It's a bird...it's a plane...no it's a SuPeRHeRo PaRtY!

My son's 5th birthday party was this past Sunday and it was so much fun.   I am truly exhausted after all of the preparation, but he had the time of his life so it was all worth it.    I wanted to share some of the ideas I used and give credit where it's due for the ideas I borrowed.    This is a REALLY long post filled with pictures so hopefully it won't bore you.  

I played off of the common superhero colors of red, blue and yellow throughout the theme and found the perfect invitations to match.  Here is a copy of the invitation I used which I got from Paper Monkey on etsy....I just loved it!

We added a line encouraging the kids to wear their own superhero costumes...here is my little superhero before the party started.

Of course he had to go the bathroom as soon as he got in the costume...hence the pose...lol

Also, you'll see a lot of him in this post because I don't like to post pictures of other people's children on here, but I assure you there were 7 other little superheros here that day!

All of our decorations followed this theme with the added color of green.  Here are some pictures of the decorations before the party began. 

Homemade banner using some clip art from 'One Charming Party'.  This was so simple...I should have taken pictures while I made it, but it's just card stock cut into circle shapes and then run through the sewing machine...yes, the sewing machine.  Then I adhered the letters on top and voila!  I did sew ribbon to the end to dress it up a bit!

I also made the balloon wreath that I was crazy about and mentioned as one of my "Pins of the Week" a few weeks back.   And here it is....

If you'd like instructions...you can visit 'Two More Seconds' because her instructions make it super simple to follow.

A few other fun ideas I found, but unfortunately can't remember where are these cute cutouts with my son's initials for the tables and the painted boxes as a skyline backdrop...which you'll see later.

These served as our centerpieces and the bases were simply "Mike & Ike's" candies...my son's favorite that just so happen to match our theme.   We also had 2 bunches of balloons in red, blue and yellow on the table.

Speaking of the table...here is what ours looked like...

Along the fireplace in the back I tried another idea I found for multi-colored streamers.  FUN!!!!

You can find a tutorial on 'Made' (on of my all-time top favs of blogs).  Hers are a little different, but I decided to go with no gathering because I was afraid they'd look too girly!

Here is a close up of them...

I had a table set up near the main table with our desserts, water bottles, a few snacks and a few other things.  This table had our skyline backdrop which held the goody bags.   

Here is the sign posted above...

On the left side of the table we had "POWER popcorn" in paper cones...

On the right I had chocolate covered pretzels and in the middle...our cupcakes with cupcake toppers to match our invites from 'Paper Monkey'.

On the table I had some cutouts of words in case you're wondering what they are in the picture.

And the goody bags....I made Spider Man, Batman and Captain America bags.  My son's favorites.

These are made from Walmart paper bags and simple cut out decorations.   

On the back we attached a little note of thanks.

Our main food table was on our kitchen island and we served superhero themed food.  My son has tons of food allergies so I had to customize the menu to make sure he could eat as well so...we had:

"POWER Popcorn"

"KAPOW Carrot Sticks"

"ATOMIC Apple Slices"

"WHAM Watermelon Kabobs"

"Super-charged Chicken Nuggets"

"HOLY Macaroni"

"LIGHTNING Lemonade"

Cupcakes and Water

We made bow tie pasta because my son has always said that it looks like bat wings so what better fit?!

And yes, I did have red and white roses on the food tables.  What would a party be without flowers.  I also added our superhero lollipops next to it.  I got the idea for these from 'Zakka Life'.  Aren't these adorable?

She even shared her template on her blog so go check it out.  These would be fun for Halloween too.

The whole premise of the party was based on my son's on-going insistence that he needs to be a "real" superhero so that he can defend our family against the "bad guys" when they come to our house.   Quite the imagination.  So.....I planned the whole party around the idea that the boys would "earn" their superhero badges, capes and masks after completing activities to demonstrate their superhero abilities.

Here was our table with all of the activities before we got started.

We had several things they did to earn their superhero badges, capes and masks. 

For each activity they earned a star on their  badges...

They were costume store bought medals with a foam circle hot glued to them.  We then added the sticky stars after each activity.

They had a bunch of activities to complete and they started with "Ping Pong Power Training" where they had to keep the balloon in the air for as long as possible with their partner.  I got the idea from 'The Weekend Homemaker'.

The paddles were just paper plates and plastic rulers taped to them.

