Tag: Disney-Inspired Party Planning

Little Mermaid Inspired Party: Decor, Activities and Party Favors

Little Mermaid Party Activities

A summer party that’s “Under the Sea” couldn’t get any better than this (according to Sebastian, of course!)

This summer my Little Mermaid Victoria celebrated her 4th birthday.  For months before the party Victoria told everyone she met that she was having an “Ariel Birthday Party – cake – chocolate on the inside and green on the outside.” That was the line she told EVERYONE! Of course she was often asked “Why green?”  And when this happened, very dramatically her response was repeated “That’s the color of Ariel’s tail.  It has to be green!” Each time I heard her say that I chuckled inside.  Apparently my themed-party-planning gene was passed along to her!

Using Victoria’s request of green as my starting point, the party planning for my princess went swimmingly.

I honestly had a blast planning, working with vendors and creating some of my own special touches for Victoria’s Little Mermaid themed birthday party.  I’m excited to share the details with you over the next week. You can expect to see a post on Little Mermaid-themed food, a sponsored post about the most awesome party favor you could give mermaid guests and even a tutorial on how to make simple beach-inspired cupcakes. Today, I’ll start by showing you an overview of the party’s themed decor, activities, and party favors. Those three pieces of a party are entwined together in theming, so this post will be a long one. My goal is to show you how a few simple and inexpensive touches can give a back yard party enough pixie dust to make your mermaid and her guests swim with glee!

Decor, Activities and Party Favors

Although the party was themed around The Little Mermaid Disney princess, Ariel, the majority of our young guests were boys.  After a quick discussion with the birthday girl, we decided to keep the themed accents nautical instead of princess.  I used shells and starfish to decorate everything and the color scheme was hues of blue, green, purple, white and touch of pink.

Little Mermaid themed party decor

This pretty starfish wreath was hung above the adult guest favor table.  It worked perfectly to draw attention to the table and could easily be duplicated by hot gluing three starfish to a wreath you may already have.

Little Mermaid-inspired Adult Party Favors

Placed below the wreath I used a small table to display the party favors given to the adults attending the party.  Inside hard-shelled milk chocolate seashell candies waited to be munched later in the day.  The blue tray held real seashells along with the thank you photo-cards from our little mermaid.

mermaid party table decor

Table decor I kept simple by using purple calla lilies and seashells. I love the shape of the calla lily leaves.  They remind me of sea weed or mermaid fins popping out of the ocean, ok, so maybe that’s a stretch but nonetheless, that’s why I chose them.

Mermaid party decor

It the food area I used additional touches of seashells and starfish.

The glass container set you see in the above photo I re-purpose for every party.  It’s so simple, a little hot glue and some Target $1 section ribbon or in this case rope and it adds a perfect party touch to the food table.  The sand dollars and starfish I made using Mod Podge molds.  They are so simple to make, I filled the mold with hot glue using my glue gun and painted a white shimmer glaze on them.  Once they dried, I hot glued them onto the rope on containers.  The best part is the glued items come off so easily when you’re done and leave no residue behind.

boys drink cups Mermaid partyThe pirates attending our mermaid party were given personalized drink glasses for them to use and then take home at the end of the party. I used the same molds and Target spot section supplies to embellish the pretty blue mason jars that I purchased from AC Moore Craft Store. The mermaids, who happened to be the younger guests at the party, were given Ariel plastic containers to use and take home as part of their party favors. The Ariel drink containers I also found in Target’s spot section.

Little Mermaid Party activity for boys and girls

We had a bubble blower set up at the beginning of the party and the kids loved running through it, but the activity that these pirates enjoyed the most was the treasure hunt. The boys we tagged as pirates and the girls, of course, as mermaids.  The boys were given their own pirate shirts to get soaked in as this treasure hunt involved two parts.  The mermaids went on their own hunt for Human Stuff and the pirates searched out their treasure. When they found their treasure a second map was with it, which lead them to a battle. The mermaids and pirates had a water balloon fight to defend their finds. Ok, I know you’re thinking- “Pirates? Where were they in the movie?” It’s a bit off the Little Mermaid theme but the kids loved it! Maybe Disney should consider this plot for another sequel…

Human treasure! Little Mermaid inspired activity

The mermaids found “Human Stuff!” (Ariel necklaces, change purses, pink chocolate coins and blue gummy fish) The pirates’ treasure was purple chocolate coins, green gummy fish and pirate rubber band bracelets.

Little Mermaid party favorsThe party activities concluded with lots of splashes in the pool! Each little mermaid dried off in their very own personalized mermaid towel.  The towels were made by Kim Osborne, owner of Etsy shop ~ Sewjob. She did a wonderful job making them and I’ll share more about them later this week.

