Unicorn Spa Day Birthday Bash
When you ask your opinionated (almost) 4 year old what she'd like for her birthday, and she responds with a "Unicorn, rainbow, Fancy Nancy, Spa Day Birthday", you know you're in trouble... After I took a day to wrap my head around what that could possibly entail, the ideas started brewing....
From a unicorn tent to arts and crafts, a few games, yummy treats, and a girls' spa day fit for a unicorn princess, these girls were in for a treat! If you're new to this blog, welcome! This post is packed with lots of ideas and details, so feel free to browse the areas you're interested in (Arts & Crafts, Games, Food, Cake, Spa Day, Favors, & Decor) or read it all! You might be surprised with a new tip or trick, so read the other sections if a unicorn birthday, Fancy Nancy, or spa day party (or all of the above!) is in your foreseeable future... hang tight!
Clearly my girl was thrilled with her Unicorn Sequin Party Dress and homemade Unicorn tent! More on that soon!
Everley is obsessed with the book "Fancy Nancy Ooh La La It's Beauty Day" which is where the idea for the spa day started. In the book, Fancy Nancy treats her mom to an at-home spa day. I gathered many of the spa day ideas from this book as it seemed to be a good starting point. More details on that in the Spa section!
In hindsight, a spa day party for 4 year olds was probably a little too advanced for this age group, but we had fun regardless! Everley may have been one of the few that actually understood what we were doing, but hey, at least the birthday girl (and her brother) had a hey day!
ARTS & CRAFTS:
We started the party with some arts and crafts. I found these cute wooden, ready-to-paint rainbow and unicorn nightlights at the Dollar Tree along with the paint trays and purple "water cups" there as well.
I loved how the dining room was transformed into the kids' craft zone.
I used a variety of Washable Paints for the kids and let each child select the paint for their pallet. The cute turquoise paint brushes and glassware were found at Hobby Lobby.
If you're making anything with 3-6 year old girls, one must not forget the glitter... Glitter makes even the rainiest gloomiest days sparkle. Also beware, you will never have a glitter-free home again. Just embrace having a little sparkle wherever you go from here on out!
My husband kindly gathered a collection of rainbow assorted T-shirts to avoid paint getting on their outfits, but I think we only had one taker. :)
After painting, the girls made "Fancy Nancy" unicorn custom name bracelets.
I precut the strings and attached a unicorn charm (found at Hobby Lobby) as a starter which helped to get things moving quicker. Make sure to tie a few knots at the bottom so the beads don't fall off.
NOTE: Make sure to cut the strings way longer than anticipated. I cut the strings 4" longer than needed, but most of the time the little girls filled the string to the end with the beads, so make sure to give instructions to leave space at the end to tie the knots. Also make sure to instruct mama's on how to tie bracelets (or tie the string for them) so the bracelet stays together. :) We had a few bracelet explosions but lessons learned and opportunities to rebuild!
The girls loved these pink and white unicorn and rainbow beads too (all beads from Hobby Lobby). I also ordered these super cute Unicorn Charm Beads for the bracelets, but they didn't arrive in time. I guess I need to plan more than 2 days in advance for some things!
As the girls were making bracelets, I went around and told each girl what her "unicorn name" would be from this fun chart.
GAMES:
After arts and crafts, we moved onto "Pin the Horn on the Unicorn". I found our set at Hobby Lobby, but you can find other fun "Pin the Horn on the Unicorn" games here too. You can use the provided paper eye mask or you can be extra fancy and get a Unicorn Sleep Mask. We used a unicorn sleep mask my daughter received from her Mimi that I forgot she had until I found it the night before on accident.
Next came the Unicorn Piñata. There are plenty of options here.
I ended up making the stick with hot glue and lots of ribbon I had laying around in a craft drawer that needed to be put to good use. It was a fun, short naptime project. I see more piñata's in our future so I'll consider it well worth the time... My husband thinks otherwise... ;) Regardless it was a unicorn spiraling horn stick perfect for our piñata!
Don't forget the prizes! Since I had a party with 3-7 year olds, having a consolation prize for everyone seemed necessary and was definitely worth it. Everyone wins and everyone is happy! Dollar Tree for the win again!
After the games, it was time to eat!
FOOD:
One of my favorite parts of party planning is coming up with party-theme food.
One of my favorite creations was this "Rainbow Fruit" platter complete with the pot of gold at the end! I made a super easy fruit dip and added marshmallows for the clouds.
The fruit dip was so easy, fast, and delicious (though not the healthiest)! I could eat a whole bowl of it... Just combine the following 2 ingredients with a mixer and then chill in the fridge until ready to use.
