Princess Party 5yr - Cinderella Storybook

Princess Party - 5 Years Old  NOTE: There were 8 guests, aged 4-5, including the birthday girl. The party was at our house, contained to the dining, entry and formal living rooms all open to one another, except for when the girls went to my daughter's room to get ready for the fashion show. My strengths are research, organization and computer graphic design. I'm not very crafty (didn't handpaint a castle out of a refrigerator box, don't own a glue gun). I can decorate a table only with practice. Finally, I had my daughter's dance teacher, Miss Jen, lead the party because she's much more fun and energetic and she showed up in full princess dress, curls and tiara, although my husband and I did wear king and queen crowns from the party store.

INVITATIONS: Printed on 5x7 heavy paper, parchment background, Blackladder font, "Hear Ye! Hear Ye! By proclamation of the King and Queen in Celebration of the Fifth year of Princess Cambryn's birth, you are invited to Reid Castle. Royal Festivities will commence at half past One o'clock on Saturday, the fifteenth of January in the Year of Our Lord 2005. Come in your finest Princess Attire for a Royal Fashion Show, frolicking Games, marvelous Prizes, a Birthday Cake Feast, and thrilling Defeat of the Pinata. Please RSVP to [phone #]as the Castle needs to prepare for your arrival. This is a Magical Celebration not to be missed!

HAND-MADE PREP WORK:
(1) Made sashes ala beauty-contestant style using wired light pink ribbon bought by the roll at Hobby Lobby bridal section. Wrote each girl's name in fun, curly letters on a sash using gold Zig Opaque Writer pen and highlighted with glittery gold Glitter DecoFabric pen (tried several different pens first!).

(2) Made a pretty beaded necklace for each girl and gift wrapped it in a small box.

(3) Made a princess coloring book for each girl using 10 pages from Magical Elegance at www.coloring-pages.org. Used pink card stock paper for front and back covers. Used Microsoft word art for front cover to say "Cambryn's Birthday Princess Coloring Book."

(4) Bought mini white picture frames at party store bridal section and inserted a card printed with "Princess ____" for each girl for placecards.

TABLE DECORATIONS: Used a pink iridescent tablecloth from party store, about 20 yards of pink tulle bought half-price at Hobby Lobby to swag around edge of dining table, taping with scotch tape to secure to tablecloth (didn't show!), huge glittery gold bows from bridal section at each table corner, my own gold metallic charger plates, large white paper doilies atop chargers, Princess & the Pauper party plates, gold paper napkins, gold plastic party cups, gold plastic flatware, and the framed placecards. On the chandelier above, swathed with crytal bead garland from bridal section and more yards of pink tulle. As pink and billowy as possible.

ROOM DECORATIONS: Since I'm not a castle-maker, I wowed 'em with pink balloons everywhere. I rented a helium tank for $20 at the party store and filled about 65 balloons. Tied several to each dining chair. Tied to everything possible, then just let the rest float.

UPON ARRIVAL: The CD Sing-Along with Disney's Princesses was playing in a boom box. The girls were taken to Cambryn's room to put on their sashes, get glittery face powder if they wanted, and be "interviewed" about where they go to school, pets, favorite color, favorite movie, etc.

FASHION SHOW: The moms sat in the living room. Miss Jen announced one girl at a time, who then walked out, stood, twirled, modeled their princess dresses, whatever, as Miss Jen announced their personal info. Everyone clapped. The girls reveled in the attention except for Princess Hanna who was shy and wanted her mother to escort her. No problem. At the end, the girls all stood together for the finale and each received a long-stemmed pink rose. I took a photo of each girl and of the group.

CINDERELLA STORY: The girls sat in a circle on the floor and were each given a small gift-wrapped box. Miss Jen read the story of Cinderella and every time the girls heard her say "Cinderella," they passed their boxes to the girl next to them. When the story was over each got to open the box she was holding and put on her beaded necklace.

PASS THE POISON APPLE: Miss Jen reminded the girls what happened when Snow White ate the poisoned apple. Still seated in a circle, the girls passed the apple around while the music played. The girl holding the apple when the music stopped got up and went to her place at the dining table until all were at the table.

REFRESHMENTS: A "cupcake cake" from Target bakery decorated with Barbie princess theme (I didn't know this existed, but there were 18 cupcakes arranged on a cake platter and instead of frosted individually, the tops were frosted and decorated as one caketop, so instead of cutting a cake, you just pull apart the cupcakes.) Also strawberry ice cream and pink lemonade. Miss Jen reminded the girls that princesses have perfect manners and remain at the table until everyone is finished!

HULLABALOO game. The girls went back to the living room and played this for about 15 minutes. This is a Cranium game (Target, Wal-Mart, or www.cranium.com), great for parties and kids this age that requires almost no adult involvement. Even Princess Hanna enjoyed it! It's not a board game, it's a get-up-and-move-around game that they really liked.

OPEN PRESENTS: The girls sat around Cambryn each holding the present she brought. We drew a girl's name out of a bowl and Miss Jen described that girl until somebody guessed who it was. Then that girl gave her present to Cambryn to open. Although completely unrehearsed, Cambryn added to the gaiety by shreiking, "It's just what I always wanted!!" every time she opened a gift. PINATA: Princess and the Pauper treat bags were handed out and the girls pulled ribbons to open a princess pinata filled with Hershey's chocolates, gummy Lifesavers, Blow Pops, and sugar-free bubblegum.

FREE DANCE: To kill a few more minutes, we turned up the princess music and told the girls they could dance. I didn't even know if they actually would, but they really got into it! They could have gone on much longer but it was time to wind down the party.

TAKE-HOME TREATS: (1) name sash from fashion show, (2) beaded necklace, (3) pinata treats, (4) princess coloring book, and (5) all the pink balloons they wanted.

THE PARTY WAS A GREAT SUCCESS AND THE BIRTHDAY GIRL WAS THRILLED.