Plan a Memorable Barbie Themed Birthday Party on a Budget

Sure Barbie has been around awhile, but that does not stop girls from all over from loving her! Barbie certainly has not lost a bit of her popularity and girls everywhere still enjoy playing with her. So, when you are planning your daughter's birthday party, remember that girls and Barbie go hand in hand. Here are some fun tips and ideas for planning a Barbie themed birthday party for a girl of any age when you are on a budget.

First, start by taking Barbie's signature color and go with it. Pink is a color all girls love. You do not have to buy all Barbie themed party supplies unless you want to. Go to your local party store and pick up some plain pink party ware. Pick another color your daughter likes and you will have an easier time mixing and matching things for the party. For example, hot pink and lime green are popular color choices, as are light pink and brown. Pick out plain colored tablecloths and get plates and napkins in the complimentary colors. Remember that when you are on a budget, you can often buy single color party supplies far cheaper than themed plates and napkins. If you do want to get themed items, consider buying only one type of item with the Barbie theme, such as the plates and then find plain napkins that match. This is an easy way to carry out the Barbie theme without going overboard or spending too much money.

Now you need to think about decorations. When you decorate for girl's birthday party, especially a party with the theme of Barbie you have endless possibilities. What better way to decorate for a Barbie birthday party, than using actual Barbie dolls? You can gather up a bunch of Barbie dolls, dressed them up and set them around the party area. You can even set up furniture for them like small couches or chairs or small tables to make it look like they're having a birthday party, too. This is a great way to decorate with things that you already have around your house. Having the Barbie dolls setting out at the party will also encouraged your party guest to stay busy.

You can also decorate for a birthday party, inexpensively by using streamers in various colors and banners that you can make yourself. If you have a computer program that allows you to make banners, then how about making a large banner that says "happy birthday" and include your daughter's name. Balloons are another way you can decorate the party area without spending a lot of money. Use the party colors you have chosen, such as pink and green, and have plenty of helium balloons blown up at your local party store. You can usually get several dozen latex helium balloons for five or six dollars.

When you plan a birthday party for girls, you'll want to have plenty of activities. Girls of all ages love to make crafts and play dress-up. When you have a Barbie themed birthday party, you can do both. One fun idea is to have the girls all dress up like their favorite Barbie doll. Or, you can have clothes for them to put on when they arrive. You can make it a glamour girl Barbie party and give them feather boas, jewelry and hats to wear at the party. You can also do a mini Barbie manicure, by applying light makeup and painting their nails.

Crafts and activities are also fun at birthday parties. All girls love to make crafts. One fun idea is to take each girls picture with the birthday child using a digital or Polaroid camera and letting them make their own frames for the pictures. You can make simple frames out of popsicle sticks, or you can make more elaborate frames by purchasing inexpensive pre-made wooden frames and allowing the girls to paint the frames and decorate them with glitter glue jams and ribbon.

Another fun game that you can play a Barbie themed birthday party is "Pin hat on Barbie". To do this, you will need to purchase or make a large poster of Barbie. Then using construction paper and glitter glue, to make enough hats for each girl to have one. Write their name on a hat and play it like you would play "pin the tail on the donkey". The girl that gets the hat closest to Barbie's head wins. How about playing "Pass the High Heel"? You have heard of Hot Potato, so why not use the same concepts for this game and pass a high heel shoe around the circle. To play this game, you will need to sit the girls in a large circle and provide them with one high heel shoe. Instruct them to pass the shoe around the circle until the music stops. Whoever is holding the shoe when the music stops is out of the game. The game continues until there is only one person left

Yet another idea for an activity at a Barbie themed birthday party is to tie dye T-shirts. This would probably work better with older girls. Choose colors that match the Barbie theme, such as the pink and green, and allow the girls to tie-dyed their own shirts. After all, Barbie is all about the fashion if tie dyeing seems too messy for you. Then you can consider letting the girls decorate their own shirts for tote bags with fabric glitter and paints. This will make a cool take-home prize for each girl

You will also want to think about treat bags. Treat bags are a very important part of your child's birthday party. Of course, if you have made shirts, bags or picture frames, those can serve as your treat bag. You might want to give them a little something extra. When you make treat bags, you do not have to buy a lot of candy or useless little trinkets. If you can find a good sale on small Kelly dolls or Barbie clothes that would make a good Barbie themed treat for the end of the party. If you enjoy sewing, then how about making small drawstring bags and putting plastic rings, bracelets and necklaces or even lip gloss inside. Those are all fun and inexpensive party favors that the girls will appreciate.

Don't forget about the cake--that will be the best part of the party. You don't have to spend a lot of money to make one of those fancy Barbie cakes you see at the bakers. They are quite easy to make without any special equipment. You can purchase a Wilton cake pan that allows you to make a dome shaped for a Barbie skirt. However, you do not have to purchase a special pan to make Barbie cake. All you need to do is find a large glass bowl that you can put in the oven. Simply place the cake mix in the oven and bake it until it's done.

When it's done, you will need in invert this on your serving plate. When the cake is cool, make a small hole at the top to insert the Barbie. If you're Barbie is too tall, you may have to take the legs off, so you might want to find an old Barbie for this purpose. You can also buy a plastic doll with a pick for a body to go into these types of cakes. They are inexpensive and you won't ruin a Barbie when you use them. Now all you have to do is decorate. You can use white frosting that you buy at the store or make your own. Tint the frosting to the color that you want and decorate the skirt. You can add candies around the bottom or if you are good at cake decorating, you can pipe shapes and ruffles around the skirt. Make sure they you add a top to Barbie doll. Now the Barbie cake is ready to serve

When you follow these easy tips, you can plan and inexpensive Barbie themed birthday party for your daughter. You can be certain that all of the guests will have a wonderful time.