DIY Mario-Themed Party Decor And Food

I wanted to show you how to create this Mario-themed birthday party on a budget for yourselves, by using Mario-themed party decor and food that is easy to make. It was not only fun to do but also not time-consuming.

Most items for this Mario-themed birthday party were purchased at Walmart or the Dollar Store. Similar items can also be found on Amazon as well.

To learn how I planned the entire party on a budget, visit my blog post on Mario-Themed Birthday Party On A Budget.

Have you also found any tips that you could share? Please feel free to add to my list, or ask your questions or concerns below. I would be happy to help you!

“Highly requested DIY Mario-themed birthday party decor and food ideas!”

Invitations

Canva was my go-to for invitations for this party. It really took me just minutes to create this DIY card which I sent via text to my party guest.

If you prefer giving out the card versions of invites better than the digital, then a great way to save is to purchase a pack of cards in the dollar store or try making them from scratch at home with cardstock or by getting a printable version from free resources available online or Etsy purchases.

Mushroom flower in pVC pipe

The mushroom flower was made using the following items:

• Small red paper plates (Walmart or Dollar store)
• White and green construction paper
• Wooden Chopsticks (had them at home in my cutlery drawer)
• Green Acrylic Paint (Walmart -0.50cents or Amazon)
• PVC Pipes from a hardware store (Home Depot – 2 pipes were $4.00) or PVC Pipes (Amazon)
• Triangle sponge (or any old sponge).
• Gorilla Wood Glue

1. Use a ruler and scissors to cut out a triangle in the red plates.
2. Draw and cut out circles of different sizes for the dots on the mushroom.
3. Draw and cut out the lips for the mushroom from the white construction paper
4. Glue the pieces together.
5. Use green acrylic paint, to paint the chopsticks green.
6. Attach them to your mushrooms using wood glue or any type of strong glue. You can also tape them to the back.
7. Cut out leaves from green construction paper or cardstock and glue them to the chopsticks.
8. Paint your PVC pipes using the triangle sponge with the same acrylic paint used above and allow them to dry. I used three coats of paint.
9. Cut circles from green foam paper and glue to the bottom of the PVC pipe.
10. Shred green construction paper using a paper shredder to use as the base for the flowers. Alternatively cut them up into tiny pieces with scissors.
11. Insert the chopsticks into white Styrofoam (I got it from a product box I was throwing out) and place it into the PVC pipes.
12. Cover the top with shredded green construction paper.

Super Mario brick block

This was made using the following items:

• Small square 20 x 20-inch boxes. (use any small boxes around your house or get them for free at any store)
• Brown construction paper (Dollar Store)
• Wall-printed paper received from My Super Mario Boy

1. I wrapped my boxes in construction paper because I wanted to hide any wording on the boxes but technically you can skip that step. It’s not necessary as I ended up wrapping the boxes even more.
2. Using the wall printouts I received from My Super Mario Boy, I decided to cut them out and wrap my boxes with them (trying to stick to my budget). Hint: I only added prints to the side that would be visible on the photo. Such as the tops, front, and one of the sides.
3. Another option is to purchase brick-like wrapping paper and wrap your boxes.

Question Mark Block

This was made using the following items:

• Small square 23 x 24-inch boxes (use any medium-sized boxes around your house or get them for free at any store)
• Large yellow Posterboard (Dollar Tree -79 cents) or yellow cardstock paper
• Lego Napkin (leftover napkin from another party)
• White construction paper

1. Cut four squares out of the large yellow poster board or regular cardstock paper, the size of each side of the box (or use four sheets of yellow cardstock paper).
2. Draw question marks on white cardstock paper, or regular A4 printer paper. Cut them out and glue them to the yellow cardstock paper.
3. I like to find items that I already have to use on my projects. In this case, I had leftover napkins from a Lego-themed birthday party. I cut the circles out of them and glued them to the cardstock to get the look of 3D circles. However, you can just cut circles out in the yellow cardstock paper instead to get the look of holes on your question mark box.
4. Glue all four squares that you made to the box.

