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So Chic Life

A Chic Guide to Clean Beauty, Natural Living

How to Plan & Host a Vintage Barbie Birthday Party

This year marked L’s 5th and E’s 3rd birthdays. Because of the drama that ensued during E’s Swirlz Cupcakes.

This year being a milestone birthday – the big 5, I was prepared to host the perfect soiree at a local kid-friendly venue. To my surprise the girls insisted on hosting a Barbie themed party at home. Considering we did not own any Barbie dolls, it was a surprise but I was all in. How hard could this be?

The party planning began by researching online for décor, cake ideas, food and activities. A few days in, Google lead me to Tom Kat Studio’s recap of her daughter’s Glamour Girl in Paris Barbie Inspired Party and the barbie cake her mom made circa 1981. That’s when a simple Barbie birthday party at home exploded to a Vintage Barbie birthday party extravaganza.

Instantly I became obsessed with the girl silhouette leading to countless hours of searching and purchasing items on Esty and creating a board on Pinterest to track my inspirations. I have to give credit to all the blogs that helped me create such an amazing experience for my daughters and their friends.

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{Photo Credit: Bum Bul Bee Photography & Film}

Barbie Birthday Cake Supplies: Swiss Meringue Whipped Buttercream.

I am by no means a baker, but I love a challenge. Growing up my mom always made my cake, so it’s important to carry on the tradition. Thanks to Swirlz Cupcakes for sharing their frosting secret and to Rosie Alyea for single handedly saving my Swiss meringue buttercream frosting with her step by step instructional blog post.

Chic Tips: Bake a test cake for practice a few weeks prior if you are not an experienced baker. One day before the party, bake ‘real” cake and prepare icing. Store both in the refrigerator. Rewhip the icing with the mixer and decorate the cake the morning of the party.  Detailed instructions on how to create the perfect a Barbie Birthday cake.

Invitation: Paperless Post. Girls were asked to wear pink and bring a Barbie doll.

Décor: God created Esty so busy moms can order kick ass décor and look like rock stars. Vendors listed below.

Activities: Every girl received a tutu, tiara and dress for their Barbie to wear during the fashion show.  Mini makeovers, manicures and pin the bow on the Barbie were a big hit.

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{Photo Credit: Bum Bul Bee Photography & Film}

Mini Dining Table: We purchased 2 pieces of 4 x 4 boards from Home Depot, set on top of 8 cans of paint and covered with a black and white Damask tablecloth.

Menu:

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{Photo Credit: Bum Bul Bee Photography & Film}

Sassy Party Planning Tips at Home:

  1. Keep your guest list small. Don’t feel obligated to invite the entire class from school even if you’ve been invited to everyone’s birthday.
  2. Host in between meal times – 10 am –12 pm or 3 pm – 5 pm – alleviates an obligation to provide a full course menu.
  3. Specify what food will be served in the invitation so parents know what to expect.
  4. Keep the menu simple. Kid’s palettes are simple and they really only care about dessert.
  5. Only offer birthday cake as a dessert. Other treats like cake pops and cookies are a distraction from the star dessert. Lesson learned when all the kids wanted cake pops made from a box mix rather than the beautiful cake made from scratch!
  6. Encourage parents to drop off the kids. Reduces the number of people and amount of food required.
  7. Be sure  every parent provides their phone number before leaving. Assign dedicated adult to collect the info during the party.
  8. Confirm 2-3 adults to help facilitate the party and assign specific duties. We had 3 adults for 12 kids plus 3 moms who stayed and pitched in.
  9. Be prepared for the kid(s) who do not want to participate in planned activities. The smaller the group, the less chances this will be a problem.
  10. Hire a professional photographer or ask a friend to take photos during the party. Take a group family pic before guests arrive or before/after cutting the cake.
  11. Order all your décor and party supplies a minimum of 3 weeks prior especially if you are purchasing from Etsy shop owners. I made the mistake of waiting 1.5 weeks prior and almost every single shop was on vacation the last two weeks in August. I had to scramble to find shop owners that were open and provided the items needed.
  12. Immediately following clean-up, book a venue for next year.

Vintage Barbie Party Supplies:

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{Photo Credit: Bum Bul Bee Photography & Film}

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