I Hosted a Shimmer & Shine Party
“Now My Living Room is 87% Glitter (and 100% Worth It)”
It started with a sentence. A dramatic, wide-eyed sentence delivered by my five-year-old while wearing a sparkly tutu, two tiaras, and one sock: “Mommy, I want a genie party. With REAL sparkles. Like, Shimmer and Shine sparkles.” I blinked. Nodded. And said, “Absolutely.” Because when your kid asks for a birthday filled with magic, glitter, and cartoon genies, you don’t say no.
And well, challenge accepted.
You roll up your sleeves, grab the confetti, and mentally prepare for a sugar-fueled adventure in DIY party madness. This is the story of how I threw a sparkly, sassy, joy-filled Shimmer & Shine party in my humble little home — no palace, no genie lamp, just a whole lot of dollar store decor, printable magic, and mom-fueled creativity. And yes, I’m still finding glitter in my carpet.
Credit: Shimmer & Shine Party for Jasmine’s 5th Birthday by Confetti Fair
Still, with a little creativity, lots of coffee, and my trusty editable Canva invitation kit, I managed to pull off the sparkliest, most magical, budget-friendly Shimmer and Shine birthday bash. And now? I’m here to share that whole journey with you. Speaking of journeys, let’s talk about where this party actually happened—because no, I didn’t rent a genie palace. Although, spoiler: my living room kinda looked like one by the end.
My Living Room? Now a Whole New World
Let me be clear, I didn’t rent a venue. I didn’t hire a party planner with a unicorn business card. I had my 600-square-foot living room, a Pinterest board that was way too ambitious, and the kind of overconfidence only coffee and chaos can produce. I dragged the coffee table to a corner and threw down every pillow in the house like I was building a genie lounge for the royal family. I hung scarves from curtain rods. Tied dollar store streamers to everything that didn’t move.
Credit: Shimmer & Shine Party for Jasmine’s 5th Birthday by Confetti Fair
I even found a roll of gold tulle in my “random craft drawer” (which is honestly just where my hope lives) and used it to drape our dining chairs like thrones. My husband walked in mid-decorating and said, “Did the genie throw up in here?” and I said, “THANK YOU.” Because yes. That was the vibe. I bought a $2 lavender tablecloth and declared it “Genie Central.” Taped plastic jewels to the walls.
Credit: Nadia L’s Birthday / Shimmer and Shine – Photo Gallery at Catch My Party
And strung battery-powered fairy lights from the ceiling using a combination of string, safety pins, and my sheer will to make this party look magical. It wasn’t perfect. It was better — because it felt like pure joy. And the best part? The kids didn’t care that the magic carpet was a yoga mat with glitter tape. In their eyes, they were in Zahramay Falls. And honestly? So was I.
Let’s Talk Invitations
“Why I Swear by These Free Shimmer & Shine Invitations”
Now, let’s talk invites. I’ve seen moms spend enough on birthday invitations to feed an entire preschool class for a week. But I am here to tell you — you do NOT need to drop $$$ to impress. I made our Shimmer & Shine invitations for FREE using Canva, and they were so cute I almost cried. The design had Shimmer, Shine, Tala, Nahal, AND sparkles. Pastels, genie fonts, magic vibes — the works. I edited them on my phone while watching a baking show and eating cold pizza. And somehow, they turned out amazing.
I sent them via text and email (because it’s 2025 and we’re not chasing envelopes anymore), and moms were texting me back with “OMG this invite is ADORABLE” before they even RSVP’d. One even printed it and stuck it on her fridge. Power move. I also made matching printable signs, cupcake toppers, and favor tags using the same Canva kit. Everything looked coordinated. Everything looked intentional. I, a mom who had literally just spilled juice on her sock, looked like I had my life together.
CUSTOMIZE AND DOWNLOAD NOW ON CANVA!
Beginner’s Guides
Before you get too wrapped up in planning the rest of your party magic, let’s talk about invitations! Our free invitation templates are not only adorable, but they’re super easy to customize too. Whether you’re adding in party details like the date, time, and location or even a special note, you can personalize everything to fit your theme perfectly.
A. Download Instruction
Want to know how? Read this step-by-step guide to help you download and customize our free editable invitation templates:
- Scroll up the page until you see the “Download Free Editable … Here” button.
