Cowgirl Party -3yr- Cowgirl Hats & Sheriff Badges

We had a Cowgirl party for my daughter's 3rd birthday. 

The invitations were a bandana style from an internet company.  I ordered children's cowboy hats  ( they come in blue and red- perfect for boys and girls) and sheriff stars from Oriental Trading Company . 

I used gingham checked plates and plain red SOLO cups with red checked picnic tableclothes.  I found bandana napkins on the internet. 

We fixed hot dogs and hamgurgers and chips. I lined tin roasting pans (extremely inexpensive at the grocery store) with bandanas to use for serving chips, popcorn, etc.- they look very "country." It fit the theme well just to use lawn furniture and a picnic table in our back yard. 

Instead of a cake, we had cupcakes. I used the sheriff badges to top the kids cupcakes and found cowboy boot candles for my daughter's cupcake. 

We found a cowboy boot pinata and the kids loved that (although it was an older child who was finally actually able to break it open- the youger children needed lots of help). 

The big event was a hay ride (we had attempted to book a pony but none were available that weekend).  We just put square hay bales(available at most lawn and garden centers) and blankets around the inside of a borrowed trailer and my husband pulled it behind our truck.  Everyone got on and we rode up and down our street at a very slow speed. 

It was not an authentic hay ride (with a tractor or farm) but the kids loved it and they had a blast when all of our neighbors stopped and waved at them in there cowboy hats (which were party favors along with brown bags of candy from pinata).

The entire party cost about $125 ( food and all). 

To finish it off, I used our digital camera to print a picture of my daughter in full cowgirl attire onto a regular sheet of computer paper. I printed the picture very light so that I could go back and print a "Thank-you" note over the top of the picture.  I wrote "thank ya'll for comin' hope ya'll had a good ol' time" etc.  I sent these out after the party and everyone got a HUGE kick out of them. It is an easy idea for a thank you note no matter what theme your party.