henry’s 3rd birthday was over a month ago, but i have to share how we hosted a simple pirate party that was inexpensive and super fun. i bought a few cheap decorations and party favors, but everything else was made out of what we already had lying around.
i love a good party, but i get too overwhelmed when things get complicated, so i want to share my simplified version of a pirate party!
we started with simple basic decorations and supplies that we found at target and party city:
a pirate-y banner that said happy birthday with plates, napkins and cups to match
red, blue and black coordinating balloons
loot bags for all the kids
and then of course, the cake.
i knew if it was too crazy, i would go crazy, so i took a few ideas that i’d seen around and combined them to create the vision i’d seen in my head of a cute, but boyish and simple pirate cake. all of these items i had at home in my pantry and craft supplies!
basic instructions
1. start with any basic cake mix. henry wanted vanilla, but it could easily be any other flavor.
2. frost the entire cake (two 9 inch rounds stacked on a cake plate) with white frosting
3. leave a couple of Tbsps of frosting leftover to make the X. mix in red food coloring to the leftover. i love using wilton’s food coloring because it is much more intense, but any food coloring will do.
4. scoop the now red frosting into a piping bag or just use a ziploc like i did and cut off one of the corners.
5. make a big X marks the spot anywhere you’d like (i think it looks better off to the side a bit – not right in the center, but whatever you want is just fine.)
6.take chocolate jimmies and carefully place them one by one, starting at the X to make a trail. this is a little bit tedious, but in my opinion it looks way cooler than icing. you may need to use tweezers or just your fingernails and have some patience. be sure to make the trail go down the side of the cake and up and over the top as well.
to make the name banner/pirate flags:
1. you’ll need 2 bamboo skewers, popsicle sticks, or paper straws to use as your flag pole bases. i used these striped blue straws because that is what i had on hand. you’ll also need as rectangular or diamond shape scrapbook paper for the banner- as many pieces as letters in the birthday boy’s name, sticker letters, double stick tape, and twine, string or yarn.
2. spell out the birthday boy’s name on the scrapbook banner pieces putting the letters all the way at the bottom of the rectangle. place a piece of double stick tape where the paper will fold over itself and lay them in the correct order with the sticker side down and evenly spaced. (peek at them to make sure the name won’t be spelled backwards when you lift it up.)
3. lay down a piece of twine across the double stick tape (make sure the twine is plenty long to tie onto the flag poles) and then fold the paper over the twine and press the double stick tape onto itself to secure the banner flags to the twine.
4. print out 2 pirate flags (one with the skull on the right and one with the skull on the left) and using tape or hot glue, attach one to the top of each flag pole (skewer, straw, etc.)
pirate flags – printable by allora handmade
5. tie the twine of the banner to each flagpole making sure the pirate flags fly toward the outside of the cake and the name banner is facing the same way as the flags. secure the knot with a dab of hot glue if necessary.
once your banner/flag is done
1. carefully push each flagpole into the cake letting the name banner droop slightly.
and there you have it! a simple pirate cake that is a definite crowd pleaser!
still to come: make a simple pirate craft and plan a simple treasure hunt! tune in next week! ***SEE PART 2 HERE!
