Post by Giulia, photographer and blogger at Giulia Doyle

The day finally arrived when my camp themed birthday party vision came alive and we welcomed a gaggle of girls for Maëlle’s 9^th birthday! The weather was perfect for our outdoor party, which was enhanced by a bunch of great camp themed products from The Land of Nod. I like to decorate for birthday parties with non-typical décor, things I either have already, such as these great poufs that we used to watch the movie, or items I’ll get to use in our house going forward.

We started the party by welcoming our guests and having them unpack their pillows and sleeping bags in the tent, which was set up in the back yard. We gave them each a camp T-shirt, a bandanna and a flashlight. Then we fed them camp inspired food, such as hotdogs, corn on the cob, watermelon and chips. All of this was finished off with sweet s’more cupcakes!

To accent the food table I used a framed poster as a table backdrop along with more traditional party décor. It set the tone perfectly for the party and will look great in my son’s room after the festivities. I also used a picnic blanket in lieu of a tablecloth.

After everyone was fed we headed to the crafting and games area around the Jetaire Camper Playouse. We set up blankets, a faux fire, floor pillows, pillows and a small table with items to make camp necklaces. I also spray painted Twister circles right on the lawn and we played quite a few great twister challenges, called out with the camp spirit bullhorn. The horn was also perfect to direct our scavenger hunt!

We finished the evening by gathering everyone in front of the tent with piles of pillows, poufs, raccoons and blankets as we projected a movie on the side of the house. As the sun set, solar lights illuminated the tent and we lit up the path to the house with glow sticks inserted in water bottles. While sleep was limited, all of the girls had a great time celebrating a birthday with a big camp out. What a magical party!

Giulia Doyle concentrates on food photography and travel photography – using the full color spectrum. She tries to live life to its fullest and will take every opportunity to travel or entertain. With her lovely family, she has big dreams of cottages by the ocean, boutique bed and breakfasts, brick and mortar stores or possibly moving back to Europe – if only she could make up her mind!