Millions of women can relate to fond memories of playing with Barbie dolls in their childhood, collecting them in their teens, or loving fashion designer Patricia Field’s limited edition Barbie purse and wallet collection. The frenzy is international and her silhouette is recognizable everywhere. Young girls love birthday parties decked out in bright colors and bold designs. For older women, however, a vintage Barbie silhouette theme in shades of Magenta and black for a birthday party or celebratory occasion would be so classic and chic. Also, the fact that the design is so simple makes it relatively easy to make a lot of the decorations and accents yourself, which would allow you to save on themed tableware.
We all know that solid colored party supplies or tableware are lighter on the wallet. Themed party supplies tend to be more expensive to print or make so the cost goes up. Black and Magenta (or hot pink) are classic colors for Barbie. I tried the following tip out with a different party theme, but the concept would apply just the same and may even have a better effect. The easiest thing to do would be to make a stencil of the Barbie silhouette (like this one or similar: http://www.frontiernet.net/~mardenz/Barbie/BarbieHeadSilhouette.svg). The one in the link is high resolution so it is easier to size to your taste or to fit the decoration you want to make, just make sure to print the stencil out and mount it on cardboard so that it is sturdy.
The first step would be to stack a hot pink or magenta table cover over the black. With a thin permanent marker, trace the silhouette on the table cover and cut it out so the black shows through. I would say about 4 silhouettes per side border works nicest, just space them out evenly. If there are any marks on that top side of the magenta table cover, just flip it over. Since this may be time consuming to do on a large number of table covers, I would suggest maybe using the concept on just the birthday girl’s table so it stands out against the other tables. If you focus this concept on just the one table, make sure and alternate the table cover colors with the guests tables for a balanced look.
The idea is pretty basic, so it would work for invitations as well except , it is possible to create the mock invitation and print multiple copies on magenta cardstock paper. The size for these invitations is usually 8.5 Inches x 5.5 Inches and most stationary stores will sell cardstock in this size, as well as envelopes in which they fit. If you aren’t very computer savvy, www.etsy.com is a great website many graphic designers use to sell their own designs or custom requests-you can have them print them for you (more expensive) or you can take the digital files to get printed at your local print shop yourself.
Cutouts will be far less expensive if you trace your stencils on magenta and black solid colored cardstock and cut them out. This way, you can alternate the colors along the walls.
Photobooths at parties are always such a blast because they make for great scrapbook pictures and awesome personalized party favors for your guests. Using leftover black table covers, you can create a background. Decorate the background with hot pink silhouettes or Barbie’s signature nameplate. Then just have fun with it. Lay out a number of photo props like marabou wraps, huge pink sunglasses, large plastic heels, old time phones and silly hats. Some people enjoy using a polaroid camera, which is a great addition to the vintage theme, because it allows the guests to get their photograph right away.
The possibilities are endless. E-mail us, comment or find us on Facebook for more ideas and tips. Not only that, but you’ll have access to exclusive discounts and news regarding new products.
Barbie is an icon, make your guest of honor feel like an icon, too! Get those creative juices flowing and share pictures with us, we love to see what our customers put together.
Enjoy!
