DIY Carnival

I, along with helpers, decided to throw an activity at church that was family friendly and more geared toward your inner kid. We decided to do an indoor carnival. So, I'm including some tips of making your own carnival too! This could be indoor or outdoor. This was a while ago and the weather still wasn't as reliable as we wanted for something outdoor. Anyways, here we go!

These were our booths:

• Duck Pond -pick up a duck, if it has an "X" on the bottom you win a prize!

• Cupcake Walk-Number spaces 1-8. The contestants walk around the spaces while music plays. When the music stops hope your number is called from the mystery hat

 

• Can Toss-We used tennis balls against 6 stacked cans. Get them all down for a prize.

 

• Target Practice-Get a set amount of points in 3 throws for a prize.

• Kissing Booth-guess how many Hershey's Kisses are in the jar (we had 3 jars and differing amounts. Each jar had it's own separate guesses)
• Face Painting-we bought a simple pack at Wal-Mart. It didn't dry very quickly so I would do better research on that!

Here's some additional ideas for booths:

• Fortune Teller-fortune cookies or someone dressed up and has a fun imagination
• Go Fish-attach a string with a magnet at the end to a stick. "Go fishing" behind a curtain or in a baby pool with cut out fish with a paper clip attached so the magnet will stick. 3 tries for a fish!
• Ring Toss-rings and glass soda bottles or pegs, get the ring on the bottle and win
• Balloon Dartboard-Tap small balloons onto a board in a grid and pop with darts. Careful of pointy darts!
• Spin Wheel with a bunch of different prizes 

Food:

Now as for food. Since this was an indoor carnival, popcorn would be a bit too messy. We opted for other carnival food. In a crockpot we stacked hot dogs standing up and cooked them on HIGH for 1.5 hours and they were ready to serve! That's all it took. We fit 75 into a medium sized crockpot. We served with chips and had a potluck for desserts. So yummy and VERY successful way to do a lot of food at once. Although we opted to save money and not to this, certain companies rent out cotton candy machines for as low as $25 a day! I know some Uhauls offer rentals, just go see if your local one does!

Prizes:

• Our prizes were just candy but if you wanted to go all out here are some other ideas
• Restaurant Gift Cards
• Stuffed Animals
• Blow-up Toys (like guitars or saxophones)
• Bouncy Balls
• Temporary Tattoos
• Bubbles
• Nail Polish
• So much more! Just go to your Dollar Store, I'm sure they have tons of "prize" worthy stuff

All in all, we budgeted for about $150 and we got right around there. In addition to the supplies for each booth (rubber ducks, face paint, tarp, etc) and prizes we also bought table cloths, balloons, printed signs, and the food. We did this in our church's gym which supplied tables and chairs for free.

Oh yeah! I made a cool invitation too:

Download the font here! I promise it's safe and didn't give my computer some weird virus. This is for the carnival like font. And I found the picture of the tents online just looking up clip art.

Valentine's Day Party

Last year we were inspired by Jaime to throw a Valentine's Day party. We wanted this to become an annual thing but this year Valentine's Day is a week before my due date so we opted out of this year's celebration. But anywho! Here's some of the fun things we did last year:

The Dollar Store was the perfect place for the decorations (some pictured below.) They had plenty of items that were Valentine's day themed including the napkins, plates, fabric rose petals and doily hearts that we got. With the doorway decorations I cut rectangles and squares from red cardstock and wrote love, kissy, and xoxoxo with one letter per square then threaded them with red thread and viola, doorway garland!

Games:
the Newlywed Game,
Battle of the Sexes,
Guess the Famous Couple through hints,
make a story with 10 conversation hearts,
love song charades (whichever couple could guess 2 songs in the shortest amount of time won),
and a group mad lib (on strips of paper were written adjective, noun, etc and were put into a mad lib which was hilarious!)

The food had to be within the theme of course. We included on the invitations for our party guests to bring a treat that was red or pink.

Treats We Made:
Of course I didn't take hardly any pictures especially of the food...
Sliced red potatoes with sprinkled cheese and bacon bits on them (and baked for 15 min at 400)
We did a red fruit platter with Cool Whip for a dip
Pink Rice Krispie Treats
Ok, we didn't make these but we did supply hot tamales and red hots...YUM

Treats that were brought:
Strawberry Kiwi drink
Pink Oreo truffles
Chocolate covered strawberries
Cinnamon sugar donut holes
Brownies
Red and pink trifle (which won the prize for best treat which included taste and overall pinkness)

We gave out prizes for some of the games and treats. The prizes were:
Newlywed game: My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Famous Couples: Gossip magazine
Best treat: Oven mitt with matching hand towel with a large french chef
Love song charades: lollipops (get it? Pop stars?)

What do you like to do for Valentine's Day? Go out to dinner? Netflix night?

