<h2>An Exciting Reptile Birthday Party Theme! </h2>
![20171015_113727.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmSNUzqENxsPkaW6xXvBJ3Lm3zctyBHzipS1xiTGKcs7vJ/20171015_113727.jpg)

![images.jfif](https://steemitimages.com/DQmST6dfA8FWoBuPu8d773uLh1iYaXG3eF485DdqNUSf8aM/images.jfif)
***Happy Birthday!!***

Usually we like to keep it simple on birthdays and celebrate with close family, cake and presents.  Unfortunately, this year we wouldn’t be able to have had the privilege to celebrate with them... (they all live overseas!) 
Recently it was my son’s birthday and we really wanted to do something extra exciting for him this year and invite all our great close friends and his classmates. I pushed my limits and knew that this was the perfect time for me to start the fun and creativity and set up a DIY Birthday theme at home! I thought right away about the perfect birthday theme for him: a ***REPTILE PARTY THEME!*** Since he adores animals, especially reptiles 😊 
What a fun party for a little boy (or girl!) There are so many cute and creative reptile ideas that I love! 
I admit, it took a lot of planning, since this was my first time trying this out and arranging everything for such a big party, but it was definitely worth it. We had about 35 people over! 19 of them were kids, so the planning was not only to entertain the children but adult friends as well! With all that, I had a great time being creative and arranging it all, and even better- my son was in it too, so it got him even more pumped up and excited and loved helping me out with choosing and buying all kinds of things for his birthday. 😊  
<p>https://steemitimages.com/DQmUGNxekvoUafvkqQSpEYfVZ7N1RxFcHxvZKYx84vxrhWP/25.png</p>

<h3>***For the overall colour theme*** </h3>

We decorated the outdoor area mostly with the colours orange and green (mostly by balloons and tablecloths) 
We put all the snacks on one table in small / medium sized bowls and labelled each treat with a reptile theme:
‘beetle wings’ for chips, ‘snake pit’ for gummy snakes, ‘snake eyes’ for grapes on sticks, the raisins got a roll as “dried ants”, and apparently the kids favourite was : the “turtle poop” (which they thought was especially amusing!)

https://steemitimages.com/DQmQXc1TNYB87Vdgbo2BiNyEKtVPszn1PZ5G4SJdmoa82tU/20171015_094145.jpg

https://steemitimages.com/DQmSt4ke9Xfcy9h7iUPAJX7JUXVhMwBTEpGE6sqjWZBDJCk/8.png

https://steemitimages.com/DQmTZbqMo7oCsWEQ2qxNG5zPYic5apvNETvfS443P8VJqaF/20171015_094902.jpg

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https://steemitimages.com/DQmbnBAkAwBWotyPVfELJrJmScMvEcLkCGQU4kBExZuTktg/20171015_094829.jpg

https://steemitimages.com/DQmSt4ke9Xfcy9h7iUPAJX7JUXVhMwBTEpGE6sqjWZBDJCk/8.png

***Some more ideas for treats  and centrepieces for edible decorations:***

https://steemitimages.com/DQmcZ1jCBXSKqfKd2xDwSB43FC8oge5DrRBMqvJ2U2Syngo/20171015_094836.jpg
https://steemitimages.com/DQmSt4ke9Xfcy9h7iUPAJX7JUXVhMwBTEpGE6sqjWZBDJCk/8.png

<div class="pull-left">https://steemitimages.com/DQmbVtCht6GrXhRf8SvzHkwELWdheZrsXMnugAikFFHuzV2/20171015_094941.jpg</div>
<div class="pull-right">https://steemitimages.com/DQmY5dCKWGJSDArq1BSH2yt1ftHsMeEf9DoPpu3WZ1sueKe/20171015_094811.jpg
https://steemitimages.com/DQmbioCLaimWrxQU2FK7ezdn7wMCmEqSro9Vts7SGCxGz3g/20171015_094804.jpg</div>

https://steemitimages.com/DQmPmDf9Fb6QpB1RNFQxsAJGrmQLiUf93M52ZL8dmp7kFYS/20171014_131739.jpg
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<center>https://steemitimages.com/DQmSt4ke9Xfcy9h7iUPAJX7JUXVhMwBTEpGE6sqjWZBDJCk/8.png</center>

