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

Wet'n'Wild Children's birthday party

A WET'N'WILD birthday party is all about summer!
Create a beach atmosphere with brightly colored beach towels, serve fish'n'chips, make a sandcastle birthday cake, play water based games and most importantly serve ICE-CREAM!! Now listen to the squeals of delight!

Hello, I am the creator of www.imprintables.com.au a range of children's themed stylish party invitations. All my designs are based on concepts for children's parties and would like to share with you my son's third birthday party. The party was held in our Aussie summer with a range of children aged between 1yr - 4yrs so the games and food had to cater for all. Below are a few sinppets of the party. I hope you'll enjoy them.

TOP: Ice-cream party invitation available from The Infant Boutique.
BELOW: Handcrafted ice-cream invitation

Sunglasses were given to each child by the birthday boy as a way to welcome each guest and to get them into the summer spirit.

Mini ice-cream cones are perfect for small hands to hold.
Paper napkins teamed with paper lunch boxes are perfect for Fish'n'Chips. I also added fresh corn cobs for a healthier food option. 

Party Games
1. The Cup Race - balance a cup of water on your head while trying to walk as fast as possible to the finish line.
2. A sand pit was great to keep the little ones entertained
3.The Big Water Balloon Fight - with two teams on either end, what could be more fun than getting blasted by a water balloon - mums, my advice is to duck for cover.
4. Slip'n'Slide - the hit of the party, add a little baby shampoo to make it slippery.

Ice-Cream Cake
Using a sandcastle mould, line with cling wrap and fill with your favourite ice-cream flavor. Turn upside down to serve. Add crushed biscuits to create the look of sand and decorate with surfboard candles, fish etc. What child doesn't ADORE ice-cream cake!

Summer Decor
Paper daisy cups for serving ice-cream with matching spoons. Polka dotted hessian tablecoth and treasure hunt bags in coordinating colours.
Bright beach towels strung against the fence created a colorful backdrop. Beach towels, bean bags and beach umbrellas created that summery feel.

Hints of Summer
1. Walnut summer sandals -too sweet. http://www.walnutmelbourne.com/
2. Pineapple slushie's recipe and image courtesy of Martha Stewart.
3. Personalised Ice-cream Spoons available form http://www.papercupdesign.com/
4. Ice-cream lollies were a favourite of mine as a child.

I would love to hear any feedback and have a few other photos of my children's parties if you would like to view more. www.imprintables.com.au

 

Wee Itsy-Bitsy Halloween

Participating or throwing a Halloween party that include the wee ones? If you want everyone to have fun – you will need to think about your littlest members of your family. Though kids as young as 2 can enjoy dressing up, many a child gets freaked out at Halloween. Grasping what is “pretend” is a much older developmental skill. Here are a few ideas to get ready for the party, see more ideas at my blog-memorablegatherings.blogspot.com

Halloween Prep:
** Take some night-time walks in your neighborhood.
** Light a few candles the week before Halloween.
** Play games with turning lights on and off.
** Try costumes on and play in them.
** Try dressing up Fiddo in a fun costume- these always reveal the pet's face and can help kids start to understand fantasy and costumes... kids so identify with their beloved pets in powerful ways!
** Dress up a teddy bear for the holiday together, so that they can see a costume coming on and off beloved teddy.
** Read some books...non-scary books include:
- Dappled Apples, Froggy’s Halloween, Halloween Cats, Halloween Hats, It’s Pumpkin Time, Plumply, Dumply Pumpkin

Watch some non-scary holiday movies together:
- Monsters Inc., Incredibles, Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, Monster Squad, House of Mouse Halloween, Veggie Tales

Throwing the party?
Learn from the experts! You can attend or borrow ideas from hosted kid-friendly Halloween activities. They are good role models about what works well. These can be found at:
** Public Libraries
** Zoos
** Nature Centers
** Botanical Gardens
** Nature Hiking areas
** Pumpkin Patches
** Farms

Other ways to get in the “spirit”? Choose for the first couple years to Trick-or-Treat only at friends and family's houses or attend Harvest Festivals at local churches, where they will know you and adjust for your wee ones.

Party image from: Carolyne Roehm

"Pick-Your-Own" Party!

