The weather is changing, and with the new round light in the sky, my daughter was inspired to celebrate her 7th birthday with sunshine as the theme. These sunshine birthday party ideas should be helpful if you are wanting to create your own celebration with a sunshine theme. Of course, we did this for her birthday. However, it’s an adorable theme for a baby shower as well. Many people love to embrace the phrase, “You are my Sunshine,” when talking of their children.
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Sunshine Birthday Party Ideas
From food, to games, to decorations, I hope these ideas awaken your own imagination for what a yellow, bright, sunny party might look like in your own home. I created my own sun graphics – Sunshine Graphic Version 1 and Sunshine Graphic Version 2 – that you can download for free for your own use. These graphics became the foundation for my design. They were incorporated into the wall design, jar party favors and invitations.
Sunshine Birthday Party Invitations
The invitations I designed on Canva, which is a free online graphics program I use often. I used my sunshine polka dot graphic as the inspiration for my “You are my Sunshine” birthday invitation for my sweet Kenzie.
Sunshine Birthday Party Decorations
Hanging above the table were yellow tissue paper pom poms. You can find out how to make them here or you can buy yellow tissue paper pom poms here
. Hanging with the pom poms were yellow lanterns
. You could also use yellow pinwheels, which you can find directions to make here or purchase here
.
The table was set with yellow Recollections Craft It Decorative Lattice Paper Roll (found at Michael’s) on top of a white table cloth. Bright yellow flowers were put into mason jars and set down the middle of the table. 
We had white plastic plates. On top of the plates were yellow plastic utensils
wrapped in a yellow polka-dot napkin
and white 6.5 inch doily
. It was all tied together with yellow bakers twine
.
Lemonade
was served in 16 oz mason jars
 and had mason jar labels
 with the word lemonade written in them. This was also decorated with yellow bakers twine
. It’s easy to glam up the look of your mason jars by following these simple instructions and using yellow scrapbook paper
 (linked to something cute on Amazon, but I found mine at Michael’s) and yellow striped paper straws
.
The party favor was a little candy jar
 filled with yellow jelly bellies
. We decorated these with the yellow bakers twine
and used my 2nd sunshine graphic, which I made the perfect size for you and then printed out on printable sticker paper
.
The food table had a white table cloth
 decorated with yellow paper flags
. I made the sunshine by cutting out circles using yellow poster board
. I created it by tracing different sized bowls and cutting out the circles. I then simply taped them to the wall to match the graphic I had created. Yellow poster board letters
 spelled out “YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE.”  The mac & cheese in cupcakes liner were set on top of a wire cupcake stand
 (couldn’t find the actual one I own). The white-washed wood crates I found on sale at Michael’s.
Sunshine Food Ideas
We planned the party for lunch time, so we provided a full spread for guests to enjoy.
I made my favorite creamy mac & cheese. My daughter loves mac & cheese, this was her request, but it also fit the yellow theme nicely. We had a large family party, as per Kenzie’s request, so I doubled the recipe. I had one baked in a 9×13. For the food table display I served them in yellow polka-dot cupcake liners
. The recipe and cooking instructions are exactly the same, but rather than putting the recipe in a 9×13, you simply line muffin tins and bake them in there.
Corn was another item I served. I thought it would be cute to serve it on a wooden dowel
. It was a fun presentation.
Lemon yogurt was served in a yellow polka-dot bowl. Surrounding the bowl was pineapple slices, cut in half and shaped to look like sun rays.
I had a salad served on the side for any kids or adults who wanted that.
Dessert was my lemon chiffon sponge cake recipe decorated with a ombre petal buttercream technique. Find out how to do the ombre petal technique here.
I also served yellow spiral lollipops
in an yellow tin (found at Party City) filled with yellow jelly bellies
. The tin wasn’t completely full. I used a styrofoam ball
to not only take up space in the tin but also provide the stability to hold the lollipops in place.
Sunshine Birthday Party Ideas
The rest of the party was filled with classic party games like musical chairs, pass the parcel and the beloved piñata. The piñata I found at Winco. It originally had a green “ribbon” that I just changed out to white. We opened presents and just celebrated our daughter with food and time together.
