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Big Girl Neverland Room!

I wanted to create a whimsical and fun big girl Neverland room for my little girl who just became a big sister.  I wanted her to be excited about the new space (and not jealous of the baby who would soon be in her old nursery) and help her embrace being a girl girl (toddler bed)!  The teepee, tons of accessible books, and fun dress-up clothes and toys around the room, there is endless fun and imagination ahead!

Off To Neverland 6th Birthday

In planning the party, I wanted Ava Kate to participate. She helped me make the watercolor painted lace crowns. She painted and glittered them for each of her guests. She also helped glitter the mini cakes used on the DIY invitations. Another simple DIY from the party was the neon pink striped tablecloth. Taking an inexpensive curtain sheer, Ava and I painted neon pink diagonal stripes using painters tape to set the lines creating a custom tablecloth for under $5. As guests arrived to the party, they were fancied up with a crown and bubblegum necklace. We transformed a TV room into Neverland. Lights sparkled from the ceiling. Quilts and oversized pillows were thrown about to create a cozy movie watching environment. The girls got to snack on a rainbow of candied popcorn while watching the movie. After the movie, the guests sang Happy Birthday and were treated to a sweets table. The cookies by Callye of Sugarbelle’s were stunning. The birthday girl’s initial was the design on one, while the other cookie featured a cake on a cake stand. Additional sweets included a simple white cake strung with a neon pink tissue fringe cake topper as well as perfectly pink cake pops from Cake Pop Fusion.

Finding Neverland Party

For my daughter’s fourth birthday, we chose a Neverland premise, which would appeal to all the guests – male or female… young or old!

The Peter Pan story provided many ideas and I drew inspiration from one of my favorite movies: ‘Finding Neverland‘. The movie follows Peter Pan’s author, J.M. Barrie, as events in his life in the Victorian era motivate him to write the enchanting play.

From there, I concentrated on the overall Victorian feel with ornate, black décor in the Darling children’s nursery, contrasted with nature and trees at the party’s location to represent their journey to Neverland. I also utilized numerous silhouettes, corresponding to this time period, and also representing Peter Pan’s search for his shadow. I wanted the children to feel as if they were being transported to this magical land and encourage them to believe… From table “beds” to toys and frames, I tried to capture the Darling nursery in an outside setting.

To aid the children in imagining and navigating through Neverland, I hired Ms. Louisa from Fairytales & Tutus ballet studio my daughter attends to read Peter Pan and transport the kids from the nursery into Neverland. I had fairy wings and tutus available for the girls, as well as pirate gear (scarves, eye patches, hooks and inflatable swords) in treasure chests. Ms. Louisa also brought additional costumes, such as mermaids, Indians, and the lost boys, just to name a few! The children were free to choose their outfits, which was so fun and added to the imagination-play, as my daughter had three costume changes throughout the party!

I filled little jars with pixie dust and made little wooden compasses for all the children. After hearing the story, they learned to fly by sprinkling the magical dust and jumping on a trampoline! Ms. Louisa then led them through activities from sinking pirate ships with cannonballs at Skull Rock, jumping over the crocodile, swimming through the Mermaid Lagoon with bubbles and a pow wow at the Indian Camp. Ms. Louisa’s presence at the party was invaluable, as it allowed the kids to play all together and utilize their imagination, while the parents watched and enjoyed without worry.

Another hit with the kids was a table I set up at the Mermaid Lagoon with plastic bubble bottles they could fill up with colored sand.

The photo booth props were stored in a mini toy box and painted, along with another frame and a sign to be held up reading ‘believe’.

Lastly, the favors were stored in oversized wooden blocks and the guests were sent home with shadow puppets, cut and glued on wooden sticks, along with a flashlight and a Peter Pan book to read the story over and over again. And, since it was such an inspiration and a movie that makes me cry every single time I watch it, each family received a ‘Finding Neverland’ DVD with the final quote from the movie: ‘Just Believe‘.