<h3>***Adult "Entertainment"***</h3>
***‘A way to a man’s heart is through his stomach’***
We knew the best way to entertain our guest friends was with food! :) We wanted to give a taste of something different than what they are used to here in Australia. So we decided to give them a taste of good authentic ***Middle Eastern food!***
We set up a large buffet table in the house and placed all our favourite middle eastern dishes from: ***pitas, tehina, hummus, shakshuka, chopped salad, brown boiled eggs, fried eggplant*** and more.
This table was always busy! 

https://steemitimages.com/DQma4WoYE28coPWExBkdCmak7RqfLSPCHcTyscHsnFeG828/20171015_094037.jpg

https://steemitimages.com/DQmSt4ke9Xfcy9h7iUPAJX7JUXVhMwBTEpGE6sqjWZBDJCk/8.png

https://steemitimages.com/DQmedZcudGgW95ziLXJ9ZYNVY8sYntr3RZ1yrKYTzg1XFrd/20171015_094007.jpg

https://steemitimages.com/DQmSt4ke9Xfcy9h7iUPAJX7JUXVhMwBTEpGE6sqjWZBDJCk/8.png

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https://steemitimages.com/DQmSt4ke9Xfcy9h7iUPAJX7JUXVhMwBTEpGE6sqjWZBDJCk/8.png

https://steemitimages.com/DQmcMWQLPCVAhtacyRbsL3RqKkpW9j5udHPj8J8uWE7sQgf/20171015_094010.jpg
Hot tasty Shakshuka at the center of the table

https://steemitimages.com/DQmSt4ke9Xfcy9h7iUPAJX7JUXVhMwBTEpGE6sqjWZBDJCk/8.png
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<h2>The Sabich</h2>
[Sabih Pic Source](http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2016/03/sabich-sandwich-eggplant-egg-hummus-pita-recipe.html)<div class="pull-right">https://steemitimages.com/DQmQWWtFQmxZwJiXubWXsW7o84SCtwkkBBTGZksk15NZJf9/Sabich.jpg</div>
My husband was teaching everyone how to put together a ***'Sabich'*** pita sandwich-***'Sabich'*** is a pita sandwich stuffed with ***fried eggplant slices, a hard-boiled egg (I love cooking them until they are brown), Israeli pickles, chopped salad, hummus and topped with a bit of tahini and Amba*** (a spicy mango sauce)
this is what it looks like after putting it together:

It's sooooo delicious!! 

<center>https://steemitimages.com/DQmSt4ke9Xfcy9h7iUPAJX7JUXVhMwBTEpGE6sqjWZBDJCk/8.png</center>

<h3>***Kids Entertainment-***</h3>
To keep the kids busy and entertained, we invited an instructor/wildlife ranger to present some of Australia’s amazing reptiles and educate about them. He filled our house with snakes-pythons (with a chance of holding them!), lizards, a small croc, turtles, tarantula, frogs, etc… and gave us a fantastic show! He had my son stand by him and be his ‘little helper’ the whole time, which made him feel even more special. I definitely recommend having such an activity- not only did the kids love it but our friends were fascinated as well! I couldn’t help but secretly took pictures of their reactions and their moments of ***“feeling like a child again”*** 😊 Lol! 

<div class="pull-left">https://steemitimages.com/DQmQXNbnZQjUfsF4sDALXTK8ws2bg3iCt3Gg8M39LmZk7Hh/20171015_104919.jpg</div>
<div class="pull-right">https://steemitimages.com/DQmRBZNFgNKnmMBsktWk5bLHcGHStVesSugd2WsjGWxJEKb/20171015_105452.jpg</div>

<center>https://steemitimages.com/DQmSt4ke9Xfcy9h7iUPAJX7JUXVhMwBTEpGE6sqjWZBDJCk/8.png</center>

