Ashley picked a birthday party theme. - Need some HELP here....

MommyToAshley wrote: I asked Ashley today what theme she wanted for her 3rd birthday, and I gave some suggestions like Strawberry Shortcake, Barney (again), Blues Clues, Dora, etc.

And her response was, "Horses"
She wants a theme to do with horses! Where she came up with that, I have no idea???!!! It's not like we've been horse back riding or anything. I even asked her again, emphasizing she could have a Dora theme, and she said no she wants "HORSES"

So, I need some help coming up with some ideas... I didn't find a lot of decorations and themes dealing with horses. I thought I could do a barnyard theme, but those mostly have cows on them. Maybe I'll look into having her party at a petting farm that has horses or maybe one that gives pony rides. (Not sure how expensive that would be or if 3 years old is too young) What else could I do? Help??? You all are so creative, so help me please.

Too bad I don't live close to Mel, we'd just go see Tanner at the rodeo.

paradisemommy replied: http://www.birthdayexpress.com/bexpress/pr....asp?sku=E24601

i'm not too creative but usually go through these guys for themes - if you look on the right side of the site, you'll see all kinds of ideas - (horse bracelets/decorating horse shoes) which may be kinda helpful!!

Josie83 replied: O my goodness! She's so funny, it sounds like she's pretty creative herself! These aren't the best ideas but could you maybe do pin the tail on the horse instead of on the donkey? And maybe you could do horseshoe throwing at a peg in the garden or something (okay I don't know how good an idea that actually is, you could obviously make horseshoes out of something, not use real ones). And make them all mcome in ponytails like horses! :emlaugh; Okay that one was a joke! I hope some other people come up with some better ideas! xx

Alice replied: I agree.. Birthday Express is bound to have a horse theme. Or, if you're stuck, do My Little Pony.

You could play pin the tail on the horse...


Wow, it must be early! I can't think of anything else, and I usually can come up with stuff like this!

The pony rides sound like fun, although I have no idea of the cost.

Try going to a search engine and typing "Party planning ideas". I know there are websites out there where people tell what they've done for their own parties.

ediep replied: wow! That link from Tammy is perfect!!! i was going to suggest to show her some My little PONY things and see if she likes that.

How creative of Ashley!!! She just cracks me up!

gr33n3y3z replied: Here you go DeeDee

http://www.aperfectpartyzone.com/my-horse.html

http://www.sendacelebration.com/product_in...76b57c9b7ed001b

Jamielou replied:
Thats exactly what i was going to suggest. I ordered laney's from Ultimate party supply It was supposed to take 10 days and i had it in 2 and the shipping people lost a pack of invitations so they sent another pack without any question i would definatly order from them again.She didnt have horse's , we had to order the Boohbah's and they didnt have anything at the party stores aroud here...

ferocity302 replied: This is what I do at home for a living!!! Party Planning and research.

When is the party? I'll see what I can come up with in my files and put something together for you......... no cost.

How old will she be? (oops saw in the post after I posted)

Birthday express is a good place to get supplies from yes.

moped replied: Gosh that is a tough one - you could do the whole western theme and for sure have a pin the tail on the horse and a horse piniata with fun western things - ask Tanners mom - I bet she has done a western theme!

Kaitlin'smom replied: dunno I am sure you can find something seems like that website will be good and who knows she might change her mind before then

ferocity302 replied: some of this may not be age appropriate..... but it might spark some ideas for you. Here is what I have found so far:

Invitations

With just a bit of creativity mixed together with colored papers, markers, a good photo of the birthday kid, and a touch of glue, you can put together one heck of a WANTED poster invitation for your Western birthday theme party.

Take a black and white picture of your child (possibly wearing a cowboy/cowgirl costume) and print it out (or glue it on) brownish or yellowish paper.


Feel free to spill some coffee or tea on the invitations and burn the edges a bit to give them that authentic Western look.

Write something like: "Outlaw (kid's name with a Western twist, for instance Bronco Bill) WANTED for eating too much candy, having a messy room, etc"

Continue by writing:

"Howdy partners, we be needin' you towns people buckaroos to help celebrate Outlaw (kid's name) *th Birthday; Y'all get ready for the hoe-down at (address) on the (party date) at (party time); So jump on your horse and mosey on over for some tasty grub and boot stompin' fun!! Yee-Haw!!! Give us a holler at (phone #) to RSVP. Don't forget to dress for the West…. y'hear?!?!"

If you don't want to use a Wanted poster, you can always have your kid dressed up as the Sheriff inviting everyone to come. Or, you can make cowboy, boot, horseshoe, or hat-shaped birthday theme party invitations. Let your creative spirits loose!

Decorations

An excellent way to start is to find some pictures and clipart that'll give your imagination an artistic boost.

