Seaweed grapes- I found an awesome deal on grapes the Saturday before the party, so I put them on skewers and put them in the freezer until just before the party. And who doesn't love frozen grapes?!
Ocean Jelly- Blue raspberry Jello with whipped cream and swedish fish on a bed of graham cracker crust.
Goldfish Crackers
Shark Gummies- I found them in bulk at Winco.
Ocean Juice- Blue Koolaid packet with sugar and a 2 Liter bottle of Sprite.
Cake- Obviously!!
Starfish- Watermelon
Octopus Seaweed Dip- Yellow Bell Pepper cut to look like an octopus topped on a bowl of spinish dip.
For decorations I wanted a backdrop that I could use to take pictures of each of the kids. I've seen some really cute backdrops that used a lot of ribbon and lace. They are super cute, but a little out of my budget. So I just used streamers and some mesh netting I found at Joann's for a couple bucks. The netting was originally about 12 inches wide, so I gut them into thirds. I really liked how the shiny netting added to it. (plus, netting...fish...Just makes sense, right?!) I did add a couple strands of ribbon, but I don't really feel like it added anything extra to the backdrop.
The tablecloth was one of my favorite decorations! It was really simple, and fairly cheap to make too. I used fabric I found at Joann's. The sequin-like material make it look like scales, though there was some material that looked even more like scales, but I wasn't about to spend $25 a yard on the fabric, even if I could use a coupon on it! The fabric I got was $8 a yard and I used a 50% off coupon. Doesn't get much better than that! My table was 42" square, so I just got enough to cover the top. I used strips of tulle for the "skirt" part of the table. I needed about 3 1/3 yards for a 3 foot high table. I only did three sides, though, so if you were going to do all 4 sides, you will need more.
I also used a fishing net from the dollar store to hold up some balloons. I attached some starfish that I purchased here onto the fishing net.
I wanted the girls to be able to dress up for their picture, so I made a little mermaid skirt and a starfish headband. I used the tutorial for the mermaid skirt found here. For the headband I got sequin stretchy trim from Joann and used some shabby chic flowers, wedding veil netting, furry trim and a starfish. I'm pleasantly surprised with the results!!
I also made an octopus out of a balloon and streamers, and jellyfish out of balloons, tulle, a plastic tablecloth, and ribbon. I love the way they turned out too!!
And what's an under the sea party without a few fish?! Just a warning, though. Without a filtering system, you'll need to find a way to continue to give them oxygen. I added some tap water (maybe not the best way) that seemed to help add some oxygen to the water. Sadly, our fish didn't last too long...
For party favors I made some pearl necklaces with large pearl beads and some ribbon. (I had to use a needle and pliers to get the ribbon through, because the pearl holes were so small.)
As for the cake...I can't, by any means, claim that as my own! I have an awesome friend who traded me a cake for a photo session. Otherwise that cake probably would have cost me $75.
Games: For an under the sea party you have to have water games, right?! We set up a couple kiddie pools for them to play in. One had a board across it for a "walk the plank" game. The favorite, by far, was the slip'n'slide. We have a wonderful little hill in our backyard that is perfect for sledding in the winter and slip'n'slide in the summer. The kids LOVED it.
All in all, it was a super fun party. I have to say, I'm glad it's over. Now I can start stressing about my newest adventure, and coincidentally, my newest post series...Videography. To stay posted on all my adventures, be sure to sign up for email notices!
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