Holiday Party Banner

Holiday inspired party banner! So simple and sweet. Supplies needed:  Holiday scrapbook papers, glue stick, ribbon & a hole punch. I started by gluing two scrapbook papers together, (this banner is reversible). Then, I cut each paper into triangles, any size will do! Mine measure approximately 4.5 inches x 6.5 inches. Place two hole punches near the top edge and thread your ribbon through. Voila!  

Fun With Frosting

Decorate your own cupcake! Kids LOVE this fun party activity. Start with a selection of cupcakes, either homemade or from a mix. I like homemade frosting the best. You can easily add a little food coloring and extract to make mint frosting, and many other flavors besides traditional vanilla. Find fun toppings such as mini chocolate chips, raspberries, candies, and colored sugar... there are so many options for cupcakes right now! You can have your guests simply spread their frosting or try piping with a cake decorating set of frosting bags and tips. Great for a baking party and more! 

Extra Halloween Candy?

I bought way too much candy to give out for Halloween this year! What to do with all that extra Halloween candy? Save individually wrapped candy for your next party! Use them in favor bags. I froze some snack size chocolate bars and placed other candies away for our next party in a month or two. The question is... will they last (without getting eaten) until the next Birthday party?

Tissue Pom-Poms

Have you seen the beautiful tissue paper flowers blooming at fancy parties? They are very easy and inexpensive to make. Customize your next party with a few of these beauties! Inspired my Martha Stewart's tissue pom-pom tutorial, I made my own. Here's how I did it...

supplies: 1 pack of tissue paper (9 sheets), a pipe cleaner, scissors and some fishing line.

Step1: Fold all 9 layers of tissue paper accordion style into 1-1/2 inch sections. Fold in half.

Step 2: Twist pipe cleaner around center fold. Round edges and trim.

Step 3:  Pull gently to separate layers. Working on opposite sides each half to shape.

Step 4: Tie a piece of fishing line to your pipe cleaner, and hang from your ceiling, viola! 

Love this idea for birthday parties. Pick colors to match your theme and experiment with different sizes! To see Martha Stewart's Tissue Paper Pom-Pom's How-To http://www.marthastewart.com/how-to/tissue-paper-pom-poms-how-to.

   

Squeaky Clean Favors

Here is a cute party favor idea! This is actually quite easy and you only need a few supplies. First, find tiny toys that match your theme, and then purchase some glycerin soap at your craft store. They sell soap making kits and plastic molds if you want to get fancy. Otherwise, mini muffin pans will do!
Step 1: Insert toys into mini muffin tin.
Step 2: Melt glycerin pieces in a microwave safe container and pour into muffin tin.
Step 3: Cool.
Step 4: Pop out and place in a cello bag and tie with brightly colored ribbons.
A fun, inexpensive and unique favor. Bonus, encourage kids to wash their hands!

Paper Lantern Party Decor

Paper Lanterns are great for birthday parties! They are inexpensive and reusable. Simply choose colors that match your theme and decorate. Another fun idea is to hang them using colorful ribbons in patterns, stripes or polka dots! Use them indoor or outdoor in various colors and sizes. Have fun!

Simple Photo Tips

My family took tons of pictures at my last party and they are a wonderful collection of memories! Photos are so important and can help your children remember their best birthdays!
Here are some simple tips to try:
1. Designate a party photographer! If you are the one cutting the cake, it is hard to squeeze in time for taking pictures too. Maybe a relative or big brother/sister can help.
2. Child's perspective! Take pictures from your child's perspective. Take a knee and get down to their level for portraits of your little guests.   
3. Lots of Levels! Stand on a chair, sit on the floor. Take one of the entire party scene and then zoom in.
4. Details, details, details! Take close-ups of all your party elements: cake, decor, table and presents.
5. Candid camera! Sometimes the best photos are taken when no one is looking at the camera!
Say cheese...

Simple Party Punch

Instead of serving lemonade or soda, try punch instead! It makes any day feel like a special occasion. This is my go to recipe for a quick and easy punch:
Ingredients:
Cranberry-Raspberry Juice
Lemonade
Directions:
Mix equal parts cranberry-raspberry juice and lemonade. Serve on ice. My favorite alternatives are cran-grape-lemonade and cran-pomegranate-lemonade. The kids love this, so have extra to make a second batch!

Pirate Necklace

Ahoy! Beads fit for a pirate: a mix of glow-in-the-dark skulls, black pearls, jet black and gems! Fun idea for a party activity or even Halloween. Boys and girls alike will have a blast making their own necklace to look like a pirate. These beads are all the plastic "pony bead" variety. All you need is an assortment of beads for your guests to string on some cotton cord. You can find these supplies at your local craft store. Even Captain Jack Sparrow would love to wear one... Savvy?

"Glee" Teen Party

My daughter and I love watching Glee together, so when it came time to plan her 13th birthday party, Glee was her clear choice. Our first order of business was making plain invitations look party specific. We decided to splatter the front of some paper invitations with watercolors, so it looked like slushie splatter. Purple, Orange, and Red looked convincingly like Grape, Orange and Cherry slushie stains. So cute. These were a big hit and everyone came to the party!

Another big hit was the Glee inspired food... cafeteria style! Served in aluminum baking trays.
Rachel Berry Salad - berry/fruit cup
Tots - tater tots
Cheerios - Cheerio/marshmallow crispy treats
Grilled "Cheesus" - grilled cheese sandwiches
Bread Stix - garlic bread sticks
Veggies - we needed something healthy... carrot & celery sicks
Big Quench - grape slushies (Rachel's favorite) I made these in my ice cream maker using a mixture of grape Kool-aid, lemonade and Sierra Mist
Puck's Cupcakes - vanilla with red frosting

For decorations, we used the red & white WMHS school colors and decorated the dining room (a.k.a. the cafeteria) with streamers and poster board pennants. Party Activities were a Glee photo booth, Glee quiz and Wii karaoke. Red slushie party cups... perfect favors for the big Teen birthday! Complete with microphone, glow-in-the-dark stars, glee gum, sour patch kids, whistle, and chocolate favors.

Snow Cone Syrups

I scream, you scream, we all scream for... Snow Cones! These are great fun for kids parties. I borrowed a snow cone maker from a friend for my daughter's birthday party and we were hooked! Now we have one of our very own. Snow cone makers are fairly inexpensive, but the syrups can be costly if you want a bunch of different flavors. Luckily, you can make your own syrup! Just make a simple syrup using water and sugar and add in some unsweetened drink mix, like Kool-Aid.
Here is my recipe:
1 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Water
1 packet (.16 oz) unsweetened drink mix
Directions:
Combine ingredients in saucepan. Bring to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cool. Pour into container and serve over snow cones. Yum!

Scrapbook Paper Invitations



 My 40th birthday is coming up and my husband asked if I wanted a party. How could I say no? I think it will be fun to plan my own party. I saw an idea for a grown up ice cream social in Better Homes and Gardens. I loved their ideas for vintage decor and a make-your-own sundae. Except, my true love is cupcakes... So, we came up with a make-your-own cupcake & wine tasting party.

For invitations, I found some specialty scrapbook paper in a pink pattern, and a cupcake hole punch. I found some wording for a dessert party that I liked. Then, I created a word document and printed it onto card stock. I trimmed the card stock slightly smaller than the pink paper to create a border and used the cupcake hole punch. I found some 4x6 envelopes that I already had, and sized the invitations accordingly. A little glue stick and voila! I love how these came out! I even saved the punched out cupcakes to use as confetti or something.