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At The Picket Fence with Vanessa Hunt

Where Ideas for your Home Meet Inspiration for your Heart

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March 26, 2014

Chronicles of Narnia Birthday Party

At some point over the past year, my son fell in love with Chronicles of Narnia. One day he’ll claim to be Peter Pevensie, the next he begs to officially change his name to Caspian.

Prince costume for Chronicles of Narnia party

 I am forever cast as the White Witch and his two sisters willingly play along as Susan & Lucy. When deciding on a theme for his 5th birthday, Narnia was the only option in his mind. His birthday is just days before Halloween so it was the perfect occasion to get into character.

Chronicles of Narnia Birthday Party

For the party, I kept the references to Narnia fairly subtle and created a simple medieval knight celebration with colors and heraldic crests inspired by the coronation ceremony in the Lion the Witch & the Wardrobe.  The vision was fit for royalty, but the budget was not, so whenever possible I tried to find creative ways to keep costs low.

birthday decorations for Chronicles of Narnia party

Fortunately this sweet group of friends regarded a golden spray-painted lion from the dollar store as if it truly was the most priceless treasure on earth.

 golden lions

Some simple accessories helped transform our guests into ladies-in-waiting and young squires.

Narnia queen costumes

 The girls were outfitted with floral crowns made from dollar store supplies and floor-length no-sew cloaks.

flower crown

The boys were given matching tabards cut from felt and tied with leather cord.

knight costumes

I made the birthday boy’s tabard and crown from wool felt and used the remnant material to make a table runner and bunting for over the birthday table.

knight costume

Narnia party table decor

Late blooming hydrangeas from our yard adorned the table and dollar store goblets with jewel stickers added some royal touches.

dessert table

goblets

Tiered dessert stands (made from Dollar store silver plates gorilla glued to glass candle sticks) added a simple elegance to the dessert table and small gilt dishes displayed a variety of Turkish delight.

cake stand

turkish delight

In keeping with the royal theme, my mother made the groom’s cake featured at  Prince William & Kate’s wedding (a decadent chocolate biscuit cake) as the crowning jewel of the dessert table.

biscuit cake

After feasting on sweets, the kids were divided into teams to train in the medieval arts of jousting, fencing, archery, and catapult launching (my husband followed a simple tutorial to create some impressive catapults using mouse traps & popsicle sticks).

fencing

fencing with cloak

jousting

archery2

catapult

catapult launch

Narnia freeze tag followed and then a scavenger hunt where they uncovered hidden characters and clues from Narnia which led them to the final challenge of the day—breaking open the armored treasure chest (a piñata from the party aisle at Target that I customized for our party).  They put all of their training to use in breaking open the treasure and were richly rewarded with a golden Aslan and a pouch of chocolate coins.

pinata

breaking pinata

To remember their time in Narnia, we sent each child home with Dollar store shields and mini knight coloring books with a quote from Narnia:  “And so for a time it looked as if all the adventures were coming to an end; but that was not to be.”

shield party favors for knight party

knight coloring book favor

These proved the perfect words to console the birthday boy as he bid farewell to the day’s magic and reluctantly resumed his ordinary identity.  Fortunately, with Halloween only three days away, the door to Narnia would soon open once more.

knight

Thanks so much for joining me in Narnia today At the Picket Fence,

Julie Signature

26 Comments Filed Under: At the Kids Table, Celebrations, Children's Parties Ideas, Crafts, Good Ideas, Parties Tagged With: birthday parties, kids parties, parties

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Comments

  1. chelsea says

    March 26, 2014 at 4:42 AM

    This is so adorable! You are amazing!

    Reply
  2. Kristin says

    March 26, 2014 at 5:14 AM

    Love every bit of this party. Glad to see a tasteful and creative boys party!

    Reply
  3. Cindy Barganier says

    March 26, 2014 at 5:49 AM

    I am soooo impressed. Might have to copy you for my Ford man’s party one day. Who crocheted the neck piece?
    I also love that Narnia took over Halloween.

    Reply
    • Julie says

      March 26, 2014 at 11:49 AM

      Thanks so much, Cindy! The crocheted chain mail hat was a gift from the birthday boy’s grandparents. It came from a shop on Etsy but I just noticed they moved to a new online location: cutiehats.com

      Reply
  4. Jamie Asper says

    March 26, 2014 at 5:55 AM

    What a great idea for a party! I love the gold lions and the table setting with all the desserts!! All the sewing, costumes, and crafts look amazing. I will have to remember the idea of the trays and candlesticks for my baby girls 1st birthday party which will be Beatrix Potter themed. Have a great day! ~ Jamie

    Reply
    • Julie says

      March 26, 2014 at 11:52 AM

      Thanks Jamie! I just love the idea of a Beatrix Potter theme…so many beautiful possibilities and interpretations. I know it will be lovely!

