Strawberry Shortcake -6yr- Stawberry Book Invite

For my daughter's sixth birthday she chose STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE as her theme.  We had an evening party from 5-7pm.  We live in South Texas, and its cooler in the evenings.  At the time that I started planning for her party, the party accessories for her theme were not available in our local stores. 

So, I made my own invitations.  I took a page from a Strawberry Shortcake coloring book that had just a picture of a strawberry on it.  I used a copier to enlarge that image to 5x7 in.  I cut out the strawberry (stem included) image and used it as a guide to cut the shape out of red construction paper.  I cut out as many as I needed for my guest list and then a few extra.  I then cut the stem from the image I had photocopied. I used this as a guide to cut the stems out of green construction paper. I glued the green stems over the red strawberries.  I did this twice for each invitation (two strawberries needed).  I had a top strawberry and a bottom strawberry. 

The bottom berry was a reverse image to match the top.  I then used clip art for the Strawberry shortcake logo and Strawberry shortcake herself.  I printed the details in lime green ink on white paper.  I cut the details out and glued them to the inside of the "berry" (actually the bottom berry).  I glued the Strawberry shortcake logo to the outside of the "berry" (actually to the front of the top berry).  Next, I laminated each berry. I also laminated the clip art image of Strawberry shortcake herself.  I used a hole puncher and punched a whole in the stem of each berry, top and bottom, I also punched a whole in Strawberry shortcake's hat. 

I ran green curling ribbon through the whole in Strawberry shortcake's hat and tied a knot to secure the ribbon.  Then I ran one side of the ribbon through the whole of the top berry, from inside out.  I ran the other side of the ribbon through the whole in the bottom berry from the inside out.  I tied a firm knot to secure the ribbon, and curled the ribbon with scissors.  The invitation looked like a small strawberry shaped book, with a curly stem. 

To open the invitation, you lift the top berry and see Strawberry shortcake dangling from a ribbon and the information is printed on the bottom berry.  I suggested to the parents that the children could use the laminated Strawberry shortcake as a bookmark since it was laminated.  I sent them in pink large envelopes and sealed them with Strawberry shortcake stickers that are scented. 

For food we served, barbecued chicken thighs, chicken fajitas, rice and beans for the adults. (Remember this is South Texas, our menu reflects our culture).  We had hot dogs and chips for the kids.  For drinks, I had two flavors of soda, iced tea, and kool-aid.  I ordered the cake from our local grocery chain. 

The cake had a very detailed image of Strawberry Shortcake walking through Strawberry land.  It was a shame to have to cut it as it was beautifully decorated.  I also served strawberry ice cream.  The kids had a choice of eating the ice cream with their cake or in a pink or green cone.  I couldn't find a Strawberry shortcake pinata, so I used a large strawberry instead.  It took 22 pounds of candy to fill it.  Two men were needed to hoist this pinata up.  I gave the kids a gallon size freezer bag to collect their candy. 

I found strawberry scented red balloons and apple scented green balloons.  I used these for decorations throughout our yard.  The kids played pin the strawberry on Strawberry shortcake's hat.  I took a Strawberry shortcake image from a coloring book, enlarged it several times (in pieces) connected the pieces together on a large poster board.  I used tempra paint to fill in the details.  I traced the strawberry on her hat, cut out several pieces from construction paper, laminated them, and used double sided tape for sticking purposes.  The kids thought it was so pretty. 

They also played "Rotten Strawberry"..same concept as Hot potato.  I made the strawberry out of red and green felt.  Black felt for the seeds.  I used uncooked beans to fill the strawberry.  The winner got to keep the strawberry. 

The kids also played a two team relay race, where they had to transport a strawberry on a spoon without dropping it.  I used small crossword puzzle books, hair accessories, legos, and erasers for prizes. 

As the guests were leaving, I gave each child a Strawberry Shortcake loot bag that I was able to purchase the day before the party.  The theme accessories arrived to our local area just in time! 

I filled each loot bag with a few pieces of left over candy, crayons, play rings for girls, small plastic critters for the boys, a pencil from our local school and small erasers.  The bag pulls shut to form a strawberry shape. I attached a small clip art image of Strawberry Shortcake smiling inside a flower shape.  I glued this image to pink construction paper.  On the back side, (construction paper side)I glued a small note that read: "Thank you for coming to my birthday party.  Love, Kesley"  printed in hot pink ink.  I punched a whole in the image and used pink curling ribbon to attach it to the loot bag. 

After some guests left, the children that stayed got to watch a Strawberry shortcake dvd, (one of the presents she received).  The kids had a lot of fun playing the games, and the parents had a lot of fun watching their kids play!!  I've gotten a lot of ideas for my kids' parties from this  website and I hope someone is able to use my ideas1