Create My Event - Event & Party Ideas Blog

A Birthday Bash That Gives Back

I'm so glad to be a guest blogger here and for my first post, wanted to share a very cool idea I recently came across. 

Want to host an exciting birthday party with a purpose that lets kids do good for their communities and have fun at the same time?  Kids Care Club have partnered with Quaker Snack Bars to create the Quaker Volunteer Party kit, for ages 5-12, free when you send in any four UPC codes from the boxes of Quaker Chewy® Granola Bars or Quaker® Granola Bites and the mail-order form. The kit includes a How-to Guide, a T-shirt for the birthday child, wristbands, temporary tattoos, activity booklets and achievement certificates for 10 kids. There are five free themed party packages you can download invites, banners and thank-you cards after you receive your kit. We can't wait for our kit to arrive!  Not Just A Mommy

the Rad Mad Hatter Tea Party- birthday party for my 4 year old daughter!

my little sweet baby girl is turning 4 {actually, i'm quite convinced she is 15, but that's another story}. i have never made a big deal for her birthday parties as i felt she was too young to really remember them. but, this year, she will remember this party. and, since i am completely head over heals in love with my scoots {have no clue where the nickname came from, but it stuck!}, this party has to be great.

she loves tea and she loves to throw tea parties. yesterday, we had 12 tea parties in 2 hours. we both had a great time, and my daughter was the perfect hostess. always refilling my tea cup and "brewing" fresh teas {water} for me to try.

so, when she asked me for a tea party birthday, i thought, of course! but wait, all of her friends are boys. hmmm.

i was working on another event for a client who loves bright colors, and i stumbled upon this cake.

this cake {if you made this cake, please let me know. i found a picture online with no credit. it's amazing!} sparked the inspiration for the "Rad Mad Hatter Tea Party" the perfect compromise. it's still a tea party, but it's not completely girly. i mean, who hasn't read/seen Alice in Wonderland? {if you haven't read the Lewis Carroll books, you simply must stop whatever you're doing and read them immediately!}

i googled "Alice in Wonderland Party" and you wouldn't believe what I found!!! instructions, ideas, menus, recipes, games, crafts, and so much more!!!!!

the birlliant Meghann at Urbanity Studios is creating a custom design for our invitation. Meghann is another guest blogger here. If you haven't checked out her site, do so immediately! her stuff is simply amazing and lovely!

we will be using as many elements from the story/movie as possible. everything will be topsy-turvy, bright, colorful, delirious, and as the nature of children's parties, a bit chaotic. i can't wait!!!

as i get further into the planning and design phases of this party, i will be posting more information.

now, i just have to decide if i want to hire a petting zoo, a bounce house, a face painter, or all three! {ok- probably not all three}

as always, i love your ideas and suggestions!

thanks!
allison@occasions&style

Candy-Themed Party for Kids

The following is for candy filled birthday party for kids (ages 6 - 10) complete with sugary fun and sweet surprises.

The invitations

Sweetly invite your guests by either making your own invitations or purchase some found online.  One idea if you make your own invitations is to purchase large lollipops and attaching tags with all the details of the event.  If you purchase them from a retailer online, Goolge "lollipop invitations" and many great invitations exist, including:

http://www.traylorpapers.com/lollipop.html

http://www.paperstyle.com/is-bin/Product/149-AD753W

http://www.urbanitystudios.com/Designs/lollipop-birthday-party-invitation-p-506.html

The activities

Create areas where different games or activities can be played and tickets can be won that are redeemable at the candy shop. 

Create one station called "The Lollipop Grove" where you throw a disc around paper made lollipops placed in the ground.  Each successful throw earns tickets and the farther away the lollipop, the more tickets it is worth.

The "Chocolate Swamp" is another option for an activity.  Fill a kiddie pool full of packing peanutes (or if you are daring chocolate pudding) and hide index cards in the pool that say either "mini" or "king."  Have three index cards for each guest (so they can play three times) and each card they pick is for either a mini sized candy bar or a king sized cany bar.

The "Gumball Guess" is the easiest activity to put together for the party.  Fill a large glass container full of gumballs (or another candy) and count the number of pieces.  Then ask your guests to guess how many candy pieces are in the jar.  The guest who guesses closest to the number in the jar gets to take the whole lot home.

Another option to win the more tickes is a bingo game where the cards spelled C-A-N-D-Y. The kids played the game simultaneously as one person randomly pulled numbers out of a bowl. The first child with five numbers in a row and exclaimes “candy” wins. You can play three rounds and distribute tickets to three winners.

A "Sweet Shots Photo Booth" is a great activity and easy to make.  Ask a local furniture store that sells large appliances for a refrigerator box.  Cut out an area for a door and a window and place a stool inside the booth.  Set up a digital camera on a stand and take pictures of the kids in the booth.  You can send the pictures in the thank you card you send each guest.

Finish the party with "The Candy Shop". Create the ultimate sweet factory where every item (except the chocolate bars) is of equal value and have the kids could redeem their tickets won during the different activities.  They can also cash in their "mini" and "king" index cards for the appropriate size chocolate bars.

For the complete version of this party, including a PDF of the signs for the different stations, party checklist, templates and instructions, please visit www.urbanitystudios.com/kidspartycandy

Spa Party

Everybody loves to be pampered, so here is a fun and inexpensive party (especially for young girls).   Set up spa stations - if your doing it for your daughter, enlist some other mom's to help.   Have one station for pedicures, one for facials, manicures, hair styling, and make up.   Each participant spends 15 minutes at each station, then rotates. 

Be sure to provide spa fare, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, possibly some healthy tea sandwiches, fresh lemonade, and water infused with cucumber slices.  For party favors, give little bags of lip gloss, pedicure supplies, lotion, bubble bath, etc.

