherrif for photo op.

can do the wooden stick ponies - use old jeans - cut each pant leg off - sew end of pant leg toether - stuff with fluff (fiberfill) put stick about 8" into end not yet sealed - put some hot glue around stick and tie with twine - then as party activity - have kids glue or use glue dots - various pieces of felt for ears, yarn for mane (or pre-sew this part on), large wiggle eyes, and makers to color some spots - they will have their own ponies to ride around the yard!. - don't forget the bandana's and hats (oriental trading has inexpensive ones)

Good luck and Have a lot of fun!

ps - invites could go out rolled up in scroll like the wanted poster (think that is what I read you were planning) - then put into a tube to be delivered so they are unrolled when opened! Scraprageous (ckmb)

angie worthington said...

bandanas....oriental trading website will have alot of ideas that you can use...you should be able to find similar items at local $ stores...take lots of pictures for us to see!!!...
;) angie (craftyscrapr)

Sandy/tx-nana-scraps said...

Fun party. If you can find any large brown paper grocery bags, you could cut them and make a vest. They could spend time decorating them with washable markers or crayons. You could have them all cut out ahead of time and even cut some fringe on the bottoms. Have a great time.

jlk0108 said...

Lovin' the theme. I hope I get to do this in the future. I have a couple ideas. Decorate boot shaped cookies, bob for apples, lasso wild horses-like ring toss but replace bottles with horse figurines or make sock horses and slip them over coke bottles. You could set up a saloon serving root beer, Jones sodas and peanuts. Play horse shoes. Play a version of tag but call it Stampede. Have the kids tuck bandanas in their back pocket as tails. Have all the kids chase each other trying to steal tails. If their tail is stolen they can steal one back and keep playing or you could use it as an elimanation. Hope this helps. -Joni

Amber (tink13) said...

You could maybe buy little notepads in the shape of a cowboy hat. They are hard to find, but I have seen them before. You could also make them a little favor bag and decorate it with cowboy themed stuff.

~Amber~
(AMR- tink13)

~Cheryl said...

If it's nice out you could always have "cowboy games"- rope a sheep or cow, ride your horse the fastest, ect.

It would also be fun to get some big boxes and make a sheriff office, store and such to take pictures in front of for keepsakes for the kids. :)

Have a great party!!!

jessicamae3 said...

serve food in metal(aluminum) pie pans!
have fun
take lots of pics!
j

scrappyhappy08 said...

for an easy pasy door prize you can number some type of cowboy shaped die cut tape them to the wall and have each child pick one when they arrive..before the party is over draw some numbers out of a hat and give a little prize! I've done that at my son's party and the kids loved it plus it adds to the decor on one wall!! :)

Cassie said...

Here's a decorating idea:
You can cut saloon doors out of cardboard and have that as the entrance to the party.

Monkdabutt said...

If possible, give a real horseshoe to every child, attach a balloon to each one and place at their table setting.

Have a rope tying contest with licorice, or real rope.

Boot Toss - use large cowboy boots and bean bags. The children will try to toss the bean bags into the boots. Or, use a large cowboy hat.

Penny in a hay stack - hide pennies, small toy horses, and other cowboy other items in a pile of hay.

bairdmtn said...

Another great idea is "panning for gold"! You take small smooth stones and paint them gold with a number on each one. Place the stones in a large pan or tub of sand. Take several aluminum pie pans (from pre-baked pies) and punch several holes in the bottoms of each for the sand to run through and let everyone "pan" for gold. Have coordinating prizes set aside for winning "panners"! This is always a hit and lots of fun for all ages!

You also HAVE to toast marshmallows over an open fire!

Hope this helps!
Mary Jo

Amy said...

I don't think I saw this idea yet. You could have a campfire in the backyard and get some haybales to put around it in a circle for seating.

Also, have you seen the chocolate coins they have out there? That'd be a good one for the treat bags.

Have a great party...can't wait to see pics :)

CraftyRia said...

All of the ideas are wonderful, it's hard to come up with more.

How about "Rope the horse/pony." Tie a large loop in a rope and have the kids throw it over a rocking horse.

Along with roasted marshmallows, they can also roast hot dogs (on a long stick, right in the fire).

I like the idea of a "round-up" scavenger hunt - together with a treasure map. Some examples of things they can find are: a nickel in a haystack, a cow spot (have a cow decorated with removable black cardstock spots, but don't make it too obvious that they're removable), and various other things they can find around the party (part of the decorations).

I hope you have a great time!

emcharpist said...

How about giving out those blow guns that they make out of pvc pipe (or something!) and have a showdown with the blow guns using marshmellows. (you know, where they stand back to back, take so many steps and turn around and fire (or blow) at each other and the fastest wins) and then they can take the blow gun home. I think paper bags would be cute all decorated up to take their goodies home in...... sounds like lots of fun!!!

Elisabeth :)

Linda said...

You could always make your own version of Pin the Tail on the Donkey...either Pin the Tail on the Horse, Pin the Hat on the Cowboy, or Pin the Badge on the Sheriff.

aphotojunkie said...

You have so many great ideas already…
It will be warm by the time of the party so you have to have something that involves WATER. How about water balloons you could have each kid with a cowboy hat and they would have to toss the water balloon into the cowboy hat without it breaking. Of course a child would be holding the cowboy hat so they might get wet. LOL… Not conventional Wild West but FUN.
Another water idea – set up a little carnival stand with sheriff badges, cowboy hats and out house laminated diecuts on little stands (round base with a sticks). Put points on each one and have the kids hit them with the water gun and knock them down, give them 20-30 seconds each. Keep track of the points and have little goodies they can pick from for point amounts. You never know who will get wet if they miss the targets…LOL Hope that makes sense. They could also use the water ballons to throw at the little stand things.
My kids no matter what theme of their party loved anything WATER

Dodgers Team MOM said...

When we had a western party I bought wooden stars at Michaels for liek .25 each - i let the kids paint them yellow, add a pin to back with hot glue, and add their names to the front - it was a name tag, a craft, dress up for the party, and a favor!

HTH!
Gotscrapz at CKMB

whirligigdaisy said...

You could make holster place mats. Fork goes in one holster and napkin (can use bandanas) and spoon and knife in the other holster. Then have little loops for bullets across the top and put tootsie rolls in these. My Mom used did this for a Home Ec project once and it looked great!