We're Under the Sea as Isabel turns Eleven

Isabel is turning 11 tomorrow so soon she won't be needing a babysitter. We were going to do her birthday table in either Magic or Harry Potter. I had racked my brain for ideas and had some but was having trouble finding the things I needed to make the table look awesome. Harry Potter I know nothing about and after that baby shower I had done I wasn't feeling very inspired to do this table. When Isabel said "Maybe we could do a beach theme." I was all over that since I have so many shells and things that I could use. I went with the Under the Sea theme to make it a bit more of a surprise.


Isabel as she walked into her kitchen after school. Surprise! She thought we were celebrating next week instead....which it turns out we should have. She was disappointed that her birthday wasn't going to last longer because she was celebrating with her dad on this day and her mom on her birthday, Thursday. If I had done the table the next week it would have been like celebrating three birthdays in one. Instead she only got to celebrate two days. Some kids are a little too hard to please. I think I'm about ready to give up trying.

These chair ties are the same blue and green organza fabric runners that I used for a wedding reception a few years ago. I just wrapped them together and tied. I have sure gotten plenty of use out of these things. The same things are hanging in front of the window blinds.
I had this cylinder vase at home already so I bought some goldfish to bring it to life. The kids got to keep these babies but not the vase.

I couldn't find any flora lights to light up the water so I tried the neon light-up necklaces. Didn't really work. I tried blue light bulbs in the a couple of the overhead lights but that didn't do much either.



Goldfish crackers and Goldfish pretzels.

S'mores Goldfish in a golden shell. I had no idea they even made these.

That blue sea-weed is rock candy. The sea urchins are really vanilla meringues that I bought at Trader Joe's. I think they are so pretty and they taste pretty awesome too. The kids didn't care so much for them though.



This is my attempt at making coral out of balloons. The little red lobster there sings Hot,Hot,Hot and dances when you press his hand. Another gift for Isabel.


Another gift for Isabel was this beta fish. They are the easiest pet there is to take care of, I think.


The place cards are little porcelain ones that my mom was throwing out awhile back. I glued some shells on them and wrote their names with marker. They could have been prettier if my printer was hooked up. My handwriting is a mess.

Isabel blowing out her candle on her cookie cake that I bought at the last minute. That's blue ice-cream in the dessert bowl from Meijer Grocery.

Chocolate Shells, Sea Urchin Meringues & Nemo Fruit Snacks.
The aquarium light I had purchased for Isabel's birthday before I even knew we'd be doing an under the sea table, so that worked out well.

And Rock Candy Sea Weed.

Stop by Between Naps on the Porch for more great tablescapes.

I was so excited to find out that Isabel's Under the Sea party was being featured by Shannon over at The Creative Party Place! I feel very honored that my party was chosen by Shannon because there are so many awesome parties there to choose from. If you have not been there before you have to stop by and take a look. Shannon is nice enough to have a place for us all to post any parties we have for others to see. You can get many ideas there if you are at a loss for what to do for your next party. Thanks Shannon for your awesome website and for picking Isabel's party to feature!