Marshmallow pops

This was made using the following items:

• Bag of marshmallows (Walmart -$1.00 or Amazon)
• Wilton red candy melts (Walmart -$2.56 or Amazon)
• Striped green straws (Dollar Store or Amazon)
• Red kids party cups (Walmart or Amazon)

1. Insert straws into the marshmallow.
2. Melt candy according to the instructions on the bag.
3. Dip the top of the marshmallow into the melted candy.
4. Leave in a cup or container to air dry.
5. I displayed them using three regular small red cups I purchased for the party that was 97 cents at Walmart.

Chocolate pudding goomba cups

This was made using the following:

• Clear plastic cups (Dollar Tree (1 pack of 8 -$1.00) or Amazon)
• 2 packs Great Value chocolate pudding family pack (Walmart – 0.84 cents/pack or Amazon)
• White Highlighter Pen (Amazon)
• Black Marker

1. Prepare the chocolate pudding according to the instructions on the box. (I used two packs of family-size chocolate pudding and had an extra 4 cups of serving leftover). Calculate according to the serving amount listed on the box to get an idea of how much you will need for your party.
2. Using a white highlighter pen or white paint, draw the eyes and teeth on your cups.
3. Using a black marker, draw the pupil of the eye, eyebrow, and mouth on your cups.
4. Pour the chocolate pudding into the cups and chill in the refrigerator.

Starman Nutella Sandwiches

This was made using the following:

• Brioche sliced bread (what I had available). You can use any bread of your choice.
• Nutella
• Star cookie cutter (Walmart -0.97 cents or Amazon)

1. Using two slices of bread, spread Nutella on one side of bread, then add the other bread to cover.
2. Use the star-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the stars from the sandwiches.

Question mark Jello

This was made using the following:

• 2 packs Great Value pineapple jello (Walmart -0.36 cents /pack -calculated according to the serving size on the box) or use Jello brand pineapple or lemon jello (Amazon)
• Great Value white icing (Walmart – $1.98) or Wilton Gel tube (Amazon)
• Clear plastic cups (Dollar Tree (1 pack of 8 -$1.00) or Amazon)

1. Prepare the jello according to the instructions on the box. (I used two packs of jello). Calculate according to the serving amount listed on the box to get an idea of how much you will need for your party.
2. Pour the jello into the cups.
3. Allow jello to set in the refrigerator for about an hour.
4. Remove from the refrigerator and pipe the white icing on the jello in the shape of a question mark.
5. Return to the refrigerator until the party is ready.

A gel version is also available on Amazon, which would make it easier to write the question mark.

Question mark Rice Crispies treat

This was made using the following:

• Box of Rice Crispies Treat – Costco or ready-made ones in Walmart bakery for $5.00
• Great Value white icing (Walmart-$1.98) or Wilton gel tube (Amazon)

1. Using piped icing from the Great Value icing tube (purchased at Walmart for $1.98) or Wilton gel tube (Amazon), apply the question marks to the Rice Crispies treat.

Food place cards

The food place cards were made using Canva. Canva is my go-to for anything printed DIY. They are actually free to use. You can also get the pro version which offers you even more templates and creative ideas to try.

I have enclosed a FREE blank template PDF download of the place cards for you to use at your party.

Canva enables you to edit the PDF and write the food names on the card by following these simple steps:

1. Once you download Canva, you can either drag your PDF file on the main page of Canva or click create a design in the top right-hand corner and look down for Import PDF.
2. You can then upload the PDF directly into Canva and edit the labels.
3. Choose your own font style, color, or design.

name plates

This was made using the following:

• Gold small dessert plates
• White construction paper or regular A4 white printer paper
• Mounting putty or tape

1. Draw and cut out the letters of the name from white construction paper or regular A4 paper.
2. Glue the letters to the gold plates, then attach the plates to the wall with mounting putty or tape.

Overall, these were the ideas that I used to plan this Mario-inspired birthday party.

If you would like to know more about planning kids’ parties visit my blog post on How To Plan A Kids’ Birthday Party On A Budget.

Follow my Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest @mommytobeandbeyond and Twitter @mom2bandbeyond to see exciting photos of our family activities together.

Did you find the strategies listed in this article helpful? What were some of your favorite tips? How have they worked for you? Leave a comment below, I’d love to know what you think.

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