First things first, we did a little photo shoot of Bella in her party gear so that we could have it printed for the party. Here is my Hawaiian princess.
She is so freaking cute sometimes. Somewhere there is a very similar picture of me when I was little. At the time my grandfather lived in Hawaii and got a similar hula outfit for me and my sister. I will have to hunt for it one of these days as it seems to be MIA but I can't wait to compare this one to it!
Here are the details of our luau party! I went a little crazy even while trying to keep it under control, but it really did turn out great!
A pinterest find! Watermelon turtle serving dish for fruit salad!
Pineapple cream cheese! Yummy! Two packages of cream cheese, one cup of sour cream, one small can of crushed pineapple. I used the juice too which made it too runny. I had to freeze it to form the log, but boy it sure did taste delicious! I would do exactly the same recipe and put it in a bowl if presentation didn't matter. I would cut the sour cream and juice a bit to form it in the shape too. Halved pecans make the pineapple skin and the top of an actual pineapple makes the top!
I had a whole box of plastic leis when I discovered that I actually had fabric leis in a bin from the past. So I needed to do something with the plastic leis knowing that they wouldn't be worn by anyone. I came up with the idea to string them together and make a garland for our fence! I put them in rainbow order for extra theme appropriateness. It turned out SO cute and I was very pleased with the result!
My mom found these plastic shell containers at goodwill! She put some leaves and a fake flower in each and it gave a lovely tropical feel!
Another pinterest find! Water bottles wrapped in decorative duct tape. If you need over the top personalizations like this for an event, it is quite easy to find and do, and inexpensive to boot. Otherwise, a huge waste of time (even if super adorable). The punch was 1 part pineapple juice, 2 parts orange juice, 3-4 parts ginger ale and ice. Add booze (malibu rum seemed to be a hit) for those who prefer to make it an adult party!
We found some inexpensive shells and decorated the tables with them. I also picked up some dyed daisies to add color to my tables!
Some palm fronds from a family members yard added some extra tropical flair!
We found nets at the party store and hung them on the ceiling holding the larger shells (large starfish were the best). It was so cute!
Fresh pineapple and tuberose added both beauty and fragrance to the party! You can also see the very bottom of the picture that we had enlarged (12x18 costco- $6!) of Bella in her hula skirt. So adorable and I can hang it in Bella's room now that the party is over.
An attempt to show the tiki torches we put up around the deck. On theme, fun, and added not only ambiance at night once lit- but bug protection since they are citronella!
Hawaiian rice- delicious! Two cups of jasmine rice, one can of regular coconut milk, 1 1/4 c of liquid (I used the juice from a small can of crushed coconut plus chicken broth for the rest, you could also use water or veggie broth or whatever suits you), and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce to lowest heat and cook for 20 minutes. Leave the lid on and let rest for 10 more minutes. Add the crushed pineapple, taste for salt and pepper. You can also add soy sauce (instead of salt), toasted sesame seed oil, green onions, crushed peanuts, you name it. Whatever floats your boat. I left it plain and it was DELICIOUS!
My own little creation. A combo of Kahlua pork and Cha Siu (Chinese BBQ pork). Delicious! I will post the recipe separately for this one because it is a little more involved, but it was so yummy, especially served on rice, or as pork sliders on Hawaiian rolls!
Same marinade as the pork on chicken skewers that were then bbq'd. It was a wonderful alternative for those who don't eat pork. You could probably cook it in a different method and serve it shredded just like the pork.
Yet another pinterest find- flip flop nutter butters! I give myself an F for presentation, but they really are super cute. And I really didn't do a very good job since I used the wrong tools late at night on this project. Easy cute way to have a great kid friendly treat (and lets face it, adults love nutter butters too) that are so on theme!
The beautiful cake for little miss. The cake place actually completely messed up the decorations relative to what we ordered (the green in the middle at the top is supposed to be a sea turtle) but it was still delicious and very cute.
It was a truly wonderful day. I am so lucky to have so many amazing people in my life, and Bella too. Fun seemed to be had by all. Often people don't look forward to "kid parties" but I hope that we are able to prove them wrong every time we host an event. You can have a party that is family friendly and this was one of them! I'll leave you with some pictures of the actual people that made this event so special.
Mommy and Bella- cake time!
Kisses with Daddy!
Noni Lorraine and Auntie Jen!
Cousin love!!!
All the girls! And its even a good picture!
Happy Birthday Bella!!!! We had a great time and you did such an amazing job with the decorations and pinterest projects!! Job well done momma! The turtle watermelon was awesome and I loved the flip flop cookies! Such cute ideas!!! Connecting the leis into a garland was such a brillant way to use them all! And I totally think the water bottles covered in duct tape were not a waste of time- how cute! Loved it all!!! xoxo
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