Themed parties!

Hiya , just wanted to ask if you were doing a themed party where u had to create designs just to fit the theme , how many would you do for the party or how many do you think would be enough ! Thanks xx

Are you asking how many different designs you would offer?

If so, that would depend on the theme and the sexes of those in attendance.

Sorry, lack of info , it's willy wonka theme ( am still going on about lol ) and b boys and girls mixed amount I think , 9th olds x

I didn't read all of the other thread... but in my experience, I have learned that it's almost fruitless labor to invest time and effort into coming up with designs for a themed party.

The kids will still choose what they want, no matter WHAT the theme is.

Last year I created a menu of designs for a circus themed party... NO ONE chose a circus design. As a matter of fact, no one even wanted anything more than a couple of NY Giants cheek art designs and the rest were arm designs.

Make sure you have a few designs that are theme related in your arsenal, and maybe a few that can be adapted to tie into the theme, (i.e., a "blueberry" butterfly or "golden ticket" butterfly, or a princess crown you can call Princess Veruca Salt, or a cute Oompa- Loompa mask.)

Ha....yeah, it's almost comical how the kids seem to almost avoid the themed designs every time!! I did only one party where the mom wanted ONLY the themed designs, and they were all Lion King. It was tough to fill a whole board from one movie. Normally I'm not even asked to do the theme, but I will always offer to "customize my design board" by asking them if there is a theme, and if the birthday child has any favorite things or cartoon characters. Then I'll sprinkle a few (4-6 maybe) in with the usual favorites. In the end as long as the kids are happy and have fun, it's all good anyway!

Okay... I say, do not spend any extra time coming up with designs specifically for a theme. It isn't worth the time and effort.

Here's what I do (if I am not totally comfortable with the theme)...

I will print off or take along some images of the theme characters (for example I did a Madagascar party on Sunday, so I googled, printed off four images of groups of characters and took it along (you can also use sticker catalogues as reference material - Smilemakers.com is a good one that I get in the mail.)

Two kids asked for Madagascar characters - I just referred to the images I had and this is what I painted



The rest were butterflies and cheetahs... kids will want what they want and there is no need to go overboard on preparation. There are times where you could pull together a small sheet of examples - but for me it is just a collection of photos I already have on hand.

I do exactlyw hat Shannon does, as I learned, except for POSSIBLE the birthday kid, no one choses the theme. If it's a license (like I did Strawberry Shortcake recently), then I print out a few key licensed themes. If it's non-license, like I had a "reptile" party recently, I google "reptile clip art" and print a page of themed clip art, then I tell the kids I can "design" a reptile face. When I started, I was making boards, etc. Not worth it I learned! Clip art is the best thing on the planet!!!

There weren't too many times, that I was asked to do all designs related to the theme. The last party I did do like this was a dog theme. The mom insisted all had to be a dog because she had dog collars for each kid. I just put two dog designs out and they could pick a different color. The little ones could get something else though since they couldn't sit still long enough for a dog

I do find it can be very disappointing to the kids if you limit them to dogs. It was hard not doing what they really wanted I was being paid by the mom, not the kids though

The mom may be paying, but it is the kid getting the paint on their face! I always go with the choice of the person in the chair. I don't get argued with.

Thanks for the advice guys, and love your pics Shannon , have allready made a board etc now , but will know for next time, and thanks will prepare for back up ones to then xx

@CottonKandy...LOL who has a DOG themed party and makes the kids wear dog collars?!? That's borderline WEIRD.

LOL Coral, I think it's kind of a cute idea! Maybe I'M the weird one, lol

^ perhaps it only gets weird if food is served in bowls on the floor & afterwards the mother puts them all on leads & walks them round the block...

Shannon Fennell wrote:The mom may be paying, but it is the kid getting the paint on their face! I always go with the choice of the person in the chair. I don't get argued with.

If I ended up painting the kids other things and not a dog, I'm sure that $25 tip would not have happened

If the child doesn't want painted then I won't paint them, but if the mom insists a small design, I'm not going to burn a bridge over it

LOL It wasn't like real dog collars. They were handmade felt. It was a "Little Blue Dog" party(I think Party City sales this theme). They even had headbands with ears

Oh, the mom was a cake decorator so she even had dog treats and doggy bowls! LOL Oh, they even had a barking contest with judges, too! Cuties, scariest, etc.