Part II

Your brainstorming has been eventful. By now you’ve heard enough about this durn horse party and you’d like to get into something creative.

Your child is on Cloud 9 and talks, nonstop, about the horse birthday party bash. She has told you more than once, “Everyone wants to get an invitation, Mom. It needs to be extra special. All the kids want to come.”

Inside you are smiling because the family has worked like a team during the planning sessions. But you are worried – in the quiet times, you ask yourself, “What did I get myself into?”

So you dig out your planning chart and realize it’s time to create or buy invitations, get them duplicated, signed addressed and mailed. Truth is told – you’re loving it!

Invitations

The party invitations can be as varied as your creativity and fun quotient will permit. Apparently, you’ll have a large number of kids, so you prefer to keep the invitations simple, yet classy.

Here are some ideas:

* Rubber stamp and/or use stickers to construct horse invitations.

* Find copyright-free clipart on the Internet. Cut and paste the clipart on your invitations.

* Use magnetic sheets to create refrigerator magnet invitations.

* Cut out the shape of a horse silhouette (enlarged clipart) and use the cutout itself as the invitation.

* Cut a sponge into a horseshoe. Use it to stamp & design the invitations.

* Purchase horse stencils or wallies to create one-of-a-kind invitations.

* Before the party, dress your child in her riding habit or cowgirl outfit. In a takeoff of the famous Uncle Sam poster, have her face the camera and point an index finger at the viewer. Print the words: “I WANT YOU AT MY HORSE PARTY!”

* Have your child draw a horse. Make copies or scan into the computer to enlarge or reduce as needed. Use her art to make invitations.

*Find different horse pictures, enlarge or reduce to invitation size, and make into invitations.

* Purchase pre-made horse invitations and add a private touch clipart, little stick horse sketch by your daughter, or include a small frameable and free copyright horse picture for each attendee.

* Include a clever ticket in each invitation for a door-prize raffle. Get creative.

The wording for your function might read:

* For a cowgirl theme: “You're invited to my Buckaroo Round Up! The herd will be ready to horse around at our mane event, and we can’t wait to gallop around with you. Don’t be late cause we’re having cake!”

* For a pony ride party: “Put on your breeches and wear your boots. We’re ridin’ high at my party. All the horses will be happy to see us.”

* For a mustang/western party: “We’re having a wild horse roundup. Gallop on over to our Corral and join the herd.”

* For a western party: “We’re getting together in the OK Corral at high noon for a Horse Birthday Party. It wouldn’t be fun without ‘ya. We’ll be expectin’ ya so y’all better not miss it!”

You can then add all the party details including date, time, location of your Connecticut horse party, and other appropriate information. Be sure to mention in your invitation whether you are visiting a barn or stable, if you are going on a trail ride, if you are taking pictures, if you’ll have a horse on the premises to cuddle, groom and pet, etc. Include an RSVP and provide your phone number.

When you’re thrilled with your masterpiece horse birthday party invitations, you’ll hand deliver or mail them to the lucky guests. Here’s a hint for successful attendance: Make a mental note to email a reminder to all invited guests (or parents) that it’s almost time for the horse party and you cannot wait to see everyone!

To be continued in Horse Party Decorations, Part III . . .