Mariah of Giggles Galore had a sweet idea for a joint party for her twins Parker and Piper: a Modern Hansel & Gretel Inspired Woodland Birthday (in the local park)! Taking advantage of an outdoor party, she prepared a ‘hobo’ sack lunch, an incredible life sized witch house (matching the adorable sugar cookies!) and a ‘Follow the Crumbs’ scavenger hunt into the woods!

PARTY HIGHLIGHTS to look out for:

• DIY cardboard Hansel and Gretel witch candy house
• Tree stump cupcake stands on candlestick holders
• ‘Follow the Crumbs’ scavenger hunt & paper candy cottage decorating activity
• Themed Hansel and Gretel Birthday cake, mini cinnamon buns & Make your own trail mix!

PARTY DETAILS, as told by Mariah…

Follow the trail of lollipops and gum drops to a sweet birthday celebration!  Venture into the woods for this fairy tale Hansel and Gretel inspired 4th birthday party…or as my twin’s called it their “Handsome and Gretel” party!

I wanted to incorporate as many details from the story as possible and create a fairy tale setting ideal for my twins birthday celebration.  I hosted our Hansel and Gretel party at a local park with lots of trees and natural elements to recreate that woodsy scene from the story.  I worked with Anders Ruff to bring my vision for this party to life and used the printables to add whimsy and charm to our rustic outdoor setting.

Decorations

One of the focal points was the life size cottage my husband created from cardboard boxes.  It was set back in the woods and provided lots of giggles and entertainment as the kids pretended to raid the witch’s cottage.  I wanted to play up the natural elements of our setting and chose to keep decorations simple.  Tables were covered in brown craft paper from the Dollar Store and pops of color were added with the gumdrop trail scattered down the table, the candy cottages and fabric “hobo” lunch sacks.  My dad cut tree stumps for me to use throughout the party and one of my favorite uses was my tree stump cupcake stands.

Food & Sweets

Before diving into all the sweets our party guests enjoyed a simple lunch which was wrapped in fabric “hobo” sacks.  Hansel and Gretel were sent into the woods with a simple sack of bread and I decided to echo this part of the story with our simple lunch of PB&J, fruit and a bag of chips.  After lunch we ventured “into the woods” for birthday cake and sweets.

I combined natural elements like moss and tree stumps with the colorful sweets.  The store bought chocolate cake was transformed into a beautiful display with the amazing fondant Cottage and Hansel and Gretel from Love and Sugar Kisses.  I loved all the details like the trees and mini lollipops she created to help bring the story to life on our cake.  The colorful cupcake toppers added a touch of whimsy and looked so pretty sitting on my rustic tree stump cupcake stands.  Love and Sugar Kisses also made the woodsy chocolate covered Oreos that were scattered around the table (and tasted divine!)  I love ordering cookies from Sugarlilly Cookie Company, her attention to detail is amazing and these cookies were no exception.  I couldn’t get over how adorable Hansel and Gretel were and that cottage was AMAZING!

Guests could also fuel up before they headed back out to the woods with a “Make Your Own Trail Mix” station.  I provided small brown paper sacks for the kids to fill with nuts, M&M’s, dried fruit and popcorn before heading back out to explore in the woods.

Activities

The story was brought to life and guests were kept entertained with a fun “follow the crumbs” scavenger hunt, decorating paper candy cottages and exploring the woods and playing in the life sized witches candy house.  It truly was a sweet celebration for my little “Handsome and Gretel.”