Then we did "Straw Rocket Launching" where they had to shoot their "rockets" off the straw.  I got this idea from 'Curious Kangaroos' and it was so simple to make.  They are really just rolled up paper taped at the end and then a straw...super simple.

...they all tried so hard to make it go across the room....so sweet!

Next was practicing their accuracy with our "Bean Bag Toss".  Totally homemade.

I painted an old box and cut a whole in it.  I made the bean bags too...who knew they were so simple?!

The last activity inside was the "Laser Maze".  This was so much fun for the boys.  I found this idea on 'Chicken Babies'.  My husband and I had fun putting this together for them.  We used painter's tape and streamers.

They had to climb under the lasers without touching and take a piece of taped streamer off the door on the other end.  They did so good!

My little commando...lol

Last up was our silly string.  We took them outside for this one for good reason and they had no idea that Batman was going to make a surprise visit.  

After we came back in the boys were still trying to figure out where Batman went.  They all had a theory...oh the imagination of 4 and 5 year old boys!

Here they are looking out the window for him...

They all earned their medals, capes and masks.  My husband thinks that was the highlight for the boys!

I made them all capes and masks as part of their goody bags.  They each had their initial and coordinated with their masks.  Each cape has a different color on the inside as well.   (BTW...if you are familiar with my etsy shop...I will be selling these custom made capes very soon.  A great Christmas gift!)  

We ended our party with a pinata and snacks for everyone.

 

We really enjoyed it and the best part was that it was all over by noon so we had the whole day to enjoy...I mean clean up...lol!

Until next year!

Poshed Up

Last few Halloween goodies!

I have been very negligent with my blog this past week and I'm sorry for those of you who are frequent visitors.  I myself am a daily visitor of a few favorite blogs and am always disappointed when they haven't posted anything new for my reading pleasure.  So...I truly apologize.

I have been VERY busy planning for my 5 yr. old's birthday party at my house this Sunday.  I cannot WAIT to share pictures with all of you, but you'll have to wait a few days more.  It's going to be so much fun....or at least I think so :)

Anyway.....I have a few more fun ideas to share with you for Halloween.  It's crazy to think that this fun day of treats and costumes is only 2 weeks away.  Yikes!  Good thing my kids pick their costumes in May...kidding!  They are true planners at heart just like me so I am thrilled that we're not scrambling to find something.

I don't know about in your part of the country, but here where we live, "BOO'ing" or "Ghosting" is the fun thing to do for Halloween.  I must admit that I am a bit behind on this one as we already got boo'd last week!   If you're not familiar with this tradition, you basically wrap up some fun treats, candy, small toys or any other fun Halloween goodies and deliver them to a few friends with a sweet poem (I'll share later in this post).   The fun part though is that you don't let them know it's from you. 

That is always the best part for us...the ringing of the doorbell and the sprint back to the car.  I wish I had it on film from years past because it is such a great memory for us.  And after you've been boo'd, you are supposed to hang up the sign stating that you've been boo'd so you don't get it again.

So...here is a really great "BOO'ing" idea from 'The TomKat Studios'.....a personal fav blog !  If you visit her site, she's been kind enough to share this with all of us.

Here's another really sweet (no pun intended) idea from 'Chickabug' and 'HowDoesShe?'.  They've also been nice enough to provide a free download that you can access by clicking here.

How excited would you be....I mean how excited would your kids be to get this bag of goodies on their doorstep?

 

How about using a plain brown bag jazzed up with some fun Halloween printables from 'It Is What It Is'? 

 So fun.

Click here for the free printable and instructions on printing.

We have gotten all kinds of fun treats and toys in our bags when we've been boo'd.   I have some fun ideas up my sleeve for this year, but I can't share them here in case any of you are our target.  I wouldn't want to give away our identity...ha ha!   I will share them soon though.

Here are a few fun ideas that you could either include when boo'ing or they would be great classmate gifts if you give them.  I try to give something small to all of my children's classmates for a few major holidays (Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's) and since we are a crafty family...we like to make them.  That's the fun for my kids!

I LOVE these sweet little owl tags from 'Living Locurto' as an attachment to your child's gift.  These would be especially great for the little ones.

Click here for the free printable.

I love these festive goodies for the inside of the bag or to give as gifts at school, church,  bus driver, teachers...or anyone!

