Under the Sea Party

This party was hosted by Oriental Trading. All opinions are mine. 

My oldest son turned 6 last month and this year he wanted an “Under the Sea” theme….you see, I don’t go crazy for birthdays.  They get to pick a theme and we only buy a few things to match that theme.  Normally the desserts and cake is what is centered around the theme for that occasion.  We have had a Sofia the First Party, John Deere Party and one of my favorite non-birthday parties was our Fall Kids Crafts party we hosted last year!

One of my favorite go-to-places for party and simple craft supplies is Oriental Trading.   They have everything you need from tableware, party favors, and more!    For the past few birthday parties, I have decided to keep it simple and rather than serving a full out meal we focus on dessert and snacks.  My oldest son doesn’t actually like the traditional birthday cake.  He requested popcorn and blueberry buckle cake, which is a family favorite! 

We served butter popcorn in these adorable Mini Blue Popcorn Boxes.   Our white chocolate party popcorn would have been great for this party too!

My son also requested some octopus cupcakes. These guys were so simple to make.  We used a Dot for the “head” and some gummy worms for the “arms”.  They were a hit! 

Of course no birthday party is complete without some candy!  These light green swirl pops were a fun addition to our party and served as a little favor/treat for our guests to take with them. 

We added some fun and color paper lanterns to help decorate the space and last but not least the Shark Photo Prop….the shark was such a fun addition and really brought the theme of the party together.  It was also fun for everyone to take photos with the shark. 

Do you let your kids pick themes for their own birthday parties?  What are some ways you keep all the special occasions budget friendly?