Monday, September 9, 2013

 Presto.... A Magic Birthday Party

All of my kids have been so lucky, they all have fantastic friends.  One of my daughters has a friend that she is particularly close to.  After talking to her mother, who also happens to be my good friend, we decided to have the two girls celebrate their birthdays together. 
We decided to celebrate these girls with a...  

Of course we asked the girls first.  We wanted to make sure they would be ok with that idea.  
They were thrilled and so excited!
My daughter acted like it was pretty much the best plan... ever.  
 So we had a double birthday party! It was a fantastic way to have a party and I would do a double party again in a heartbeat!  Double trouble and double fun.


I cut two top hats out of black card stock. With the sewing machine I stitched them together to create a pocket for the invite.  The invited guest would pull the rabbit by it's ears out of the paper hat to read the invitation.
What is a magic party without a magician???
We hired magician Paul Brewer from Utah Magic.  He did a FANTASTIC job!  Because we did a double birthday he brought two rabbits (one for each birthday girl to hold). He brought a bird as well. He did ballon animals, gave magic wands to the kids and was hilarious.  Here is his info for anyone looking for a fabulous magician in Utah.
Utah Magic

We couldn't have a magic show without a stage!  Just like my bed table I used white cardboard and markers to create this.  I just connected the entire thing to our entertainment center.
I made two signs introducing our two birthday stars.  I had them printed up and then mounted them on black foam core.  I cut holes through the foam core and added lights… A magician must have her name in lights! 
After the magic show it was time for cake and ice cream!  
We made each child their own individual 
Magic Hat cake! 

To make the cakes we cooked several sheet cakes.  Then we cut them with a large circle cookie cutter.  We used this one.. Wilton Round Cookie Cutter.
We stacked three cakes and frosted them.  Then we rolled them in black sanding sugar.  For the top we purchased large sugar cookies from a local bakery.  They also were frosted and dipped in black sanding sugar. They then were placed on top of the stacked cakes. And voilĂ  we had magic top hats! If enough people are interested I'd be happy to do a tutorial for this.  (The cake was really good... so I wouldn't mind an excuse to make it).
I made bunny toppers.  A magic hat is not complete with out a rabbit!  I took pink swirl Whirly Pop lollipops and attached the bunny body, face and paws to it.  I slid the stick down into the center of the cake and then placed a white gum ball on the back for the tail.  
They looked so fun and whimsical on the tables!   
If you wanted to do something like this I would recommend having a little take home bag for the cake.  There is no way an 8 year old girl could polish off one of those cakes herself.  So you'll want to send the leftovers home for her to share or snack on later.  Also The kids pulled out their suckers and set them with their other goodies to take home.

I used two round tables.  One for each birthday girl!  Each table had one of the girls name in lights. The tutorial for doing this is found at the amazing Oh Happy Day blog.  Here is the link… MINI MARQUEE SIGN WITH LIGHTS
We also added glitter to the inside of each letter.  The photo's don't do these justice.  They look cute here but in real life they were stunning!

The felt owls were such a hit at my daughters Night Owl Party that I couldn't resist doing it again.  And honestly… I have a couple of party's I'm planning right now with more hand sewn felt gifts. They do take time.  But felt is so inexpensive and the kids just love them… and I love creating them.  
So it makes it worth it.

We took a a piece of wood board and cut a 14.5" circle out of the center.  We created a top hat on top of the hole with black cardboard.  (It took two pieces of cardboard).  Then cut a top hat rim out of black foam core.  The rim is about 2.5" wide. We just attached it to the black cardboard with a glue gun.  The hat sits about 13" tall.    We took two card tables and spread them apart.  We placed a wood board with the giant top hat in the center.  Then we added tablecloths and fabric to hide the tables.. as well to give room to my husband to hide under there.  (Again this is something I probably could do a tutorial for).
While the kids were eating their cake and ice cream we moved the table where we wanted it, in front of the stage.  My husband hid under there with 14 stuffed bunnies until the kids were ready.  
He deserves a high five… it got hot under there!

Then we brought the kids back over to the stage area.  They each had their magic wands with them too.  We taught them a new magic spell.  When you said it in front of the hat, and then tapped the hat 3 times a magical friend would appear.  Each girl took their own turn.  They came up one at a time and said…

Alakazam... 
Alakazee...
Create a special friend for me!

Then they tapped the hat three times with their wand.
My husband at this time would slowly push a bunny up through the hat.  As soon as the ears started to peek through the girls would squeal!  Like my owls, we did adoption cards.  So after the guest collected her bunny, I would read the little poem or ditty I had that matched up to the bunny she received.  Then they would take the time to name their bunny.  Taking suggestions from all the other girls if they needed a little help.  
We had a lot of happy bunnies!
Before we moved onto the next guests turn we would take the time to fill out their card.  Taking the time with them individually makes the kids feel special.  
I made 14 bunnies.  Here are all the bunny personalities I came up with…
Funny Bunny
Magic Bunny
Book Bunny
Ballet Bunny
Cinna-Bunny
Garden Bunny
Country Bunny
Dust Bunny
Snow Bunny
Sunny Bunny
Snuggle Bunny
Chocolate Bunny
Tipsy Bunny
Honey Bunny
Each child also got a black top hat filled with what they need to be magician!

Each kit included…
A Posh Bow Tie
A Ritzy Magic Wand
Spiffy White Gloves 
(These are cotton parade gloves I purchased at gloves-online)
Swanky Black Top Hat
Magic Tricks and treats 
(A cellophane bag filled with a few magic tricks and treats)
Dapper Magician Moustache

One little girl tried to wear all of her magician gear to church the next day.  Her father told me how crushed she was that she couldn't wear it all the time.  I've also had many parents tell me that their daughters sleep with their bunnies every night.  It's funny… there is nothing particularly special about a felt bunny.  But receiving it at a party, adopting it and it having it's own personality is special to them.

I do have all of the printables as well as the bunny pattern available on etsy.  This party is done with pink (it was all girls).  But incase you need a more gender neutral color scheme… or your not a fan of pink, I also have it available in a Red/Gray version.  Here is a link to my etsy store if you'd like it…

Happy Birthday Ride! 
I sure adore this little girl!