Eerie & Cheery Halloween Party Ideas

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays to decorate for. I get so excited every Halloween to see all of the little trick-or-treaters knocking on my door and what costumes they've chosen that year.  Because of this, I really prefer to decorate with a cheery, kid-friendly Halloween style. That's why I was so thrilled to collaborate with Party City on an Eery and Cheery Halloween Party for some little friends this year.

Party City has a fabulous selection of kids costumes from the latest cartoon and superheros characters to updated classics, like the adorable Frankenstein, Skeleton, Candy Corn Witch, Black Cat, and Vampire costumes you see in these fantastic shots captured by Click Photo Designs by Sarah Brewer. If you ever need family photos or a special event photographed in the North Alabama area, Sarah is the best.

Plus, Party City really has everything you need to get a party going from big decorations to little details like this small ornate picture frame featuring one of my mini "Happy Halloween" candy bar wrappers. And, you know me...I love details! Plus, they've got a great selection of candy for any type of celebration, especially if you love to color coordinate your treats like I do. Party City even has lots of elegant, shimmery plastic serving pieces that would be lovely enough to use for Thanksgiving.

I love creating a fun focal point for my parties with a touch of unexpected. I used five black tissue paper fans from Party City to create a dramatic backdrop for my Printable "Trick or Treat" party banner.  In front of that, I used two coordinating 12 ft tissue paper garland to create a unique up-side-down pumpkin chandelier for the party. These tissue paper fans and garland give you a lot of bang for your buck and are super easy to work with!

What's a spooky Halloween party without some sweets? Party City has all of the candy you need for Halloween, too. You've probably seen me use Party City's solid gumballs for parties in the past.  They are such a fabulous way to add a pop of color, and you should see how excited the kids get to reach inside a candy jar of these.  That's why these gumballs are a must-have for any of my kids' parties.  I also got some candy corn, ghost Peeps, and cute black candy sticks there, too. Even though the candy sticks are black, they have a super yummy grape flavor and don't leave your mouth dyed black, which I love for keeping the kids cute and clean in their costumes.

The main attraction of the menu were definitely the fabulous cookies designed by Lindsey Agree of Tickled Pink Cookie Boutique.  They were so stunning in person with a sparkly finish and intricate details. Not only did they perfectly coordinate with the eerie and cheery Halloween Printables, but they also tasted AMAZING with a hint of almond extract that made them absolutely irresistible. Lindsey was fantastic to work with, too.  I sent her some inspiration images, and she came up with these coordinating cookies that couldn't have been more perfect on this shimmery plastic tray from Party City.  Lindsey books up fast, so if you'd like to get some holiday cookies, place your order now.  Sarah Brewer and I have already booked her for our Christmas cookies...yes, they are that good!  Lindsey ships, too.

We had lots of easy Halloween snacks at the party, too, such as Ghost S'Mores, Candy Corn Popcorn Balls, Mini Chocolate Bars, Little Debbie Cupcakes, Witch's Potion Punch, and Cutie Clementines for a healthy treat.

And, what's a Belly Feathers Party without a party favor? I couldn't resist sending the kids home with a little something cute from a party. These adorable chevron bags came from Hey Yo Yo, and I added a little Halloween flair by attaching the mini candy bar wrappers from my Halloween Printables collection to the front.  You can have so much fun with printables by using the items in unexpected ways like this.  Inside the bag, I added a fun little trumpet flute whistle from Party City that was STEAL at only 35 cents, along with a package of Little Debbie Orange Peanut Butter crackers that perfectly coordinated with the party's color scheme.  Plus, the kids got to load up their bags with as many Halloween sweets as they wanted...there were a lot of questions about those gumballs and candy sticks, let me tell you!

This party has too many details to share in just one post, so stay tuned all month long to learn more about the Party City costumes, Halloween treats, decorations, easy craft how-tos, and more. For a larger list of my favorite Halloween party items from Party City, check out this Halloween - Party City Favorites board on Pinterest.

Sources:
Party City - candy, costumes, frame, paper fans, streamers, orange serving platter, favor whitsles
Click Photo Designs by Sarah Brewer - photography
Tickeled Pink Cookie Boutique - cookies
Hey Yo Yo - Straws, monster mix cups, treat bags
Belly Feathers - Halloween Party Printables and event styling

Free Summer Printable Files for Memorial Day, 4th of July & Labor Day

In case you missed them earlier this summer, here are some free Summer Holiday Printables I designed just for fun.  Included in the summer printable file are two sizes of graphics and ideas for how to use them on all the major summer holidays: Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day.

Hope you enjoy! Download the Summer Printable PDF file now.

Care Package Ideas for Homemade Goodies

Someone my husband and I love needed a little cheering up, so I decided to put together a care package of my homemade Classic Peanut Butter Cookies.

I couldn't put a gift together without a homemade tag! I thought this little "Donut Be Sad" stamp was so adorable, and it makes me smile to see it every time. There's just something endearing about a smiling donut with a tear....Don't you think?

How to Ship Cookies:

• Try to bake your cookies within 24 hours of shipping.
  
  
• Let cookies cool to room temperature before packaging.
  
  
• Place cookies in an air-tight container.
  
  
• Put waxed paper or parchment between each layer of cookies to keep them from sticking to each other. (I just recycled the parchment paper I baked the cookies on for this.)
  
  
• If cookies don't completely fill the container, add shredded or crumpled waxed paper, parchment paper, or cupcake liners to fill the gap.
  
  
• Place container in a shipping box with 2-3 inches of packing on all sides to keep cookies from breaking during shipment.
  
  
• If shipping the next day, freeze your box of cookies overnight to ensure freshness longer. If you're shipping during the cold-weather months, that will help, too.
  
