Calling all Junior Detectives!!

I haven't done a big birthday party since Tempe's "Silly Moose" party in 2012, but we decided to jump back into the birthday party game this year!

The guest of honor... soon-to-be-six Helena!

Helena decided on a detective party inspired by this adorable trench coat we got at Target (for $6!) Isn't she the cutest detective you have ever seen?

I made "case log" invitations and put them in envelopes that had "classified: for _______________'s eyes only" stamped on them.

Didn't have to purchase a single thing for this display table! I guess I buy too much "vintage" stuff at DI. I have had that old Clue game for years and this is the first time I've used it, but I love how it looked on the table!

Party favors were just little detective kits from the Dollar Tree, wrapped in more brown butcher paper and stamped with "thanks for coming".

I stamped the food labels directly onto the butcher paper. This is "on the trail" mix.

.... "gumshoe" balls

... and "chocolate disguises". I have really gotten a lot of use out of my stupid mustache mold. 

As soon as all the party guests had arrived, I handed out their disguises and we took a picture before they devoured the mustaches. If you look closely, you'll see the masked bandit peeking through the door!

After the girls ate their mustaches, we started detective training. I fingerprinted everyone and then they examined their different fingerprints with a magnifying glass.

After the fingerprinting, the girls had to climb through a yarn "laser" obstacle course on the back deck.

We went back inside and split into two groups. One group observed a page from an I Spy book for 30 seconds and then had to list as many things as they could remember without looking.

The other group examined four different kinds of smashed candy and tried to figure out what they all were, and then the groups switched places.

After detective training, the girls were ready to open presents but... the masked bandit had already gotten there! Jason hid the presents in the backseat of his car while we were doing the obstacle course outside, and when we went to the living room, all that was left was the first clue of a scavenger hunt. All the girls were so excited to follow the clues from place to place, especially since Jason kept putting his mask back on and running across the background. Every time they saw him they all started screaming "The masked bandit! There he is!"
We eventually found all the presents and Helena opened them. Her friends know her well--she got a lot of art supplies, which is her favorite!!

 Finally, we ate zebra cakes, trail mix, and rainbow sherbet and then the girls all played happily together until it was time to go home. It was such a fun party, but so exhausting. I'm really glad that I made Helena choose just one group of friends to invite (the girls from her kindergarten class) instead of everyone she knows (like she wanted to), because I don't think this 8 month pregnant mama could have handled any more!