How about some lollipops in either a pumpkin, ghost or spider?  From 'ohdeedoh'!

Or some pumpkins filled with small candies that your child gets to break open....from 'Positively Splendid'.

This use of the candy is so creative.  

Not sure exactly which they used, but I'm sure you could use smarties or some other cylindrical candy (big word, huh?)

From 'Jean's Crafty Corner'.

And who doesn't love chocolate pretzels...especially when they are this beautiful.  These little beauties come from 'Baked Perfection'.  What a sweet idea for a teacher gift!

Speaking of teacher gifts...here is what we gifted last year and they were so easy and a huge hit.  They are made with a Hershey's Bar, but you could really use any candy bar you choose.

This idea comes from 'Skip to My Lou'...a blog I just devour!

Theirs...

Ours.....and if I remember correctly, we put a label on the back with a message!  So simple!

And lastly, I leave you with the sweetest little Halloween goody I've seen to date.   I just LOVE paper dolls and think these would be so fun for little ones...and a great small motor activity too! 

From 'Babilisme'.

Happy Boo'ing!

Poshed Up

It's PaRtY Time!

Whether you're planning your own Halloween soiree, the class mom for Halloween snacks or just want some fun ideas to thrill your kids this season....check out these amazing and fun ideas for Halloween-themed snacks and treats!

Generally fun snacks don't tend to be the healthiest.   Fun, but sometimes sugar overload.  While I have plenty of those to share, I found some great ideas to keep it fun and festive while still healthy.  These are especially healthy if you live in a school district like ours where you cannot bring in a snack with sugar as the 1st ingredient.  You really have to get creative.  Here a few really fun ideas:

A simple, but adorable idea from 'The Princess and the Frog Blog'.... so easy, but this would be great especially for the littlest ones.  I will be stealing this for a fun lunchbox treat on Halloween for sure!

Or, this simple cookie cutter idea for orange colored foods from 'Bento Mama'.  Love those bento containers.....so many fun ideas!  This will come in handy for my little guy's orange day snack at preschool. 

And another fun, healthy snack that really isn't too difficult for even the busiest of moms.   Carrots and dip....not too difficult, right?

Or how about a fun party mix...either at the party or put in the festive cello bags you can find at any dollar store this time of year as a party treat at school.  Who doesn't love a party mix?

                                                                 From 'Just Make Stuff '

And this fabulous spread...may be more appropriate for an adult costume party, but still so fun!

This idea is compliments of 'Feeding Frenzy'....

I can't get over this...I love the use of the head for the dip.  So darn creative.  Almost too cute to eat!

And lastly, another fun idea from Better Homes & Gardens.

And now on to the not-so-healthy treats....

Witches hats....2 different takes on the same treats using upside-down fudge stripes and a Hershey's Kiss.

From 'KidStuffWorld'

                                                                  From Barb Schram

How about some mummy snacks?   I have an affection for these 2 out of all of them and I think it's the adorable detail on the eyes...

From 'The Idea Room' 

                                                                 From 'The Workman Family Blog'

How about the always popular Rice Krispie Treat gone Halloween?

How fun are these...

From 'Cookies & Cups'

Or any of these beauties....hard work, but so cute!

From 'Choose to Thrive Blog'

And boy do I have some fun cupcakes to share.  It's amazing to me how cupcakes have become the new chic thing to serve at any party....big or small, kids or adults when growing up they were reserved solely for kids' birthday parties.  They are sure to be some crowd pleasers!

First, from Better Homes & Gardens...these 2 cute ideas. 

 Check out their Halloween cupcake section for some other clever ideas.

Their version of a peeking monster....

                                                                         Or any of their spiders

These witches from 'Amy Atlas Events' are so creative.  I love the licorice hair!

These next few just take the cake...no pun intended.

From Midwest Living...

                                          Or these "creepcakes" from 'Cake Info Blog'

And my personal favorite.  Not sure if kids would think it's quite as funny as adults, but I think it is so inventive!  From 'Simply Sweeter' and a 2009 Martha Stewart Cupcake Contest winner....

Last, but certainly not least is one that I've tried...well sort of.  I make a version of this for Christmas and just made a fall version for my book club.  So easy!  Not quite sure how candy corn will taste with pretzels and Hershey's Hugs, but they are so fun!

Happy Snacking!

Poshed Up