Happy Halloween!

I hope that everyone has a Happy Halloween!

photo from Martha Stewart

Halloween Carving Inspiration

After a busy week of school, sports, and other activites, our family is finally going to sit down together and carve out our pumpkins today! My creations are usually pretty traditional. I just don't have the skills to do anything too fancy. My husband, however, was aparently a pumpkin carver in his past life ;) He has come up with some pretty cool designs over the past couple of years. I can't wait to see what he comes up with today.

What type of Jack-o-lantern do you create? Do you use templates and fancy tools or just create as you go? Well, here is a little inspiration (from Martha, of course) to get you carving. Enjoy!

Carrot-Nose Jack-o-Lanterns



Mini Witch and Cat Pumpkins



Pumpkin Totem



Pumpkin Porcupines

Fab Find: Mrs. Prindables

As the holiday season approaches I am always on the hunt for great hostess, teacher, and holiday gifts. This week's Fab Find offers a unique option for your gift-ing needs. Mrs. Prindables offers gourmet caramel apples, confection gifts, and gift baskets to it's customers. These unique creations can be ordered, packaged, and delievered directly to you or your special someone. They also offer fabulous party favor packages. I LOVE their Petite Apple Favors!! Here is a sampling of what they offer:

Triple Chocolate Caramel Favors

Triple Chocolate Apple Favors

Tuxedo Apple Favors

Holiday Gift Baskets

They even offer Halloween Treats!

Stop by and check Mrs. Prindables out!

Scary Good Halloween Snacks

Dress up your Halloween spread with these luxe black-and-orange treats from Food Network.

Vampire Blood Soup (served in test-tube "shooters") and Muenster Cheese Sammies are sure to kick up the CREEPY factor at your Halloween bash. Click here for the recipes.




Claire Robinson's Dark and Spooky is a fun twist on the classic Dark and Stormy.



These Pecan-Caramel Spiders have tasty licorice legs and gooey caramel-pecan bodies.



If you are a pumpkin lover you MUST try these Pumpkin Pie Parfaits. Yum Yum!

A Pirate {and Polka Dots} Party

Shiver me Timber and Yo! Ho! Ho!
Today we celebrated my sweet Wyatt's birthday, Pirate Style! Wyatt picked his party theme and was so excited to celebrate with some of his best buddies. I have been wanting to design a pirate-themed party so I was really excited about his choice. I wanted his party to have some of the traditional "pirate" elements as well as a few unexpected touches. I found some fabulous blue polka dotted fabric and decided that it was the perfect addition to the party, as I wanted to keep the overall look and feel age-appropiate (4 year olds) and light-hearted.

Guests received an invitation that read:

"Shiver me Timber and Yo! Ho! Ho!
We are having a Pirate Party and
hope you can go!
Captian Wyatt's
4th Birthday Party
Come if ye dare ready to hunt
for treasure, play games, and
eat some yummy treats!

Please RSVP by October 17th...
or walk the plank!

Guests were directed to Captain Wyatt's backyard with this sign...

..and were asked to "Suit-up" in pirate-wear once they arrived. Each pirate received a pirate hat, eye patch, sword, and sash. Mustaches were also available!






Some of Captain Wyatt's pirates (that is ROOTBEER in Captain Wyatt's hand)



The food/dessert table featured some of Wyatt's favorite treats, Pirates Booty, mini pirate boats with grapes, bananna "boats", pretzels, nuts, and of course....CUPCAKES!







The pirates played on a pirate ship (our playground), searched for gold, pinned a parrot on the pirate, bounced around a bit, and enjoyed snacks.






In addition to their pirate "gear" and gold, each guest was sent home with a YUMMY pirate cookie made by Dina of Buttercream. Aren't they cute! They tasted just as good as they looked!




We had a great time celebrating Wyatt's birthday with his friends. Happy Birthday, Wyatt. We love you!

Party Details:
-Happy Birthday Banner: Celebration Paper Co.
-Pirate Hats, Cupcake Toppers, and Bananna Boat wraps: Homemade Happiness
-Ocean Cupcake Wraps and mini pirate sails: Cottage Industrialist
-Pirate Cookies: Buttercream
-Cookie "Thank you" tags: Love the Day

Everything else...SHEEK SHINDIGS

Fab Find: Nick Jr.

Yep, that's right. Nick Jr. is this week's Fab Find. Don't look so surprised! You should bookmark this site for more than games and previews to your preschooler's favorite shows. Nick Jr. has a printables section that includes printable invitations, party accessories, crafts, and coloring pages with your child's favorite characters.

Michelle of Emma's World recently hosted an Olivia the Pig Birthday Party for her daughter and used Nick Jr. for the straw toppers and treat bags. Aren't they cute!



So, next time you are planning a character specific party, stop by Nick Jr. and check out their printables. You may be surpirsed by what you can find.

