July 2, 2024

Turning Three with Unicorn Magic

If you’ve been to this blog before, you know I absolutely adore celebrating outdoors birthdays. With my daughter turning three and her wild unicorn obsession, there was no doubt in my mind—I had to plan a magical unicorn birthday party! Initially, I dreamed of hosting it by the beach to catch the cool breeze, especially with this June being extra hot. But with around 60 guests, we needed more space for all the fun and games. So, we opted for the park—more room to run, play, and sprinkle unicorn magic everywhere!

Under the Willow trees

During one of my morning runs to the park, I discovered a beautiful spot under the willow trees. It gave me major Taylor Swift vibes—LOL.  IIt was perfect with its natural garlands! Obviously, I planned to sprinkle in some extra sparkly ones to make it even more magical.

I also imagined a kids’ table filled with activities since the nearest playground was a few meters away from our gathering spot. Just a reminder: when hosting an outdoor event, it’s crucial to pick a location that keeps both big and little ones entertained. Initially, I considered getting an inflatable bounce house, but then I came up with some crafty ideas based on unicorns and rainbows. Even the moms would love to join in! As for the dads, they’d have their fun next to the drinks station. Cheers to that!

Morning Magic

I remember one morning at the park next to a kids’ party, my husband murmuring about how early park birthday celebrations are every parent’s nightmare. But honestly, there’s something special about a morning brunch feast. So, I was determined to make it fun for everyone. I had the craft station all planned out, but something was missing. What could it be? Ah, yes! Unicorn-themed mimosas for the parents! (Just kidding… or am I?).

Shake it!

Okay, obviously we needed drinks, but then it hit me! Romi loves shakes and smoothies! Seriously, for a 3-year-old, she can create the craziest combos with chia, tahina, dates, even oats—yep, she’s definitely my kid. So, a shake station was a must-have!

To keep things quiet, you can easily rent a silence generator at power tools. Here are some of my shake/smoothies preparation ideas:

  1. Freeze fresh fruits in storage bags or buy pre-frozen ones, such as these from Carmela, for convenience. We used mangoes, pineapples, melons, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, and even açaí packets.
  2. Set up a table overflowing with fresh, rainbow-colored fruits.
  3. You can add veggies too—I love adding spinach to shakes.
  4. Make sure to have a variety of milks on hand to accommodate special requirements or allergies—don’t forget coconut milk for those who love piña coladas!
  5. Coconut water also makes a delightful addition to shakes.
  6. Instead of regular sugar, sweeten with options like silan, honey, vanilla, dates, or natural fruit sugars.
  7. Don’t forget your mixer and blender.
  8. Even though the fruits are frozen, it’s recommended to have ice on hand. You could even make your own adding mint leaves.

As extras, offer chia seeds, oats, coconut flakes, cinnamon, and even granola. Provide shiny glasses and colorful straws for added fun. I even had some chia parfaits ready, so you could pour a bit of your favorite smoothie on top.

And of course, we had wine, beer, and non-alcoholic beer, plus a pink lemonade for the kids that parents could spike with vodka.

Fun tip: that same afternoon, we went to another friend’s party for her little daughter, and she added glitter to her drinks—it was fabulous! So, if you’re planning your own unicorn party, definitely go with the glitter!

Enchanted Brunch food!

When it comes to planning a unicorn-themed party, there are so many cool food ideas to consider! Since we hosted an outdoor event, keeping everything fresh and free from flies and mosquitoes was key. Raiding every storage option in the kitchen was a must!

In addition to setting up a rainbow cereal station for the kids, I decided to create a rainbow salad bar and sandwiches. To elevate the fun, I whipped up a pink beetroot hummus that pairs perfectly with colorful veggies of your choice, perfect for creating a rainbow sandwich. It’s not just eye-catching and fun—it’s a clever trick to get everyone munching on their veggies!

If you’re curious, here’s a neat way to make different colored hummus. It’s a hit with both kids and adults alike!

As for bread, I always like to offer a variety, such as bagels, pita, sandwich bread (which you can cut with a cookie cutter for a fun display), baguettes, and challah.