8 oz. cream cheese, regular or reduced fat, softened
7 oz. marshmallow creme
Make it ahead of time too to save time on party day!
The unicorn popcorn was another party hit. This idea came from my friend Kendra who had this at her little girl's party last year. Make popcorn (or use pre-made popcorn). Then spray it lightly with Pink Edible Food Spray. Make sure to do this outside as the color can and will get all over... ask me how I know... Then use purple and pink Candy Melts and drizzle the melted colored chocolate candy onto the popcorn. You can get the candy melts much cheaper at Hobby Lobby.
TIP: Using a little coconut oil will help to make the candy melts thinner and drizzle easier. You can also use white almond bark and use the Gel Food Coloring to color the almond bark. Top with unicorn sprinkles if desired.
The super talented friend Lauren made these incredible cookies for the party that fit the unicorn theme perfectly! She nailed it!
These "Sprinkle Shimmer Snacks" were super easy to make. Just dip pink wafer cookies in white almond bark and sprinkle with fun sprinkles! I found these sprinkles at PopShelf for $2, but you could also use these fun colored Sprinkles or check out these pastel Unicorn Sprinkles too.
Since I was having too much fun with sprinkles, I made one more batch with vanilla wafers and the remaining cake sprinkles.
Since we needed a little something with substance to balance out the sugar highs, I made an easy kid-favorite, PB&J. I just used these adorable Unicorn Themed Cookie Cutters. You can use the cutters to make cookies too!
Quick Tips for the PB&J: It takes practice to get them to look decent. I made at least 5 that ended up getting eaten by me instead of being served at the party. Use a light spread of PB&J or else it will ooze out. Press gently at first and then push hard at the end to make the cut and then gently tear the bread around the cutter to create the shape. Make a few plain PB&J's or cut them in squares or circles to have a few extras on hand since these are a little more time consuming.
One more non-sweet option for the kiddos. Mozzarella balls, turkey, and cheese cubes made festive with little unicorn toppers.
From my cake baking happy accident (read more on my DIY Rainbow Cake (for Beginners) post), I made rainbow pudding cups. I can't say these were tasty, but my daughter loved them and they looked cute.
These marshmallow "unicorn horns" were an easy kid favorite as well. I just painted 2 mason jars with leftover chalk paint and dusted them with glitter and they made the perfect vases. I found the marshmallows at the Dollar Tree.
I can't forget the cupcakes! My friend had these made for the party, and I thought they were beautiful (and tasty!)
You can never go wrong with cupcakes at a birthday party!
Of course we had to have some adult food and vino for the mama's to balance out all the sugar, so I made a little veggie tray and charcuterie board.
For beverages, we had strawberry lemonade and fruit-infused water for the kiddos and vino for the mamas that wanted a little something extra. I found the unicorn plates at HomeGoods and the unicorn decor at Hobby Lobby.
CAKE:
After the girls had some yummy treats, it was time for more sugar, because what would a birthday party be if it didn't hype all the kids up on sugar?!?!
To go along with the unicorn and rainbow theme, my daughter "naturally" requested a rainbow unicorn cake so that part was fairly easy. I asked around on a few Mom's groups and found an amazing cake artist Angela Ingram that made the top part of the cake (the unicorn cake) for only $35!
This icing on the cake (pun intended) was that it included 6 rainbow layers! Done and done! My girl was thrilled!
Then of course I happened to come across this awesome cake recipe with a rainbow swirl inside, and since I've never made a cake from scratch and love a good challenge, I got the itch to try it. I made sure to have my cake baking essentials:
To learn how to make a delicious rainbow style cake (see below image) and discover an easy way to cover it with sprinkles, check out my DIY Rainbow Cake (for Beginners) post. I also included my tips, rookie mistakes, and lessons learned!
SPA DAY:
Since the birthday party was supposed to be outdoors, we had to make some quick changes last minute. We used wooden benches my friend let me borrow and draped them with rainbow themed blankets. I used 2 iridescent tablecloths to avoid a huge mess on the floor.
Our surprise unicorn guests tested out the treatments before the other guests arrived.
Pedicures:
We started with the girls soaking their tootsies in warm water where we then added all the fun things to their foot bath. I found the colorful bowls at the Dollar Tree. We added the following to the fun bowls:
Marbles (for a foot massage obviously!)
Epsom Salts
Bath Bomb
Rose Petals
We then used a lavender foot scrub with a loofah to exfoliate their tootsies. These organic lavender sugar cubes are cute and would be perfect for this too! I found all the colorful bowls and containers at the Dollar Tree!