Love the Day's FREE Halloween Printables

Halloween is just a little over a week away! If you need some last minute party accessories for your Halloween bash, look no futher. Lindi of Love the Day designed these cute printables for Catch My Party. I L-O-V-E the colors and fun designs. Hop on over to Catch My Party to download Lindi's party circles, water bottle labels, welcome sign and cupcake wrappers. Happy planning!

A Halloween Masquerade Party

Yesterday I hosted a Halloween Masquerade Party at our neighborhood park for my kids and some of their friends.



There was a variety of Halloween masks for the kids to choose from when they arrived at the park.



Since the party was after school and before dinner, I didn't want the focus to be CANDY. So, I made Halloween cupcakes (of course!) and then tried to fill the rest of the dessert table with healthy snack options, such as fruit and "make your own" trail mix. I used bouncy balls to add color to the table (they were a HUGE hit with everyone) and filled in with a few swirly lolipops.







Everyone brought a small pumpkin to decorate while we munched on snacks and spent time with our friends. Since the party was at the park, everyone was able to enjoy an age appropiate activity once they were finished with the decorating.





One family brought these ghost favor bags for everyone to take home. Aren't they cute! Thanks, Megin!



We had a great afternoon celebrating the Halloween season and spending time with our friends!

DIY: Owl A Glow

Assembled from a paper globe lantern and scrapbooking paper, this wise owl friend (from Family Fun) will brighten up your hOWLloween celebration!



Materials:
Paper globe lantern (available at party stores)
Paper
Scrapbooking paper
Glue dots
Jute twine

Instructions:
For the ear tufts, fan-fold an 8-1/2 - by 6-inch piece of paper and insert it under the center bar of the lantern.

Cut facial features and wings from scrapbooking paper, then secure them with glue dots.

Cut talons from paper, and secure them to the lantern with jute twine tied to the center bar.

Hang the lantern from an appropriate light fixture with a low-wattage bulb

Autumn Wreath Pumpkin Chandelier

Isn't it beautiful! I love this Marth Stewart Autumn Wreath Pumpkin Chandelier. Suspended from a ceiling hook, a simple grapevine wreath adorned with colorful leaves and illuminated by tea lights set inside mini-pumpkin holders gives a warm, rustic atmosphere to an outdoor celebration.


You could use this technique to create so many different "chandeliers". For Christmas, you could use holly leaves and berries instead of leaves to create a festive chandelier. Or, use flowers for a bridal or baby shower. The possibilities are endless!

Fab Find: A Glitterville Halloween

For those of you who are not familiar with Glitterville Studios, you really should "introduce" yourself. Their creations are nothing short of A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Really! Glitterville's products offer a fun, whimsical alternative to some of the most traditional entertaining pieces. And, there are some items that are just as random as they are creative. I especially love the Glitterville Halloween line. I dare you to hop over to their site and just take one peek. You won't be able to leave.

This Spider Cake Plate will make even the most modest cake look irresistable.

Giltterville's paper mache Crowdilla, Punchy the Pumpkin Punch Bowl, Mr. Bones is a Double Dipper, and Classic Stacking Silhouette Cake Plates will add whimsy and WOW to your Halloween Shindig.

In addition to their Halloween line, there is a Birthday, Everyday, and Christmas line. Happy {Glitterville} browsing!

Little Red Car Inspiration Board

Beep! Beep! Make way for this adorable Little Red Car inspiration board from The Party Dress and WH Hostess. Isn't it cute!

Finley and Oliver's Cupcake Shirts

I just recently read about a designer (Grace) and her adorable product line, Finley and Oliver, on the TomKat Studio blog. You MUST check out the Finley and Oliver Cupcake T-shirts (and all of Grace's other products, for that matter!). These fun, whimsical shirts make me smile AND a little hungry for a cupcake! They would be a great addition to a cupcake-themed party or just for a birthday boy or girl to wear. I may just want to design a whole cupcake party around the shirts, now. Love them!

Operation Shower: A Star is Born Photos

As I mentioned last week, I was so honored to have the opportunity to volunteer with Operation Shower at Walter Reed Medical Center. Operation Shower truely "showered" a group of expecting military families with an afternoon of recognition, appreciation, and (the fun part!) lots of baby items! It was remarkable to experinence the joy that this event brought to these families.

The theme of the shower was "A Star is Born!". Amy of Stem Parties (and the Chief Event Organizer for Operation Shower) did a wonderful job creating a movie premiere feel to the event.

Guests entered the event by walking down a red carpet where they were greeted with a gift bag and clutch.

The concession table prior to the event starting.


Some of the table decor

The concession stand with cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcake (they were delicious!).

Some of the event volunteers (me, Lindi of Love the Day, Amy of Stem Parties, Chris of Celebrations at Home, and Ashleigh of Posh Parties, LLC. )

For more information about the services that Operation Shower provides and how you can help this amazing organization, click here. For more details and photos from the event, visit Operation Shower on Facebook!