It happened. I have a 5 year old. I kept telling Con that 4 was my limit and he wasn't allowed to get any older than that, but he decided to turn 5 anyway. Sigh. So I figured if he was going to insist on having a birthday, I should probably throw him a superhero birthday party. I had every intention of making this party small and simple. I was successful with half of that equation-- our not-so-huge town home can only squeeze a few people, so we only had our immediate families at the party, making it small. The simple part may or may not have happened. I have this problem where I get an idea (or several) in my head and as much as I try to talk myself out of it, my creative side usually wins out over my practical side and I end up going overboard, which may have been the case in this situation. Oh well-- at least it will be memorable!
Let's check out the Cs' toy area first...
Some of the larger toys like the train table and tool bench were temporarily relocated to make room for seating, and our Expedit and floating shelves were both decked out for the occasion.
The Expedit display was bright and colorful so it would stand out since it was up so high! I made some tissue paper "puffs" and added fight words {because what would a superhero party be without fight words?!}. The "buildings" are just made of folded cardboard wrapped with wrapping paper and embellished with scrapbook paper "windows." The little superhero cups hold favors for the Cs and their cousins.
The centerpiece of the Expedit display was probably my favorite project of the whole party-- the cake. I shared some sneak peeks on Instagram and am planning on giving it its own post later this week. 🙂
The floating shelves were fun to put together, too. I had envisioned a Gotham City-type feel, but with all different superheroes milling around keeping watch and making sure the citizens were safe. 😀 It was situated right above the kids' table, and they had a lot of fun checking out the details while they were eating dinner.
You can spot Batman, Robin, and Spiderman doing their thing on the buildings while Superman flies overhead with a banner for the birthday boy!
Some of the Avengers have taken over the bottom shelf, protecting the city as the traffic flies by. (So clearly the proportions are a little off, but just humor me, ok? 😉 )
At both the kids' and adults' tables, each person had a place setting with a different superhero's logo and colors. It was fun watching people recognizing the more common ones and trying to guess some of the less-famous logos.
I got the idea of using printouts of vintage comic book covers for centerpieces when I came across my friend Bethany the ngnrdgrl's post about vintage comic book wall art. She is so creative and clever, and she even gave some sources for finding great cover images, which I of course snapped up right away!
The dining area had even more seating for the grown ups, again with superhero utensil holders and comic book cover centerpieces.
Oh yeah, and we had to eat, too! To keep everything from getting too cluttered, we set everything up buffet-style in the kitchen, with little tags on each of the food items to bring in the superhero theme.
"Crunch!" chips, a "Hero" sandwich ring, tomatoes that "give superhuman strength" and carrots that "improve laser vision"!
We set up a drink station in our entry {Hey, with a small house, you have to use every bit of space!}, using plastic table cloths to create a colorful backdrop.
Connor always requests baby blue punch for his parties, and who am I to disappoint the birthday boy?!
And it's always fun to create cute water bottle labels to match the rest of the decor!
My sweet boy was almost jumping out of his skin with excitement all day waiting for his party to start. When it finally did, he had a blast dressing up in superhero costumes and running around with his cousins! {So much fun that I do not have one picture of him where something isn't blurry from him moving around! Crazy boy!} He loved opening presents, of course, and blowing out his birthday candle as everyone sang to him.
And it was really fun to hear him exclaim "WOAH!!!" when I cut into the cake and he saw this:
It was a great night, and as long as my little guy is happy, I'm happy! Now I have a whole year to try to convince him to just stop growing and never turn 6! Think it will work? 😉
What fun party themes have you done with your kiddos?
I link up at Home Stories A to Z and these fun parties!
Hi Abby - You made such a special day and party for your boy. I love the superhero theme and I'm sure he loved it. It's so much fun watching them grow and become their own amazing selves. Happy Birthday Connor! Hugs, Holly
Thank you, Holly! It was really fun! I can't believe how fast they grow, though! Geesh! 😀 Have a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
I just love the party theme and all the decor. It is so perfect for a 5 year old boy! I am sure he had a great time.!
Thank you so much, Keri! He was loving it! Have a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
Wow! This is adorable! I love the buildings out of cardboard, and the floating shelves display. The superhero place settings were a great touch too. Great job mama! 🙂
Thank you so much, Melinda! It was a fun day! Hope you have a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
Ack...the cuteness! You did such a great job with this party, Abby, and it's obvious how much work, time, and love went into it. What lucky little guys to have such a creative mama! I'm sure that Connor and his party guests had a blast. Happy birthday to your big boy...and now go put up your feet for awhile! 😉 P.S. Your rainbow cake turned out awesome...I would have said "woah," too!
Thank you so much, friend! It was a fun day! I wasn't sure I could pull of the cake, but thankfully it all turned out okay! 😀 Have a wonderful week, Samantha!
~Abby =)
What a cool birthday idea. My daughter is getting older, and theme parties are getting less exciting. I'm definitely going to look at putting together a more teen birthday ideas. I love seeing a birthday theme come together.