If you’re planning a Little Mermaid-inspired party this summer, I hope this post gave you a few ideas to help you along!  If you’ve already hosted a Little Mermaid-inspired party, please share the details!  I’d love to check out your party too!

 

Thank you for stopping by the blog today.  Until next time, I hope your days are magical!

 

Simple “Big Hero 6” Cupcakes

Big Hero 6 cupcakeThis past weekend my son, Gavin, and I saw Disney’s newest film, “Big Hero 6.” We loved it! Baymax was Gavin’s favorite hero. A funny robot with a kindness that’s pure with selflessness, Baymax has won my heart too.

When I mentioned to Gavin I’d like to make Baymax cupcakes, he jumped right into helping me. He and I created these simple Baymax-inspired cupcakes.  I’m proud to say that the design of the cupcakes came from Gavin’s suggestion and I think they came out adorable!

I started with a basic white cupcake in a Wilton white baking cup.

Baymax cupcakes  Next I applied white icing to each cupcake.

Baymax cupcakes

Using a spatula Gavin helped me smooth out the icing.

Baymax cupcakes

Using two brown M & M pieces and black licorice, we added Baymax’s eyes.

Baymax Cupcake

It’s that simple!  It took more time to divide the brown chocolate candies than to decorate the cupcakes!

 

 Did you see Disney’s “Big Hero 6” yet?  Which hero was your favorite?

Princess Belle Birthday Party: “The dining room proudly presents…”

Our Beauty and the Beast Inspired Lunch!

This photo was taken from http://blogs.disney.com/
Photo courtesy of http://blogs.disney.com/

 

Today I’m continuing the recap of my daughter’s Princess Belle inspired birthday party by sharing the party’s food menu.

The menu was inspired by the animated film, “Beauty and the Beast”.  The story line of the film took place in the fall and winter seasons so Lumiere, with his enchanted friends, offered Belle quite a hearty meal. Our party took place outside in the middle of the summer month of June, so I chose to serve a lighter menu but still tried to stay true to the film and the Be Our Guest Restaurant menu at Walt Disney World.

Here’s what our guest’s were treated to at the birthday party!

Appetizers

  • Mini Crescent Dogs (shown on Lumiere’s platter)
  • French Onion Dip Meatballs
  • Mini Spinach and Bacon Quiche
  • Brie Cheese with crackers

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 Entrée

  • Croissants
  • Bagels
  • French Rolls
  • Sandwich Rolls
  • Deli Meat Platter with Turkey, Roast Beef, Ham, various cheeses and condiments
  • Pommes Frites (French Fries)

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Beverages

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The drinks offered at the party where that of the average party- water, milk, white grape juice and a variety of sodas.  In addition, I made this pretty pink punch.

http://www.food.com/recipe/baby-shower-pink-cloud-punch-125733

I used  this recipe for the punch called, Pink Cloud Punch.  I did tweak it and used raspberry lemonade- SUPER yummy!

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 Dessert

Talk about saving the best for last!  If you know me, then you know that, similar to a three-year old, this is my favorite part of any meal. Who doesn’t love sugar?  The color theme for the party was pink (a nod to the red rose) and yellow (a reference to Belle’s dress).  I decided to keep with that theme when choosing and making items for the dessert table.  In addition I looked to the Be Our Guest restaurant menu for dessert ideas.

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  • Lemon cupcakes
  • Pink chocolate covered creme puffs
  • Rose sugar cookies
  • Princess Belle cherry and vanilla birthday cake (Didn’t Wegman’s bakery department do a wonderful job placing Belle in a pretty rose garden?)

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 “Try the Grey Stuff!  It’s delicious!  Don’t believe me?  Ask the dishes!”

It really is delicious!  Wondering what’s in the Grey Stuff?  All things good! There’s vanilla pudding, whipped cream, Oreos…sound good?  It’s super easy to make too!  Here’s where I found the recipe.

http://www.thedisneydiner.com/2013/02/try-grey-stuff-its-delicious-heres.html

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  • Cupcakes with pink and yellow iced rosettes on top.  How can we leave out the chocolate lovers?
  • Yellow candy covered chocolates

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Is your belly full now?  I hope you enjoyed the menu!  If you’re still hungry, check out the menu for the Be Our Guest Restaurant at Walt Disney World.  I’m certain you’ll be wishing they offered delivery!

http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/be-our-guest-restaurant-lunch-menu/

Up next on the blog, this Sunday stop by to see the Princess Belle inspired party decor and activities!  Have a great weekend everyone!

 

 

Princess Belle Birthday Celebration ~ $5 Chalkboard Wreath Tutorial

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“Be Our Guest” at my daughter’s Princess Belle themed birthday party!

