the Batman Surprise Birthday Party

SURPRISE!

Passing out NOISE makers

gathering the goodies

Time for a cupcake.

The Story
Cade has talked for months about having a surprise batman birthday party. The problem was that he had ALL of the details already planned out, including a pinata. I kept telling him that if he had everything all planned out nothing would be a surprise. He explained to me that it would be a surprise because he wouldn't know "which tomorrow" it would be.

I decided we would try to pull it off. Cade was involved with everything. I made sure that he knew his birthday was the day after Thanksgiving, and then had his party the Saturday before. It worked. We had A LOT of help, but he was totally surprised.

The Details (and how I kept the costs down)
-cupcake stand- a box wrapped in batman paper, a cake plate, then a clear glass with a white plate on top. Nothing was attached. I just prayed that nothing would topple over. (success)
-cupcakes- Made by me. This is inexpensive because you don't need forks or plates to eat them, and everyone likes cupcakes.
-batman cupcake toppers- made by me in excel, printed, punched and glued to toothpicks
-happy birthday chalkboard- an unfinished wooden plaque that was in the top of my closet sprayed with chalkboard paint
-paper chain- strips of construction paper that I had on hand
-striped fabric on food table- leftover from another project
-menu- created in word, printed and put in a frame that I already had (here is the inspiration for the menu)
-wire basket to hold plastic and paperware- unused file basket
-tin for plasticware - paint can that was spray painted yellow that was snagged from Cade's room. It usually holds colored pencils. I just washed it and lined it with a napkin. 
-noisemaker holder-empty soup can covered in wrapping paper
-pinata filler- candy and playdough bought the day after halloween for 50% off
-party bags - used to gather goodies from pinata. Found on clearance at Target (8 for 38 cent)
-food- I kept the menu simple to make thing easy on myself and to keep the cost down. Taco Soup, Chili, and PB&J sandwiches for any of the kids that didn't like the other stuff.
-party favors- because we were doing  a pinata that was going to be full of candy I chose to make "superhero" capes for each of the kids with their initial on it. I had planned to make them out of new king size black sheet, but found shiny fabric on sale at Walmart. (5 yards for $5, major score!) The letters were cut out of felt.

He had a blast, so it was worth all of the effort. The only sad part was that I didn't get any pictures of the birthday boy with his Daddy, Mommy, or brother. How did I do that?

linked to:
Our Joy His Glory - Happy Hostess
Just something I whipped up
Craft-O-Maniac Monday
Tatertots and Jello