Super Mario Bros Party {Series}: Decor

We recently celebrated our eldest child's Birthday all the way up until last night....do you ever have those kid's birthdays that just never seem to end...? We do. This year the theme was Super Mario Bro's Party Decor and here is part of the {Series}: the Decor Scroll to bottom for links to the Food, and the Games for all things related to this Super Mario Bros Party.

He has his party and then the real date he actually turns his new year 'age' and it goes on and on with the birthday cards, phone calls, and gifts. We always give him his gift from us on his 'real' birthday whenever his party falls on the weekend before.

This year he wanted a Super Mario Bros birthday party since he has Nintendo Wii and likes to play Mario Cart with his friends every so often, when we allow him to play on rainy days or REALLY hot days. Usually he spends most of his time playing outside, swimming, skateboarding, biking, or shooting hoops.....football, baseball, soccer....you name it, he LOVES it.

Cupcake To-go Containers: We had received a catalog in the mail from Birthday Express or similar.... 'coincidentally' when it was time to start planning his party this year, funny...same thing happens when it's time to start planning our daughters birthdays each year as well ;) BUT, there was no way I was going to spend that kind of money on decorations and games when I could DIY them and make them myself with the help of my assistant named Dollar Tree and some helping hands from our son. Source list at the bottom of post.

Treat Bags: Most of the items I used we already had, were from the Dollar Store, or Party City (another expensive option). Things can get expensive when you are buying supplies, games, and prizes for 40+ kids and their parents, guests....family.....

 Party Hats: I tried to find items that could be used unisex since there were both boys and girls attending this event to celebrate...

Question mark yellow treat bags, hologram party hats, wii controller game prizes, mushroom cupcake holders, and giant red mushroom centerpiece.

 I made these mushrooms by using cupcake holders and white label dots.

Floating Cloud Decorations:

Look at the scale/size in relation to my birthday boy standing next to them! They are perfect to decorate the area as Super Mario clouds.

Super Mario Brother's Cloud Decor Tutorial coming soon!---> now...They are pretty self explanatory, DONE!
These were out above the drink and snack station outside.

  

Mario Drinks: Our 7up centerpiece in the beverage and snack area! Goes along with the theme, instead of 1up it's 7up.... Then the mini water bottles we customized with Super Mario bottle labels.

  

Luckily we found these star decorations on clearance from the Fourth of July holiday, we re-purposed these since it went with our star-powered Super Mario theme. Can you tell which chairs they used to hang the stars from the canopy ceiling?

TIP: Shop holiday clearance sales that correspond with your theme throughout the year, save and gather deals up for the party ahead of time!

DIY Super Mario Brothers Pinata Tutorial
Authentic design and Traditional look....

I tried my best to decorate with functional designs so that most of the party items would not go to waste. Every piece of decor had a purpose as well as decorative role in the atmosphere.

 TIP: Cut characters and logos out of the cardboard Fruit Snack packs, which I used for the Piranha Plant party favors. Double the function in your design!!
-5 logos (2 mini, 3 large)
-4 characters (2 Mario, 2 Luigi)

Mario Mustache Cups

Super Mario Piranha Plants
Since he was turning 8, I painted the leaving to shape a figure eight!!

DIY Piranha Plant cup favors tutorial coming soon!

Each cup had a Super Mario fruit snack pack, gumballs, and chocolate gold 1up coins!!
All the items I used to make these I already had or I purchased inexpensively from the dollar store.

Source List:

Red and White Cupcake Tower

Red Cupcake Holders 'Mushrooms'- 3 for $1 Dollar Store

Blue Cupcake Holders 'Mushrooms'- 3 for $1 Dollar Store

White Label Dots- 100 for $1 Dollar Store

Balloons Stars- Dollar Store

Party Hologram Hats- 8 for $1 Dollar Store

Mini Water Bottles- $4 Target

Giant Red Mushroom- FREE

Paper Lanterns 'Clouds'- FREE

Cloud Poster Boards- Dollar Store

Piranha Cups- 6 for $1 Dollar Store

Red Mustache Cups- Dollar Store

'Mario' Mustaches- 6 for $1 Dollar Store

Tablecloths Plastic- $1 Dollar Store

Mario Logos/Artwork- FREE printed

You may also like in Series:

  

Super Mario DIY Food

  

Super Mario DIY Games

Thank you for visiting. Please leave a comment below to let me know your ideas or questions, thanks!

Enjoy!