Canadians, or people living in other northerly countries, make the most of their short summers by getting outdoors and enjoying the sunshine every chance they get.  I especially love to wander around the weekend farmer’s markets buying baskets full of the freshest vegetables and juiciest fruits to enjoy at home knowing I am helping to support local farmers and promoting Canadian summer produce.

Getting kids involved in eating fresh local produce can be more fun than a trip to the market if you plan an outing to a Pick-Your-Own Farm.  Kids of all ages (that includes some of the parents out there!)  will get a kick out of a visit to a nearby farm or orchard for a few hours of harvesting (while sneaking a few bites along the way), learning about how a farm works and being out in the country air.  Picking strawberries, raspberries and blueberries can be a treat for young children, and the older ones will enjoy the challenge of climbing the trees/ladders in search of the best cherries, peaches, apples or pears.

Many of the farms here in Ontario offer more than just fruit and vegetable picking with activities such as hiking, farm and livestock tours, corn mazes plus country markets and cafés where you can sample fresh bread, fruit pies or pastries made on the premises.  In October, the emphasis is on pumpkins and squash with haunted houses, hay rides and hot apple cider for the kids.

You can take your family or get a larger group of neighbors or friends involved and make a whole day out of it!

Planning

• Invite family, friends and neighbors and encourage them to bring their kids and their kids friends to make it a fun group activity.  Ask people to RSVP to the event to get an approximate number of people who will be attending.  Often the farmers ask that you call ahead to let them know you are coming and to check the status of the produce and the weather forecast for the day.

• Send maps and directions to attendees and organize carpools if necessary.

• Explain what activities are involved in the Pick-Your-Own Party and make sure people are aware that they should wear “farm clothes” and sturdy footwear and that their children will undoubtedly get dirty/get stained with fruit juice.

• Prepare a basket of items to help make people more comfortable outdoors including insect repellant, sunscreen, bottled water, wetnaps to clean sticky hands, and perhaps blankets if going in the fall.

For immediate gratification after all the picking and hard work, plan to have a picnic lunch at the farm and ahead of time, ask each family/group to contribute one or two dishes to share with everyone.  As the organizer, you could provide an assortment of beverages and bring tablecloths/blankets, plates, cutlery and any condiments necessary to complete the feast.  Of course dessert would be fresh fruit straight off the farm!

The recipe below makes a quick but delicious berry pie that can be baked right after you get home from the Pick-Your-Own Party:

Fresh Strawberry Pie from Nokara Farms

1 baked pie shell
1 liter washed, halved and hulled strawberries

2/3 cup white sugar

3 tablespoons corn starch

whipping cream to serve

Take 1/2 liter of strawberries and mash thoroughly.  In a small saucepan, bring the mash to a boil for 1 minute, then add 2/3 cup of white sugar mixed with 3 tablespoons of corn starch.  Cook until thick.  Spread a thin layer of this jam on the bottom of the crust.
Place hulled and washed berries (hulled side down) in a spiral arrangement on top of the jam to fill the crust.  Cover berries with the rest of the warm jam. Cool the pie to let the jam set.  Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

Harvest Ontario is a great reference for farms and orchards in the Niagara Region.

D. Smith & Son Two Century Farm is one of my favorite "pick-your-own" farms.

Animal Ambassadors

The next kid's birthday party you host could be an unusual, fun and educational experience for your guests! Instead of a clown or bounce house, consider inviting friends and family to party with unusual animals and have some edu-tainment!

Look to see if your area has an animal rescue program - these facilities often offer tours or visits or will send out wildlife presenters who bring mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and bugs for an up close and personal look. These rescue facilities try to rehabilitate the animals to go back to the wild, but sometimes the animal cannot be released successfully. If so, they then become an animal ambassador - if they possess the right temperament to travel, be around people and so forth. Presenters often have degrees in biology or wildlife education and have a lot of experience talking about animals in an interactive and fun way. Kids (and adults) learn about where the animals are from, what they eat, their favorite things to do, and the special ways they live their lives. Through the animals, a new appreciation for the natural world is fostered.

Planning:

-- This is a great idea for kids ages 3 and up (depending on the maturity of the kids.)

-- Ask if the organization is fully permitted, licensed and liability insured. 

