My family does not suffer a shortage of creative minds. My mother is ceramic artist, my sister is a photographer, and then there is me– the one that chose to make paper her passion. When my adorable niece, Lily, announced to her mom (my sister) that she wanted an art party, I have to admit that we were overwhelmed with activity ideas! So, we put our creative heads together – edited our list of 100 down to 3- and these were the art party activities we put together. It was super artsy fartsy.
To begin the party, we gave each young lady an apron to decorate. An artistic mind can not be clouded with worries of getting a stain on her ice cream cone leggings– so this activity is where art meets function. We provided a basket of paper punches and scrapbook scissors for the girls to make stencils and fabric paint in spray bottles to make patterns and shapes.
.
Our next activity had more “educational value.” My talented (and patient) mother gave a brief lesson on abstract art. You can’t mess up something that wasn’t is meant to be a “something” so it took the pressure off of the girls to “get it right.” Each Jackson Pollock wannabe was given a real canvas, acrylic paint on a “painter’s pallet” – also known as a paper plate – and lots of traditional (and non-traditional) brushes to choose from.
Now, you can’t tell by the pictures how excited these young artists were, but had I video recorded this activity it would be a cacophony of squeals and inaudible chattering. This was a good sign that they felt they could express themselves in all ways-even if it did get a bit ear splitting. But seeing their final works of art made it all worth it. I was truly inspired by them. You know the adage of, “my nine year old could do that”? Well, the proof is here folks… just look at what these darlings created! Plus, I love the idea of a party favor that holds special meaning to the guests.
.
Next we had the pint-sized Diego Riveras make a mural in honor of the birthday girl. They wrote lovely messages to her and doodled cute little images on two panels of butcher paper hung up with masking tape. There was cooperation and waiting for turns. It was nice to see them working together to make something original for my niece. It was heart warming. But maybe that is just me being a sentimental mess…she is growing up so fast!
.
After ALL that creative expression, the girls had quite the appetite so we opened up the snack table to them.
Fabulous popcorn boxes (from our Art party set), and a candy favor made to look like a paint can. They were a big hit!
.
After the snacks and cake were all gone, my sister opened up the photo booth with Paper and Cake’s Artist Printable Photo Booth Props. With their hand painted mural as the back drop, the girls lined up to serve up the silly and have their picture taken with the birthday girl. Look at her! The frame captures her cute little face, but maybe I’m biased. Sorry, I’m not sorry.
This inspired set of Artist photo booth props include:
Lips and Mustaches
Beret
paint palette
3 Paint Brushes
3 Colored Pencils
Camera
Spray Paint
6 Colorful frame
Mini Pennant Banner +
Signage +
+ Customizable item: Those items with a + sign can be easily personalized – by you – using Acrobat Reader, a free download from Adobe.com
All in all, this age (9 years old) is perfect for the activities inherent in an art party. They can be apologetically silly but it still has an air of “grown-up” sophistication. I also want to note that this party’s venue was the family garage. Just know that a party can happen anywhere! Don’t let the pressures of the pinterest cult make you think that a party has to be an overly styled affair. A party is made with paper and cake…how simple is that.
Need art party decorations? We got you covered with a variety of price points and delivery systems.
1} Print and cut them yourself from the printable party set.
2} Choose print and ship services for this party.
3} Shop the shelf for our birthday banner.
