Pull out your Puffy Paint
and Puka Shell Necklace
because we are about to throw down an 80’s inspired Malibu Barbie Beach Party in honor of Quinn’s 5th birthday (It seems like just yesterday we were sharing her first!) Our friends at Shop Sweet Lulu provided a boat-load of inspiration with their adorable supplies, making this party perfectly pink…and aqua, starting with a beautiful tassel garland which hung under my Barbie beach party birthday sign. It’s just a painted canvas with holes cut for the dolls! I repeat, I did NOT cut off your Barbies legs, QUINN.
The hit of the party was this cute Snow Cone Machine (only $23.00)
which is small enough to store at home, and safe enough for the kids to use. Imagine sweet icy treats all Summer! We classed it up with fancy fringe paper umbrellas and flamingo straws*.
Read on for all the Beach Party details…
* 5% classy/95% fun.
Pick up these fancy plastic parfait cups and serve your homemade* syrups in plastic soda bottles wrapped in flavor coordinated paper.
*Totally not homemade.
Decorate with an enormous inflatable palm tree to make the party extra lovely and understated. Fill your ball bin (on sale at Land of Nod) with beach balls for everyone to take home. Ask your husband to inflate it all the morning of the party. He will love that.*
*No, he won’t.
Use that seahorse cookie cutter you had to have to make your watermelon even more fun.
Cover your furniture with bright fabric or beach towels to add to the festive atmosphere and protect your upholstery from all those hooligans.
Top simple cupcakes with pretty paper fringe umbrellas. 
Create a crazy relay race game with beach gear you have around the house.
Use a pretty beach towel as a table runner and hang a beach ball from the light fixture as a lantern. 
Stand up Surfboard Suckers in Kinetic Sand
Smile little girl, it’s your birthday and you get to keep the big balloon this time…
…you crazy kid. 
Love this party idea!! All the elements look so great and are easy to pull off. The watermelon idea is a keeper for sure!
P.S. The post itself is a classic prudent baby post and makes me miss the old days when you two were writing wacky tutorials all the time! It’s what made us all love you!
Thanks Jocelyn! We spent a lot of this year focusing that energy into our book but we are crafting away this summer! It’s so nice to know you missed us 🙂 XOXO, jaime