      Reply
  5. Cheryl at Snaps of Ginger says

    March 26, 2014 at 6:16 AM

    Best. Birthday. Ever.

    How fun is that??!! Love it.

    ~Cheryl
    https://snaps-of-ginger.blogspot.com/

    Reply
  6. Julia says

    March 26, 2014 at 6:34 AM

    What an amazing Party!!!! Your son, and his sisters, and the guests (as well as the parents) will always have such fond memories of this very special day! You are so very talented! Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
  7. Doreen says

    March 26, 2014 at 7:20 AM

    WOW! That was amazing! Every detail – perfect! Wish my boys were still little so I could steal this idea! So creative – thanks so much for sharing with us!

    Reply
  8. Marty Walden says

    March 26, 2014 at 7:30 AM

    Now that’s a stunning party! Can’t wait until the kids get married!

    Reply
  9. Annalee Fuerstenau says

    March 26, 2014 at 8:51 AM

    Oh wow! I did a Narnia birthday party for my son a few years ago, but it was nothing like this… Very impressive!!

    Reply
  10. Sandy says

    March 26, 2014 at 9:10 AM

    I think you should write a book sharing your party inspirations with the pictures you have shared. Many moms would love it!

    Reply
    • Julie says

      March 26, 2014 at 11:57 AM

      Thanks so much for your compliment, Sandy! Your encouraging words made my day!!

      Reply
  11. Carol Reddin says

    March 26, 2014 at 2:40 PM

    An amazing party produced by an amazingly talented woman!

    Reply
  12. Shirley@Housepitality Designs says

    March 26, 2014 at 2:48 PM

    I am sure that the kids will be talking about the birthday party for months to come….what an unbelievably creative party…you will be in the running for Mother of the Year!!

    Reply
  13. lucy says

    March 26, 2014 at 6:50 PM

    I never saw children so involved and full of magical wonder!!!! Can’t believe she’s a chip off the old block. L

    Reply
  14. Shannon @ Fox Hollow Cottage says

    March 26, 2014 at 9:11 PM

    Ah-mazing!!!! Party. Wow. Loved the books (read them to Austin) and the movies. Sucha wonderful story. Really, that was a fantastic party!!

    Reply
  15. Jennifer @ Celebrating Everyday Life says

    March 27, 2014 at 7:33 AM

    This is sooooo spectacular Julie!! Well done my friend! Well done!!! Hugs, Jennifer

    Reply
  16. kristins says

    March 28, 2014 at 11:51 AM

    Such a fun party!

    Reply
  17. Heather says

    March 28, 2014 at 5:14 PM

    It looks like the had tons of fun!! I love every single Narnian-filled detail!

    Reply
  18. Elizabeth says

    March 28, 2014 at 6:43 PM

    Oh my. This is absolutely marvelous!!

    Reply
  19. Heidi @ Happiness is Homemade says

    March 29, 2014 at 10:15 AM

    What an amazing party! I love the unique theme idea, and the details are absolutely perfect!

    Reply
  20. Shelley says

    June 20, 2014 at 8:24 PM

    could you tell me about the lion cutouts I see on the birthday boy costume and the banner? I’d like to do something similar but there’s got to be an easier way than cutting those out. All of your details are so beautiful!

    Reply
  21. Karla Gibbs says

    October 12, 2015 at 8:50 AM

    Used this blog post for inspiration for my son’s Halloween costume this year! Thank you.

    https://whiskeyandthread.blogspot.com/2015/10/halloween-costume-part-ii.html

    Reply
  22. Jennifer Gould says

    December 6, 2016 at 7:49 AM

    Love this party. My kids and I just finished reading the Lion, the witch, and the wardrobe. I am putting together a narnia movie night for them but want to do so
    E “extra” activities. Curious about your scavenger hunt. Would you be willing to share your clues?? Thank you!

    Reply

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  1. little boy birthday party theme ideas says:
    May 11, 2016 at 9:27 AM

    […] Chronicles of Narnia Birthday Party by at the picket fence So cute and clever. Plus…. all that GOLD!! insert heart eyes emoji! […]

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