To the bat cave: Batman party

Black and white, with a nod to Batman, in celebration of Beau’s third birthday. Stylish parties don’t have to be complicated.

This party, put together by mum Hiedee Hantz for her son Beau, caught our eye for its simplicity and no-fuss approach to fun. We asked Hiedee for her tips and were impressed by the practicality of this sweet celebration.

When Beau, my Batman-obsessed mini-man, said he wanted a Batman party, my immediate reaction was that of cringe due to my strong aversion to licensed characters! “Sure, I can do that”, I replied, my brain already working overtime to design the ultimate party for my little superhero – kid-friendly while also keeping it a classy affair. And not costing a bomb! I’m a DIY addict and love all things handmade, so this challenge was right up my alley. Being a small business owner and a single mum, I’m pretty time-poor so I recruited my two 'minis' to help. They had many ‘project playdates’ with mum!

The invitations were hand-stamped. The party bags were made from black and white striped paper bags and we stamped a Batman image onto sticker paper, cut them out and stuck them on the front.

Our party bags contained the usual loot, plus a handmade fabric-covered button Batman badge for the party-goers to wear.

We decorated our living space with bunches of black and white balloons and a couple of black honeycomb paper balls for over the table. Total cost: $10.

Piñatas are wonderful fun, but they can be a pricey affair. I decided to make my own with a $2 paper lantern. I reinforced the bottom with cardboard and let the kids loose with the glue gun, covering it in layers of crepe paper. The top layer was fringed crepe paper and the bat mask I cut out on my cutting machine – total cost for the piñata: $4.50!

And no Batman party would be complete without Gotham City. My dad spray-painted a big cardboard box black and I used yellow washi tape to make the outline of the buildings. The Batman symbols were free downloadable templates off the internet. The superheroes truly loved zooming in and out of our handmade Gotham City.

I made food boxes for the kids – I love this idea as clean-up is a cinch and there’s minimal waste, as the kids can take the boxes home.

I filled the boxes with my idea of ideal party food – fresh berries, popcorn, mini sandwiches, a couple of marshmallows and a Batman biscuit. Done!

With the kids’ food taken care of, all that was left was to provide a ‘help-yourself’ menu for the adults. This included a gorgeous spread of lamb and rosemary sausage rolls, feta and red onion tarts, apricot and white chocolate slice, fresh berries and passion fruit. Leftovers: minimal!

The cake I kept pretty simple – it was just a two-tier chocolate mud cake iced with chocolate icing. The paper cake topper I made using my cutting machine (scissors would work fine too) and the cake wrap I stitched up in a jiffy using striped black and white fabric and black binding. Incredibly easy and cheap as chips.

Parties don’t have to cost a bomb! Make sure you plan ahead and, if you have the time, find your inner crafter and have a go at DIY. Get your children to help – what kid doesn’t love being a party helper? It really is a great feeling to look back and think “my kids and I made all that!”