My daughter’s Princess Belle themed birthday party was this past Saturday.  I’m thrilled to say she had a wonderful time AND it didn’t rain!  Talk about a success!  I can’t wait to share the details of her special day with you.  Over the next week, you can look forward to posts where I’ll share the Beauty and Beast themed food, desserts, decor, activities and party favors.  Of course I have to throw in a tutorial post or two, so today I’ll begin the party by sharing with you a quick tutorial on the welcome sign that our guests saw as they arrived.

Chalkboard signage has been hot for the last few years and I’ve been looking for just the right opportunity to make one.  Since Be Our Guest is an iconic phrase sang in the film, “Beauty and the Beast”, I felt that Be Our Guest worked as a perfect greeting message for our arriving guests.  I decided to marry the partnership of a welcome sign with the phrase by utilizing a chalk board inside of a wreath.  However, I wanted to complete it inexpensively and quickly.  I gathered the following dollar store and craft store items and went to work.

Be Our Guest signage supplies

 The key to this project is the black foam-core board that the items are laying on in the photo above.

I found the black foam-core board at our local Dollar Tree store!  Black foam core looks exactly like a chalk board and chalk presents well on it too. I chose to use foam-core because it was a simple solution to get the project done quickly.  It’s important to know that you can’t put any amount of water on foam-core and expect it to wipe completely clean without destroying the surface.  I used a dry tissue to wipe off some minor mistakes, but it didn’t return to the crisp clean state that I started out with.  Lesson to be learned:  Make sure you know what you’re going to write before you start!

Be Our Guest wreath supplies Here’s an overview of how I completed the wreath.

The frame, purchased from Michael’s craft store as a double set for around $2 (with a coupon) was painted yellow and allowed it to dry.  While drying I hot glued on the dollar store pink rose buds on to the Target store grapevine wreath (found in their dollar bins) and measured the opening in my frame.  I cut a piece of the foam core just a few centimeters larger than the opening and hot glued it to the back of the painted wooden frame.  That’s it!

 Next the lettering!

Be Our Guest wreath supplies

Writing on black foam core was incredibly easy and the chalk that I used made the writing very clean.  You can use an average piece of chalk, but I decided to purchase the Allary set that is pictured above. The set was a bit pricey at $8.99 (Amazon), so my $5 calculation for the wreath price does not include the chalk.  However,  I absolutely love the set and can’t wait to use the other colors!

Here’s the finished piece as it greeted guests on Saturday.

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I hope you’ll be MY Guest this week as I share more Beauty and the Beast themed details of my daughter’s special day.

Up next, the dining room proudly presents- you’re dinner…or in our case lunch!

 

Donald Duck Cupcakes

Donald Duck birthday blog hop

Happy Birthday Donald Duck!

Today, I’m so excited to be participating in a Birthday Blog Hop for my favorite hot-headed feathered friend.  Let’s get this party started with some Donald Duck inspired cupcakes!

Donald Duck cupcakes

 Are you ready to start celebrating?  Here’s a photo tutorial on how to make these super simple Donald Duck inspired cupcakes, including a printable hat template.

Since Donald has white feathers, I chose to make white cake cupcakes.  After baking and cooling, I iced them in a simple swirl formation by starting on the outside of the cupcake and making my way to the center.  After one swirl, I made a second swirl on top to give it height.

Donald Duck cupcake 020At this point (pun intended), my son walked into the room and said, “Cool Mommy, you made Donald Duck butts!”

I have to admit, I agreed with him.  They do look like Donald’s butt.  If you’d like to celebrate Donald’s birthday today and you’re pressed for time, then I’m certain you’ll get a chuckle or two from your kids when you present them with Donald Duck butts after school today.

However, if you’d like to make the cupcakes I featured at the beginning of this post, let’s continue to the next step.

Donald Duck cupcake 002

Print out this Donald Duck template below and trace it on a piece of blue card-stock.  You’ll need two hats for each cupcake.

Donald Duck Hat Template

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Hot glue a toothpick and a piece of black ribbon to each hat.

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Add a second Donald hat on top with another dab or two of hot glue.

Donald Duck cupcake 009

 

Donald’s hat is now complete and it’s time to move onto his bow-tie.

Using red candy melts in a squeeze bottle, pipe bow-ties on wax paper.  To keep my ties consistent, I drew a bow-tie on a piece of paper and used it as a template under the wax paper to trace with chocolate.  Allow the chocolate to fully dry before placing them on your iced cupcakes.

Donald Duck cupcake bowties

Isn’t he such a dapper duck?

Donald Duck cupcake

Happy Birthday Donald!

Don’t let the party stop here!  Visit the other blogs on this Donald Duck Birthday Blog Hop for more fun!