For my daughter 5th Birthday party she selected a circus theme, which is surprising considering she's afraid of clowns. For invitations, I used cheap white stock card and envelope. Used red construction paper to make a big top for front of card.  Square base and canopied top. Square base to be glued on sides and bottom, top to be left open to create a pocket for admit ticket.(child's school was willing to donate a couple dozen tickets).  Standard greeting on inside.  Made for wonderful keepsake.  I kept decorations simple.  Used red/white crepe paper to make a canopy(big top) in my kitchen.  Hung paper clown faces (party supply store) from the ceiling.  Bright table/paperware was placed aroung the cakes. A lion cake and a clown cake, both made by myself. Peanuts placed around table. Lion cake: (This one I'll give Martha Stewart credit for).  Layer 2 round cakes. Take a cupcake and cut off the round top to create a snout. Place on top of the 2 layered cakes, use a toothpick to anchor.  Frost all with yellow icing. Take a toothpick to draw in eyes and nose.( Eyes at top of cake, triangle shaped nose on snout) Round tip, black icing to fill in eyes/nose.    Make 3 different shades of orange and use star tip to create mane starting at edge of cake and piling down all sides. The more icing used, fuller mane lookes. Clown cake: Bake one round and one small rectangle. cut the rectangle like a "v" to make 3 triangles. One triangle placed vertically above the round to make the hat, two below the round to make bow tie.   Round cake to be decorated as face.  Each child was given a foam clown nose and sent to the face painting station.  To make this easier for my friend, went to the library and found a face painting book and chose easier designs for her, and made it less indecisive on the kids. A card table was set up, manned by yet another friend, for crafts.  Took a piece of bright colored construction paper, folded in half. I had already measured and cut out a place for a polaroid and had the words "Clowning around at Jordans' house".  Had various pictures of clown "stuff" that each child got to color, glitter, puff paint, glue, etc.  After each childs' face was painted, took the poloroid and stuck it in their self made frame. Went to dollar store and bought all kinds of goodies.  Child took turns throwing darts at colored balloons.  Whatever color you popped, got to pick from that "color" toy pile. Used construction paper to indicate pile. Construction paper on the floor made for a good old fashioned candy walk. Same concept as above. Had an elephant game (ring around the nosey) where the child puts on an elephant mask and tries to pick up hoops with the end of their nose. Of course no party is complete without the clown pinata.  Husband and a grandparent were willing to don clown costumes, but no show. Went to a local convenience store and was given popcorn boxes. These I used for goody bags. Filled up with candy, crafts, prizes, and cotton candy bags.