Jungle Safari Birthday Party

Last month I put together a very fun jungle safari birthday party for my little guy who just turned two years old.  I LOVE the way that everything came together, and I wanted to share some of the details and photos of the party with you!

This is part one of the jungle safari party, which will mostly cover decoration and food. You can find part 2 here, where I share the games and activities, outfits, the cake, and more fun details about the party, including free printable safari passess for the kids!

The African jungle safari party was soooo much fun.  I tend to go overboard on my parties, and love to DIY everything, which worked out really well for this theme.  My son loves animals, so my inspiration for the party was the jungle cruise at Disneyland.  I wanted the look of an old vintage safari camp, complete with wood crates, old signs, lanterns, etc.

One of my favorite elements of the party was the Safari Expedition Base Camp, which was the first thing that guests saw as they came in through the back yard.  This is where the little explorers were able to spend their tickets that they were given on supplies for their safari expedition.

Does this structure look familiar?  You might recognize it as my DIY Lemonade Stand made from 3 wood pallets that I created.  I gave it a little makeover- a new coat of tan paint, a new burlap awning (instead of the pink and white striped one), and some jungle safari accessories (like lanterns, binoculars. signs, magnifying glass, butterflies, snakes, etc.) all helped add to the theme.  Fun, right?

Supplies included cute DIY binoculars (tutorial here) that I made out of toilet paper rolls and duck tape (you can check out other ways I decorate for parties with duck tape here), safari expedition passes to go around their necks that I created, and little frogs and lizards and snakes.

The mosquito bites were free (see on the sign above?), which some of the adventurers weren't excited about!  After a little reassurance from me that it was just a joke, they were ready to move on to the rest of the party ;)

To add to the whole jungle atmosphere, I stuck lots of tall bamboo plants right into the grass for the party, and it made areas of the lawn look nice and lush.  I painted some of the David Tutera butterflies I had left over from my DIY mason jar lanterns and DIY candles (made in toilet paper rolls).  They were originally white with little pearls on them, so I took off all of the pearls, and painted each butterfly with bright colors of paint.  The butterflies already had clips attached to them, so it was easy to clip them right onto the bamboo and other areas of the party.  I love the color that they added!

The food tables were a lot of fun to set up.  I used a lot of burlap, nets, crates, wood bowls, and woven Pottery Barn boxes (not sure what they are made out of)- all natural, and brown and green.  

I used some old distressed wood that I had and stenciled the "Tyler's Safari" sign, the "Base Camp" sign, and a "Beware of Tigers" sign.  I also stenciled the above crate with the word "Fragile" that the cake went on later in the party.

I served nachos, salad, a lot of fruit (regular and dried), and had a candy area with green candy all in apothecary jars.

We have a bird of paradise tree and a palm tree in our front yard, so I cut off tons of huge, green leaves, and laid those out over parts of the food tables.  I also wrapped some Pottery Barn wheat grass that I had (the little square of grass in the back) with some of the leftover David Tutera burlap from my DIY mason jar lanterns.  

I found this amazing elephant dish at World Market, and had to have it- the perfect dish to hold peanuts!  

I created these "Do not feed the animals" bags to hold peanuts or candy by printing directly on the paper bags... tutorials and template coming soon!

If you follow me on Instagram (@makelifelovely) you might have seen the amazing globe that I scored for only $5.99 at Goodwill!  I bought the crates at Michael's and Jo-Anns, and found the ball of jute rope (that is actually a doorstop) at World Market.

I was so busy with the party that I missed getting some pictures, so you're only getting a little peek of some of the candy and treats that I served in jars and wood bowls.... "worms" (gummy worms) "sticks" (pretzels), animal crackers, "alligator eyes" (sour apple rings), Eiffel Bon Bons (left over from my World Market Lemonade Stand), dried papaya, "fried ants" (raisins), etc...  The kids LOVED this area of the party the most!!  All of the amazing apothecary jars are from World Market as well.

I got some incredibly cute little kraft colored bags from Wholeport that have a sealable top, and put zebra and leopard (or is it cheetah?) duck tape around it for instant little candy bags.  The kids filled them up with their favorite treats, and carried them around with them throughout the party.

No jungle safari party would be complete without monkey food, right?!

My little birthday boy.... what a cutie :)

Thanks for letting me share my son's jungle safari party with you!

Be sure to check out part two of this jungle safari party that shows you the outfits, the games and activities, the cake I made, and free printable safari passes you can use if you plan a jungle safari party!  What's your favorite birthday party theme?

If you liked this project, please follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin', and Instagram.

xo, Laura

Linking Up Here: Tidy Mom, 30 Handmade Days, Whipperberry, Tatertots and Jello, A to Zebra Celebrations

DIY Lemonade Stand from Wood Pallets + World Market's Summer in Paris Sweepstakes

Today I am beyond thrilled to share with you a project that I have worked very long and hard on- an amazing lemonade stand that all started with 3 wood pallets!