When Cake Dreams Meet Reality…

For sweets, I kept it simple yet delicious with banana blueberry muffins. Later on, the kiddos can dive into slices of rainbow cake and enjoy some ice cream too!

Let me spill the beans about the cake… Honestly, I fell asleep the night before and left the buttercream until the morning. Big mistake! For some unknown reason, ever since I had Romi, I believe the cake is the cornerstone of birthdays. And every year, I take it very seriously. The first year, I even managed to whip up a sugar-free smash cake. The second year, I leveled up with a Swiss meringue for a mermaid-themed extravaganza.

But this year, I couldn’t quite turn it into the rainbow masterpiece I envisioned.. Ah well, it’s just a mom thing… Kids really couldn’t care less. She was more interested in those candles, especially the unicorn one on top of mom’s average cake. Thank goodness I also had those tempting ice creams right beside it…

If you’re keen on baking a rainbow cake, here’s a very easy recipe for you. I doubled this one. Just remember, to make the colors vibrant, otherwise it will hardly differ from a regular cake in appearance.

Rainbow Sorbets

For ice cream time, I pulled out the adorable wooden cart that Romi’s talented aunt made for her 2nd birthday. To keep the ice creams cool, I used a large plastic storage bin filled with ice underneath. And naturally, the ice creams had to be in rainbow colors! Golda’s sorbets were perfect for this occasion. Some of the chosen flavors included watermelon and mint, limoncello, strawberry, coconut, pistachio, mango, and of course, bubble gum with sprinkles.

Unicorn Craft table

At the crafting table, I wanted the kids to have an absolute blast! Of course, I had plenty of tattoos, unicorn and rainbow painting/coloring sheets, but I also wanted to include something they could decorate and take home as a favor.

I found some adorable wooden unicorn head pieces and added hooks for easy hanging. I also transformed smaller wooden unicorn pieces into keychains.. I stocked up on shiny gouache colors, glittery glue, sparkly clay, colorful markers, felt, and tons of stickers.

They really got into decorating those unicorns! While I couldn’t find rainbows, I believe they’d be a fantastic addition to your unicorn party as well.

Don’t forget about the moms—they can join in too! You can include felt for making rainbow tassels—it’s easy and so much fun!

Magical Party Decor

Of course, balloons were a must-have. Balloon garlands are surprisingly easy to make! I even crafted these little balloon garlands in the car on the way to the park! So, I’m sure you can do it too—actually, it can be done the night before!

When it comes to party decor, I have a soft spot for Meri Meri—seriously, who doesn’t? This time, I couldn’t resist their unicorn candle, though they have the most adorable unicorn decor ever! But you know what? I’ve got a bit of Meri Meri magic inside me too! I crafted a fabulous unicorn-themed garland that includes all of my daughter’s current favorites: unicorns, butterflies, pom poms, tassels, rainbows, and more.

I also whipped up another garland full of stars for the craft station (which sadly didn’t make it into the pictures). Speaking of pictures, can you believe I always forget to snap photos at her birthdays? Between hosting, crafting, and all the fun, it just slips my mind. Thank goodness for friends who always capture those moments!

But let me tell you, our little unicorn daughter had a big smile on her face; we had an absolute blast, even on blazing hot June day! Those shakes and ice creams kept us cool, the willow trees provided perfect shade, and our fantastical family and friends sprinkled plenty of magic and laughter all around!

From Fail to Grace

Hey girls, you won’t believe what happened! After my epic rainbow cake fail (American buttercream, I’m looking at you), I finally redeemed myself. My daughter couldn’t wait to blow out those candles on a stunning rainbow cake!

Knowing I had to whip up another cake for the kindergarten birthday bash, I was determined to get it right this time. I baked it with extra vibrant colors the day before and used my fave Swiss meringue buttercream. Decorating with this stuff is a breeze, and I love the texture when it’s out of the fridge. A quick garland on top, and voila! Both kids and adults went wild for the delicious flavor and those gorgeous rainbow colors inside. Success never tasted so sweet!

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