For this spa event, my Sendomatic.com favorites are the Glitz, Girls, and Ballet invitations.  Don't forget to light scented candles and play soft, relaxing music.  Even though the spa patrons will be busy chatting, a spa trip is just not the same without a People or Us magazine to read. 

Your guests will LOVE this party, so start planning for the next one now!

Bargain Birthday Invitations

Parties these days can get very expensive and kids don't even notice the difference between an expensive and an inexpensive party.  Here is one way to keep the cost down on your kiddo's party... free invitations.

Kidsturncentral.com has great free birthday invitations that you can print out, fill out, and mail.  My favorite is the dinosaur.  They have free invitations for other occasions too (http://www.kidsturncentral.com/birthdays/invites.htm).

My favorite site for E-invitations is www.sendomatic.com.  You can invite up to four email addresses (which is perfect for an infant or toddler's birthday party) for free.  I especially like the fact that Sendomatic doesn't advertise, spam or share my email address.  For birthday parties there are so many invitations to choose from (http://www.sendomatic.com/birthday.html).  And, of course, the designs are funky and hip, so they look like you spent a lot of money to send them!

For a more personal (but time consuming) touch.  Have your child make her own invitations.  I like to buy the blank note cards from Wal-Mart (in the craft section).  I think they are under $2 for a pack of 8.  Family members really like receiving the personalized artwork and your child will feel that she/he really helped with the party planning.  It also gives you and your child a great craft for a rainy spring day!

Money Matters

Sometimes money seems the most appropriate gift. Not only is it really easy to give, but who says "oh, darn, money for my gift?"

I find money, Savings Bonds to be specific, a great gift for young gift recipients. Baby's and toddlers really don't know the difference between opening 2 gifts or 10 gifts. Savings bonds are a great way to give now and give later. Parents are always happy to receive Savings Bonds for their children. Anything will help when the child gets older and needs some cash for that first car or expenses related to a higher education.
When giving a Savings Bond as a gift, here are a few things you should know:

1. Savings Bonds can be obtained at any banking institution. They are also available online.
2. You will need to know the full name of the gift recipient.
3. You will need the social security number of the gift recipient
4. The minimum purchase is $50 for a bond issued on paper, or $25 for a bond purchased electronically via Treasury Direct.
5. Savings Bonds earn money monthly in the form of interest. The interest is paid when the Bond is cashed.
6. At the time of purchase, a bond can be registered to a single person ("single ownership"), registered to two people ("co-ownership"), or can be registered to a primary owner and a beneficiary ("beneficiary").
7. Interest paid on these bonds is exempt from state and local income taxes.
8. A good site for lots of information on savings bonds is www.savingsbonds.gov

Birthday Starts With B

I was recently invited to a kids birthday party for a 1 year old. Not being a mom yet myself, I marvel at the effort that goes into baby's first birthday. Let's face it, most 1-year olds that I know will not recognize the blood sweat and tears of dear mum and dad. The money and energy spent can be saved on birthdays later in life. Give yourself a break and go really simple for your baby's first birthday.
The mom for this particular party had a cute idea. Baby's name is Remy so everything at the party was themed the letter "R" and color Red. The invitations were Red with little Raspberries. Ok, granted they were home made so a bit of effort inserted here... She decorated the house with Rainbows and big fake Ruby's. It was fun to eat the Red Rose birthday cake and sip Red drinks in the Spring sunshine.

Not only is this an easy theme to cover, but it gives your baby a color theme for the day which is much more easily absorbed by her little mind than Princess this or Sponge Bob that. Color recognition begins very early, I do know this...color theory classes were for more than just mixing paints to see what you come up with...
If you plan to invite other young toddlers, a great activity for them is to supply them with paper and red crayons. They will be happy to doodle in only red. Don't forget to dress baby in the appropriate color theme for their first party.
Have fun. I did, and it wasn't even my party.

Ahoy! A Treasure Hunt!

My son had a blast looking for hidden easter eggs this Easter...which gave me the idea of another hiding game we will have to play at our next party - a Treasure Hunt!    Whether it be in our backyard sandbox or on a nearby beach, I'll hide treats in the sand, rake it smooth, then let the kids at it.    I could bury small toys, candies (wrapped in plastic bags), or other items depending on the theme of the party.   I can envision adults enjoying this game when they find $5 Starbucks, Target, or Barnes & Noble gift cards.  For a girlie party, lip glosses and hair accessories would be great treasures to find.  Just make sure the treasures are not going to break when trampled on and aren't going to cut the "hunter's" hands.  For children, you may need to set a treasure limit so there are enough treasures for everyone.  This game can also be used as the delivery system for party favors too.  So, enjoy the spring weather and start hunting!

Balloon Favors

Kids love helium balloons, so make these easy party favors for your child's next party.  Buy some cookie cutters, some pre-made dry cookie mix, and some helium balloons.  Divide cookie mix and place in plastic baggies wrapped in tissue paper.  Make up some cookie instruction sheets and hole punch the corner.  Attach cookie mix, cookie instruction sheet, and a cookie cutter to the string of the helium balloon.  For an extra special touch, have your child write on each balloon, "Thank you for coming to my party".

Slipper Party Favors

Your daughter will love this party craft and party favor.  Have her and her guests make their own no-skid sock slippers.  Buy a bunch of ankle socks and a variety of squeezable puffy paints (for fabric).  Each guest can decorate the bottom of their own sock with fun designs.   You can also buy a regular fabric pen for them to sign their name on their socks.  The socks need to dry overnight, so this is a great idea for a slumber party- the girls will love them!