Set the Marine Scene
To give John's party a by-the-sea feel, his mom pulled together all the nautical items she already owned. Get the same look by decorating with fishing poles, rubber ducks, and inner tubes (hey, maybe your neighbor has a few life jackets in her basement). Kelley also rented a couple of large metal feeding troughs from a local farm-supply store and filled them with water and toy ships; an easier alternative is to use buckets or kiddie pools to float your boats.
The supplies
Bins (from $3 for a plastic bucket to $20 for a galvanized one, The Container Store) and boats (a large selection are available for $5 and up each at The Toy Boat).
