Rubber Duck Party -1yr- Fruit, Cheese & Quakers

Invitations: I made my own duck invites out of card stock. I cut each one in the shape of a duck & glued orange for the beak & googly eyes. I typed all the party information & spray mounted (holds better than glue or tape) it onto the duck. I then spray mounted the yellow duck to a piece of blue bubbles card stock. 

Decorations: the overall color for the party where yellow and blue with a few touches of orange. On the door I made a duck crossing sign out or poster board-everyone thought that was cute! I had clusters of yellow & blue & 1 orange balloon around the room. I also used clear balloons throughout to give a bubble" look to the room. Yellow & blue streamers hung overhead. I alternated yellow & blue tablecloths on each table. As centerpieces for the tables I sprinkled homemade duck & "bubble" confetti (with a duck hole punch found at craft store & regular hole punch for "bubbles" and lined up bath rubber duckies (or all sizes & colors-) on some tables.

I put orange pails on the other tables. I also dedicated a "Memory table" of my daughters first year. I made a collage of photos on blue poster board & hung it above the table. On the table I had a wallet size professional portrait for each guest to take (we took her to get pictures made with all her little ducks-found at party supply stores) and many other things that where important throughout the first year. I made a mixed CD of "bath time" songs and had it playing during the party. On the food tables I used bubble wrap as place mats. At a local party store I found duck picks & stuck those in the food and little signs telling the name of each food. 

Activities& Games: As guest arrived they decorated their own miniature rubber duck (white colorable ducks found on Orientaltrading.com) with markers & stickers. I had all the ducks in my daughters blow up rubber ducky tub. I had blankets on the floor in one corner of the room with baby toys so the little ones could play. We played a game for the bigger kids & adults. A soap toss guests split into teams of 2 & tossed wet soap back & forth moving farther apart after a couple tosses the last team still tossing their soap got to pick a prize.

While the guests ate cake we played "How well do you know ___?" I also had a water bottle filled with duck & fish crackers & guests guessed on the amount-winner won the bottle & crackers.  food: I used a shower curtain on the food table. I used yellow plates for the meal & blue for the cake. I had duck beverage yellow & blue napkins Since the party was 5-7 I served a heavy meal. I had platters of cheese & "quakers" (crackers) fruit & dip try veggie & dip tray. I made baked macaroni & cheese(my daughters favorite-& the color fits right in!) I served wings & called them "duck wings."

For more kid friendly easy eats I had duck shaped PB&J sandwiches (I mixed the PB & J together the night before & refrigerated it for quick prep the day of the guests went on & on about how good it was!) a bowl of blue jello squares & marshmallows (water & Bubbles) animal crackers bugles or "beaks & an orange pail filled with cheerios & kix cereal called Duck feed"-big hit with babies! I made blue punch (blue hawaiian punch grape juice 7-up & ice cream to give appearance of bubbles I had a few of the small rubber duckies floating in the punch- it looked great!! *we always put a sharpie by the drinks at our parties so guests can write their name on their cup & easily keep up with it!* 

Cake: I had a good friend who makes nice cakes make a big duck in a bathtub cake. The guests were so impressed with the cake!   Favors: I used clear cellophane treat bags filled with a small container of bubbles homemade duck shaped sugar cookies a few pieces of duck shaped sweetart candy & a small rubber duck (found at party supply stores-there are so many kinds- so for girls I put in pink princess ducks & boys I put birthday ducks) & they of course where able to take their colored duck home. Some guests chose to leave it for Karlie as a keepsake. 

This party had everyone raving & excited about her 2nd party. Everyone now has very high hopes for future parties!"