An Old Fashion Birthday Party for a 9 Year Old History Lover
When my daughter, Viola, announced she wanted to have an old fashion birthday party, I was relieved and then a tad stressed by the thought of how exactly I was going to pull it off. Thankfully, she came up with some amazing ideas and accepted the budget I presented her with.
True to form, Viola defiantly declared she wanted to forgo the traditional cake and candles and instead, go back in time with tons of candy, bon bons, and sodas that she and her friends would use to magically be transported back to the ‘good old days.’ I was completely on board.
To maximize our candy & soda budget, we foraged for flowers and honeysuckle in the woods, tore apart the basement in search of vintage items and lots of lace and cruised through our bookshelves for interesting books for the girls to peruse while lounging on blankets in the yard. And yes, there was a game of croquet scheduled.
Since we’re in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia, Viola was excited to travel to the ‘city’ for a trip to to pick up the mother lode of treats, mini paper parasols, indian paper scrolls and a very shiny red retro cooler. Truth be told, despite the traffic, it was totally worth it! And I’m pretty sure the World Market staff had a giggle or two as Viola ran through the aisles tossing things into her cart. Somehow, she managed to stay within her budget and make her dream party come to life.
To make good use of the girls’ sugar buzz, Viola and her friends paraded around our town, – the oldest in West Virginia, in full costume and ended up at the Rumsey Monument where they frantically searched for mermaids from their perch high above the Potomac River.
See more photos of the party above in the slideshow!
Thanks so much to for sponsoring this post! We found everything we wanted and needed at World Market which is such an amazing source for summer party goodies, exotic home goods and more. Shop the products in the post right !
We’re giving away a $100 World Market gift card for your summer celebrations! Just leave a comment in the comments section, along with your email address and we’ll pick our lucky winner on June 21st. Good luck!
Sorry, U.S. residents only!
A big Happy Birthday wish to Viola. 9 year-olds are the best.
How inspiring and what a wonderful party theme! Happy Birthday, Viola!
What a cool idea! My mouth is watering just looking at all those candies :)
Happy Birthday Viola! What happened to the old fashioned birthday party with everyone outside covered in ice cream? Oh well, that’s my generation I guess.
World Market…..rocks! We haven’t got one nearby but would love to go eshopping there
World Market is pretty nifty. I can get party stuff and things that I like to use in my home without having to spend so much money. I travel a bit and have found things a WM that I have seen in China, India, Thailand and not that much more expensive.
Thanks WM……. georgia
The color palette is perfect! I hope we’ll get to see next year’s party.
What a lovely birthday party!!
Awesome. Thanks :)
love the vintage candy idea
What a great idea for a kids party! Looks gorgeous
Count me in for your next party, please! ;-)
Lovely! I’m throwing my annual 4th of July weekend BBQ soon and always pick up red white and blue party supplies at World Market!
Such a wise nine-year-old young lady.
World Market has really stepped up their game this year, I’ve been loving lots that I’m seeing. Looks like an awesome party!
What a gorgeous party! Gives me some sweet summer solstice ideas.
What a cool 9 year old to come up with this idea. How fun! I love all the vintage candy and the cool details like the vintage magazine prop.
Ah! So lovely. What fun!
What a fun idea!
What a fun party!
Thank you so much for raising a daughter with infinite great taste! I enjoyed looking at the birthday pics. Very nice!
What a lovely party idea…. Would be a great theme for a shower too!
I love world market! All my plates are from there and countless other goodies. Their stuff is always unique, designed well and best of all…. affordable!
I love World Market! Fingers crossed that I get the gift card… I’ll use it to get decor for my merch table. xx Heather
What a cool idea!
I love history,too. Mostly I read historical fiction..love the kings and queens of England and france and the herbs they used for healing and for making rooms smell better…their clothes and accessories..love it all.
The deco looks fantastic, but the best part is how a 9 year old enjoys history so much! Good on you Viola, and happy birthday!:)
Love this party theme!! Great for kids of all ages. Amazing what you can find at World Market!
I would love to have been invited to this sweet party! What a delicious delightful day :)
love the candy bowls. So beautiful.!
I just went to cost plus and bought some of the same things for my daughters 18th birthday and graduation party. :) it’s a desert and candy buffet. Fun!
What a great idea! I love the plate holding the scrolls and the vase! Omg, and the chair?! Want!
Love this idea! ..just in time to use the inspiration also. Thanks!
I love summer party time. Thanks for lots of cute ideas!
