If you grew up in the 90s, chances are you know exactly who Lisa Frank is.
Lisa Frank’s colorful world of rainbow animals, dolphins, cheetahs, unicorns, and bright neon designs was everywhere when I was a kid. I remember carrying Lisa Frank folders to school, collecting notebooks covered in colorful animal artwork, and filling my backpack with anything I could find featuring those iconic designs.
Fast forward to today, and now I’m the mom planning birthday parties for my own kids.
A few months ago, I spotted a Lisa Frank coloring book while shopping at Target and picked it up for my daughter, Emily. She immediately fell in love with it. Since she’s always loved animals and dreams of becoming a veterinarian someday, the colorful cheetahs, puppies, dolphins, and unicorns were right up her alley.
When I asked her what theme she wanted for her 7th birthday party, I was fully expecting her to choose something completely different. Instead, she looked at her coloring book and confidently said, “Lisa Frank.”
I couldn’t believe it.
As a child of the 90s, hearing my first grader choose a Lisa Frank birthday party felt like the ultimate nostalgic mom moment. Because she’s learning to read at school, she was able to recognize the name on her coloring book and instantly connected with the colorful artwork that I loved growing up.
Of course, I immediately started brainstorming ways to bring her vision to life.
This year, I decided to take a slightly different approach. So grab your paintbrushes and come craft with me as I create a one-of-a-kind Lisa Frank birthday party for my daughter!
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Craft Project #1: Painting Emily’s Birthday Sign
One of my favorite party-planning traditions has become creating hand-painted signs for the celebrations I host. Over the years, these custom signs have become a special part of birthdays and family gatherings, adding a personal touch that perfectly matches each party theme.
Before becoming a nurse, I earned my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, so painting these signs is a fun way for me to use my artistic side. I love transforming large rolls of craft paper into colorful decorations that make each celebration feel unique and memorable.
Not only do these hand-painted signs add a custom touch to the party, but they’ve also helped me save money on decorations. I used to purchase birthday banners and party signs, but creating them myself allows me to customize every detail while staying within budget. Plus, they often become one of the most talked-about decorations at the party!
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- 36-Inch Craft Paper Roll
- Acrylic Paint Set (with brushes)
- Push Pins or Painter’s Tape
These are the supplies I used to create my hand-painted birthday signs. The projector made it easy to size the design and lettering, while the craft paper and acrylic paints allowed me to create a custom sign that perfectly matched Emily’s Lisa Frank-inspired birthday party theme.
Craft Project #2: Painting Lisa Frank-Inspired Foam Board Decorations
One of my favorite ways to make a birthday party feel extra special is by creating oversized decorations. Last year, for Emily’s Care Bears birthday party, I used large cardboard cutouts that became one of my favorite parts of the decor.
(You can see all the details from Emily’s Care Bears Birthday Party here.)
This year, I wanted to create a similar look for her Lisa Frank party while saving a little money and adding my own artistic touch.
I originally planned to use white foam board, but when I went to Target, they only had black. At first, I wasn’t sure it would work, but I quickly realized the black background would make the bright neon colors stand out even more.
I hand-painted colorful animal characters inspired by the Lisa Frank designs Emily loves. The black foam board did require a few extra coats of paint, but I absolutely love the final result.
To finish them, I’m cutting each character out with a razor knife and leaving a thin black border around the edges. The finished cutouts will be displayed around the balloon arches and birthday display, helping bring the entire theme to life.
Creating handmade decorations like these takes extra time, but seeing Emily’s excitement makes it completely worth it.
Craft Project #3: Creating Emily’s Animal Rescue Sign
My favorite project from this entire party has to be the sign for Emily’s Animal Rescue.
Since Emily loves animals and dreams of becoming a veterinarian someday, I wanted to create something that felt personal to her while also serving as both an activity and a party favor for her guests.
For the party, we’re setting up an “animal rescue” station filled with adorable TY Beanie Babies displayed on a colorful cheetah-print tablecloth with jungle leaves, baskets, and other fun decorations. Each child will get to visit Emily’s Animal Rescue and choose an animal to adopt.
Once they’ve picked their new furry friend, they’ll be able to create a custom collar using beads and pipe cleaners and fill out a small adoption tag where they can give their animal a name.
I love that this activity doubles as a party favor. Instead of sending guests home with a bag of random trinkets, they’ll leave with a new stuffed animal, a personalized collar, and a special memory from the party.
To tie everything together, I painted a custom Emily’s Animal Rescue sign that matches the bright colors and playful animal theme of the party. It will be displayed above the rescue station and help bring the entire idea to life.
Out of all the decorations I’ve created for this birthday party, this one might be my favorite. I can’t wait to see the kids picking out their animals and creating their own little adoption stories.
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To recreate Emily’s Animal Rescue station, here are the supplies I used:
- TY Beanie Babies
- Assorted pony beads
- Colorful pipe cleaners
- Wooden pet tag charms
- Acrylic paint
- Paint brushes
- Rainbow cheetah print tablecloth
- Artificial jungle leaves
Note: If you’re planning a similar party, check your local grocery stores! I found many of our TY Beanie Babies at Safeway and Yoke’s Fresh Market while shopping over the past few months. Not only did they have a great selection, but many were less expensive than the prices I found online. Buying a few at a time helped spread out the cost and made it easy to build our animal rescue collection before the party.
Final Thoughts
Creating this Lisa Frank birthday party for Emily has been such a fun trip down memory lane. From painting signs and decorations to designing the Animal Rescue station, every project has been inspired by her love of animals and colorful creativity.
Now all that’s left is putting everything together for the big day!
I can’t wait to see all of the decorations, balloon arches, and crafts come together—and even more importantly, I can’t wait to see the kids adopt their animals and enjoy the party.
The Final Party Reveal
After weeks of painting, crafting, and bringing Emily’s ideas to life, the big day finally arrived! Seeing everything come together—from the colorful Lisa Frank decorations and balloon arches to the Animal Rescue adoption station—made every late night and DIY project completely worth it. Watching the kids choose their adopted animals, make collars, and celebrate together was the highlight of the entire party.
Ready to see how it all turned out? Check out my full Lisa Frank Birthday Party Reveal for all the decorations, DIY projects, party setup, balloon arch, and Animal Rescue adoption station inspiration!
🎨 Love DIY Party Crafts?
If you enjoyed crafting with me, check out some of my other DIY party projects and behind-the-scenes tutorials! 👇
Looking for even more birthday party inspiration?
Visit my Parties page to browse all of our birthday celebrations, DIY decorations, and party planning ideas. Or keep scrolling to explore some of our favorite themed parties below!
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