I tried to figure this out but just couldn't. If anyone knows how to embed a PowerPoint into your blog post let me know and I can share our Newlywed and Battle of the Sexes games!

Precious Cargo Baby Shower Decor

Back in March, I co-hosted a baby shower for my friend. The theme was Precious Cargo. It was really fun to plan. Here's our Pinboard: Precious Cargo Baby Shower Inspiration Our colors were red, white and blue and we decorated with air planes, boats, globes, and luggage, as you will see!

Here are some pictures of the decor:

Here's the food table. We had some Jelly Belly candies in the colors of the shower, chicken salad sandwiches, a relish tray, a fruit tray (it came later, so not pictured), mini ice box cakes with strawberry whipped cream, and a banner cake. For decor, the honoree had the boat, cloud paper and typewriter. My co-host brought the glasses and straws.

Banner cake: banner by me (made with my Silhouette) and cake by my co-host.

Guests came in and picked up their travel passports. Inside were the supplies for all the games and other shower activities including:

Travel advice cards. Made by me =) Sign made by honoree (She was very happily involved)

Here's the whole table. I loved the globe she had and it fit perfectly with the theme!

This amazing chalkboard style art was made by the honoree (she is so talented) and so was the banner.

"Drop your luggage here" sign to show where the gifts went as well as some vintage luggage =)

Airplane banner by honoree. So fun!

PB's 2nd Birthday Party- Blue's Clues

Once I looked back through I pictures I determined I definitely didn't take enough! I will just have to describe parts of the party for you, sorry! Our camera ran out of card space in the middle of opening presents so some of the time was missed waiting for the card to empty.

Characters
So first of all when I was planning this party since it is centered around a show I knew I wanted to bring in the characters. I made a list of the characters and how I would represent them at the party.

• Blue and Magenta- stuffed animals we had on hand
• Mailbox- decorated our mailbox
• Tickety- Sign on front door
• Steve- Daddy dressed up (he happened to have a similar green stripped shirt and khakis on hand :) )
• Shovel and Pail- I purchased from Michael's for $1 (I had to buy a yellow and red bucket to get the ones I wanted but that was okay who doesn't need more sand buckets!?)
• Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper- inexpensive salt and pepper shakers.

Acrylic and Puff paints helped me put the faces on all of characters. 

I traced a paper plate and sketched the rest before filling it in with acrylic paints

Confession time: I never took a picture of good ole' mailbox and forgot to for a few days until it had rained on him. His colors were more vibrant on party day and there were blue polka dotted balloons tied to him. 

Sidewalk Art
To also bring in the characters and bring some excitement to the party I drew fun things on the sidewalk leading up to the house.

Decorations
I forgot to get good pictures of the decor other than the characters but similar to last year I used Dollar Store table clothes and ribbon. This year to go along with the color theme I used red and yellow table clothes. In our eat-in kitchen behind where PB would be sitting to eat her cake and get pictures taken I put a red table cloth on the table and I used two table cloths as pseudo-curtains with red ribbon tie backs.. I felt like it went along with the Blue's Clues theme. I also used the table cloths on the counters and the dining room table.

Here you can see the side of the pretend curtains. As well as a tiny bit of the banner I got at the Dollar Store. 

You can see the decorations a little better here

I also got helium-filled balloons which I won't be doing again. First of all they are not noticed because they are above eye-level and by the next morning they were all on the floor and half way deflated. No need to waste the money next year! What do you think about getting balloons for a party? I paid less than $10 for all of the balloons but just less thing to think about is better!

See that super cute shirt PB is wearing? I'll show you how I made it tomorrow, as well as how I only spent $6.51 on favors for 10 kids, and how I incorporated the Blue's Clues theme into the food. See you then!

Want to see the invitation for the party? 

Queen of Hearts Party Decor

As I mentioned, I had a Valentine's Day party! It was my second time throwing a Valentine's Day party and I wanted to go in a different direction. This year's theme was Queen of Hearts. The hearts was the only tie to Valentine's Day. Our decor focused on playing cards. I probably purchased 30 decks of playing cards, but when they come in a two pack from Dollar Tree, it was quite affordable. Here is what it looked like:

To make the heart, I cut out a large heart from cardboard. Then I covered it with the hearts cards and hot glued the hearts to the cardboard. It looked a little lonely so I made a background for the heart using the backside of two different cards (one pack was from Michaels). This was a great activity to do during Downton Abbey. We added balloons and lanterns to fill it more.

My friend, Anne, made the banners. She simply hot glued cards to twine, but there were a lot of cards. She made three banners and strung them from her top banister to three different places on her curtain rod. Then we added balloons.

I found some fun playing card stuff from Party City included these mints:

 

And this centerpiece (it was a little smaller than I thought it'd be, but it was still cool).

I also cut out spades, clubs, hearts and diamonds with my Silhouette Cameo and scattered them around the food table. We used red chargers and silverware and got some fun plates and napkins from Tuesday Morning that reminded me of the back of playing cards.

