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Cowboy Theme -2yr- Rope A Rocking Horse

April 2004

Heather in Cedar Park, TX USA

Special Mention

Cowboy Theme For my son's b-day this year we had a Cowboy Party. 

The invitations were bandana print (Oriental Trading) and they said, "Yippee Kiyah!  Eric Henry's turning 2!  So round up your family and head over to the \*\*\*\* Ranch on \*\*\* Day at high noon!" The decorations:  I made a tablecloth for the kitchen table using a fabric that looks vintage with little boy cowboys on it.  Then I had a rustic frame with a picture of my son (B&W, wearing his cowboy garb).  I put these two metal sculptures that look like a cowboy and girl holding clay pots with cactus in them (www.collectionsetc.com)standing in the back of the table. 

I made a chocolate cake shaped as a cowboy guitar and a smaller round cake that I put a cowboy Christmas ornament on.  I set the round cake on a cake stand that looked like a cactus (www.collectionsetc.com).  I found a really cute tin wind-up cowboy (www.tinmantintoys.com) and set it with the vintage looking box it came in on the table as well. 

Then into the garage I made saloon doors out of cardboard.  Inside the garage my husband made a chuck wagon out of wood dowels taped into a hula hoop (cut in half).  The dowels were then nailed into the side of the 6 ft folding table.  I used a white plastic table cloth pinned to the hula hops for the top.  There was a red checked table cloth covering the table.  I lined galvanized buckets with bandanas for chips and pigs 'n a blanket.  I had smaller tin buckets with ketchup, mustard, and dip.  I put carrots and celery in blue speckled camping mugs and used the matching plates to serve trail mix. 

I even had a blue specked enamelware pot for baked beans.  I set small bales of hay and some horses made out of brown construction paper, holes punched with jute threaded through to make the mane, and clothes pin legs.  I took a cucumber cut it in half and stuck toothpicks in it to make a cactus.  I filled clay pots with sand and stuck the cucumber in them and set these on the chuck wagon table as well. 

The kids tables were the cutest though.  My husband took small round tables (the kind you see used as end tables) and sawed the legs down.  Then I covered them with burlap table cloths and used red railroad lanterns set on blue bandanas as centerpieces.  The tables were set with blue bandana plates and I made silverware/napkin holsters.  You take a plastic gun holder and pull it apart to make a template.  Then you trace brown paper, cut it out, punch holes along the edge and lace jute to "sew up" the side and I put silver star stickers along the edge.  Then I put a paper bandana print napkin and a fork inside.  I also placed Sheriff badges on the plates. 

Other decorations were wanted posters (family members) placed around.  The edges can be torn and rubbed with black crayon to look burned/aged.  We took a touch light and placed it on the floor with yellow and red cellophane cut like flames and rocks surrounding it to form a campfire (very cool effect).  Also, a rope "streamer" with denim strips tied along the length and hung around the room. Games:  We played "There's a Snake in My Boot!".  You take an old pair of beat up cowboy boots (use cardboard inside to hold them open) and buy small rubber snakes (Oriental Trading).  The kids then stand at a set spot and try to toss the snakes into the boots. 

We panned for gold in a huge galvanized wash bucket (feed supply store $20) filled with sand and gold (rocks spray painted gold).  We played "Horse Roping".  I took a round laundry basket and cut the top off and wrapped rope all around the top, leaving a trail of rope at end.  This formed our lasso.  We "roped" a rocking horse.  There was cookie decorating.  I took small tin pails (Oriental Trading) and filled them with little candies and icing.  Then I had a vintage lunch pail (Cowboy, of course) filled with cookies shaped like horseshoes, boots, cactus, and steer. 

The kids decorated them at a small square table covered with a red gingham tablecloth.  They also colored grocery sack vests at this table and hung them on a clothes line of jute on the wall (looked really cute).  We had a bean bag toss.  My husband cut a cactus out of plywood and cut 3 holes in it.  We painted it green and I made bean bags out of bandana print fabric.  We kept the bean bags in a galvanized bucket.  There was also a large bow w/ a sign "OK Corral" and filled with stick ponies for the kids to play with.  

Music:  Tom T. Hall's Country Music for Kids.... the best!   Party Favors:  I took jute rope and strung red pony beads and a silver concho on them to for a lariat.  Then I filled a bandana with a harmonica, rubber indian and cowboy, small plastic horse, CowTails candy and two treats I made.  I took small cellophane bags and put white peanut M&M's in them.  Then I made a label on my computer using rope font that said, "Genuine Rattle Snake Eggs" and "Caution: Right likely to hatch at any moment!"  Then I punched holes and attached the labels with raffia. 

The other treat I made was a "Cow Paddy Cookie".  It was really just a chocolate oatmeal drop cookie but the kids thought it was real!  It also said, "Made with love on The \*\*\* Ranch".  The labels were attached the same way as the snake eggs.  These bundles were then tied up with the lariats and placed in straw cowboy hats.

My kids wore white shirts, blue jean overalls, cowboy boots, red bandanas, and cowboy hats.  This was such a fun party to plan and the kids had so much fun.  I love the homemade decorations and the kids love this theme.

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