chinese birthday celebration

about 2 years ago, i found some adorable oriental brocade purses with bamboo handles at target.  i bought all that they had, stashed them in a storage tub, and forgot about them. when i re-discovered them a few months ago, and showed them to my daughter , i mentioned that they could be the gift

bags for a her 8th birthday party,

IF she wanted to have an oriental theme. 
(i'm so tricksey)

i must have a budding designer on my hands,

because she was on board immediately.

here's a peek at the final 
party set-up:
(to view the pictures larger, click on them!)

super easy decor:

glasses wrapped in crepe paper with ribbons tied around.

slender shot glasses with roses.

banner made from scrapbook paper, and tied with raffia.

colors were: black, fuschia, gold and chartreuse

cake stand is a box wrapped with gold wrapping paper

(please ignore the ug-uh-ly rental house fireplace/mantle.)

a "woman-on-chairs-eye-view" of the table.
had to throw in some real sushi for the adults.
i know, i know, sushi is japanese and this is more of a chinese-themed party.
i struggled with it too. for about 37 seconds. then i remembered that this a party for 7 and 8 year olds.

a peek at the chinese take out box pinata, (a collaborative effort...devised by me, made by my crafty sister-in-law nicole, and "accessorized" by my husband ) made from a template downloaded from the internet and 
transfered onto white poster board.

the wire "holder" is made from a hanger 
(you are a genius, dear hubby)

lucky me, i even found some fuschia roses.

strawberries with flags

i used an online translator for the chinese characters, so i'm hoping it really does say "yummy" and not something crazy like "i like to swim in garbage"

yes, those are indeed cakeballs

i have to admit. i put the celery out because i felt obligated to have at least one vegetable on the table.(plus, it went with my color scheme)

but i'll be darned if every piece wasn't gone by the end of the party! 
shocker.

fortune cookies dipped in candy melts with sprinkles.

waters with printed labels. 

the paper lanterns were purchased online at luna bazaar, except for a few, which were purchased at target and spray painted gold. i made the black pom-poms from tissue paper.

i found the plates at walmart. walmart has really stepped up their game in the last few years. 
no wonder they are taking over the universe.

yummy egg rolls. 

(the little flags were right.)

the cake topper:

i used the online chinese translator again for this.

it's supposed to say "happy birthday" in chinese.

(again, hoping it doesn't REALLY 

say something foul or creepy)

i printed it out, "smashed" the characters together (so they would touch) copied it onto cardboard and cut it out with an x-acto knife. then i spray painted it gold and used embossing powder for the final glittery touch.

the cake is adorned with 3 layers of ribbon (purchased at walmart), glued together. 

these were the hit of the party!

rice krispy sushi.
made from rice krispy treats, colored licorice and fruit roll-ups.

the kids went nuts over these.

smashing the pinata, 
filled with candy and fortune cookies, of course.

the birthday girl making a wish.

i hope she's wishing for a tropical vacation for her mommy.

be sure to check out the invitiations 

and gift bags found here