Rainbow Themed Birthday Party

Fairies, Unicorns, Rainbows..all will eventually make the list for a little girls party at some point…well I can help with one of them! Browse below and soak up some ideas!!

FOOD & SNACKS:

Rainbow Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows

Tips for making dipped marshmallows: Fill a pan with a few inches of water and boil, turn it off but leave it on the burner. Set a large bowl (glass is what we used) on top of the pan over the water, this will melt your chocolate and keep it warm for dipping. Make sure you have something arranged to poke your sticks into, otherwise they will stick together or have a flat side. Poke on your marshmallow, dip in chocolate, sprinkle, and poke into foam to dry! These were made the night before. I used White Wilton’s melting chocolate and dyed it small batches at a time. I had a problem with GEL food coloring, and recommend liquid. You can buy ‘sucker sticks’ at a craft store, these cake sticks were purchased at a local cake store…good luck!

Rainbow Cupcakes

(Above) This is the ‘girlie’ version of a rainbow. Make your cupcakes as desired (these are confetti), add your frosting, cut and bend pieces of Air-head Extreme candies to make the rainbow..and hold tight with some frosting clouds~ YuM!!

(Below) This is an image of the same cupcakes done with different color rainbow air-heads.

http://monicajoy.tumblr.com/post/1264292112/late-post-but-i-finally-made-rainbow-cupcakes

 

Rainbow Twizzlers + Skittles + Fish bowl= (CENTERPIECE!!)

Arrange in a small goldfish like bowl (you can find at the dollar store), with Skittles at the bottom. The Twizzlers fan outward.  These make awesome centerpieces!!!!

Fruit Tray/ Veggie & Fruit Tray

It’s always nice to offer a healthy choice or two at a party, here’s some pretty options!

(Above Left) http://community.babycenter.com/post/a28626255/ot_need_fruit_ideas_for_bridal_shower

(Above Right) http://kitchentutor.wordpress.com/2011/03/02/edible-rainbow/

 

Rainbow Jello Orange Wedges…for real!

I found these browsing the web, how creative!! Here’s the linkhttp://kitchentutor.wordpress.com/2011/03/02/edible-rainbow/ for the tutorial, give it a go!!

Pretzels + M&M’s + Rainbow mini-marshmallows= Trail mix!

 

Beverages

You can serve any drink of choice and make your own rainbow ice cubes, just add a drop of food coloring!

Jones Soda, assorted colors~ served with straws!

 

Some Rainbow Cake Ideas:

 

White on the outside…rainbows on the inside!! There are two different types below, Layered/ or/ Mixed. Follow the links below the pictures for tutorials!

LAYERED

(Above) eat-a-rainbow.html

MIXED

(Above) http://www.hostessblog.com/2009/02/fabulous-rainbow-cake-tutorial/

Don’t forget about Confetti cake…plain…simple…fun!

 

Simple Entertainment

Rainbow coloring! These are actually just Easter Egg Dye cups, and better yet, you could sort them by color into the cups.

Fruit Loop Necklaces

Use yarn and wrap a little masking tape on the end of some yarn so they can be thread it through, edible project.

A Colorful Guess

Put lots of skittles, M&M's, or anything else colorful in a jar. Have everyone guess how many candies are in the jar. The winner gets the jar full of candies. (Don't forget to count the candies beforehand…) http://www.coolest-kid-birthday-parties.com/first-birthday-idea.html

Pot of Gold Hunt

This is a fun and creative game for the Rainbow first birthday idea. Get an empty egg carton and twelve small rocks that fit in the eggcups. Paint the rocks and corresponding sections of the egg carton with various colors. When the rocks have dried, hide them around the party area. Write down clues on colored papers (corresponding to the rock that's to be found) and have the kids hunt for the rocks and match them to the correct sections of the egg carton. At the end the kids'll find a pot full of gold chocolate coins that everyone can share. http://www.coolest-kid-birthday-parties.com/first-birthday-idea.html

 

I hope these ideas give you some inspiration, be creative and remember..you can dye just about anything (fruit dip, ranch, etc.)! Good luck and have fun!!

~Kristy  xoxo

Use the Season | Fall Photo Opt

If you are an owner of a typical plain-Jane digital camera like me, then I have a tip for you. Turn OFF the automatic, and give Manual a whirl! I do not claim to be a photographer, I am just a mom with a camera, but I have learned a few cool new things along the way.

Stand where nobody else is standing. Get in there!! You may find yourself crunched into a bush, or standing on top of a picnic table looking down, but these angles set your photos apart from everybody else's. Where standing point-blank and snapping a picture can offer some cool images…try a few ABOVE or BELOW shots and see what you get.

Now as this may seem as a little ‘step back in time,’ fall offers elegant natural back drops that give you opportunities to dig a little something different out of the closet (just for fun!!)….