In the entrance to the party area, create your own Saloon door (cut out of cardboard)

No matter where you're having the Western birthday theme party (home, park, nearby stable or farm), you can construct a cool Old West town out of refrigerator boxes and other big boxes (best bet is to go to a nearby furniture or appliance store).

Place the different-sized boxes one beside the other and connect them with duct tape. This'll be your Western town - just like they're built on the movie sets. To transform it into a "real" town, cut out windows and doors and write stuff like: "Best Western Hotel", "First Bank of the West", etc. To create "Stinky Pete's Saloon", cut out two doors opening saloon-style. And, what's a Western town without a "City Jail"? Wrap paper towel rolls with aluminum foil and tape them on the inside of the window to look like bars for the jail. You can also cut out people-shaped characters (wearing cowboy clothes) and cut holes for the face so that kids can put their faces in and be photographed.

To top it off, cut out cardboard cacti, spray paint them green, draw the cactus needles with a black marker, and attach them to a fence, gate or any other suitable place.Place a sign on the front door saying something like: "By order of the Sheriff, NO GUNS ALLOWED. Leave all weapons here!" Or "No Spittin', Chewin' or Drinkin'".

Post all kinds of other Western-slang signs around the birthday theme party area. You can also have a sign for every area, for instance near the food a sign saying "Grub"; near the drinks "Waterin' Hole"; where the bathroom is "Outhouse", etc. Post WANTED-type posters of your kid or other family members and friends (each with a crime and bounty; also give them names such as "Wild Bobby Smith" or the "Coyote Kid").

Decorate the house or yard with ropes, old cowboy boots, old wagon-wheels, horseshoes, bandanas, haystacks to sit on (which you can find at a local or neighboring farm) and place stuffed farm animals around the party area.

Put up lots of balloons and streamers all around the birthday theme party area and try to rummage around for camping or storm equipment such as oil lamps, lanterns and cooking pots to add to the theme's atmosphere. Decorate the tables with red and white-checkered tablecloths, fill old cowboy boots with eucalyptus or cacti for table centerpieces and use bandannas as place mats and napkins. You can also soak the labels off root beer bottles and use the bottles as candleholders.

oops.... posted before it was finished but since this is so long. Let me know if you want more and I'll send it e-mail.

TANNER'S MOM replied: Oh these are easy girl...

You can get some small childrens brooms..Glue yarn for the reins for you broom sticks horses from the dollar shop..

Bandana's for everyone and cowboys hats too from the good ole dollar store..

This time of year.. I would buy some straw or borrow and put it around outside and do some hamburger etc..

Maybe a broomstick rodeo...whose horses can run barrels the fastest etc.

Wal Mart has some inexpensive horses.. Not the beyers but the ones beside it for party favors. Maybe those little inexpensive farm sets too.

And as for horses.. I dont know if you have a hobby lobby but they have excellant western themed things.

I could go on and on....

MommyToAshley replied: Ohhhh, I knew I could count on you guys!!!

What great ideas!!! This is going to be so much fun! And, thanks for the links too!

I asked Ashley again this morning what theme she wanted, and she said Horses! I don't think she will change her mind, once she decides on something, that's it. I feel a little better about it now, you guys gave some great ideas, this will be fun to plan!

coasterqueen replied: Actually Party Tree (do you have one of these?) has horse party themes. We almost did this for Kylie last year, but she chose the animal theme instead. Good theme!

mummy2girls replied: i probably am too late with this...
But yoyu could have a cowgirl theme.. with pin the tail on the horse, a birthday cake shaped as a cowgirl hat, have games that include horses. and such! Sounds liek fun!

MommyToAshley replied:
You're not too late... and thanks for the good ideas. I am just trying to plan ahead a bit this year. Last year I procrastinated on the Barney theme and then had difficulty finding Barney party supplies. So, I just wanted to do a little pre-planning and research this year.... we still have several months until her birthday.

alice&arik replied: Sometimes when Arik talks about horses he means My Little Pony. But it would be a fun theme. I saw a Cowboy Boot shaped cake in May 2005 Parents Magazine. It has Make Your Own invitations and stuff too. They are pretty cool.

Maddie&EthansMom replied: Ethan had a cowboy party this year...you probably remember. We decorated with a real saddle. We had a horse balloon. There really are lots of things out there. Maddie LOVES horses and we wanted to do her party at a horse stable, but she was too young. We may do that next time.

Sunflower04 replied: That is funny that Ashley picked horses... We were at the store and they have stickers so I asked Joey what he wanted for his party theme and he said... MONKEYS! These kids are a hoot.

mckayleesmom replied: What about My Little Ponys???....Maybe that is what Ashley is talking about. They are making a comeback and maybe she spotted them.