sea
/sē/
noun.

       a. the expanse of salt water that covers most of the earth’s surface and surrounds its landmasses.

Did you know we love a good party over here?

When Madilynn said she wanted an “under the sea” party, this mama’s wheels started turning and I ran with it in an unconventional sort of way.

I designed a beautiful invitation using watercolour animals. But from there, I was feeling somewhat stuck. I spent hours and hours scouring Pinterest for inspiration, and not quite finding what I wanted. Each of the party boutiques I usually use for party décor either had a whimsical mermaid explosion, or a shark-esque ocean style… Neither of which were the vibe I wanted.

But then, my sister suggested searching out an iridescent style and suddenly it all started to come together.

The Décor

One of the focal points of this party was the kid’s table covered with a seafoam green tablecloth and sprinkled with mermaid confetti. Each place setting had an iridescent shell plate, pink shell napkin, and mermaid tail party hat. As a party favour, each child was given an ocean themed activity pad and a bubble wand from Party City. Hung from the wall, were these beautiful jellyfish lanterns that tied it all together.

On the other side of the room, the cake table was set with a delicious chocolate cake decorated with pastel coloured shells and a “3” sparkler. Additionally, there were vanilla cake pops decorated with the same pastel shells and a golden mermaid tale. As always, my best friend hit it out of the park with these incredible treats!

The Food

I had so much fun creating clever food labels using the same watercolour creatures from the party invitation. This included:

  • Starfish & Crab Legs (aka star-shaped cucumber and baby carrots)
  • Driftwood & Seaweed Dip (aka pretzel sticks, mini naan and spinach dip)
  • Shells & Cheese (aka Macaroni and Cheese)
  • Crabwiches (aka croissant sandwiches with hand-drawn eyes on toothpicks)
  • Mermaid Tails (aka tail-shaped watermelon and grape kebabs)
  • Madeleines (aka shell-shaped cookies)
  • Candy Kebabs (aka sea creature candies on sticks)

Guests were able to fill their iridescent plate, grab a mermaid napkin, and fill their cup with a tropical blue punch, all while admiring the ocean backdrop I created using strips of blue tablecloth and a myriad of hand-drawn ocean creature silhouettes.

The Activities

Madilynn and her little friends were able to play with the bubbles, some balloons and a fun outdoor game brought along by one of our guests. Since we rented the pavilion at a local park, there was also a playground nearby and a peaceful pond to explore. It was so fun to see the kids interact with each other and enjoy the party!

Thank you to our family and friends for coming to celebrate our mermaid girl in the scorching heat of summer!

P.S. If you like my party designs, stay tuned for an exciting new business venture!