My 3-year-old’s favorite movie is Moana, which she watches almost daily. And the Flora family’s favorite place on Earth is Hawaii. That made choosing a theme for her third birthday celebration easy. Part 1 of the festivities was a Hawaii/Moana theme birthday party with family in Phoenix. She shared the first part of her birthday celebrations (Let’s be real: We’ll be celebrating for weeks!) with her cousin Olivia, who is turning 2.
Before the party, I reached out to Wrappily, an eco-friendly and adorable wrapping paper company based in Hawaii. I had previously written about them as a fantastic option for gift wrap supplies for the holidays, but they also have wrapping paper for other occasions. What more perfect paper to use for our Hawaii party? While planning a party can sometimes create some waste, you can always choose to do your part in small ways by purchasing wrapping paper that is made from recycled newsprint, compostable and printed with soy-based inks. Wrappily has you covered! Bonus: The sheets are also reversible.
Before the party, I wrapped one of V’s gifts in this whimsical Sand Dollar and Fiesta Piñas print from Wrappily. I showed both sides below. I opted to use the pineapples on the outside for her doll.
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| Wrapping one of V’s gifts with Wrappily’s two-sided gift wrap. |
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| I wrapped the gifts in twine for a natural, simple look. |
I found that the Wrappily wrapping paper and cupcake toppers I was sent fit right in with our Moana/Hawaii theme for the party.
For the party, we cut pineapples and used them as vases for faux flowers (since we couldn’t find real tropical flowers). The faux flowers are great because they can be reused and you can obviously eat the fruit.
I also found a tutorial for Jello Moana-inspired treats on Pinterest, so I attempted to replicate them. It was pretty easy, though mine don’t look as good as the originals. Partygoers ate all of them, though, so that’s a win! We ended up having more than 30 people show up, and they also gobbled up all the barbecue chicken, rice and macaroni salad.
Our cake and piñata were Moana-themed, of course, and a family friend was able to adorn a bounce house in a Moana banner. Victoria and her guests jumped in this for HOURS. The goodie bags were simple blue and pink bags that were decorated with Moana printables my sister found online. The coconut cups you see in this photo were reused from a previous party as decor. We also put faux leis in a tiki bucket (reused from previous party).
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| Another family friend made the piñata. |
Another idea for the party: Use Wrappily’s DIY Hawaii-theme print toppers for cupcakes. You can also add a green frosting swirl to replicate the heart of Te Fiti from the Disney movie. The cupcake toppers are super easy to put together. You simple use a glue stick to put two flower prints together with the stick in between. Then use a glue dot (which is provided) to add a button detail wherever you want. The buttons come in various colors to match any decor.
We found another Hawaii party snack idea on Pinterest: to shape a kiwi and pineapple platter like palm trees. The original idea used oranges for the base, but I skipped that part.
When you plan your own party or give your gift, you can at least feel good about using eco-friendly gift wrap from Wrappily for any occasion! Below you can enter to win a cute prize pack from Wrappily! And you don’t have to win this giveaway to get your hands on this charming gift wrap; you can use code ALOHA15 for a discount on the site! (This is not an affiliate code, just sharing!)
