I remember this one trip that I took as a kid…I was on a raft in the middle of a crocodile infested river.  Either side of the banks was a dark, dense jungle teeming with dangers I couldn’t wait to face.  I was on a mission to get a picture of an elusive jungle cat found only in the darkest cave right in the heart of the jungle.  As my partner and I made our way down the river, I scanned the banks ahead for a good place to go ashore while he kept a lookout for danger that may lurk beneath.  Out of nowhere,  there was a big BOOM!  Before I knew it, I was scrambling beneath a layer of bubbles trying to reach for the surface of the water that would be my sanctuary!  My partner, a dashing fellow who (if my childhood memory serves) had an uncanny resemblance to Harrison Ford, was grappling with a monstrous croc looking to turn us into a meal.  After making a narrow escape, the grueling hours that followed were spent swinging from vines, running from wild animals, and scaling treacherous cliffs…

Sorry, I got a little lost in my memories.

If you didn’t already guess, that wasn’t a real memory.  The reality of the situation was that I filled a backpack with the necessities (plastic binoculars, a hand drawn map, and a pb&j sandwich), piled other “supplies” on my raft made from couch cushions, and began my journey down the river at the faraway town called “My Living Room Floor.”  As for my “dashing fellow” of a partner, now that I’m thinking about it, he had more of the teddy-bear-look than the Indiana Jones one.  What can I say?  I was a very imaginative child, just as I would expect every child to be if you let them.  Which brings me to this week’s featured Mod Party Kit: Jungle Safari!

A  safari themed party is cool at any age.  What adult wouldn’t be ecstatic to transform their home into a jungle and invite all of their friends over to dance the night away to songs like “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” and “Jungle Boogie?”  I would totally do something like that!  But since kids are so great at making an adventure out of anything, I wanted to focus on using these kits for a child’s birthday party.  As soon as I realized my focus, I realized that I was totally stumped; with the entire contents of the mod party kit in front of me, I spent a good minute racking my brain for an idea of what to do with it.  After I spent a couple of frustrating moments  writing down ideas only to cross them out, I settled on a plan of action: I would take a trip to a couple of stores and walk the aisles until inspiration showed its face.  It did!  Even better — I felt like a kid again, outfitting myself for my next big adventure into the great unknown.

Here’s some of the loot that I picked up on my own shopping safari:

It probably looks like another pile of random stuff.  Well, that’s because it is a pile of random stuff!  However, with a little creativity and some handy Mod Party Kit supplies, your future jungle guides will have all the necessary supplies to navigate their way through the deepest parts of any jungle:

Safari Pack Supplies:

1. Drawstring Style Bag – they’re festive, practical, and durable
2. Spyglasses for spotting those faraway creatures
3. Jungle Animals because no safari would be complete without them
4. Event Blossom Notebook to record all your findings in
5. Candy.  Even the most seasoned explorers need sustenance

You can find all of these supplies at the craft store, party supply store, and of course, Event Blossom.  The spyglasses came with a different label on them so I just wrapped them in wet paper towels and peeled the labels off.  Then I used the mini decor stickers from the Mod Party Kit to re-decorate them.

If you can’t find similar bags, another great way to package these goodies is in a Jungle Safari Sweet Shoppe Candy Boxes.

Hand these out at the next kid’s party you throw, let them loose in the yard, and watch their adventures unfold right before your eyes.  I even encourage you to join in on the fun!  When your little explorers are ready for a snack break, give them some of these awesome Banana chocolate chip cupcakes.

Yes, Kate over at Sugar Therapy has done it again, click the pics for the recipe!

Don’t forget to save a cupcake for yourself.  If you forget to eat it, don’t worry — being an adult means you can have cupcakes for breakfast, and these are perfect for breakfast.

Yes, I ate one for breakfast.  I won’t tell if you don’t!

-Kimi