There is nothing quite like eating crow. I guess if there were a bird a pirate might eat... It would be crow... So at least I'm in theme? See, for years I have been completely dumbfounded why people (especially party planners... EEEK!) would choose to throw a pirate party... "Of all the fantastic themes out there... And you pick the one that's been done a million times!?" Yes. I've said those exact words, to myself and to others. I was actually kind of surprised how long it took people to remind me of this fact... And here I am, owning it because... I JUST DID A PIRATE PARTY!
When Cormac was turning four I lost control of theme decisions, it was a dark day in my house. Kind of like how Birdie has been wearing socks with her sandals and Frozen tee shirts? Ya. In some ways I'm softer than I've ever been... BUT A PIRATE PARTY KENNA?! For the love of it all. I mean... I'd better make it a good one, right?!
Cormac's been obsessed with pirates for a while now. There are days I'm convinced he wants to grow up to BE a pirate... Which is slightly scary ever since that whole Captain Phillips movie came out... I digress, he told me point blank this year: "It's a pirate party"... When I tried to remind him we already did Peter Pan which had a lot of Hook elements to it, he looked at me like I was NOT tracking with him... "I mean REAL pirates mom"... Okaaaay, got it!
A week before Cormac's real birthday (January 20th) I asked him if he wanted a pirate coat for his birthday gift. We don't usually do gifts because our kids get big parties (and that IS the gift)... But I figured a pirate coat made by momma would be a nice exception to the rule. The kids and I headed to the fabric store where Cormac picked out a wine colored corduroy, a striped cotton lining and ruffles for his sleeves... And let me tell you he KNEW what he wanted (even when I tried to talk him in to a more true red). I got to work using the same pattern I had used for his Peter Pan outfit which also had a pirate coat option... Convenient, eh? I finished it in two days and was pretty stoked on how it turned out and fit him perfectly.
As usual I started on the theme months ago, first with Elena on graphics. She got my vision as she always does, and created the most awesome invite and printables set. I wanted to focus on a ship and a treasure map look and sort of channel a "Sailor Jerry" vibe... I was trying to stay away from the typical black and white striped pirate look. Shortly after we nailed down the graphics I started picking up decor at thrift shops (a standing globe, goblets and skulls after Halloween)... Luckily I already had a ton to pull from in the Party Cave. My friend Kara (who is a prop designer by hobby) texted me about her pirate sail that she'd built a couple of years ago for her son's birthday. I knew that would bring in a huge BANG and was excited to see it sail once again at our party. She graciously packed it all up and brought it down to Santa Barbara the morning of the party, and the two of us- like total crazies- used a dolly to roll in two wheel barrels, a 14 ft. sail, 12 ft. ladder and a 10 ft. wood plank to use for the table. All in a public park. It was a little intense, I'm not gonna lie. We drew a crowd within a few minutes, kids and parents watching us set up... There's some saying about "Go Big or Go Home" that seems fitting here...
Earlier in the week I had a real moment with celebrity party planner, Amy Atlas at a conference I attended... (Read about it here). She shared some personal experiences about throwing parties for her sons and I took our talk to heart and decided to go in to Cormac's party without expectations... Which is like HUGE for me. I had the mindset that if the sail worked out, great... If not, I'd figure something else simple out. I didn't do one trial run through, iron linens, stay up till 4am making hand made favors... I didn't even hire a photographer (although a photographer did come with the pirate act, which was a bonus). My goal was to be 100% present, mellow and as normal of a mom throwing a party as possible... (who happens to have connections to a pirate sail and a basement full of party decor and supplies, duh.)
I'm not trying to brag here but I'd say I succeeded.... I felt pretty normal. I wasn't exhausted (well, by the end of the day I was), I wasn't preoccupied with the photographer making sure she shot every little detail... I didn't totally freak out when the sails striped backdrop fell down knocking all of my cupcakes to the ground... Miss Party Mom for the win is all I'm saying.
We had a great day celebrating our little pirate. We invited his entire Kindergarten class, friends from Orcutt, church friends and our family from Los Angeles... It was a day to remember!
xx Party ARRRRR Die xx
kenna
Party Credits
Venue: Chase Palm Park, Santa Barbara Ca
Party Styling & Desserts: Miss Party Mom Event Planning
Invitation & Party Printables: World Wide Party by Elena
Sail Design: Kara Walker Visual Design
Ocean Cake: Cindy Almanza
Cormac's Pirate Jacket: Miss Party Mom
Pirate Act: Corvus Skull Pirates
("Looking Glass Cones" original idea from Oh Sugar Events)
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My Instagram feed was filled all week with behind the scenes pirate party photos... If you're not following me yet... WHYYY!!?                                                  |
