Slithery Slimy Reptile Party

My daughter is a girly girl. You may remember her princess party last year. That was her in her essence. So when she told me she had changed her mind and now, instead of a fairy birthday party, she wanted reptiles, I was taken aback but super excited for a break from pink frills. So here we go...Anna's Slithery 6th Birthday!

For the table scape, I found a large stick in the back yard and hung it from the ceiling. I added magnolia leaves and placed tiny lizards on them and wrapped snakes around the branches to add height and dimension. In person, they looked like they were creeping on to the table. The tablecloth is a sheet that looks like snake scales to me. The upside down bins I had on hand from other events.

Lizards snakes and sandwiches .... OH MY!

The party was at noon so lunch was served. I bought 5 crusty italian loaves at our farmers market which equaled over 15 feet of sandwich! To ease my load, I made the sandwiches the day before. For the kids, I melted cheese on bread under the broiler and, once cooled, added black forrest ham. Very simple for our picky guests. For the adults or slightly more adventurous eaters I spread the loaves with mayo and pesto (equal parts) and melted 3 types of cheeses on top. Once cooled I added ham, turkey and salami, wrapped them all in foil and put them in the fridge. Just before the party, I cut and arranged them and added the red pepper tongues and olive eyes (with toothpicks). They were so good! (Actually we had a few feet left over so I've been adding arugula and tomatoes and they are still good today!)

We had gecko brain popcorn and cheese puff eggs at another party and the birthday girl was adamant that we have them at hers (first time I ever bought cheese puffs...and probably the last). The circle confetti was punched out of scrapbook paper. I stitched 2 long pieces of gauzy fabric together to make the table runner.

Gecko Brain popcorn and Snake Egg cheese puffs. She was insistent that these be on the menu!

I made a few terrariums to put around the house by putting soil, rocks, a few leaves and reptiles at the top. So cute and they almost looked real (and that's as close as I'll get to allowing them in my house)!

Vanilla cupcakes, chocolate malted milk icing, Oreo crumb "dirt" and gummy rattlesnakes! Mmmmm. I mean, Sssssss!

Then came the reptile show! We put up a canopy to shield our little people from the Georgia sun and spread out layers of colorful blankets to sit on. I bought a sheet from a thrift store and wrote "Happy Birthday Anna" and a snake making out the number "6" for a back drop.

Show compliments of My Reptile Guys Atlanta

The director of the show let all the kids take pictures with lizards on their heads and snakes around their necks. It was very cool and also, in the back of my head is this narration, with every picture taken, "Anna, remember your party when so-and-so was strangled by the boa constrictor?" Cool...and terrifying. Fortunately no children were harmed in making of this birthday party.

When you have a boa constrictor around your neck and smile for a picture, you think to yourself, "Perhaps this was a horrible idea."

Happy Birthday, you crazy and sssssssspectacular kid!

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