Cowboy Birthday Invitations

Send a personalized western cowboy invitation that makes your guests want to stand up and say yee-haw! There are several designs to choose from; one even has a spot for a picture of the guest of honor! You can add some fun and sparkle to the invite by sprinkling cowboy horse confetti in the envelope.

Get the kids involved: A fun homemade party invitation is an "old time" letter that evokes the feeling of the old west. Print the party details on a plain sheet of paper, then distress with an ink pad and tear at the edges. You can add a cowboy sticker sheet to the invite as a fun extra for your guests.

Or for a simple invitation, check out these fill-in wanted poster invitations. Just add in the party info and pop them in the mail!

If you party is for a younger crowd 1 1/2 to 2 hours is a good party length. The older the children, the longer the party can be, but for the sake of the parents 3 hours should be your limit. The young deer and antelope will be tired from playing by then, and the parents will want to take them back home to the range.  :)

Cowboy Decorations and Party Supplies

Start the party off right by welcoming all of your guests with a life-sized cutout of the birthday boy or girl dressed in western duds. Near the cutout you can set a basket of western hats. Add the kid's names to the fronts of the hats to personalize them. Once the kids put on these party favors they will transform from party guests into cowpokes!

Now that everyone has been given a western welcome, wow them in the party room by decorating with fantastic balloon bouquets! Alternate these larger and smaller bouquets around the room depending on the space you have to work with:

• For large bouquets, group six royal blue latex balloons with one jumbo horse Mylar balloon, and use red curling ribbon to tie them off. These will make eye catching bouquets that are perfect for the entrance and the buffet!

• For smaller bouquets, group two royal blue latex balloons and two red balloons with one rodeo cowboy Mylar balloon. These are the perfect size for tables and around the room. Use contrasting red and blue curling ribbon.

• Cute idea alert - use horse bean bags as balloon weights!

• Don't forget the helium tank.

Set out bales of hay if your party is outside (or inside if you're brave). You can get them from your local garden or feed store, and they will add authenticity to your western party. It might be fun to set up a little "campfire" area. Make a fire circle with stones, set out a few fire logs, and use a flame light or crinkled paper to simulate a fire. The kids will feel like they are out on the range heading cattle!

Speaking of authentic western decorations, why not use rope as garland? You can mix it with red and blue crepe paper for a fun look.

Cowboy Birthday Party Table and Menu

Now it is time to make the tables look as fun as the rest of the room. Start with Rodeo Cowboy paper goods on the tables or at the buffet. In the center of the tables you can place a small vase of flowers such as sunflowers, or even some daisies and dried grasses to remind all of the cowpokes of the prairie. If you are looking for a simple western centerpiece this Rodeo Cowboy centerpiece matches the paper goods and is super cute!

You can get even more creative dressing up the individual place settings. Start with a red western bandana as a napkin. Roll up the plastic silverware in it like a bundle and tie it with a piece of natural brown twine. Now set out a western boot cup for each of the little buckaroos. What a fantastic table!

Now on to the best part, the food! You can serve a great western theme meal and still give the kids food they will love to eat.

• Hot Dogs

• Baked Beans

• Vegetarian Chili

• Cornbread

• Veggie Sticks and Dip

Root beer and cream soda in bottles is a fun treat as well. You can make it even more special by adding personalized western bottle labels to the bottles. Everyone will love them!

Cowboy Birthday Party Games and Activities

There are plenty of fun games and activities you can do to entertain all of your little guests -

Panning for Gold - Fill a sandbox or kiddie pool with play sand. Spray paint pennies with gold paint and hide them in the sand. Let the kids pan for the coins with plastic sieves. The kids can exchange the pennies for small prizes.

Tin Can Target - Set up on a wall a long row of empty cans. Purchase enough water guns for your guests.  Buy all of the same kind so that everyone has a fair chance. Make sure that the guns shoot far otherwise the cans won’t get knocked over. Draw a line with chalk or use rope to create a dividing line between the wall and where everyone will stand. Have everyone line up about six to seven feet in front of the cans, one person per can, and handout the water guns. Everyone shoots at the cans.  When someone knocks it over they get a point. Do a few rounds. The person with the most points wins a prize.  Have a large bucket full of water available so the kids can reload their water guns.

Cowboy Birthday Party Favors