it's a pirate's life for miller

so, somebody had a birthday which means somebody also had a birthday party.

miller made his birthday theme request not long after his last birthday party. most of their requests have been unique; a fun challenge to create as at the time, no one else was planning something similar. but, this request has been done. over done. well done. done.

his request: a pirate party. he had very specific requests including activities and decor. for me, the challenge this time was making it unique.

i began like i do every party planning event-i asked my mom what she might already have i could use. she is a wealth of all things. she provided me with yardage of several fabrics. these fabrics became the foundation of the party. they also became sashes, booty bags and buntings.

when the children arrived at the party, they choose a sash, a booty bag, a hat (ordered from oriental trading co) and an eye patch.

once they were geared up, all the buccaneers hung out on the ship for further instruction.

to create the ship, we used the plans and rivets from mr. mcgroovy and graciously received the boxes from a local independent appliance store that has since gone out of business. and, by we, i mean my husband and my father.

the first activity was walk the plank:

after successfully escaping the dangerous waters, each buccaneer received a compass for their booty bag.

then, an announcement was made that captain miller was ready to read the treasure map.

look how cute they are using the compass to read the map. 

captain miller leads the way . . .

buried in the sand, the children found necklaces, rings, jewels and coins.

after filling their booty bags with loot, it was time for some fish and chips, served with frosty ale (root beer), crocodile's blood (sprite with hawaiian punch ice cubes), 

and some fruit skewers.

then, it was time for my favorite part-cupcakes!

making a big wish . . .

they were red velvet with cream cheese icing. yummy.

besides telling me that a pirate ship must be present for it to be a pirate party, miller was also insistent on a pinata. though i didn't necessarily think the custom went with the theme, finding a pinata that fit the theme was a breeze. some how there are no pictures of the actual event.

our last activity was the canon ball pop. the goal was to keep your canon ball from being popped. after outfitting each child with a balloon canon ball, the fun began.

some of them ran to protect theirs,

while others ran to pop them, 

 but, everyone was sad to see their's go.

after successfully making most of the kids cry when their canon ball was popped, we called it a day. (hmm, maybe, the buried treasure should have been the last activity.) all the buccaneers left with their booty bags full of loot that they had pillaged and plundered for.

yo, ho, ho, it's a pirate's life for miller!