~Be Sweet
Christina
Sweetest Haute

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Piñata DIY Super Mario Bros Style- Tutorial

Piñata DIY Style- Tutorial

This tutorial is sharing how we made our circular cardboard Piñata for our Super Mario Bro's birthday party coming up. Piñata DIY Super Mario Bros Style- Tutorial. We didn't want to shell out $50+ plus dollars for a pinata when I know good and well that I could create a pinata myself. It may not be as fancy as the ones at the store...but it does the trick, ESPECIALLY since the kids are just going to turn around and destroy it.

You can use many things you can find around the house...maybe even all of them.

Super Mario Bro's Fire Power DIY Piñata {FRONT view}.

Supplies:

Cardboard

- cereal boxes

- oatmeal boxes

Pencil

Liquid Starch

Packing Tape

Newspaper
Stapler

Scissors
Crepe Paper (streamers)
Paper Party Hats
Twine or rope

Bowl- large size
Wax Paper-optional

Super Mario Bro's Birthday Piñata {BACK view}.

 Gather up your supplies, try and use as many items that you already have as you can.

Step 1:

Make your 'frame' out of cardboard.

Find something to trace a large circle with, we used an inner-tube. The trace doesn't have to be perfect. 

Trace your shape again with a sharpie so your little helper can see where to cut.

Prepare to cut out the shape from the cardboard with heavy duty scissors.

As you can see here, I used very thin cardboard left over from some cereal boxes, and a protein meal replacement box. I used an empty paper towel roll to add a little support while I was shaping it. I used packing tape to make the frame work for this Pinata/ Piñata.

Step 2:

Paper mache corners, gaps, edges, preferably the entire 'frame'... but I only did the edges.

 

 Run each strip of newspaper through the starch and hold it up, run the opposite hand's fingers against the length of paper slightly to take off any excess starch.

Step 3:

Dry.
Let it dry outside for faster results. It takes about 6-8 hours depending on how hot it is...

 I sat it outside and it was 90 degrees YET it was humid as well so it might have dried faster in a dry environment. I perched it on top of an open box so that the hot air could circular under it. Time is important here, I needed it dry asap so I could start decorating it. I had no idea how long it took to decorate it....it took longer than expected. Yet I was 'being a mom, wife' in between decorating the Piñata.

Step 4:

Attach your rope.
You will need this to hook it up to your tie on before the festivities begin.

This is what you will need to create the hook attachment in order to hang it up. I used a frosting can top, twine, and scissors. Use something similar, that you already have on hand. 

 

I used scissors to make an opening in two spots across from each other on the top, make sure it will hang 'balanced' and then thread your rope through. This is how I did it and it worked out, if you know of a better way, then go for it.

Step 5:

Decorate it.
Decorate after completely dry, you can use many things to accomplish the look of whatever theme you choose.

 Stack the crepe paper sections together, then cut the fringe into it. It worked best when I stacked 3 together with the type of scissors I was using.

Take your glue and make a mix with glue and a drizzle of water, just enough to make it workable. Use the paintbrush to put a line of glue mix then press down each crepe paper. Start from the bottom, then work your way up, to get that layer effect. I lifted some of the fringe up so you can see the layering and where the glue is placed. I started on the edges first, then did the front and back last. I ended up using paint to, which I hadn't intended to do but I had some left out from another project that I was working on while this was drying so I spread it over the front and back in phases. I then printed images on the computer and taped them on, glued the edges down. Do not get glue on any of the color images, color will run and blur.

I added cones on the sides by using party hats then cutting/folding edge and adhering it to the Piñata with tape, then decorated over them to cover edges.

 I glued the fringe right over the cone edges, cut the fringe to different shapes and sizes.
After you have the cones on, cut some streams to the desired length and staple them to each end of the cones.
The front and back I did crepe paper fringe in a circular pattern then taped some Fire Power Super Mario Bro themed print outs.

I think it came out great, especially for DIY! My son thought it was awesome and looked better than the one we saw online for Super Mario Bro's!!....so that was enough for me;) Happy to make his birthday special and memorable.

All the items used were either FREE {we already had at the house}, or from dollar store. I printed the logos and images. The most expensive thing about this project was how time consuming it was, now I know why they at $40-$60 dollars a pop!

I made a pretty tough Piñata, the kids couldn't even break it open....

AFTER. 

The Pinata was so tough, the adults had to tear it open to get the candy out.... :)
Please leave me a comment below;)

~Be Sweet
Christina
Sweetest Haute