This DIY lemonade stand is durable and large, but the great thing about it is the ingenious way that it is built (thanks for the help, honey)!  It is so easy to put together and take apart this stand, and it can be stored in pieces, so that it doesn't take up much room.

I have SO many plans for this stand already!  It's not just a lemonade stand!  It will be a safari base camp outfitting post at my son's jungle safari party (coming soon!), a concessions stand, an Italian soda bar, a ticket booth, a puppet show, and the list goes on and on!

Before I show you how to build this stand, I want to show you what we served...

To make my lemonade stand extra special, I served delicious Lorina Prestige Sparkling Soda that I bought at World Market, and that comes in 3 amazing flavors- lemonade, pink citrus lemonade, and blood orange.  So delicious!  I served the lemonade in these World Market mason jar glasses that I fell in love with, and some yellow striped straws.

And why stop at lemonade?  My stand also included some sweet treats from World Market's French line- because really, who can resist candy?!  Especially when it is served in these beautiful clear glass apothecary jars?  We loved these tasty chewy Eiffel Bon Bons that come in strawberry and green apple- my kids would not stop eating these!  And neither did I ;)  Our candy selection also included the classic lemon drops (my husband's favorites), as well as lemon suckers, and salt water taffy.

Classic French Madeleines were served on this lovely white porcelain cake stand. For more fun food and drink ideas, be sure to check out all the amazing gourmet food and drink items that World Market sells- I love shopping their food aisles!

Speaking of French food, World Market has an fantastic Summer in Paris sweepstakes going on now that you NEED to enter- details are at the end of the post!

At the end of a long busy day, it felt great to sit and relax and sip a refreshing glass of lemonade!!

Now let's get to building!  Here are the directions if you'd like to create your own lemonade stand from wood pallets.  Wood pallets are not all the same size, so I tried to be as specific as possible with the directions without giving EXACT measurements, because your pallets won't be exactly the same dimensions as mine.

This lemonade stand can be adapted to using wood that you many have on hand, cheaper or more expensive wood, etc.  Do what works for you!  You can also leave out some of the supplies if you would like to make this for cheaper.  You don't need to add the wood veneer to the front and sides (although it does make it look more "finished")- you could just leave the pallet exposed.  An awning isn't absolutely necessary, but it sure adds to the cute factor, and provided much needed shade in the heat of the summer.  Just make sure that you follow the directions to build main structure- you wouldn't want to leave out any important pieces support pieces that hold the stand together.

DIY Wood Pallet Lemonade Stand:

SUPPLIES:

• 3 Wood pallets
• Wood veneer, bead board, or plywood (3 pieces cut to the size of your pallets- optional)
• Drill
• Screws
• Piece of wood (optional- size of your choice, for frame on front), 
• Chalkboard paint (optional- for frame on front, and the sign on the top)
• 4 long boards (for sides of pallet)
• L-brackets (at least 8)
• Wood board (for top support board- same length as the pallet)
• Wood board (for top sign- same length as the pallet)
• 2 Wood boards (for awning support in front and back- same length as the pallet)
• 2 pieces of old, distressed, thick wood (for counter)
• 4 small pieces of wood (to connect the two counter boards together)
• 2 spade bits (one to fit the head of your counter bolts, and one to fit the body of the bolt)
• 10 bolts (4 for the counter top, 4 for the awning, and 2 for the back), 10 washers, and 10 nuts
• White duck cloth (or other thick fabric- for the awning- optional)
• Painter's tape (optional)
• White, pink, and tan paint
• Paintbrushes
• Grommet kit (extra large grommets)
• 2 Wood boards (braces inside the stand)
• Wood board (top back counter support)

FRONT & SIDES of stand:

1.  You'll need 3 pallets for the structure of the lemonade stand.  There are different grades of pallets, so  try to find the sturdier pallets with thicker wood that is not split.  Remove any nails at the top corners of the pallets where you will be drilling holes (this will make more sense as you read on).

2.  You can leave your wood pallets bare, or you can add some wood veneer, bead board, or plywood to the front of your pallets, like I did.  These range in price and thickness, but I used a $9 piece of wood veneer that was enough to cover the front and one side of my stand.  Cut the wood veneer to fit each of the 3 pallets.  Screw the veneer into place on each pallet.

3.   If you would like a framed chalkboard area on the front of your stand like mine (optional), then cut your desired wood piece into 4 pieces to form the frame, using 45 degree angles.  Screw on the frame to the front of your stand.

4.  Attach the two long boards to each of the front sides of your front pallet using your drill and screws.  This serves two purposes- to cover and hide the pallet underneath, and to help build the framework for the sign and the awning.  Screw in a top support board to the top of the two side boards using L-brackets to attach the three boards together.

