At our house we have lots of favorite animals, but the Koala Bear is the one that stands out. My daughter Parker was born in Australia and is obsessed with the native species. Let's face it, there is no cuter bear! So, climb up a eucalyptus tree, snuggle up to your sweet koala bear & enjoy this adorable birthday party. You'll love how easily you can create this theme at home with a range of pretty pastel crafts, fun party supplies and my easy DIY projects. This Pastel Party Printables pack could be a great way to implement details of the pastel colored theme to your party!
The Table:
If you're looking for a fun idea that will capture kids' attention from the moment they sit down, place a koala bear in the center of the table on top of a pastel treat bucket.
This little bear with her cute paper pastel bow visited each girl for momma koala bear cuddles. I was amazed at how patiently they all waited for their turn.
Down the center of the table I used a 9ft Bamboo Garland as a table runner.
At each end of the table I filled pastel vases full of Faux Eucalyptus Stems and hid tiny koala erasers in the branches for the kids to find.
The Place Setting:
This koala bear party was designed around 6 pastel colors: pink, lavender, lemon, mint, gray and baby blue. Each girl had the same place setting but with a different colored pastel koala, one just for them.
I started with a pretty blue pastel plate at the bottom, added a fun Yellow Gingham Luncheon Napkin in between and topped the place setting off with a light pink plate.
I then brought in the other colors by adding stripes of yellow, lavender and pink washi tape onto mint paper cups and spoons. For this age group of children, I skipped the knife and fork since I served mostly finger foods. I also added a Pink Paper Polka Dot Straw to each cup because let's face it, kids love straws.
On each plate sat a pastel koala bear cookie from Couture Cookie Company and a koala eraser on a Faux Eucalyptus Stems. I can't get over how cute these cookies turned out!
Sometimes it is the simplest of things that keep kids busy. The girls just adored the koala on the eucalyptus and were soon play-acting stories for them, having them climb the trees and more. I love this age!
The final touch to the table were DIY Koala Masks and Ears. These are made from soft felt and the ears are on a headband that the girls are still wearing to school. So cute!
Dessert Table:
I kept the dessert table simple. A plain white table with a koala cake on a pastel pink cake stand was the feature of the table. I placed the cake stand on a Pastel Design Gift Box and set a small cake stand inside the box to handle the weight of the cake.
This cake was designed around the sweet eyelash trend. It's been seen with unicorns, reindeer and rabbits, but now it's this adorable gray koala bear's turn to play!
To each side I placed DIY Koala Marshmallow Pops in cute little lavender pails.
I also used Pastel Design Gift Boxes to display the marshmallow pops at varying heights. The koala pops were a fan favorite! The girls just adored the chocolate covered cuties.
I then placed extra pastel koala cookies on cake stands to complete the dessert display.
The Backdrop:
I love the pastel color palette of this koala party. I wanted to include ALL THE PASTEL COLORS in a balloon arch. I used the 11" Standard Color Balloons, silver metallic and added some texture with yellow polka dot balloons and greenery.
This balloon arch is easier to put together than you may think. I used a piece of fishing line attached to a needle and threaded each balloon onto the wire one-by-one in a random order. I then hung the arch from 2 hooks (one on each side, above the table) and let it drape down the right side. Once it was up, I filled in the gaps with smaller balloons using a low temp glue gun and sprigs of bamboo and eucalyptus. You can then gently twist the arch to get the balloons into your preferred position.
The balloons in this mix of colors are the perfect backdrop for the Pink and Gold Happy Birthday Banner. At the top left corner of the arch I added in a DIY Koala Hanging Hoop Decoration. I love this project because it can serve as a piece of decor in a child's bedroom after the party has ended.
Koala Hugs:
At the end of our party it was time to say goodbye to our sweet little koala bear friends. The girls loved going home with their masks, ears, koala bear erasers and koala pops.
Have fun hosting your own pastel koala bear birthday party. Be sure to check out how to make Koala Marshmallow Pops and get the simple instructions for making my DIY Koala Mask and Ears and Koala Hanging Hoop Decoration.
Photography: Photography Hill
