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Cowboy Party -2yr- Refrigerator Box Tombstone

June 2003

Gina in Valparaiso IN USA

Honorable Mention

My son's 2nd birthday is the last in the family.  So he had to sit through everyone else opening gifts.  We decided he deserved the best buckaroo b-day ever.  A friend of ours owns some old horse stables that he had turned in to a country dance hall.  Since this was already western we used his place. 

Our invitations were wanted posters printed on tan paper.  They featured my son dressed as a cowboy.  I printed them in black an white. They read "WANTED anyone who has seen this buckaroo is asked attend his 2nd birthday.  I burned the edges to give them the official look.  They were adorable and cheap. 

The hall was decorated with hanging cowboy boots hats and cowboys. 

I gatethed 10 refridgerator size boxes and built a replica of the Town of Tombstone.  We had a saloon,ok corral,bank, sheriff, blacksmith and a bunch of backdrops for all of the children to play in. They were painted and featured western characters in all the windows.  The kids had a blast! 

As each child arrived they were given brown paper bags made into vests with a sheriff star and fringe.  I added string to lace them up.  Everyone got a bandana and hat too.  We had BBQ Beef sandwiches and hot dogs with beans.  I made a cowboy cake and horse cake to feed everyone.  I also made and decorated little horse cookies.  We played pin the tail on the horse, cowboy buckets, horseshoes and digging for gold in hay and a horse pinata. 

We had 20 hay bails all around the hall for sitting and playing.  I wrapped silverware in red napkins and cut out holsters from construction paper to hold the silverware. 

Food was served from cowboy hats that held chips.  Cowboy boot shaped containers and cast iron pots.  We had cactus all over.  Centerpieces were horses cowboys and other western toys.  Our watermelon was cut and I added grapefruit for wheels and parchment paper to make a covered wagon. The room was covered with wanted posters of pictures of children invited.  I gave them all nicknames and a goofy crime.  I sent those home with each child. 

As a thankyou.  Each adult received a chocolate cowboy hat made with a mold and melting chocolate.  I tied a cowboy picture of my son to the bag that said thanks for coming partner.  We had red  & blue balloons with gold stars as the mylars.  Goody bags were bandanas filled with gold coin candy, cowboy figures, a horse, crayons, a cowboy coloring book I made up, harmonicas, toy snakes, squirt guns, sheriff badges and horse stickers. 

One of our tables had pictures of my son throughout the year.  We put together a science board full of pictures with western paper and stickers. We had a friend dress up as a cowboy and make horse and cowboy balloon animals.  And what kind of a cowboy party doesn't have pony rides.  In the background we had country music playing.  Needless to say is was a lot of work but tons of fun.  It was sooo worth it to see Carson's face.  The photos made a great scrapbook. As a thank you later I sent each family a picture postcard of their child at the party. 

Belive it or not this party was really inexpensive for all we did.  A lot of western stuff is laying around if you use your imagination.  Boxes and grocery bags were free from stores.  The poney was only $100.  Prizes are all cheap it was great!! Just use your imagination.

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