a wild birthday

Kensi asked for a wild animal themed birthday this year and I was expecting her to want a mermaid theme instead, but her party couldn't have been more fun to plan! We went with a jungle theme and used shades of pink and green mixed with patterns of black and white. Lately, Kensi has taken a huge interest in animals. She loves the movie Zootopia and asked for an animal encyclopedia for her birthday. I love watching her grow and seeing what sparks her interest year after year.

We had the party at home and with it being the middle of June means summer heat. I like planning something for our little guests to do and with our wild theme each girl made their own wild animal pendant necklace with colored wooden beads. My inspiration came from a combination of Coral & Cloud’s gorgeous necklaces and J.Crew's neon animal necklaces. I love the simplicity and vibrant pop of colors. The girls had fun building their own and it worked out to be a great momento for them to take home from the party.

We served brunch items for the girls which were a huge hit.  I made cinnamon rolls in cupcake style which were the first to be gobbled up. The girls nibbled on bagel sandwiches with turkey & cucumber, fruit skewers and mini muffins. They also sipped on juice and I loved watching all the girls with their adorable pineapple cups. 

Instead of cupcakes like I mentioned above, I made cinnamon rolls and baked them up in cupcake liners. This worked great with our theme and was a nice twist on the traditional cupcake. I cut the recipe in half, but still had two pie pans of rolls. We set them up for the adults and we have some left over for breakfast tomorrow or maybe they'll just be a midnight snack! 

I attempted to make Kensi's birthday cake, but instead of making it from scratch like I usually do, I figured I would give myself a break and use a cake mix and pre-made frosting...this turned into an epic fail and Mike ran to Whole Foods in the morning to purchase a cake to save my butt.
To keep the decor simple and on point with our wild animal theme we gave plastic animal figurines a coating of white paint. Kensi loves lions and pink, so for her cake topper that’s exactly what we did. We spray painted a plastic lion a soft pink to contrast her bright pink candles. She was in love with how everything turned out!

//Source List//

Extra Large Balloons | Undercover Hostess Paper Goods

Balloons | PartyHaus

B&W Paper Backdrop | Hobby Lobby
Tall Cake Candles| Sweet Lulu
Polka Dot Straws | Sweet Lulu

B&W Striped Bags | Sweet Lulu

Pineapple Cups | Oriental Trading

Cupcake Liners | Sweet Lulu

Palm Tree Cupcake Toppers | Sweet Lulu