Pull out that old color wheel! Complementary colors in photos offer the same pleasing effect to the eye as it does in a painting. Choose locations/ backgrounds that complement the people being photographed (and their clothing). I use a color wheel mostly to as a guide for complementary colors. Complementary colors are across from each other on the color wheel, they make each other pop and provide unique color schemes. You might not usually think to pair these colors together, such as purple and green.
Read more: How to Use a Color Wheel | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_5101578_use-color-wheel.html#ixzz1aOexN8zk

Image:bigstockphoto_color_wheel_-_light_3001062-300x300

Lighting. Better lighting would have made this shot better. It is said that there is a “Golden hour,” of time for outdoor photo taking, Dawn and Dusk (and hour each way). Mid-day light casts a bright white light, where dusk/dawn will give you a golden hue. The following website offers great tips and examples on how to achieve quality photos during the Golden Hour. http://www.photoble.com/photography-tips-tricks/6-golden-hour-photography-tips-create-exquisite-photos-without-expensive-lighting

Where this may not be ‘everyday wear’, I thought it would be fun for an old fashioned look. I am also learning different ways to position (my kids!) for better pictures. They do not always have to be front and center. Try off-setting them, or cropping them a little to the side like the two below.

Baby feet! I have tried taking pictures of baby feet in my hand, on a white blanket, etc. and they are cute and all…but against a darker background like this, they really pop!

Gallery:

 

For more tips on how to get that ‘old-fashioned’ look to your pictures, follow the link below!!http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1605025/how_to_make_digital_photos_look_old_pg2.html?cat=7

Get to know you camera, and spend time editing your pictures. You can take a lousy photo, and put a really great spin on it if you work on it a bit. Play with the contrast, exposure, and tint..you can always ‘save a copy’ of the original. You can never take too many pictures, click away and be creative!!

All photos by…ME!!  ~Kristy  xoxo

Why kids are gross…

Me: Hey Maddie, How was your day?
Madelynn: Good, I got a sticker for being nice.
Me: You did? Well, what did you do?
Madelynn: I found somebodies missing tooth on the playground, and I brought it to the office.
Me: ::GAG:: ...please tell me you washed your hands.
Madelynn: Nope, not until Catechism.

OMG…Gross!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.faqs.org/photo-dict/phrase/7592/tooth-extracting.html

~Kristy

Mom of the Year Award

For adding extra minutes to their ‘time out clock’ just because I enjoyed the silence…a lot.

For talking on the phone. Too long.

For banking my daughters head on the wall.

For slicing off not only too much of their fingernail, but ::cringe:: a chunk of skin too.

For getting mad over spilled milk.

For laying down a towel on a urine sopped bed at 3am until morning time (day 7, breaking point of night time potty training).

For lying to my kids and telling them it was nighttime at 6:00. And enjoying that it worked.

For eating a few of their fruit snacks (mMMmm) out of their packages before I hand them to them. What pink ones?

For eating out too much. Or choosing not to cook at all some nights (“throw together” nights).

For letting them fall asleep with a TV on at night (swore I’d NEVER do this).

For judging other parents who children had “binkies” too old, when my daughter slept with us until she was two.

For telling the girls they’d have to get a shot in the…eye…. if they played with toys at the doctors office. I know. I know.

For reading only the top line on each page of a story on those late nights.

For accidently washing their hair with my ‘burning soap’ ((acid)), and getting it in their eyes during a bath.

For forgetting to fill out my third-borns baby book…at all.

For wanting them to do the things I never got to, or fell short at.

For telling them that “Santa’s watching” starting in July. Works every time.

For telling my kids there was a chipmunk in the house, and if they could catch it they could keep it (until I found piles of bread everywhere).

For having a ‘picnic dinner’ on my living room floor because my table was piled high with… .

For running out of spoons. Okay I’m lying. For running out of silverware..ugh…completely.

 

~Kristy

Pinkalicious Party

        If you are interested in a Pinkalicious Party, feel free to use this as your guide…I have done my research!  My daughter Madelynn had decided she had wanted to follow the book ‘Pinkalicious’ as her 6th Birthday theme. We had never seen it done before, it had just stemmed from a VERY loved book about a little girl who loves everything PINK..but, a little too much.

In a nut shell, Pinkalicious eats too much pink junk food (esp. pink cupcakes!) and turns pink herself, her doctor then puts her on a strict diet of yucky green food to be a normal girl again. Food, Food, Food, Pink, Pink, Pink…..I can do that! Annnnd to top it off, of course what else does Pinkalicious wear?? A pink dress, pink wings, carries a star-wand, and wears a gold crown….bonus!

For starters, we invited ALL of the girls in her class…..

…..and they came.

I opted out of traditional goodie-bags and went for something a little different. Upon arrival each very excited Pinkalicious girl (already dressed in pink) was greeted, and got to pick out their very own crown, wand, and wings.

