When my son told me the night before that he wanted to have a friend or two over for his birthday, I had to kick into action to plan an easy last-minute party for teens. In the past, I have gone all out on birthday parties. Once I started working, it was a whole different story. But for some reason, I think he liked our thrown together gathering the most! He liked it so much that he asked for the same theme again… also the night before!

Easy last minute party decorations for teens

Kicking into high gear, I grabbed all of the supplies that I could find. These consisted mostly of copy paper and sharpies. You guys… I came up with the most brilliant idea ever! It can be done with literally any theme. My son wanted to watch Minecon with his friends. (It’s actually called Minecraft Live, but we prefer what they called it last year.) This is a virtual event where they introduce new upcoming things for Minecraft and allow people to vote. It’s a pretty big deal for Minecraft enthusiasts. Since there is no such thing as “Minecon” Themed party decorations over at Party City, I had to create my own. My son LOVED the idea, so I ran with it!

Spectacular make shift Minecon party decorations

With my sharpies in hand, I got to work to create my easy, last-minute Minecon decorations. Since I can not draw, I went with a very generic look.

This is our last minute easy to decorate mantel. It has a sign that reads Minecon themed mantel decor. and a banner that says minecon.
The mantel looked legit!
Three breakfast burritos in nacho boats. There is hot sauce in silicone baking cups with them. A sign that reads Minecon themed breakfast burritos.
It was a “brunch’ party, so we went with breakfast burritos
a box on a table decorated for a party with a sign that reads Minecon Themed Donuts
We ran out to buy donuts in the morning since I didn’t feel like baking a cake
Last minute party favors on a table. Bottles of hand sanitizer with a sign that reads "party favors suitable for 2020"
The only favors I could think of at the last minute
Cups of flaming hot cheetos with a sign that reads Spicy Minecon themed snacks. These are perfect for a last minute party for teens in 2020.
Flaming Hot Cheetos are always a hit
On a table there are cups of candy corn and regular cheetos with a sign that reads "Not Spicy Minecon Themed Snacks"
For those who can’t handle the spicy… like me
A chalkboard with the writing Minecon Party *Part 2 Edition 2020FX.
On the side it says "This space intentionally left blank" 
Next to the chalkboard is a sign that reads "Red Minecon Decoration"
We always use this chalkboard for parties. We don’t always intentionally leave a space blank. That is new.
Front door signs that are written in sharpie that read "Minecon Party *Part 2 Edition, Front Door Decoration." below it is another sign that reads "Minecon themed welcome sign"
Front Door Decor. We really pulled out all the stops this year!
six more signs that are found around the house. Minecon themed refreshing beverages, hilarious minecon decoration, thought provoking minecon sign, landscape minecon themed decoration, portrait minecon themed decoration, witty minecon themed inside joke that my mom doesn't get! Ha Ha Ha!
Other various signs that were found around the house

Last minute party shirts

I took out my trusty Cricut and some iron-on t-shirt vinyl to make some fabulous t-shirts. My Cricut was one of my favorite purchases. I originally got it to make fish extender gifts for our Disney Cruise and have since made numerous gifts for friends and family. It makes me appear much more crafty than I actually am.

I love making T-Shirts for special occasions, vacations, or white elephant gifts. My oldest’s birthday seemed like a perfect reason for some silly shirts. It always makes it seem like I have things figured out. You would never know that I planned it all the night before.

Making the shirts

First, I downloaded a free Minecraft font. My son liked the one that is used when you chat in the game instead of the logo looking one. Next, I used my Cricut to cut some text on the iron-on t-shirt vinyl. He helped me come up with what to put on the shirts. He loves Minecraft, so he wanted his shirt to say Minecon Themed Minecraft Enthusiast. Finally, we had an amazing shirt for about $7!

The image shows someone ironing words onto a t-shirt. The words that can be seen are Themed Minecraft Enthusiast.
Ironing on the lettering

His shirt turned out perfect and he loved it! I’m pretty sure it will get more wear than just this party. I love that about the shirts we make for events. They like to wear them again because of the memories that go along with them. Our shirts from our “Best Vacation Ever” have been worn over and over again, even though they are too small.

The boy is wearing his new shirt made for the last minute party for his teenage friends.
The Perfect Shirt for watching Minecon Live

For Loren and me, I concluded that we needed some “parents” shirts. My son made the decision that we would be a Minecon Themed Mom and Dad. Now we have the shirts so that we can let the rest of the world know about it as well. I love that my family plays along with my shenanigans. Also, I need someone to teach me how to take selfies. I suck at them!

Mom and Dad wearing their Minecon Themed Mom and Minecon Themed Dad Shirts for the last minute party for their teenage son.
Minecon Themed Parents who suck at selfies

The youngest is not a huge fan of Minecraft, so we went in a different direction on his shirt. He was happy to play along as long as his shirt said nothing about Minecraft at all. After throwing out several ideas, we settled on this one.

The youngest boy is wearing a shirt that reads "I'm just here for the food". It was a perfect shirt for our last minute party.
It appears to be true as he still has some food on his face

It ended up being a fantastic and stress-free couple of hours. I prepared some snacks, and the kids had a blast watching Minecon. The glow squid that they voted for won and everyone flipped out because of the cave update they had wanted forever! So many great things happened. I don’t understand what most of it means, but I will soon learn since I promised my son I would play Minecraft with him.

This can work for any theme

The best part about all of this is that it can work for literally any theme as long as your kid appreciates and finds humor in the irony of the decorative style. My kid now prefers it. Super Heros, American Ninja Warrior, the letter E, Halloween, Ugly Sweater… literally every party theme we have ever had can work with this and all it takes is some paper and a sharpie… and a Cricut if you really want to kick it up a notch, but you can have a fun party without the shirts. Maybe not quite as fun, though. lol

The point of all of this

For us, the parties, silly t-shirts, and fun activities with the kids have always been about building relationships. As we enter the teenage years, this is looking different than it has in the past. We are adapting, learning, and making mistakes as we figure out this new phase of parenting. I will say that I am loving watching my boys grow up to be intelligent, thoughtful, witty, and beautiful humans. It’s hard to let go and give them more freedom to make mistakes.

Speaking of mistakes…

It’s a good idea to take a shower before you go to bed if you are planning a last-minute party for teens. It turns out that you will never have enough time the morning of the party and will inevitably wind up hosting people with greasy hair! That’s gross. My hair was greasy all stinking day!

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7 Comments

  1. Sankhamala Reply

    Good to know about the party planning for your boys. It’s wonderful!!!

  2. I love your sense of play! You get it from your dad. I always enjoy your Halloween costumes. You are one of the most creative people I know, and your family benefits from it! Love you much. Auntie Lorna

    • Awe, thanks! My dad is pretty fun. lol. I am actually writing a post right now on our Halloween costumes. 🙂

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