Madeline Party -4yr- Croissants, Brie & Cookies

For our daughter's fourth birthday, we had a Madeline themed party.  She loves the Madeline stories and shows, and it was a smash hit of a party.  For invitations, I used a clipart image of Madeline and wrote   In a new house in Vegas you are welcomed to our door  For our little girl who is turning four   Sunday, April 20th  at 1:00 PM  come to her party please.  The number is xxx for RSVP's.   It's all for her and it wouldn't be complete,  Unless you came for fun and to eat 

Decorations:  I found Madeline mylar balloons on Ebay.  I also had two dozen blue and yellow balloons throughout the home.  Prior to the party, I used a projector to enlarge images of the Eiffel Tower, L'Arc de Triomphe, Miss Clavel, Madeline and Pepito onto butcher paper.  My children colored the images of Parisian scenes and characters, and we hung them all around the home before the party. 

I found a 3 foot replica of the Eiffel Tower at Home Goods, which served as a wonderful centerpiece.  We also displayed various Madeline dolls and books.  Because Madeline merchandise has been discontinued, we used blue and yellow table covers and plates to finish the décor.  You can find Madeline party goods on Ebay, but I chose to use yellow and blue to save money.   

Music:  Putumayo French Playground cd was phenomenal music, and I also got several Madeline cds from itunes, amazon, ebay and our local library.  I compiled all the songs and made a Madeline playlist on my ipod, which included many songs from the Madeloine tv show and songs in French.   

Food:  We served croissant sandwiches, baked brie, cheese, fresh fruit, Le Petit Ecolier cookies, and Pepito hats (marshmellows covered in chocolate and decorated with red gel to resemble a Pepito hat).  

Cake:  We had a classic yellow Madeline hat with a black satin ribbon as an embellishment.   

Crafts/Games:  We played pin the hat on Madeline.  I also got an American flag tissue paper craft from Oriental Trading and modified it so the guests made the Flag of France from tissue paper instead.  I found an Eiffel Tower cookie cutter, and the children decorated Eiffel Tower cookies using the colors found in the French flag (red, white and blue) 

Favors:  The children went home with a copy of Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans or Madeline's Rescue.  I had two different titles so siblings could each have a different book.   

Birthday Girl Outfit:  My daughter was Madeline for Halloween this year.  It was too hot for her to wear the outfit to her party, but she did wear the classic yellow Madeline hat.  It made for priceless photographs.   

Thank you note:  A picture of the birthday girl, wearing her Madeline hat, blowing out her number 4 candle on the yellow Madeline hat cake.  The photograph was mounted onto cardstock, and the thank you note was written on the reverse side.