(Below, left) I purchased the comb-in style crowns at Meijer's, pretty inexpensively. I set them up on a plastic platter, on top of a pink fuzzy hat to give it a fancy look.

(Below, right) The butterfly wings were ordered on www.haloheaven.com, for just over a dollar a pair. This was the only thing I had to order, because it was too hard to track down that many wings in one color without paying a fortune. I was very happy with their quality. Just for frill, I added a feather boa to the basket they were placed in.

(Below) After much searching, I tracked down these oh-so-perfect wands at Target in the Birthday Party section, they came in packs of six. I thought arranging them in a vase with pink tissue paper or shredded paper would dress it up a little. The frame next to the vase welcomed guests and played off of the invitations.

Here are some pictures of the general set-up….

 

I decorated some banisters with things I already had, you could even use white crepe paper and bundles of pink curling ribbon for a pretty look too! Also blew up a bag of pink balloons for the floor.

These way-cool pink, fluffy, pom poms were purchased at www.partycity.com in packs of 3, for about $7 a pack. Standard balloons were also hung upside down in doorways for a fun look. As with any other special event, the birthday girls chair was decorated too!

As for what was on the menu….we had a PINK table, and a ..GREEN table…because you have to eat healthy green food too, to be a normal girl again that is.

My PINK TABLE consisted of: Pink PB&J /Ham & Cheese Sandwiches, pink marshmallow sticks, pink marshmallow strawberries, pink Loft-House cookies, pink Whoppers, pretzel rods dipped I white chocolate with pink sprinkles, fresh strawberries with dyed pink whipped topping dip, strawberry yogurt with four bowls of sprinkles (kids pick their own!), watermelon, jar cherries (big hit!), Little Debbie Flower Cakes, Twizzler bites, home-made ‘Pinkalicious’ style cupcakes (large and mini), jello, and pink chocolate marshmallows on sticks (and in bowls!). Pink drinks? Yes Please! Drinks choices were Pink Lemonade, and Pink Milk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are some close-up pics…

As for the ‘main course’ I gave them a choice of PB&J or Ham & Cheese Sandwiches. Hmmmm…pink bread you wonder? Get out your phone book and start calling bakeries. This was hard to acquire because using that much pink dye tends to dye their bread machines, so many were hesitant. Although it meets the requirement of a ‘main dish,’ the bread was a little stiff and these were not as big of a hit as I had hoped.

Now these marshmallows on the other hand, stole the show!! These are marshmallows dipped in pink chocolate (from a cake store), sprinkled, and topped with a cinnamon drop to resemble a cherry on top of a cupcake. The sticks were also purchased from a cake store.

Tips for making dipped marshmallows: Fill a pan with a few inches of water and boil, turn it off but leave it on the burner. Set a large bowl (glass is what we used) on top of the pan over the water, this will melt your chocolate and keep it warm for dipping. Make sure you have something arranged to poke your sticks into, otherwise they will stick together or have a flat side. Poke on your marshmallow, dip in chocolate, sprinkle, and poke into foam to dry! These were made the night before the party and held up great.

Below are a few more pics of all of that yummy pink food!

Onto the GREEN TABLE!!!!  After all of those little girls filled up on Pink, Pink, Pink….they HAD to pick one thing off of the green table (hehehe)…here were their choices….

       ….Baby green bananas, Baby pickles (hit!)…..

                        ….Peas, Apples……

                       …..and Broccoli!!!

(Below) This is how the table was set up.

What I did to entertain a house full of girls….

*Pinkalicious Bingo~ http://www.kidscraps.com/GameCentral/Bingo-pinkalicious/PinkaliciousBingo.htm , click on this link and print off all of your already created Pinkalicious Bingo cards!! Use candy as stoppers :)

*Donut eating contest~powdered!! This was a riot!

*Nail Painting Table-and a designated painter..or two. Also worked as a doodle table because I lined it with paper and only set out shades of pink and green crayons for coloring.

*Face Painting~ I pre-painted several options from the story (ex:crown, cupcakes, candy..)

*Hot Cupcake (Hot Potato)~ Used a pretend cupcake

*Balloon Bounce~ Who can keep their pink balloon afloat the longest just using their wand?

PRIZES: (Everyone received one LARGE prize (ex: pink dress, pink fuzzy hat, pink light-up crown), and several SMALL prizes (candy jewelry & mini-wands) as they won activities. Everybody won.

 

Below is a gallery of pictures of what we did!!

 

 

Cake and Presents

 

 

…and GOODbyes…

These were the home-made goodie bags she sent home with each girl, they were the same marshmallows that were on the sticks. I photo-shopped the cupcake image and typed around it,

     “Thank you for coming to my Pinkalicious Party, having you was better than cupcakes!!” Love, Madelynn

I just printed them on card stock. These were a party favorite!

 

 

 

 

 

All in All…one very special pink party…..for one very special little girl.

~Best Wishes for your very own Pinkalicious Party

~Kristy  xoxo