My daughter requested a “Jasmine” party this year.  I like to get away from the princess themes, so I suggested we call it an Arabian Nights party.  She wasn’t for it at all until she was watching “Aladdin” and the song at the beginning is called “Arabian Nights.”  Then, my idea wasn’t so bad.

I started a Pinterest board for inspiration, and we started with the invitation.  We decided on an invitation from Vistaprint.  It was actually hard to find an Arabian/Moroccan themed invite for under $2 each, but we did.

Next, we started shopping for decor.  Ikea has some great lanterns, tea light holders, vases and bottles that fit our theme and color scheme.  The color scheme runs the gamut of anything from jewel tones to pastels.  If you watch “Aladdin,” you’ll see how many different colors there are in the movie.  We tried to stick with pinks, blues, greens, purples and golds.

I used anything already in my house that resembled Arabian Nights.  I pulled all of my rugs, table clothes, and every decorative pillow I own to make the party tables.  I then used Ikea and Dollar Tree items to decorate each table.

For the photo booth area, I used fans and stars purchased at Party City.  I threw a rug over a stepping stool and used a garden stool for additional seating, then cut a piece of poster board to resemble a Moroccan building.  We took a photo of each guest and my daughter when they arrived.

Since the party was in the late afternoon, I kept food simple.  I served honey sandwiches shaped as stars, hummus with pita chips and veggies, meringue cookies, and grapes.  I then made Jasmine Slipper Cookies using Milanos, Wilton Melts and pearl cake decorations {they’re super simple!

Melt the chocolate, I picked blue, and dip half of a Milano in the melted chocolate.  Line them up on a baking sheet with waxed paper and decorate with the pearls while the chocolate is still pliable.  Stick the baking sheet in the freezer until the chocolate is hardened.}

And then there were candy kabobs.

Next was the cake.  I used a strawberry Duncan Hines cake mix and vanilla frosting.  I colored the frosting an aqua greenish color to match Jasmine’s outfit {which looks blue at times, and green at times.}  I used an entire bottle of gold sprinkles and threw them everywhere until they stuck.  More landed on the floor then the cake, but this was the result…

I personalized the cake with a chocolate “E” made from left over chocolate and my daughter wanted a Jasmine cake topper {aka one of her toys.  We sterilized it, don’t worry.}  For drinks we served “Jasmine Juice “{aka purple Kool-Aid} and blueberry lemonade.  The mom’s got a special version {blueberry lemonade with blueberry vodka.}

The takeaway was rock candy and gumballs.

The party was a hit!  The girls loved sitting on the pillows eating their treats and cake.  If you’re looking for a different theme, I would suggest an Arabian Nights party.  It’s shining, shimmering and splendid.