- A new page will be shown in seconds, and you will be able to see the preview of our template designs.
- Choose/click the “Edit Template” button (blue button).
- Now you can personalize our templates, like putting your son or daughter’s name, changing the font-size and color.
- Once you finished with the editing, you can download the final draft (Go to File > Download > Select the File Type (PNG is the best option) > Download.
B. How to Print the file?
“Steps for printing our templates”
- Save the image you want to print to the computer or to a flash drive if it is not saved already. (Step 5 of Download Instruction).
- Go to the file explorer and find the file. Double click the image.
- The file will open in Windows Photo Viewer
- Go to print at the top and then go to the print option
- Select the color printer if you want the photo to print in color
- Select the print size you want
- You may want to play around with the “Fit picture to frame” option. Sometimes that option will allow the photo to print closer to the border, but sometimes it will cut off the edges of the photo.
- Hit print and Voila!!!
Speaking of birthday parties, we avoid to see anything basic, especially when it comes to children’s birthdays. By unusual, I mean something that isn’t typical Floral theme, but rather something like what’s in this page or something like these, Delightful Shimmer And Shine and Cute Mighty Skye and Everest birthday invitation templates.
Let’s Talk About the Cake
Okay, this cake. Was it professionally made? No. Was it baked with love and a little chaos while I sang the Shimmer and Shine theme song at 11 p.m.? Absolutely. I baked vanilla cupcakes — because I don’t trust myself to stack a cake — and topped them with purple and teal swirls of buttercream, edible glitter, and tiny gold genie lamps I made out of shiny cardstock and toothpicks. One kid gasped and said, “Did a genie make these??” and I said, “Yes. Her name is Mom.”
Credit: DIY SHIMMER AND SHINE CUPCAKES by Rosanna Pansino on YouTube
We also served what I proudly dubbed “Magic Carpet Pizzas”—they were supposed to be little rectangle slices to match the flying carpet vibe, but I accidentally cut them into triangles because apparently my geometry skills vanish when I’m holding a pizza cutter. Oh well, triangle carpets it was! The kids didn’t mind one bit. We had “Genie Gems,” which were just colorful jelly beans tossed into sparkly plastic cups.
Credit: Pink Sparkling Punch by Kraft Heinz
One thing I’ve learned from throwing birthday parties is that the best moments aren’t always the ones you obsessively planned or pinned three months in advance. Nope. It’s usually the little surprises—the lopsided cake, the kid who started a spontaneous dance party, the glitter that mysteriously ends up in your sock drawer three weeks later. Those tiny, sparkly glitches in the matrix are what make the day unforgettable. So don’t stress if things go a little sideways. That’s where the magic sneaks in.
Our Favorite Party Game
“Coloring, Chaos & Cute Keepsakes”
Now, I know what you’re thinking—“Do kids still color at parties?” And my answer, mama, is a sparkly, giggly, full-volume YES. THEY DO. After the pizza was devoured and the cupcakes mysteriously disappeared (one child had frosting in their ear—I don’t ask questions anymore), I busted out a stack of Shimmer and Shine coloring pages I printed the night before.
Credit: 20 Shimmer And Shine Coloring Pages by Monday Mandala
And let me tell you, it was like unleashing magic. The room got quieter, the markers came out, and for about 20 glorious minutes, every little genie-in-training was in deep artistic focus. One little girl even declared she was “inventing a third genie sister.” Her name? Glitterina. I’m still obsessed.
Final Wish
“You Can Totally Do This Too, Mama”
If you’re reading this wondering whether you can pull off a party like this — whether you’re crafty enough, organized enough, extra enough — let me grant your first wish right now, YES. YOU. CAN. You don’t need a palace. You don’t need to be on HGTV. You just need a little bit of imagination, some free printables, and the willingness to get glitter in your eyebrow.
This party wasn’t about perfection. It was about laughter. About magic. About letting our kids feel like they can live in their favorite storybook for the day. And it was about reminding ourselves that yes — we are the genies, the party planners, the snack wizards, and the sparkle queens all in one. So go on, mama. Make the wish. Throw the party. And know that whether your cake leans or your decorations fall mid-photo, your kid is going to think it was the most magical day of their life. And that? That’s your real magic.
