Airplane First Birthday Party

There are a ton of pins on pinterest about airplane parties. BUT, mine wasn't for a boy & I didn't want to go with strictly a plane party. I wanted any type of air travel (helicopters, paper airplanes, kites, hot air balloons, planes, travel globes, etc). So it turned into a more diverse theme as I pulled together all the elements. All the links to each part of the project are at the end of this post. I also have an airplane themed party pinboard that you can follow if you'd like.

We sent out boarding pass invitations to the guests.

I printed pictures of the birthday girl throughout the year and hung them on chicken wire. It didn't turn out quite like I expected, but I gave it my best shot and people liked the pictures a lot. This idea was from pinterest.

I simulated hot air balloons on the gift table with baskets from the dollar store, some silk flowers that I keep on hand and mix and match to go with the party colors, and some helium filled balloons. I liked that it wasn't a literal translation of the air travel theme, but still was fun and a great way to add some interest to the table.

Below you can see the kites I made hanging in the pavilion. They were a bit heavy and fell about halfway through the party, but if you had hooks, they would stay up just fine. I'd love to see someone else take this idea to the next level.

We used the beehive from the bumblebee party to serve lemonade, aka Jet Fuel.

I made some cake pops (really marshmallow pops) that are shaped like propellers. I used the chalkboard signs from the bumblebee party to name these "Prop Pops". I like the sound of that! This was an idea from pinterest, too.

Here are some of the cupcakes I made, with pinwheels shaped from starburst candies. I got this idea from pinterest. I made the cupcake stand from Goodwill findings.

Here's another shot of the hot air balloon centerpiece I put together.

The party favors were gliders from oriental trader, wrapped in sheets of tissue papers, and then wrapped with crocheted kites. The idea for the crocheted kites is here.

We also had people write advice down for the Birthday Girl or guess what she'll be when she grows up. She got some good, funny advice. You can also see inside the basket the Passports I made for each child who attended the party. It had their name & picture inside, along with coloring pages and a place for stickers. It kept the kids' attention during the party for a good while.

My mom with the Birthday Girl:

A Propeller plane watermelon (pinterest idea):

The cake was on the table with the party table skirt I made from Goodwill finds. I added the paper airplanes on a string to hang over the cake. I also borrowed a globe to complete the dessert table.