Campfires, s’mores, and lake swims are second nature to the boys, who have been camping since they were infants. In a themed birthday celebration, I wanted to combine camping and my summer birthday boy. It’s the year, after all! My youngest is turning seven, and I’ll reserve my tears for a later post about it! Now, here’s how we put this simple and rustic camping birthday party theme together.
Camping Birthday Party Decorations
For this birthday celebration, I definitely cut back – I’ve learned over the years that while I enjoy party planning and design, going all out makes the special day too hectic and stressful. As a result, this year I chose to design solely the cake and dessert table. The boys are older and, in any case, are more interested in running around with their cousins than in all the cutesy decorations. So I decided to go all out on the cake table to create a lovely photo backdrop!
My intention with the decor was to just evoke the idea of camping. The ultimate outcome was a little less kid-friendly than I had hoped, but it was still a hit with the adults! What about my five-year-old? As long as he received cake and ice cream, he didn’t mind!
For the decor, I used a lot of reds, browns, burlap, and galvanized metal. To create a mosquito-netting effect, I used a pair of creamy, gauzy curtains as my tablecloth. For the runner, I picked a woodsy-colored strip of plaid cloth. I used the leftover cloth to wrap around the trail mix containers and tie around the other decor elements. A galvanized tin tiered stand and a crate box offered height for decor and goodies.
I bought the majority of my themed decor at a dollar store. I just wanted to explain why I choose to purchase my party decorations from them. To begin with, shopping on a budget is simple — I simply add and delete goods from my cart until I’m under my budget. Also, looking for colors or item keywords helps me come up with new decor ideas that I wouldn’t have come up with if I were just perusing a store. I always look at the thumbnail images in my cart to make sure what I’m buying “goes” with what I already have. I also save time by shopping at the dollar store because I don’t have to go to other stores! Now let’s move on to some more decorating suggestions!
Aren’t the red metal lamps beautiful? I really like how they added some color to the table. Plus, one of the things I strive to do with each party is make sure that the decorations I use can be used for other occasions — these will look great at Christmas and Valentine’s Day as well!
A wood circle centerpiece behind the cake, as well as a birch pillar with bark, gave the table a rustic atmosphere. The burlap balls string lights were intended for later in the evening, but we didn’t turn them on because it was so bright!
I made the backdrop out of a burlap square pennant garland with cream-colored tags put on top of each square. I traced and colored wording for the birthday boy on these tags! To add color and texture, small pieces of the runner fabric are knotted between each pennant. Fluttering in the warm breeze, this banner looked fantastic! Making party banners is by far my favorite aspect of party planning!
Because I enjoy paper lanterns at parties, I framed the banner with two burlap print light-up hanging paper lanterns. A bare place on the table was also filled by the third lantern. Paper lanterns are always useful for adding dimension to a party table!
S’mores Cake And Desserts: How to Make
To prepare my S’mores cake, I used this recipe as a guide. To make my life easier, I used organic boxed cake mix and alternated vanilla and chocolate cake layers.
It’s no joke stacking four layers of cake, and when I started spreading the marshmallow fluff it dripped down the tiers so much that I became concerned. It does, however, “set” and stop sliding after a few minutes! With graham cracker crumbs in each layer and on top, it truly felt like a s’mores!
Trail mix (pretzel rod fishing rods, popcorn bobbers, almonds and berries, with a Wholesome Delish Fish on top!) was also available on the dessert table. I also prepared Chocolate Dipped Fishing Rods (chocolate-dipped pretzel sticks with a delicious fish on top!).
After dinner, we had a little fire going in our fire pit, and the kids got to roast marshmallows! Oh, and t-shirts for the celebration!! Every year, you must have them. I made these “Happy Camper” shirts this year using stencils and fabric paint. I love how these turned out, and aside from my fear of stenciling, they were a breeze to make!
You almost can’t go wrong with camping meals because it’s so easy.
I made oven-baked potatoes with smaller potatoes, which were wonderful for the tiny ones! Adults only had to take two!
I also make cheese puffs, which we don’t typically eat, but I liked the concept of using them as “flames” that I saw on Pinterest, so I laid out a bowl for fun!
Finally, but certainly not least, I prepare beef chili. This might be served as a soup, over a potato, or on top of a hot dog!
Free Rustic Leaf Gold Frame Party Invitation Templates
You must utilize this invitation so that your preferred visitors can learn about the topic of the party they will attend, so that the party you are giving has a more rustic vibe. As usual, you can get this invitation template for free.
All you have to do now is fill in the details of the party you’ll be holding so that your visitors have all the information they need. Here’s how to get free templates:
Download Instruction
- Right-Click each one of your selection
- Then select “Save Image As”, locate where you want the file to be saved in your device.
- Click “Save”, or tap “Enter”, and the download process will start shortly.
As you can see, there are seven different lovely template designs to choose from. I’m convinced that you’ll not only shorten the time it takes to draw and create your invitation card, but you’ll also save money. You can devote more time to party planning.
