Brave party for our sweet 8 year old

We LOVE to do themed birthday parties at our house.  When the movie Brave came out a couple months ago, the girls and I HAD to go see it.  All three of us fell in love with it.  My girls are so much like the character, Merida - they are very much the princesses in our house, but with four brothers, they are very rough and tumble and love the outdoors.  So, it was no surprise to me when I asked Melody what theme she wanted that she chose Brave. 

And a huge thank-you to Google and the amazing technology right at tip of our fingers.  I found loads of ideas and stole a few.  Here's a look at some things we prepared for the party ahead of time....

• Mini bow and arrow set for each girl 

 

• Brave activity book (needs to be printed, cut and glued ahead of time)

• Large PVC bow and arrows (my sweet nephew made 5 of them for our family - he made a variation of this bow and arrow) - see pics below....

I meant to take a picture of our dinner, but the three hours seemed to fly-by that I completely forgot to snap one.  The dinner menu included:  chicken legs, mashed potatoes & gravy, corn, fruity jello.  A meal meant for a princess like Merida! 

Now for the pictures of all the fun.....

practicing with the mini bow and arrows inside

the crew of girls and their mini bow and arrows

Now they are ready for the BIG bow and arrow shoot out!! 

the target

Dinner fit for a princess!!  (at least a princess like Merida!)

Melody and all her friends  ready for cake-time (the Brave cake that I worked so hard on - NOT!  (unless I can count taking 6 kids to the store to pick it up???) 

8 is definitely GREAT!!!

What a wonderful time we had!!  Melody is such a wonderful daughter, sister, cousin, and friend!  She is such a blessing to us all.  And, what a pleasure it was to totally spoil her this night and make it all she wanted it to be!  Love you sweetie!!! 

Thank you God for the last eight years we have had with this beautiful girl!!! 

Mini bow and arrow set (for a Brave party)

Melody had a Brave themed birthday party and these mini bow and arrow sets were one of the hits of the party.  And, the best thing about them is that the arrows are safe and you'll never run out of them because they are made from Q-tips!!  How clever!!  Here's how we made them....

supplies:  Popsicle sticks, dental floss, knife, q-tips

Step 1:  Make notches on both ends of the Popsicle sticks with a knife (you may have to zoom in to get a better look). 

Step 2: Soak the Popsicle sticks in water for at least an hour (to help them bend)

Step 3:  Snip off one end of the Q-tips to make the arrows (I used a sharp pair of scissors) and did this while the Popsicle sticks were soaking

Step 4:  Wrap a long strand of floss around one end of the Popsicle stick a few times and triple knot it.  Then gently bend the stick and wrap the floss around the other side a few times and triple knot it.  Cut off any leftover floss that is hanging off. 

Viola!!!  We gave each girl who came to the party their very own bow with 3 little arrows in a Ziploc bag.  They had so much fun with them.  I know we will be making plenty more of these soon - my boys want their own as well!  What a fun, easy craft! 

(a big thanks to the Brooding Hen for sharing her tutorial)