budget & for a friend’s birthday but also to celebrate my stepkids being here, so they are helping plan it (they are young and very creative, and love to help). We were going to do a Gilligan’s Island theme but that will run into more money and time, so now we’re just going for tropical.
Some ideas we have:
food on toothpicks, such as hotdogs or spam, pineapple, tropical fruit salad, cherry, mandarin orange, bananas
pineapple and coconut for decoration (real)
Set up a hammock, radio, old wrecked boat called the SS Minnow, and citronella tiki torches.
Grass skirt for the table she’s sitting at with the food
jimmy buffet, island/Carribean music, Somewhere Over the Rainbow – Iz, Marina Raye (for nighttime), Bob Marley
Fold napkins into boats, put spoons and forks inside
tropical air freshener party favors and a nice big tropical scented candle for the birthday girl
pineapple juice and pineapple flavored drinks along with usual soda and tea
Shish kabobs if we can get a grill
plastic chairs plus canvas chairs
Cover tent to make it look look like a hut
limbo contest
pineapples and coconut decoration
facepainting
Any other ideas? This is not in any particular order, just what I’ve whittled it down to, as time permits.
Okay, Brad, that actually relieves me…like which ones should I discard?
Great ideas, you’re getting me in the mood 
Air fresheners and other cheap things at dollar tree.
The tent, blow up pool and tiki torches we already have for summer camping and needed to air it out and set it up anyway, we just might decorate it a bit.
We just don’t have any lights.
The kids are going to make the hammock from a sheet and the boat from cardboard or other items, and the napkin boats and other things won’t be expensive at all.
Great….so far, I am working on the music, the playlist, and some of the food. I have the kids making potato salad, and am getting ready to frost some cakes. I’m going to make one with a pineapple or banana-topped white frosting, since I don’t have time to do a banana cream pie.
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