I started with the invitations. I had purchased plastic bottles with cork stoppers at a local craft store, the invitation was a parchment look paper that I typed out on the computer-Ahoy mateys! Setting sail to Trevor Island (my son's name) date, time, etc. I put sailing ship stickers on them, burned the edges of the paper, rolled them up, tied them and put them into the bottles with a torn out name tag sticker stuck to the bottle. Use old looking font for the printing. The kids loved the invitations and bottles!For the actual party I decorated my dining room (which was redwood paneled) in pirate decorations. The jolly roger flag for the main curtain/sail, on the other window I had fishing net with shells in it draped on the window. A treasure map hung on one wall. Pirate pictures, swords on other walls. We had a pin the pirate closest to the treasure chest game on another wall. We also played "drop the peg leg" which is dropping clothes pins into a bottle. Around the room were other items-a large clock, globe, an upturned wooden barrell with black balloons blown up just enough to look like cannon balls taped to the top of the barrell. A large blow up palm tree, and the lights were replaced with red/yellow candle burning type light bulbs. Black and red balloons and streamers were hung from the four corners of the room to the center brass chandelier. Our table setting was all pirates and ships plates and cups, a plastic treasure map table cloth and the cake was 2 13x9" cakes on top of one another then cut to shape of ship. Frosted with brown icing with lines made by a knife to resemble planking. Small chocolate balls grouped to look like cannon balls, and pirouette cookies edged it for a rail look. It was topped with my son's Imaginext pirates and sails. Each child had a Halloween skull (basket type)with a pirate paper cut out hat with name written on it and filled with gold coin chocolates. Small jolly roger flags were passed out after the games. Each child also received a paper pirate hat, plastic hook, and eyepatch. After the pirate pizza, pirate cake and ice cream, we all went outside for the treasure hunt. I had bought small wood boxes at my craft store painted them black them outlined the edges with gold paint and also wrote each child's name on the top. The treasure chests were filled with pirate booty-Plastic telescopes, plastic gold coins, gem rings, pirate yo-yo, a smaller tooth keeper chest and the like. This was some time to do-but if you break it down into daily or even weekly lists it's not bad. I had as much fun as the kids did. I found all my items either at the craft store or online. Imagination is your only limit. The kids all loved the party and even the adults were still talking about it days later. It was the best birthday party! When I totalled my costs I was just slightly higher than when we went to a certain Cheez' pizza parlor the year before and this blew that away!