-- Plan to donate to the organization- some donations are 100% tax deductible. What other birthday items are?!

-- Provide arriving presenters a close parking or unloading space and let them know about any stairs or difficult access.

-- Ask them how many kids can be present and how much total space the presenters will need.

-- People wrangling is important: withhold snacks for the kids during the presentation, and make sure that kids know to have indoor voices and to “stay on their bottoms” during the presentation unless invited up to be with the presenter.

-- Ask the presenters what their ground rules are so that you are prepared to help the kids comply.

-- Ask presenters if they can bring at least one "touch" animal. The highlight of our party was when the kids got to touch an armadillo!!!  

-- Plenty of adults should accompany children guests for the supervision and safety of the children and the animals.

-- Afterwards, all the children (and adults) should clean their hands with antibacterial hand soap or wipes.

If you want something different and special... and definately memorable - you can emphasize having fun while learning at the same time by inviting animal ambassadors to your kid's party! It is a great way to go!

SUMMER ICE CREAM PARTY

An ice cream themed party is always a successful event - people of all ages LOVE ice cream!

PRE - PLANNING:
Is your party simple or elegant or something in-between? Indoor or out? If outdoors, plan for shade (see below for more ideas). If indoors- plan for a mess inside your home! Whether inside or out, keep travel wipes around for quick clean ups.

IDENTIFY YOUR ICE CREAMS:
Ice cream is the “star” of your party. Make homemade if you have a small gathering. For larger groups, determine a nice product to serve. Look for ice cream produced locally – this is a more environmentally sensitive choice to lower your carbon footprint. Select variety for all tastes. Have a non-dairy alternative available, like a sorbet or sherbet.

IMPORTANT- Think through your serving process. Having a bottle-neck while serving can make for a not-so-fun party. How many people you can you serve over a 10 minute time duration? Recruit servers or prepare portions ahead of time to keep the pace moving. Decide if you are serving cones, sundaes, build your own sundaes or something else.

INVITATIONS:
See sendomatic.com's Garden, Flower Pattern, Pink or Ice Cream - depending on your style of decor.

DECORATIONS:
Color palette: use pink, red & white stripes, checks or polka dots- they all scream ice cream! (you could throw in chocolate brown too)

Depending on the budget, include any of the following: tablecloths, tulip sundae, parfait or tall soda glasses, banana boats, long spoons or paper goods. A must: fun ice cream scoops for serving. Ice cream is a good annual theme for a party. Consider investing in materials to build an inventory. You can also rent at party rental supply vendors.

You can order paper “Soda Jerk” hats online- you would be surprised how many gentlemen guests are keen to wear one during your event!

MUSIC IDEAS:
Ragtime (focus on piano), 1950's crooner songs, sock hop, “juke box hits”. If you have guests that really like to chat- consider playing instrumental music only to support and not compete with conversation. Vocals can interfere with conversation.

CENTERPIECE IDEA:
Carnations as ice cream! White pink and red – look like luscious scoops of ice cream! Take small floral vials, fill with water and trim your carnations to fit in ice cream cones or in tulip sundae glasses. If your reception tables are in the shade forgo the floral vials – your carnations will look okay for about 2 hours.

SUMMERIME MEANS YELLOW JACKET PATROL:
Yellow jackets -don't be overly afraid or hate them. But, they can ruin parties with their persistence. And bees are hard to ID sometimes. Remove food sources for them in the area a week before your party. Hang traps that have a pheromone to attract them. Hang traps at the eating area three days before the event, empty and re-hang a bit farther away from the area on the day of your event. Use trash cans that fully close and continually remove finished dishes.

SERVING TIME:
Large tubs of ice cream thaw for 1-6 hours before showtime, small cartons need 5-15 minutes depending on your weather conditions. Do a “dress rehearsal” with one carton in similar conditions the day before to determine thawing time. Use dry ice around your large tubs if you are serving people over an extended time period.

Toppings can be used on cones as well as sundaes. Please plan for mess!!!

WATER:
I don't know why, but ice cream makes people thirsty. Create a pretty water service station with a large glass beverage dispenser. Old-fashioned paper cones for water dispensers add a nice touch.

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!

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!