So, I thought it wonderfully apt that my dear sonny boy Will chose a COWBOY themed party for his eagerly-anticipated 6th birthday. ‘Well yihaaaaaa’, I thought, and I got ready to roll with this rodeo!
Creating great kids’ parties is a passion AND a business for me, and the more I do it, the more I try to find REAL ways to make memories – without too much stress and without spending too much money! And of course, to add value to y’all – so that you can glide through birthday party time without so much as breaking a sweat!
BUT, at the same time, creating something your kids will absolutely adore, and that you can be totally proud of.
With this in mind, the intrepid Sunshine Parties team set out with a ‘WHOOP’ to create a hoedown to remember for Cowboy Will!
So, here’s a look at the main party table:
I’ll be the first to ‘acknowledge the corn’ (that means ‘admit it’ in cowboy speak.) I just happened to have these awesome wooden shutters, looking remarkably like saloon doors, as part of my home. So that was a win! But, if saloon doors weren’t part of your home design brief, fear not! This set-up is so easy you can do it anywhere, indoors or outdoors, against a plain wall or textured wall, it’ll work for you!
Backdrops and Buntings
We created cowboy and cactus backdrop items that matched the party invitation, as well as a ‘Wanted’ sign and cool red and cream diagonal stripe mini bunting, along with the main party banner featuring William’s name. The banner is totally editable, so could feature a name, ‘Happy Birthday’ or any other message.
Free Party Table Set Up Guide
One of the most important party tips when creating a table is that you always need to bring in different heights to create interest. A flat table is a boooooooooooooring table! And if you want to learn more about this, check out our free ‘How to Create a Party Table’ guide, for in-depth info on creating Pinterest-worthy party tables, in no time at all!
Creating the ‘Classic Cowboy’
To bring in the rustic theme, we used a burlap tablecloth, a paisley print overlay, some hay bales and some cactus plants. And yummy food, of course. More on that later. It’s important to bring in pops of color, and red was a great one for this set up.
When creating a table set up, there is no need to rush out willy nilly and buy anything! Just use what you’ve got, and borrow what you don’t! Cactus plants, cowboy hats, cake stands, some hay bales, a saddle or tack and red and white check or paisley bandana fabric all work well for the classic cowboy look.
If you’ve been following our party antics for a while, you’ll know that we luuuurve to label the food – here are some of our cowboy party food ideas:
No cowboy worth his spittle would have a party without a dang good slice of cake somewhere in the proceedings! To keep it simple, delicious and effective, I decided on a double layer chocolate, oozing with delicious chocolate icing. Then, I used the cowboy motif you will see a lot in this party set up, and had him peering out from behind some fearsome cactii. A bag o loot and some chocolate coins and boom! Cowboy Cake it was!
Add a whole lot of fun to your party with editable directional signs.
It never grows old or tired – we created a ‘Cactus Toss’!
How cute? We had this lemonade stand from another party, and ‘repurposed’ it by painting it red and slappin’ on a ‘Saloon’ sign!
No cowboy I know would say ‘No’ to popping a bag of loot in his saddlebag! For the party favors, we had these cotton drawstring bags made by a local seamstress, and we made the dollar sign stencil out of the dollar template in the party set, and painted each one on with a small sponge roller. Like so:
Inside? A pack o’ mini playing cards and a couple gold (chocolate) coins = very happy little campers!
