A Paris-Themed 10th Birthday Party

Another year older meant another themed birthday party for my daughter.  Her 10th birthday was no exception as we brought Paris to the Midwest with a pink & damask themed party.  I held the party at my salon which made it incredibly easier in terms of prep, clean-up & activities. (I was extremely limited on time for party planning & prepping in general as it was our bridal season.) 

I dragged out an old Stampin' Up! stamp kit & pink paper to make the invites & we held a little day of fashion & beauty for the girls -- very Parisian.  Guests were encouraged to wear pink as well.  I made simple passports for the girls which they were given upon arrival &, as they visited each station or completed each activity, they received a stamp in their passport.  The party palette was bright pink with black & white damask.  I honestly did not have to do much decorating because I had some items I was able to reuse from my damask-themed wedding & my salon is already decorated with damask & neutral accents.  The thing is, I'm all about reusing.  I mean, why buy all new stuff when you can reuse items?  Plus, with my salon already decorated with damask, it only makes sense to work with existing decor.  My biggest decoration splurge was a white Eiffel Tower from Hobby Lobby for under $10.  

The girls received salon services:  manis, pedis, mini facials, makeup touches & a "runway ready" hairstyle of their choosing.  My daughter insisted on a French twist with loose curled tendrils around her face.  (The professional stylist in me cringed when she asked for the dated hairstyle but the birthday girl gets what the birthday girl wants!)  

For the activities, the girls designed & created their own fascinators.  I picked up plain headbands & then glued on large felt circles as a base for their designs.  I picked up feathers, faux flowers, ribbon & butterflies and they were encouraged to come up with their own unique look.  (Supplies were bought at Michaels & Joann Fabrics and, thanks to coupons, everything cost me less than $30.)  

The activity table & one of the girls' passports.

I also created a matching game for them where they needed to find the correct English to French translation pair.  

Once everyone's salon-spa services & fascinators were finished, we had them do a little runway show to model their creations around the salon floor for the adults in attendance.  

My daughter's fascinator a la mode.

Then it was snack time.  I made a triple layer cake.  Frankly, I thought it was absolutely hideous with its pink frosting & sugar sprinkles.  My daughter adored it.  I took pre-made store croissants & cut them into smaller portions.  (I had tried to find mini croissants but to no avail.)  I melted some chocolate chips then drizzled them over the croissant pieces.  I also purchased those little pre-made chocolate eclairs you find in the tubs in the frozen food section.  We also served French Vanilla ice cream.  For beverages, I made a sparkling pink lemonade (pink lemonade + club soda garnished with berries).  I also attempted to make pink macaroons from scratch.  That was more disastrous than the cake.  The first batch was completely burnt & the subsequent batches were still pretty lame.  But I needed a gluten free option for two of the girls and as they are made from almond meal I thought it was a good idea -- in theory.  I think I leave the macaroon making to pastry chefs from here on out.

The activity table transformed to a dessert table ... with my poor hubby surrounded by pink ladies!

Despite my limited time & budget for the party, it still came together quite nicely & the girls seemed to enjoy themselves.  A simple trip to Paris for some fashionable 'tweens in just under 3 hours!