An Army Themed Boy's Birthday Party

Welcome to Max's Boot Camp.... 

At ELK Prints I recently contributed some special hand-painted watercolour paper decorations (and a genuine hardwood signpost) to a party styled by Decor by Yael - the theme for Max's Birthday party was "army". Yael is a well-established Sydney based stylist and is particularly known for her ability to layer many textures and elements together to create the overall look and atmosphere desired. 

A view of the overall centrepiece table setup styled by Decor by Yael.

You might not automatically think of watercolours in the same sentence as the army but for this party they worked really well. The watercolour textures added a depth, richness and naturalism to the camouflage military pattern. 

This work in progress shot demonstrates the process of layering up the watercolour texture before painting the lettering to finish. 

The backdrop was put together by sewing each motif onto the camouflage netting to secure the pieces in place. 

The individual elements of the backdrop were all hand-painted with watercolours before being cut out. 

Bag tags were also created to add the finishing touch to the thank you bags for guests to take home at the end of the event. 

The camouflage netting once completed looks beautiful hanging outside against a leafy backdrop - the camouflage netting blending into the background perfectly. 

Despite initial reservations I found the theme ultimately quite interesting and fun to work on as I created all the different motifs and elements inspired by the military theme - flack jackets, grenades, helicopters and dog tags are just a few of the objects scattered across the backdrop. A poster, drinks sign and a hardwood signpost with hand-cut stencilled lettering helped complete the look.