Manicures:
For the manicure portion, I found these colorful Nail Brushes and used this fun Unicorn Dreams Sugar Polish contained in little appetizer trays from the Dollar Tree.
I had a variety of unicorn inspired nail polish colors with many sparkle nail polishes because what little 4 year old girl doesn't want sparkly unicorn nails?
Facials:
For the "Facials" part, I made a homemade natural face mask which included yogurt, bananas, and honey blended up in a blender. Of course I couldn't forget cucumbers for the eyes!
I had the willing participants take turns laying on the unicorn sleeping bag with their face masks and cucumber eyes. It was a hoot!
After the spa portion was complete, I provided hair accessories, scrunchies, combs, and unicorn tattoos for anyone who was interested.
I let all the girls take their spa items home if they desired too (loofah, nail brush, hair scrunchies, comb, etc.)
FAVORS:
I always have fun with favors! It's an easy way to teach my kids a way to give back to their friends too and a little Thank you for celebrating with us!
This time I found these Unicorn Hair Clips, Princess nail polish (though I ended up switching these out to save for next year's princess birthday party favor), body lotion, bath bomb, unicorn tattoo, and skittles (because "taste the rainbow" and all). :)
The girls were able to take a little bit of the "Unicorn" and "Spa Day" home with them!
I also made these Unicorn Party Horns. I found the horns at Hobby Lobby ($2 for a pack of 12) and then just hot glued some flowers from the Dollar Tree on them. Easy peasy, inexpensive, and super cute!
These made the perfect accessory for a group picture with the unicorn tent too!
Everley still wears her on occasion too!
DECOR:
For the kitchen table, I used this Iridescent Sequin Sparkling Tablecloth as it screamed unicorn to me. I found pink plates at Tuesday Morning. These Pink Scallop Edge Charger Plates were a perfect addition to the table. If you wanted a super cost effective way to do this, you could get plate chargers from the Dollar Tree and spray paint them, but with the cost of spray paint, it may be a wash at the end. To create levels, I used these clear Acrylic Risers to add height and depth to the table.
I found the signs and wall decor at Hobby Lobby and the white cake stands at HomeGoods.
I love the combination of the brighter pink plates with the lighter Pink Scallop Edge Charger Plates along with the height of the Acrylic Risers and little unicorn figurines!
I think the hit of the decor was actually these Door Foil Fringe Curtains. My toddlers loved running through these in the doorways, even a month after the party.
We used Iridescent Fringe Backdrops for the Tent and Fireplace. The linked ones look even better than the ones I originally found.
Besides the flowers (from Hobby Lobby) I created everything else with materials I had at home. I reminded my hubs there are some perks of being a craft nerd! I made the unicorn with random packing foam I already had, but in hindsight, using cone-shaped dry floral foam would have been much easier. I hot glued fabric to the cone, then tied silver ribbon around the cone at an angle to make the spiraling horn. I created the ears and eyes with foam paper and glitter scrapbook paper. I draped blue and purple tulle along the tent openings and finished the unicorn setup with a pastel ombre shag blanket and unicorn pillows that my daughter was gifted (thanks Ky!)
I also added a banner and ribbon backdrop below to the fireplace from my old photography days. I knew these photo props would come in handy again one day! The rainbow blankets are from HomeGoods. Since the party was supposed to be outside originally but it ended up downpouring all day, I followed my wise mama's idea and put out 2 large Dollar Tree tablecloths on the floor to avoid a mess
We ended up keeping the tent up for 3 weeks after the party as my kiddos loved playing in it so much!
I found the below gems at the Dollar Tree. The unicorns were actually pretty ugly and had a yellow hue, so I spray painted them white. Then during a nap time where both kids actually slept (a true unicorn day!) I painted the manes and tails. Who says kids get to have all the fun with arts and crafts?!
This easy wall decor was found at Hobby Lobby.
Flower arrangements are a fun pastime for me so I couldn't miss an opportunity to make my girl a bouquet!
The best part is that I was able to use the unicorn baby's breath for the bouquets!
These rainbow poms I placed in the chandelier were another fun Dollar Tree find!
That's a wrap! Special thanks to my hubs who puts up with my outlandish ideas (and ends up helping with the last minute things so the party could start on time! I couldn't do it without him!) and my Mom for helping with various tasks earlier that week! I may sound a little crazy, but before I get started, I always say a prayer for ideas, to help me find fun things, decorate quickly, and pull the party off in a super short time frame, and with God's help (and after the kids go to bed), I'm able to throw it all together in a few days!
Thanks for checking out our "Unicorn Fancy Nancy Spa Day Birthday Bash"! Hope to see you again soon!
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