Outdoor Dining Area

My plan is to have tables outside the tent where the food and wishing tree are. There are pennant banners to decorate that area, one that is 100 feet long and one that is 50 feet long, plus the following decorations:

 One large paper hot air balloon and two smaller ones,



Table centerpieces:




The template for the little paper circus tents can be found here: https://www.firstpalette.com/printable/circus-tent.html

The black stripes are just colored on with a sharpie.

The feathers are a section cut from a feather boa. There is a black boa and a white one.

I have three round white table cloths and three round black table cloths



These placemats were 80% off after Halloween. I now have 42 of them.

The Central Cauldron

The central cauldron of fire in the book The Night Circus is actually the energy source for the circus, so it needs to be included in our party and needs to look magical.

This is the fire cauldron I found:





I also have some color changing crystals to go in the fire:


The plan is to have bails of straw to sit on around the fire and these cushions to make sitting on the straw more comfortable. I have 14 cushions.

The Bar

It is going to be a 21st birthday, so there should be adult beverages, even though Aidan will only be able to have a small taste (his anti-seizure meds advise against alcohol).

I am in the early stages of planning a bar and bar menu.



For writing a list of drink options:

Magician's hat ice bucket:



The wine selection and the glasses I've started collecting from thrift stores:



"You didn't think you could take pictures without me, did you?"



For the fancier drinks:



And here is one of those fancier drinks now...

A drinkable version of the Fantastically Delicious Cinnamon Things (also known as a

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cocktail)

3 ounces RumChata

1 ounce vanilla vodka

1/2 ounce Fireball Whiskey

Cinnamon Sugar for rimming the glass

I am going to continue exploring other drink options, so this post will have sequels.

Dining Tent

I don't have the tent itself yet, but I know what I want. Since the fortune teller's tent will be black, I want the dining tent to be white.

I have already made pennant banners to go all the way around the outside of the tent and another set with lights to go on the inside.

Little lights added to the pennant banners that will be inside the food tent:


Tabletop decorations:





I know it's from the wrong book, but I couldn't resist the urge to make a push-me-pull-you out of two llamas that were on clearance at Pier 1.





Speaking of clearance items, planning a party this far ahead gives plenty of time to find sale and clearance items, instead of paying full price.





There are two table runners that were 80% off after Halloween.

Hanging lights to use in the dining tent:


Kitten card holders to use on the desert table and candy buffet:



Larger animal card holders for savory food labels:



Decorative tooth picks and skewers:


I have created these two pillar candles.



The candleholders are wooden candleholders that I painted to look like brass when we first started teapot racing and I couldn't find real brass candle sticks for the "teacup slalom".



That was back in 2015 and I have since found plenty of brass candlesticks, so these had been sitting in the back of a closet.

I think they look better in black.



Treat bags for a candy buffet. Some of the bags have black ribbons and some have white.



The wishing tree will probably also reside inside the dining tent.
https://overthecrescentmoon.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-wishing-tree-christmas-tree.html

The Wishing Tree/ Christmas Tree

In the book, The Night Circus, the Wishing Tree is not a pine tree, but the Night Circus themed birthday party will be in December, so a Christmas tree makes sense.



Night Circus wreath:


Reversible tree skirt:




Small pennants banner to use as garland:



Book ornament, moon ornament (made with Crayola Model Magic over a glass ornament), cardboard circus ornament, and little clip-on doves:


Beeswax moon and star ornaments:


Clip-on battery operated candles that each guest can use to make a wish on the wishing tree:

So, You've Decided to Try This Birthday Party Thing Again

I have only thrown two real birthday parties for Aidan.

The one when he was 6 was a heartbreaking disaster. It had a pirate theme and I was pretty proud of the pirate ship cake I made, but no guests showed up. We sat waiting in a decorated picnic shelter at a park until another family asked if they could use the shelter for their birthday party. We let them have all our balloons and left to go eat cake at a picnic table behind my husband's office.

The second, was when Aidan turned 10. That one was a success. It had an airship pirate theme and several guests.









Now, I'm planning to do this one last time, but with a couple years to plan and make things. our budget is very limited, so it will take that long to get ready.

Ever since I read Erin Morgenstern's book The Night Circus, I have thought that it would be a wonderful theme for a party. It's one of the books I read aloud to Aidan and when I suggested that it would be a good theme for his 21st Birthday, he agreed.



Cashier at Joann Fabrics: That's a long time from now. What if he changes his mind about the theme he wants?

Me: Then it will be MY party.

Aidan says he's not changing his mind, though, because he likes the things I'm making.

The place for this party is not decided, nor the date (Aidan will turn 21 on December 6, 2021, which is a Monday, so not a good day for a party).

Right now, I'm just focusing on decorations and menu planning.

Le Cirque des Rêves (the Circus of Dreams), is the the circus in the book and the color scheme for the circus is black and white. The fans of the circus call themselves "rêveurs" (dreamers) and wear black and white with just a splash of red (such as a flower, a scarf, or a neck tie) to distinguish themselves from the performers. 

I have started making pennant banners and collecting tableware.



Specially labeled storage boxes for the party supplies:



I will be recording my progress on this blog. It keeps me motivated and hopefully you will enjoy the pictures.

Dorothy B. Oven Park

Last night, we went to Dorothy B. Oven Park to look at the Christmas lights.