For my daughter's 6th birthday, we decided on a princess theme well in advance. This allowed me to keep costs down (a major factor) by shopping for bargains ahead of time, including after-Valentine's Day specials, like plastic, red-stemmed goblets, plastic heart-shaped plates, and red and pink foil-wrapped lip-shaped chocolates for pennies for bags full. We used puffy paint to personalize each goblet with each guest's name. I had sticky jewels for the girls to add during the cake-eating part of the party. I made a castle cake (Family Fun) and served ice cream in small gold crowns that I found at a party store (they were supposed to be nut cups!) The night before the party, we rented a helium tank and filled over 200 balloons! I think the kids liked this most of all! We bought a roll of butcher paper from the warehouse store and covered our walls in the dining room. Then I drew outlines of windows, sconces, suits of armor, etc., and my daughter painted them. We also had a "magic mirror" - a mirror from our basement, lightly sprayed with gold paint. When the girls arrived, they got to select two tiny lipstick samples courtesy of our local Avon lady, and apply them in front of the mirror. We made a cardboard castle from boxes and photographed each girl after she had put on her lipstick and paper crown. We played pin the slipper on the princess, balloon pop, pass the parcel and going to Jerusalem (the person called out got to stop the music and call the next number, plus they got to select a princess figurine from a selection I bought 2/$1 at the dollar store. Each layer of pass the parcel had a different surprise - each girl got to unwrap five surprises (nail stickers, ring pops, tattoos, barettes and nail polish). We placed numbers inside balloons and the girls had to sit on them to pop them - then they traded in their number for a numbered prize. We had cake and ice cream under a canopy outside, and the girls had pipe cleaners and plastic beads for bracelet making when they were done eating and while Rachel opened her gifts. BUT - the REAL KICKER was just before going out to the yard to eat. I had all the girsl sit around me ad read them a story I made up about a princess with a magic treasure box filled with jewels (beaded necklaces and ring pops) and gold coins (chocolate). But an evil ogre had taken it away and left only his footprints behind ... (etc.) While I read, my husband put on an ogre mask, dropped a trail of cardboard footprints out the door and into the backyard, and carried a treasure chect (an old wooden tool chest spray-painted gold) to the back yard. The girls, of course, discovered the footprints and were eager to track down the ogre - ubt I explained to them that he could only be conquered by magic princess potion - i.e., water balloons. My husband was a GREAT SPORT as 12 screaming "princess," each toting two water balloons, descended on him in the back yard! We had lots of fun, and al the girls really enjoyed it. It sounds like a lot, but I planne dit well in advance, and by shopping smart, it cost about $50 for all the decorations, including the helium tank!