For her son August's 4th birthday, my friend Courtney of Courtney Adams Design envisioned a…
London Calling party: August is 2!
Posted under Birthday Parties, British / Union Jack, parties for boys
For her son August’s 2nd birthday, my talented friend Courtney of Courtney Adams Design knew just what theme she wanted for his party – “London Calling!” I designed the stationery and party printables to fit the theme, using British flags, crowns, double-decker buses, mustached guards, and lots of fun British sayings. Courtney did a gorgeous job styling the party, from the London Underground-inspired front door sign to the Union Jack fruit pizza to the homemade telephone booth photo prop. After a delicious brunch, the kids loved playing outside and making jeweled king and queen crowns to wear. It was a positively smashing birthday!
Courtney modeled her front door wreath after a London Underground sign. To make it, she used a foam wreath, red grosgrain ribbon, white foam core, blue paint, white letter stickers (for August’s name and age), and hot glue. She wrapped the wreath with ribbon, then filled in the center with white foam core. She also used white foam core to make the rectangle for the sign. She painted the sign blue, applied the white letter stickers, then glued the whole wreath together. Voila!
A British tea and brunch was served at August’s party, including pancakes, mini quiche, scones, bacon, fruit pizza, and cupcakes. To create a graphic backdrop, Courtney ran striped red fabric down the wall and also across the table. The crown backdrop on canvas is homemade – Courtney found the crown image online, projected it onto a Hobby Lobby canvas, and used a Sharpie to fill it in.
No British theme party would be complete without a Union Jack Fruit Pizza!
Each food item was labeled with a printable buffet card (with extra customization) from Chickabug.
The miniature pancakes on a stick are the cutest idea for a brunch!
To keep with the theme, the miniature donuts were frosted with red and blue icings and topped with white sprinkles.
Traditional English shortbread cookies were a must!
The British theme cupcake picks are by Meri Meri.
The bacon on a stick was a huge hit!
White chocolate raspberry scones were piled onto a three-tier serving tray.
Fancy a spot of tea? : )
The kids sipped on Royal Juice (fruit punch).
For the adult guests, Courtney served Pimm’s Punch (an alcoholic drink).
The Union Jack water bottle labels are from Chickabug.
How cool is the telephone booth! It did double-duty as party decor and a photo booth prop. Courtney says, “My dad and I made it from MDF, red spray paint and black letters. It took a minute but we really needed it to drive home the theme!”
A photo booth was set up with Polaroid cameras and silly props like crowns, silly hats, boas, and oversized glasses. The “Take A Picture Ol’ Chap!” sign is from Chickabug.
Guests displayed their photo booth pics on a homemade Union Jack photo board. To make it, Courtney covered a large piece of white foam core with blue gingham fabric, tacked extra-wide red ribbons in place, then framed it in a large silver frame.
Outside, there were several activity areas set up where kids could play. At the “Make a Crown” station, kids decorated crowns using silver poms and rhinstones. The materials for the craft came from Michaels, and the printable sign is from Chickabug.
The crown activity station was set up under a white tent, and Courtney added a blue polka dotted runner to snazz it up and create a focal point.
A picture of a double-decker bus was hung as an accent on the backdrop.
Besides making crowns, kids also played cornhole (beanbag toss) in the yard. The beanbags just happened to match the theme colors!
August loved his special birthday cupcake with two star candles on it!
At the end of the party, guests took home bags filled with red, white and blue candies. Each one was tagged with a personalized printable circle or cupcake topper circle.
Thank you so much for sharing, Courtney! Happy 2nd birthday to August! : )
Styling – Courtney Adams Design
Photography – My Blushing Photography
Water labels & DIY party printables – Chickabug
Cupcake picks – Meri Meri
“Make a crown” party activity materials (crowns, silver poms and rhinestones) – Michaels
Door wreath – Homemade using a foam wreath from Hobby Lobby
Pimm’s Punch – made using this recipe
Union Jack fruit pizza – made using this recipe
This party was also featured on Kara’s Party Ideas.
Shop for personalized Union Jack theme party paper goods and printables here.
Or, check out more Union Jack party ideas on Pinterest or here on my blog!
