10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1… BLAST OFF! It’s time for a birthday space adventure! This rocket-themed party Katie from Sweet Rose Studio put together for her son, Luke, would be awesome for all the little aspiring astronauts out there! Not only is it a fun and original theme, the party was almost entirely DIY with TONS of fun decorations, activities, and a photo booth! I had the pleasure of meeting Katie at my book signing in Phoenix, AZ this spring AND seeing her at SNAP Conference a couple of weekends ago. She’s a doll. A SUPER DUPER talented one!

Using fabric she already had on hand, Katie crafted a red, navy, lime green and yellow color scheme for the party. She also designed all of the printables, adorned with fun rockets, stars and diagonal stripes. {You can download for FREE from her blog!} Each place setting at the table included a personalized place card, party hat and a decorated plastic cup the guests took home at the end of the party.

“Luke’s party was set to “blast off” at 10 am, so breakfast finger foods were a natural choice to serve his friends. Mini donuts, clementine oranges, mini muffins, and an assortment of juices were a big hit. Cake is a must at every birthday party, but I chose to serve it differently than the typical cake or cupcake. Inspired by Courtney, I decided to make my own push-up pops that looked like rockets {LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!} and I had my dear friend create rocket and planet cake pops. Both styles of cake were super yummy! I spray painted styrofoam balls cut in half and floral foam to resemble planets to serve as the display for the push-up pops and the cake pops.

COURTNEY: “I had to intervene here to say that those rocket push-up pops are SO CLEVER! Darn that I didn’t think of that to include in the book! Haha!

For activities, I had each kiddo create a space-inspired bookmark. The bookmark was then placed with their cup in a white lunch bag. I stapled it closed with their name card on the top. The kids were excited to play our version of Pin-The-Tail-On-The-Donkey, rocket style, and had a great time taking pictures in the rocket photo booth we fashioned out of an old TV box. A little paint goes a long way!

Luke had an amazing time at his party and is already talking about his party for next year!”