Creating a Little Girl Sparkle & Spa Party

Last week we celebrated my middle daughter’s 6th birthday. Each year my kids’ birthdays remind me how fast they are growing up and how precious the memories are while they are still little. This one was no different. It honestly feels like just yesterday I brought this sweet little bundle of pink home from the hospital and now she’s well on her way to becoming the future Elle Woods! Lord help me!

Speaking of Legally Blonde, my little blonde is certainly all about the glitz and glam these days, which is why when she requested a “sparkle & spa” themed birthday party this year, I had to oblige. I’ll be honest though, this couldn’t be more out of my wheelhouse. I’m not really a “sparkly” kind of gal. I’m more of a barnboard and wildflower kind of gal. But since I love a good challenge, I ran with the idea.

There were many different elements to planning this party, so here they all are and will hopefully give you some sparkly inspiration should you need to throw a party like this yourself some day. Pink and gold were my colors, and glitter…lots and lots of glitter. I am still sweeping up sparkles off my kitchen floor.

First up – Decorations

I designed some fun signs on my computer and printed them out on white cardstock. I wanted them to have cute sayings like, “She leaves a little sparkle wherever she goes,” “Some girls are just born with glitter in their veins,” and “Be-you-tiful.” (I just noticed the word “wherever” is spelled wrong on the sign. Hmmm, can you tell I was doing these in a hurry the night before the party? No time for spellcheck!)

Each sign needed a pop effect, so I traced each middle word in glue and doused it in gold glitter, creating a very sparkly end result!

I love how these signs turned out and I may try to frame one to incorporate into my girls’ bedroom decor. Especially the “Be-you-tiful” sign because I love the message it speaks to young girls about not being afraid to find value in their own individual beauty. Here is a link to a Free PDF download of these signs if you’d like them for your own little girl. (ran the spell check through them this time! wink, wink)

Some yummy for your tummy  – Party Table & Food

We had 2 tables side by side to accommodate all 12 guests. I found cute pink sparkly paper plates and pink & gold paper straws at Target. The rest of the items were from Dollar Tree. (side note: I cannot contain my excitement because I found out our town is finally getting a Dollar Tree! I really love a good bargain!) 

The paper birthday banner was part of a party printables package I purchased off Etsy. The company’s name is AtoZ Parties and they have quite a few really cute, affordable options to choose from online.

We kept the party snacks simple. Fresh strawberries, sliced cucumbers with ranch dip, my mom’s famous homemade caramel corn, cheese, sausage and crackers. And of course, desserts. Pink velvet cupcakes, wafer cookie “nail files” and marshmallow & tootsie roll “nail polish bottles” all made their appearances here!

Next up – Spa Glitter Masks & Party Games

I knew we were going to play a few games at the party, so I wanted to create something the girls could use and then take home with them as well. These spa glitter sleep masks were just the thing! Using some gold felt, pink glitter craft paper, pink ribbon and glue, these ended up turning out super cute.

I started by using this free sleep mask template I found off Martha Stewart’s website. One was slightly larger than the other. The larger one became the soft felt backside and the smaller one was for the front sparkly side. I traced, then cut them out and could easily fit multiple masks per page.

Then ribbon was cut, centered and placed in between the 2 layers of each mask. Some glue in between and along the edges helped seal them shut. I laid them underneath a heavy book to dry flat and without curling up. Simple & chic!

We used them to play a “What Am I” game where different items were placed in a bowl and the girls had to wear their spa masks as a blindfold to guess using only their hands to touch and feel what the objects were. I put things in the bowl like a Q-tip, cotton ball, nail polish bottle, comb, hair clip, etc. They had a lot of fun playing & guessing! We also played a spa charades game and a relay race game where they had to balance a cotton ball on the end of a plastic spoon.

And for some girly, girl fun – Spa Stations

Creating these spa stations was the icing on the cake for this party! Our daughter loves getting glammed up for fun, so why not share that love with all her little friends? I created some cute framed signs for the hair and nail stations, along with a “Pampered at the Spa” station where the girls could sit with fresh cucumbers on their eyes and choose some homemade lip balm. There was also a coloring design station, because what little girl doesn’t like to color? Heck, I still love to sit and color! And a “Some Serious Sparkle” station where they could choose a sparkly bracelet, gold beaded necklace and temporary tattoo.

I needed to bring in the recruits to help man the stations. Luckily my sister was generous enough to help curl and style all the girls’ hair, my sister-in-law volunteered to paint nails, as did one of my friends. With 12 little girls to pamper, we needed all the help we could get! My mom and another friend also stayed to help supervise the games and the madness that sugared-up children tend to bring! They all did such a great job making the party run smoothly. I can’t thank them enough for sacrificing a Saturday afternoon to help me out.

The homemade lip balm was so easy to make. It was literally 3 ingredients: coconut oil, Kool-Aid packets and a few teaspoons of sugar all mixed together. The coconut oil had to be slightly softened in the microwave, but then it was easy to whisk in the flavoring and sugar. I purchased a set of round containers at the craft store, pre-filled them, cut out a round paper top and had the girls choose which flavor they preferred and design their own label.

Last but not least – Goody Bags

To send the girls home in high style, we put together these cute sparkly gold & pink goody bags. Inside each one was a glittery nail file, mini bottle of nail polish, pink hand sanitizer, lipstick pen, ring pop and some chocolate lips! Such a fashionable way of saying, “thanks for coming to my party!”

I had such a fun time planning and preparing for my little girl’s Sparkle and Spa 6th birthday party. Parties like these make me happy inside knowing it’s bringing joy to little hearts. I know our daughter was elated to have such a special day in her honor. Hopefully you now have some inspiration if your own little one is wanting a pampered-up party day like this one!