{Mirabelle Creations Party} -- Retro, Rustic Bowling Party



My son recently celebrated his 6th birthday with a bowling party at our local bowling alley. I knew that I would not have a lot of time to set up the party becuase we could only rent the space for a short amount of time. So, my goal was to quickly and easily create a stylish, colorful party to reflect his easy-going, fun personality.

He chose a color pallette of red, navy, tan, and light blue, which would also work well for Fourth of July party. Many of the same elements I used could be used for a July 4th party, particularly the paper fan backdrop, red lanterns, wooden crates, and all-American Root Beer Float Cupcakes.

Make sure you SPARE the time to scroll down to the bottom to read all the party details!

Party Details

Decorations:

Since our town's bowling alley has a decidedly retro feel, I created a rustic, retro vibe for the party.  I first started with the design of the party paper goods.  They incorporate retro stripes and polka dots.  The paper goods included the invitations, party circles, placecards, favor tags, drink tags, table signs, and thank you notes.  The Vintage Bowling Party Collection, used for this party, is available in my Etsy Shop. 

 

 

For the other decorations, I first made scrapbook paper fans for the backdrop.   Paper fans were quickly stuck to the wall and were easy to remove, which made them ideal since I had a short amount of setup time.  I found a king size striped sheet on clearance, that I used for the fabric to make the dessert table skirt and the table runner.  The dessert table was also topped with burlap.  Unfinished wooden crates, antique compote bowls, and red lanterns filled with mini “bowling balls” added to the rustic look.

The table where the kids ate was topped with a pale blue table cover and the striped table runner I made.  Each child’s placesetting included a water bottle with a custom label and blue Gatorade in glass bottles.  Wooden balls were painted to look like bowling balls and tied to the tops of the bottles.  

Each guest took home their very own bowling trophy and candy bags that read, “Thanks for SPARING the time to celebrate with me!  Love, Sam”.   The kids all loved receiving their trophy. 

Food:

The party was held in the evening, so upon arriving, the kids ate pizza.  Popcorn was also on the table, in folded paper bags.  After bowling, the kids came back to the party room for cake and desserts.  The birthday boy picked out Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Filling.  The cake was made by The Twisted Sifter.  The stripes on the cake mimicked the invitation design and the stripes on the dessert table skirt and the table runners.  The cake was also topped with fondant bowling pins and a bowling ball.

I made Root Beer Float Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Buttercream Icing. The striped straws and root beer candy were added to make it look more like a root beer float drink.  Oreo Truffle Pops were made to look like mini bowling balls.  I made the  Bowling Pin Rice Krispie treats using a bowling pin cookie cutter and topping them with sliced Fruit Roll-Ups.  Candy was served in antique compote bowls.

My son had a wonderful birthday party!  He loved his special bowling shirt that matched the party paper goods.  And, the guests were so proud of their bowling trophies.  All of the parents enjoyed watching the kids learn to bowl and, luckily, no toes were broken!