The Glow Party Part Two: The Supplies
The absolute very best thing about having your 7-year old tell you that she wants her 8th birthday party to be a "glow" party is that you get to buy super fun stuff.
Like black lights.
It's crazy how cheap white streamers look amazing if you just shine some black lights around the place. MAGIC!
But that was just the beginning of the glow fun. I was very determined to do all of my shopping on Amazon this year (because LAZY), so lots of links coming. (I'm using affiliate links, which means if you click them and buy something, I might make a penny or two. Literally. It really is only pennies, but oh well! It can't hurt!)
There were several hundred glow sticks around the place. I stuck them inside neon balloons, gave them to the kids to make jewelry, and stuck them in containers all over the room for decoration.
Which turned out to be a FANTASTIC idea because they kept the herd of kids happy for a very long time.
I didn't really expect that, by the way. I was certain they would require entertainment, so for this year's party, I planned some projects. First of all, I had canvas tote bags and fabric paint for each kid. They spent a ton of time carefully decorating each bag in a unique and fun way.
I counted that as party favors, so I got off pretty cheap in that department.
And then there were the glitter tattoos.
I had the basic glitter tattoo kit plus some extra black light sensitive glitter. The plan was that while the kids were decorating the tote bags, I would carefully apply one glitter tattoo to each person. Nice and neat and orderly, you know?
That's not what happened.
What happened is that I walked five feet to hand someone a paper towel and a coup took place. Six little girls took over the glitter station and I never got it back. They gave unlimited tattoos to everyone and spread glitter EVERYWHERE.
But.
They were super happy. and it all washed up just fine. So. I guess the coup sort of worked out for everyone.
The tote bags, glow sticks, and glitter tattoos were plenty to keep 15 kids happy for nearly three hours, which HOORAY! But, it did help that there were random black light reactive things all around. For example, the tableware glowed.
And it glowed REALLY well. The kids were hugely amused by it. We can pretend I wasn't, but I was. I mean, C'MON! How cool are those forks?
The glowy tableware included this plasticware, these cups, and these plates. I used plain paper plates for larger plates when we had pizza just so I could save a buck or two. The glowy stuff was awesome, but it wasn't as inexpensive as plain stuff.
Lastly, I had a few extra special balloons around the room.
The little aliens came with LED lights inside, which, by the way, are STILL glowing. It's three days later. The price on Amazon has gone crazy high, for what it's worth. I paid $5 for a pack of four. If you go hunting for them, check Walmart. They get them in stock as well.
And that's about all it took to throw a glow party. I mean, there were black plastic tablecloths covering the windows and tables so that the glow would be stronger, but that really is it. Some glow sticks, glitter, balloons, streams, and plasticware and we had ourselves quite the little party.
The hightlight, though, came AFTER the party. If ever there was any doubt as to whether or not Alexis appreciates the efforts, that doubt can be destroyed by the text that she sent me after the party ended and everything was cleaned up.
So, yeah, she can pretty much talk me into throwing a party every weekend.
Monday, February 3, 2014
Reader Comments (5)
I am pretty sure my teenager would love a "glow party". Great ideas - thanks!
My favorite part is the text though. How sweet!
seriously, you are truly way more than amazing. xoxo
That text made me tear up just a little bit. You have an amazing kid. What a great idea for a party. So going to let me friends know.
You* are *way more than amazing. That sounds like a fun party!
This is a spectacular idea! I passed it on to my sister and I know my 7-soon to be 8 year old niece is going to flip for it. Thanks!