It’s so refreshing to see a young girl expand her color spectrum beyond pink and purple. However beloved they are to us girls, there are many more gorgeous hues to with which to express our creativity.
Another thing I find here and have found in my own life is that having a budget can make room for more creative choices, witness the lovely honeysuckle vines and other flowers, viewing items found around the house in new ways. I loved it. It was a beautiful party and I’m sure the Viola’s friends were inspired as well.
That is adorable! Leave it to World Market to have all you need. Love it!
What a magical party for such a special little girl! Sure beats the good ‘ole pizza parties I had as a kid growing up! Good Work!
Viola is a lucky lady. Also, WV is stunning and never gets the respect it deserves!
Love this creative idea from a young girl! So inspiring creativity has no bounds!
What a lovely birthday party!
Great idea. I love World Market. The only place to find real Fluff and fabulous tea.
Love it, violets are my fav. Inspiring
Looks like fun!
Happy birthday Viola, love You.
Fabulous fête. And Happy B-day to V-ola.
Such a lovely Birthday party!
I’m sure your daughter will forever tresure the memories of her 9 yrs celebration. Beatiful pictutes .
Amazing and beautiful… looks like an old-fashioned picture book! :)
Love her idea for a party. And that’s the same way that I act when I’m in World Market!
the retro cooler is too cute!
I LOVE World Market! Such a great place!
What a fun idea! Love World Market
Love that chair and those vintage dresses! Happy birthday Viola!
Wow, I don’t know where to start…. I wish someone in my family loved black licorice as much as I do, those pastilles are so pretty. I would love one of those red coolers, the honeysuckle is just like the one growing in my backyard along my patio railing. My mom has always told me I have an old soul – it sounds like Viola does too! Love her hat, the scrolls and searching for mermaids sounds ideal! What a gold mine of pretty treats she found and what great memory photo’s for her cookie tin. Thanks for sharing!
That little girl with the fedora and slip is just killing me! A very sweet party.
So pretty! I’d forgotten all about those lovely violet candies. Yum!
I love that this was her theme and all her friends were into it too. So cute. It really turned out lovely! Happy Birthday, Viola!
What a sweet party idea!
so sweet! what great styling and outfits too!
Old fashioned is new fashioned! Such a great idea Viola. Happy, happy birthday!
I love World Market, there’s always something interesting to find every time I visit. And what a great idea for a party.
I love World Market! Such a great resource for entertaining.
What a special day! Thanks for the giveaway!
Such an original idea, so creative. I love World Market, too. Great job!
That looks like such a fun party! I know I would have loved it when I was 9. Thank goodness World Market has all the fun cool “old fashioned” things. :)
Love the decor, what a great party idea!
I want my next birthday party to look like this! I love the girls’ dresses! Nothing is much better than a dress up party!
Love this theme, and totally stealing the beverage station for my own house party this weekend!
This is our first summer in a new home and I have majorly upgraded my backyard. I can’t wait to throw some summer bbq’s! My favorite get togethers mix all ages – kids, parents, grandparents!
This is such a fantastic idea! My daughter is having an “Old Time” theme graduation party. You just gave me some great ideas! I forgot about all the great candy at World Market. Definitely getting some of the taffy sticks! I love how you displayed it also. Totally coping your ideas!
What an ideal birthday party! So fun and festive!
I have to ask – is the chair vintage or new? I adore it!
Kirsten,
The chair is vintage circa 1969! It goes with the crazy girly, girl desk with yellow accents on the wood filagree detail. I’m pretty sure it was from a Sears or Montgomery Ward catalogue :)
Caitlin
I love world market! Awesome stuff that always spruces up my home and porch!
I love World Market because I always find such unique gorgeous fun items there! What an ideal birthday party! So fun and decorative!
I just love the party decorations! World market has everything you need to host a great party!
Oh my goodness, what a beautiful, fun set up for a 9 year old! This is so unique and pretty- so much better than the traditional everyday birthday party set up! starla.batesATyahooDOTcom
What a lovely spread! What an awesome idea to include her in the planning food, decor and budget. It clearly looks like such a special day!
I love the setup! I’ve never shopped at World Market before so this would be amazing!
World Market is a great go-to for party decor. Thanks for sharing such a sweet party. Ha! no pun intended :)
What an original idea! I loved the photos and it seems like the time spent together planning this unique party was one of the best gifts she received on her special 9th. She’ll always remember this.
I love World Market! Thanks for the giveaway.
rounder9834 @yahoo.com