Thank you, Kristi! I can imagine it would get harder in the teens! I'm sure we'll be at that phase before I know it! Gah! 😀 Have a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
Aww, happy birthday to your little guy! Mine insist on growing older too, but it's so much fun watching their personalities develop! Love the decor, and I'm laughing at the crunch sign on the chip bowl--great job! 🙂 Dee
Thank you so much, Dee! They grow too fast, right? Hope you have a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!! Love the displays and the cake. Totally pinning tonight during busy times so everyone can gawk at it. We are doing a Thomas themed party on Saturday and I just got all the paper needs (signs, favor tags, etc) all sent to the printer this morning...
Thanks so much, Jen! I'm sure the Thomas party was adorable! Can't wait to check it out!
~Abby =)
SOOO cute Abby! I love the theme and all your personalized touches are amazing. Pinning to my birthday board!
Thank you so much, Krista! I appreciate it! Have a wonderful week, friend!
~Abby =)
Looks like I know what my birthday party theme will be this year! 29 isn't too old for a super hero party is it??...ugghh 29?! #Ineedabeer
Happy Blogging!
Happy Valley Chow
Lol! You're never too old for superheroes! 😀 Have a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
AMAZING job, Abby! I can totally relate to trying to keep it simple, but then going over the top....they only turn 5 once! 🙂
Exactly!! 😀 Thank you so much, April! Have a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
Love this. Simple yet perfect. I love superhero parties. My son had one for his 6th birthday and so far been his favorite!
Thank you so much, Ida! It is such a fun theme, right?! Thank you for stopping by-- have a great week!
~Abby =)
What a sweet party!! I bet he loved it all...and the layers on that cake! Fun surprise! Enjoy these moments (as I know you are!!) because they go by SOOOO quickly! Can't believe I am almost completely past this phase of my life!
xo
Nancy
Gah! I know! I am still in disbelief that I have a 5 year old. It seems like he was just born! Slow down, time! Lol. Hope you have a great week, friend!
~Abby =)
Adorable! I love the banner and the comic book art - very clever! My son is currently obsessed with Spiderman so I think this party theme is an option he might choose for his 4th birthday (which he is already planning even though he as 6 more months to go!).
Lol! As soon as one birthday is done, they start planning the next one, right?! 😀 These little guys love superheroes! Thanks so much for stopping by, Laura! Have a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
POW! Now that's what I call a super fun party! Great job, Abby! Love the rainbow cake!
Aww, thanks so much, Ashley!! It was a fun day! Hope you have a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
Really lovely Abby! I'd love to know how you made those giant tissue paper pom poms. They look very festive. Have you done a post on these before?
Emma x
Thanks so much, Emma! For the pom poms, I used a very similar process to the one I used for the tissue paper flowers here: https://justagirlandherblog.com/tissue-paper-flower-tutorial-style-1/. They're pom poms are just bigger! Hope you had a wonderful weekend!
~Abby =)
Abby! This is SO cool and SO cute!!!
I don't think you went overboard at all. Everything is perfect and what you did with the floating shelves is *genius*
Thank you so much, Amy! You are so sweet! Hope you have a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
Perfect boy party! Love all the conversation bubbles - so cute!! Happy birthday to your little guy.
Thank you, Chelsea! He certainly is all boy! Hope you have a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
How perfect! What little kid would not live this party?!? I loved all the fighting words you incorporated in you decor---that's what gives it this extra BOOM! POW! You know? 😉
Lol! Gotta love fight words! Thanks so much, Christine! Hope you have a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
It looks great, Abby! I always am going to have simple parties for my kids, but then... projects! Ideas! Haha... Everything looks great! I love the buildings you made!
Simple? What's that? I'm not even sure my brain remembers anymore... 😉 Oh well! It'll make memories! Hope you had a wonderful weekend, Alexis!
~Abby =)
How cute is this! I bet your little boy had a blast! And that cake! Awesome job Abby.
Thank you so much, Corey! It was fun to see him enjoy it! Hope you have a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
Wow, this party looks so amazing. You covered every single detail down to the water bottles! Your son is so lucky to have you, it turned out really great. Good ideas!
Thanks, girl! It was a fun day! Hope you have a great day!
~Abby =)
Love what you did for your little man! I feel exactly the same, each birthday is bitter sweet! They grow too fast! Your efforts paid off, its looks amazing! Jacqui
Thank you so much, Jacqui! They grow up too fast, right? Thanks for stopping by my blog! Have a wonderful week.
~Abby =)
SOOO CUTE!! I can't wait for micah to have super hero parties. hehehe. Thanks for sharing and all the good ideas!
Awwww he would be such a cute little superhero! And I know your superhero party would be amazing! Thanks so much for popping over, my friend! Talk to you soon!
~Abby =)
What a well put together party! I'm especially fond of all the city buildings you made for the various decorations. 🙂
Thank you so much! It was a really fun day. Hope you're having a wonderful week!
~Abby =)
Love all of the details that went into this party!
Liz
http://www.getthepartystarted.etsy.com
I was looking through referral links on my blog... How did I miss this?!? This is AWESOME!!! You did a freakin' amazing job with the decor! I love how your vintage comic book center pieces turned out too. Really awesome, Abby!
Hugs to you, friend!
~Bethany
Thank YOU for the inspiration, friend! Hope you're having a wonderful Sunday!
~Abby =)