5.  Now it's time to add the sign to the top of the stand.  You can choose the size of your sign, it just needs to be long enough to reach both side boards.  Paint the sign in your preferred color- I chose chalkboard paint.  Attach the sign (when dry) to the side boards using L-brackets and screws.  

6.  Attach your awning support board 1/2" between the top sign.  This gap will allow you to slide the awning between the boards so that you can attach it.

COUNTER TOP of stand:

1.  For our counter, we used two old weathered boards that we had on hand and really liked.  This is a great way to use up old wood that you might have, and will lower your cost.  Cut one of the boards so it will fit in between the two side boards of the front of your stand.  We used a larger board for the outside of our counter that was about 6" longer than the other counter board on each side- this gave us more counter space and looked more custom.  Turn the wood upside down on the ground and place centered together, as it will appear on the stand.  Screw your four small pieces of wood onto the bottom of the counter top to connect the two counter boards.  

2.  Now we need to attach the counter top to all three pallets.  Put the pallets in a U-shape, with the veneer facing outward.  You will be drilling four holes in your counter top using a spade bit, so that you can countersink the holes to fit the bolt heads that you selected.  You will want to use very large bolts.  The two front holes are going to go through your counter top and then through the front pallet.  The two back holes are going to go through the side pallets (one hole in each pallet).  Make sure that there aren't any nails where you will be drilling these holes!  If there are, be sure to remove them.  

To countersink the bolt head, you will need to drill two sets of holes.  Start with the larger drill bit, one that will fit the bolt head.  Drill your hole, and stop when the bolt head can fit inside the hole and is flush with the counter top.  Drill a longer, smaller hole with the smaller spade bit, so that it fits the body of your bolt.  This hole will go all the way through the counter top and the pallets, and is what will hold the whole structure together.  Drill all four described holes this way.  Place the bolts inside their holes, and attach and tighten the counter to the pallets using the washers and nuts.  These bolts will not be seen, so it is safer that your bolts are longer rather than shorter.  If the bolts are too short, then you can't attach the whole structure together.  

BACK of stand:

1.  Attach two side pieces to the back sides of your stand, one board on each side.  Add the back awning support board to the two back side boards using two bolts to connect them.  Bolts are used so that this can easily be taken apart to store. 

AWNING:

1.  An awning is optional, but it keeps the lemonade sellers out of direct sunlight, and adds quaintness to your stand.  My awning was made from duck canvas, which is a utility fabric that doesn't fray as much when cut.  Measure how much material you will need to use for your awning- I used a little over 2 yards of fabric.  Cut your awning to size, measure how large you would like your stripes, and apply painter's tape to your duck cloth to help get nice, crisp even paint lines.  Paint, let dry, and remove tape.  

2.  Drill two holes in your front and back awning support boards where you would like your grommets to go- this will be what holds your awning in place.  The awning will be easy to remove because of the bolts.  Hold up your awning, and draw a small dot where the holes are that you drilled.  Add grommets to those holes by following the directions on the back of your grommet kit.  Add awning to the stand by screwing bolt into grommet holes, and using washers and nuts to secure into place.

BRACES:

1.  Cut two pieces of wood to fit on the inside ground of your lemonade stand, so that the bottom sides of your pallet are secure.  Set one piece of wood in the front inside of your stand, and the other on the back inside to support it.

Top Back COUNTER SUPPORT:

1.  Use a spade bit and drill all the way through a piece of wood the size of your choice.  Make sure there aren't any nails in the back corners of your side pallets. Drill halfway down the back top of the side pallets.  Glue two wood dowels, one on each side, into the holes with wood glue.  Once glue is dry, place the back counter support board over the dowels so that it fits into place.

ALL DONE!  

That was a lot of work, but look at the amazing finished lemonade stand!!  It is easy to put together and take apart, is very strong and durable, is easy to store, and can be used multiple times and for multiple events!  You can make multiple awnings as well to match the different events that you will be using it for.

Now for the fun sweepstakes!  World Market is has teamed up with Lorina French Lemonade to give away an AMAZING prize- a dream trip to Paris!!  Winner will receive a trip for 2 to Paris, a $1,000 World Market gift card, a two day museum pass and river cruise, dinner at the Eiffel Tower, and a case of Lorina French Lemonade!!

I spent a month in Europe back in college and traveled through many cities, but my favorite city hands down was Paris- it is a beautiful romantic city, and I would love for one of my readers to win this trip!  Be sure to enter the Summer in Paris contest here.  The contest ends Friday, August 16th.

Be sure to enter, and good luck!!

I'd love to hear what you think of my lemonade stand!  It took a lot of work and planning, but I LOVE the results!  If you want to build one and have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them!

xo, Laura