It's a Pirate's life for me...for 1 day anyway!!

Like I really have time to blog... but I have 1 hour and it relaxes me!!!... so why not! (Not soooo relaxing when pictures don't want to load...but here we are!!)

This birthday season (2 boys' birthdays in October turns into a season in our house!) -- we decided to join the birthday madness together.  We were moving into our house at the beginning of Oct so Isaac was asked if we could have one together... I let him pick the theme (with a little persuasion!)  HE chose PIRATES!!!... I already had SOOOOO many ideas.  I would have made any of them work, but I try to stay away from character lead ones... I don't know why, they are perfectly fine and fun and fabulous... but I was thrilled to throw my pirates a great birthday bash... Lots of pictures in this one... but helps with the explaining!!!



The Birthday Boys... they were soooo excited about their cake, and so was their mommy!

Of Course the cake was a big hit!! 

I made 2-- 9 x 13" rectangular cakes... cut the bump off of one -- for the top of the treasure chest and added the remainder of that cake to the bottom of the chest... frosted the entire cake with chocolate buttercream frosting and piped the decorations on from there.  I made a wedge out of styrofoam to prop the top cake board up... you don't need much of an angle... alot less than I expected... maybe only like 10 degrees.  We had ordered the Gold Coins (both chocolate and fake plastic ones) from Oriental Trading Company... the 2 different shades of gold really worked well on the cake!  The jewels are piped to look like necklaces or loose rocks!... Adding the eye patch really helped!... just dangled it from the corner.  This really was quite a simple cake for how big of an impact it made for a party!!

 We used some "treasure maps" I found again on OTC for both invitations and the hunting clues for the treasure box!  On the invites we wrote:

A'HOY MATES...
Isaac turns 6 and Trevor turns 4.
X marks the spot of the Parrrrrrty (insert address here).
Hoist your anchors and set your sails to arrive (insert date here). 
Be there at 3:30 pm or risk Walking the Plank!

They were also a big hit... I don't believe in RSVP's but you could add that too (never get an accurate count from them -- I am one of those that forgets to RSVP... so if I'm invited and I did not send my regrets, then I will be there... ha ha... Oops!!)

So much fun was had on the plank... just a long board we prompt up on 2 five gallon buckets!... At first some were nervous (esp. Trevor) but by the end of the party they were all super fast at "Jumping into the sharks"... that is what the game became....

So onto the Treasure hunt... The boys and I made up treasure bag (favors, that included an eye patch, bouncy balls, it was fall so all of the candies were "metals" colored.. hershey kisses, york peppermint patties... and of course both sets of gold coins!)  and wrote the names of the kids expected at the party on each bag... THAT way EVERYONE gets one!!! The "box" was filled with the favors and I created "clues" for a treasure hunt that sent the party goers all over the house... one clue led them to the bathtub... another to the movie cabinet...another to the cereal cabinet.... Then one day close to the party the Treasure box disappeared... the boys were not happy... I had hid it already.  And Isaac figured out "X" marked the spot... but I scolded... ha.... him to get away from the decorations!!!  lol!!!

  Decorations also found at OTC... The X made with warning tape.. where the treasure's last clue led them...

I made the Treasure box by covering a box that a ream of paper comes in with paperbags and coloring with crayons and markers to get shades of brown... the "leather straps" are the handles of the paper bags colored with black marker... Don't forget the key hole!

 Be sure to take LOTS of pictures of your pirates... especially saying what Pirates say "ARRRRRRGHHHHH."

And to leave you with a pirate joke you can share at your party... The boy's uncle asked Isaac this one day... and he didn't really get it!  Ha...

What is a Pirate's favorite letter?

 You would think it is the " RRRRRRRRRRRRgggghhhh!"

But it's the "C"... sea... get it!!!!! 

 Hope it's a pirate's life party for you someday too!!!... WE all had a blast!