A Sparkly Under The Sea Birthday Party

Today I'm bringing you a stunning, sparkly Under The Sea birthday party from my friend Smita from The Party Wall blog.

We're SO lucky to count Smita as one of our blog contributors! She always comes up with the most incredible, creative and DIY parties (despite working full time as lawyer!), which never cease to amaze and inspire!

Smita styled this party for her little Aashi's 6th birthday party inspired by Finding Nemo/Dory for added fun! Check out all the sparkly details below as told by her!

My daughter loves the ocean, the coral reef, and fish - she refuses to use plastic straws because of the sea turtles(!) - and she loves all things Nemo and Dory...and mermaids, so I decided to bring all of those elements together into this Under the Sea party.

The invitations for this party were glittery seashells, hinged with a brad, which opened to reveal the party details. 

We lined the path leading up to the front door with messages from Dory:

1. Follow me! The party's this way! (I think...)

2. Follow the shells! Just keep swimming!

3. Wait! Are you following me? Do I know you?

4. Oh, that's right! I'm taking you to the party!

5. Don't stop now! Just keep swimming! Just keep swimming!

6. Welcome to Aashi's Under the Sea Party!

 A festive wreath on the door and a giant balloon “6” with a mermaid tail completed the entry way.

Here are some of the DIY decorations highlights:

1. We created a mermaid "6" tail with balloons!

2. We strung "jellyfish" all around the house and in all the windows. The jellyfish contained LED lights, so, in the evening, all of them glowed! It was amazing!

3. We hung an amazing mermaid birthday banner from the Etsy shop, Brandalyn's Paperie. 

4. I made coral reef displays with pool noodles...since it was a pool party! 

5. Jellyfish lanterns also hung outside, swaying in the breeze!

Some of the edible highlights of the dessert table were as follows:

1. Homemade sandcastle birthday cake, topped with homemade fondant shell and fish toppers. The cake was also topped with a beautifully crafted mermaid "6" topper from Etsy shop, Chikapea.

2. Seashell cake pops from Etsy shop, Nicole Elisa Designs. These cake pops were made on the cutest tiny forks. The kids loved them!

3. Macaron "oysters" from our favorite local macaron bakery, Bakery Lorraine.

4. Homemade edible "sea glass", made with a simple hard candy recipe, and homemade purple chocolate shells...because Dory's Mommy loves purple shells!

5. Homemade "sand dollar" snicker doodle cookies.

6. Ocean jello and chocolate mousse cups. 

7. Strawberry-flavored "kelpcakes", topped with homemade fondant mermaid tail and shell toppers and tons of sparkly sprinkles and edible pearls. 

8. Homemade candy coral reef, complete with candy crabs and octopus!

There was no shortage of food and drinks! Here are the highlights:

1. "Hank's" Hummus...

2. Veggie Coral Reef, complete with killer whale.

3. Crabwiches

4. Watermelon Shark

5. Finding Nemo drink dispenser with orange soda for the kids....

6. ...and Finding Dory drink dispenser...with a "mind eraser" for the adults!

7. In keeping with the ocean theme, we thought beach-y food would be perfect. Jamaican jerk chicken, rice and peas, mac and cheese, and beef patties. Yum!

There was plenty to do at this party! We began with a variety of games and activities and ended the day with swimming in our pool. 

1. At the Sand Art Station, the kids made sand art bottles and also sea life sand pictures. 

2. The Finding Nemo Water Game was a huge hit with the younger kids. We filled a tub with water beads and lots of plastic sea animals. The kids had to scoop out certain sea animals to score certain points. "Finding Nemo" was tougher than it looked. 

3. Photo booths are always a hit, so we did it two ways. In addition to a regular photo booth with typical photo props and signs, we had an under water scene in which you could lie down and take photos and "boomerangs" from above. 

4. At Mr. Ray’s sea school the children got to play "Ocean Jeopardy" and learn about ecology and how to protect the ocean from pollution, as well as fun facts about their favorite under-the-sea movies. 

5. At the "Shark Feeding Frenzy" station, the children played a game tossing plastic fruit into the shark's mouth...because fish are friends, not food. 

6. "Squirt’s Water Gun Fun and Bubbles" was especially popular on a hot, Texas day! Sea turtle bubbles and sea animal squirt guns--what else could you possibly need?!

7. Crush’s Sea Turtle Cookie Decorating Station was one of my favorite activities at the party and I was particularly excited to collaborate with Over the Top Cake Supplies on this station. Over the Top Cake Supplies sells something fabulous called a "Party in Box". The box contains everything you need to decorate cupcakes, cookies or cake pops for your theme. We custom ordered some sea turtle cookies in a box and received sugar cookies, frosting, piping bags, icing colors, etc.-everything necessary for the children to decorate (and eat) their own handmade sea turtle cookie. 

8. The highlight of the fun for my daughter was the "Find Dory Scavenger Hunt". I hid Finding Dory themed clues around the house and led the children on a scavenger hunt to "find Dory" at the end of the hunt. The clues took us to places like the EAC (East Australian Current) complete with sea turtles swimming overhead, Wallaby Way, Sydney, and the Marine Life Institute, Morro Bay, California! 

9. We ended the activities with a shark-shaped pinata, filled with rubber sharks!

10. Then it was time for fun in the pool! 

After a fun-filled afternoon, everyone left with full tummies and, more importantly, full hearts! Each child also got a mermaid box with seashell soap and a bath bomb to clean up after pool time! 

Like every party, I couldn't do this without the help of some truly incredible vendors. I make a lot of the party items myself, but there's only so many hours in the day, so I really appreciate being able to collaborate with so many other talented people. 

Party styling: The Party Wall                           

Party Printables: Lilacs & Charcoal                

Photography: Whitewood Photography           

Cake topper: ChiKaPea                                  

Birthday Banner: Brandalyn's Paperie            

Cake pops: Nicole Elise Designs                     

Cookie Decorating "Party in a Box": Over the Top Cake Supplies

And of course, my wonderful family is always there to help! 

Check out Smita's blog for more photos and details!

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