I decorated some cups for the party as well. I purchase red cups from Dollar Tree and then hot glued playing cards on them. I finished the look off with a bit of twine.

We also had a photo booth with some great props (thanks to Anne!). The large playing cards were a fun addition to the decor, something I used in Jasmine's engagement card. Another classic is the balloon chandelier used in above the dining room and kitchen tables.

I really loved the impact of everything and I know what we'll be doing in the future! Thank you to my friends and co-hosts, Anne and Jessica, for all their hard, hard work! Great job ladies!

The RED Valentine's Day Party

Last year I held a Valentine's day party. I wanted to share it again this year before the big day comes. Enjoy!

Last Saturday I threw my first big party. Thankfully I had the best help a girl can get, my friends Jessica and Anne. The theme of the party was RED. We asked everyone to wear red, with a prize going to the people who wore the most. We also asked them to bring a red dessert or appetizer. The playlist I made for the party had songs with "red" in the title. It was fun to put together.

Anne's idea to have luminaries was a great one. They welcomed everyone and added enough light to the stairs.

 

Aren't the hearts perfect?

Our guests came in and got photo booth style shots taken and then got a name of a famous couple put on their back. I was Olive Oyl. Others names included Bonnie and Clyde, Fred and Wilma Flintstone, and Mickey and Minnie. It was a good ice breaker and got people talking. This was all Jessica's idea. Here's an example:

Then eating ensued. This picture was taken before the party really got started so there isn't much food on the table.

A few close ups of decor:

Three pom balls and a hearts display inspired by Being Brook's idea. For mine, I used my Silhouette and cut out over 450 hearts from wax paper. It was perfect to diffuse the light. I sewed strands of hearts together and then attached them to a lightweight frame, which was strung from the ceiling. I got lots of compliments on it.

My vintage Valentines from eBay. They were so cute!

The main event of the party was a battle of the sexes. The men were assigned to give their wives' a new hair style, paint their nails and write down a quote from a romantic comedy. The ladies were asked to tie a tie on their husbands, draw on some facial hair and write down a sports quote. We set some stations out. I made the signs with my Silhouette. (Do you see my rosette ball and XOXO art?)

Now here are some action shots:

 

Jessica drew on the facial hair of her husband's dreams!

My husband and I were the judges (I have no pictures of myself at the party! That's what you get as the photog). Everyone came out and showed off their spouses' handiwork. 

 

I love this classic Anne face.

We gave out prizes to the winners and then mingled for a long time. We wrapped up the evening with a slow dance to "Lady in Red," It was such a fun party and I had such wonderful help! Anne, Jessica and I stayed up late after the party discussing our next one. I'll let you know how that one goes. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

The RED Valentine's Day Party

Last Saturday I threw my first big party. Thankfully I had the best help a girl can get, my friends Jessica and Anne. The theme of the party was RED. We asked everyone to wear red, with a prize going to the people who wore the most. We also asked them to bring a red dessert or appetizer. The playlist I made for the party had songs with "red" in the title. It was fun to put together.

Anne's idea to have luminaries was a great one. They welcomed everyone and added enough light to the stairs.

 

Aren't the hearts perfect?

Our guests came in and got photo booth style shots taken and then got a name of a famous couple put on their back. I was Olive Oyl. Others names included Bonnie and Clyde, Fred and Wilma Flintstone, and Mickey and Minnie. It was a good ice breaker and got people talking. This was all Jessica's idea. Here's an example:

Then eating ensued. This picture was taken before the party really got started so there isn't much food on the table.

A few close ups of decor:

Three pom balls and a hearts display inspired by Being Brook's idea. For mine, I used my Silhouette and cut out over 450 hearts from wax paper. It was perfect to diffuse the light. I sewed strands of hearts together and then attached them to a lightweight frame, which was strung from the ceiling. I got lots of compliments on it.

My vintage Valentines from eBay. They were so cute!

The main event of the party was a battle of the sexes. The men were assigned to give their wives' a new hair style, paint their nails and write down a quote from a romantic comedy. The ladies were asked to tie a tie on their husbands, draw on some facial hair and write down a sports quote. We set some stations out. I made the signs with my Silhouette. (Do you see my rosette ball and XOXO art?)

Now here are some action shots:

 

Jessica drew on the facial hair of her husband's dreams!

My husband and I were the judges (I have no pictures of myself at the party! That's what you get as the photog). Everyone came out and showed off their spouses' handiwork. 

 

I love this classic Anne face.

We gave out prizes to the winners and then mingled for a long time. We wrapped up the evening with a slow dance to "Lady in Red" It was such a fun party and I had such wonderful help! Anne, Jessica and I stayed up late after the party discussing our next one. I'll let you know how that one goes. 

Happy Valentine's Day!