 
<h3>***THE CAKE-*** </h3>
After the reptile entertainment was over we had the birthday cake. I modeled the cake after a design I found on Pinterest by: [bestcakeideas.club]( https://www.pinterest.com.au/source/bestcakeideas.club/). 
AHHHH! … that cake.... I REALLY pushed my limit there and challenged myself with this cake!!! I have NEVER made any layered cake, nor used piping, frostings or colours! I learned it all through soooo many videos I’ve watched on the net a few days before! It took me a very long time to make and I almost gave up, but having said that, in the end, I was very pleased with the outcome😊 Especially since I learned it all from scratch a few days earlier!! 
<h3>This is my reptile/bug cake: </h3>

<div class=pull-left>https://steemitimages.com/DQmU6H38SoVq79vhiR9R5HnKzWNt9wjWrKQCN3wUBF9QKgR/20171015_113534_023.jpg</div>

<div class=pull-right>>https://steemitimages.com/DQmSNUzqENxsPkaW6xXvBJ3Lm3zctyBHzipS1xiTGKcs7vJ/20171015_113727.jpg</div>

For the bugs - I melted chocolate and with a toothpick I drew chocolate insects on a baking sheet (I found this on ‘Pinterest’ – at: [chocolate bugs]( https://pin.it/6ljas7w3awx7gu) . I cut M&Ms to pieces that would fit and decorate them, placed it in the freezer and voila! – homemade chocolate bugs. I also added a few plastic toy insects (after giving them a nice wash) to make it more colourful. 

<center>https://steemitimages.com/DQmSt4ke9Xfcy9h7iUPAJX7JUXVhMwBTEpGE6sqjWZBDJCk/8.png</center>

<h3>***Party Favors!***</h3>
The party favors were alot of fun! 
We handed out bubble wands during the party, so bubbles were floating all around and the kids just loved them!

<div class=pull-left>https://steemitimages.com/DQmNhCKxWyFG293aYa4jv2kDy1xLt5ZiYLMaVUVAkVsW2Pt/20171015_095041.jpg</div>

<div class=pull-right>https://steemitimages.com/DQmQRraGk6CaadyyGEqaZcfJkwTZeEowsnzmxgCv1WsdpHW/20171015_095028.jpg</div>


And to end it all with a nice treat-  each child received before he/she left a kinder egg in a cone wrapped in cellophane wrapping and a ribbon, with a few little surprise treats inside (a gummy snake, m&ms, a plastic toy bug and a mini lolly-pop hidden in the cone. I also got this idea through ‘Pinterest’ at: [Cone party favor]( https://pin.it/gkrqfzoctfofzi)  and I really enjoyed putting it all together. So simple and a really cute DIY gift 😊 

https://steemitimages.com/DQmT1CFNCyfD7mLDYw4nF2NzjuW2u3zJcFGzfC11P1RHtpW/20171015_095328.jpg
***Kinder egg in a cone party favor***
<center>It was definitely a great happy and exciting day! 
My son couldn’t stop taking about it and that alone was good enough for me! 😊


<center>https://steemitimages.com/DQmXRA3gd6DatSkYNYEWWaWrhbJJUURWuXm8rQb3UqSDxcg/28.png</center>

https://media.giphy.com/media/Kwi3CtKyY5vd6/giphy.gif</center>

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<center><h3>***Thank you for reading,I hope you enjoyed!***</h3></center>

<center>Pictures from the party are original and mine, taken with my super professional camera- on my Galaxy 7 phone:)</center>

For more about me you can checkout [My intro post #1](https://steemit.com/introducemyself/@cooknbake/introducing-myself-so-this-is-me) and: [My intro post #2](https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@cooknbake/introducemyself-moments-in-my-life)


<center><h3>Please don't forget to UPVOTE, FOLLOW @cooknbake and RESTEEM if you enjoyed :)

Thank you all for your comments upvotes and support!</h3>

***See you soon!***

<h2>Much love</h2>

<h2>@cooknbake</h2></center>

![The Alliance.png](https://steemitimages.com/DQmc75yMiEvNZwe9U2sA7t4ghotVDAWpZp3VsJaRYaJ3fDV/The%20Alliance.png)