  
• Mark the box FRAGILE.
  
  
• It's best to send your cookies on Monday or Tuesday to ensure the cookies don't sit in a post office or warehouse over a weekend and start to get stale.
  
  
• I recommend USPS Priority Mail (2-3 day delivery) as a fairly fast and economical shipping method. 

 Here are two guides for shipping other handmade treats:

• How to Ship Cupcakes by Project Cupcake
  
  
• How to Ship Cinnamon Rolls as seen on Your Homebased Mom

Here's one last look at my care package before it goes into its shipping box and the freezer.  I just got this Caribbean blue twine from The Twinery this week, and it matched my tag so perfectly!

Do you have any tips for shipping home-baked treats?

Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookies

When I saw this Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookie recipe on Celebrations at Home, I knew these cookies were going to make the "To-Eat" List on my diet cheat day. My husband and I are on a slow-carb diet from the 4-Hour Body book, but on Saturdays we can eat anything we want....have I mentioned how much I LOVE Saturdays???  Anyway, the thought of these cookies got me out of bed bright an early on Saturday, so I could bake them before going out of town.  They were so worth it, too!

Mine didn't turn out nearly as cute as those in the photos on Celebration at Home (maybe they sprinkled some extra chocolate chips and coconut on top of their dough balls before baking), but I did think they looked super cute on my new two-tier Valentine's Day tray from Target. 

Before bed time on Saturday, I decided I would sneak into the kitchen and eat just one more cookie while it was still cheat day.  I ate THREE!!!  Needless to say, these cookies had to leave the house, so this is how cute they looked on Sunday when they made their grand exit!

I hand stamped the "A Little Yummy for Your Tummy" tag and mounted it on sparkly background paper.  The two things that really set it off, though, were the dimensional flower and the cute red and white baker's twine from The Twinery.  I've really been enjoying my Twinery twine so much that I placed an order for additional colors this week.

Unfortunately, the recipients of the cookies were also on diets. Whoops! Sorry, guys!

Be sure to check out the Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookies recipe on Celebrations at Home!

21st Birthday Ideas: A Dinner with Family That's Not Too Embarassing

My brother David had his 21st birthday a week before Christmas, and my mom and I wanted to plan a little celebration. When thinking of 21st ideas, I tried to keep two things in mind for a guy's 21st Birthday Party:
#1) don't embarrass him and
#2) he's probably got more fun things to do that night...Hello? He'll be 21!!

We decided on an early dinner at David's favorite Japanese steak house, Samurai in Andalusia, Alabama, with just immediate family, so David could go hang out with his friends for the rest of the night.

21st Party Decorations

I wanted to do something special for decorations, while keeping rule #1 (don't embarrass) in mind. I came up with these little double-sided table flags, and they were perfect! I picked up these jars and beads at Dollar Tree and embellished the jar with a little brown ribbon. I made three to place around the hibachi, and because they were so low, only the people at the next two tables over could see them (minimizes embarrassment). Since they were pretty small, they were easy to transport, too.

Having David's name on the flags allowed our Samurai chef to really personalize our dinner experience, too...making for an extra fun night! He called David by name all throughout the meal, and the rest of us got called by name, too...well, sort of. We were "David's Mommy", "David's Sister", "David's Brother-in-Law", "David's Daddy", and my Dad's girlfriend Debbie was "David's Daddy's Friend". His persistence in calling us all by name was really funny, as they became quite a mouthful for him at times!

Clearly, I forgot to tell Samurai about about Rule #1.  They made things even more festive with balloons, drums, and a delicious pineapple boat. Well, I guess you can't get out of a family gathering without a little embarrassment...right?!

21st Birthday Gifts

For David's 21st birthday presents, I came up with the idea for a "Find Your Favorite Beer Tasting Kit".  Over Thanksgiving, David had been asking me what beers I liked to drink, probably in prep for his birthday, so I thought he would enjoy doing a taste test to find his favorite.

The Fresh Market has these really neat looking six-pack containers for mix and matching beer to create a custom six pack.  Unfortunately, their beers were a little too gourmet for this project, as I was looking for the basics, but they kindly gave me the box with my grocery purchase.  I was able to find the single beers I needed at a gas station.  I filled the pack with a Miller Lite, Bud Light, Coors Light, Corona Light, Heineken (in case he has more refined tastes), and a Blue Moon (one of my favorites).

My husband and I gave him something a little more substantial, too, and of course, the wrapping had to match the rest of the party decorations!

21st Birthday Cake

David also loves Sugar Rush Bakery in Andalusia, so my mom picked up a variety of mini plain cheesecakes, mini turtle cheesecakes, and chocolate cupcakes.

So yummy!  It was wonderful because everyone could pick what they liked.

 

I found these cute plates and napkins to match everything else at Party City.  The plates are actually a hard plastic, so you could reuse them if you wanted.  For convenience, we just left them behind at the restaurant, though.

I think David had a good time at his 21st Birthday Party!  Samurai Japanese Steak House even surprised him with a porcelain samurai figure, too, which was so thoughtful.  (David must eat there a lot!!!)

Do you have any 21st birthday ideas?

What fun things have your done to celebrate?

Featured Handmade Items by Belly Feathers
Pennant Table Flags
"Find Your Favorite Beer" Tasting Kit Sign
Hand-stamped Birthday Gift Tag

Christmas Present Wrapping

I really love wrapping presents and, especially, adding hand-stamped tags and little embellishments like jingle bells or Christmas ornaments. Here are some of the Christmas presents that I've wrapped lately, along with the handmade gift tags I've made for them.

See even more pictures on my Facebook page. While you're there, hit "Like" and become a fan!

Have a very Merry Christmas!

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Box of Christmas Cheer

I have a friend who has had a lot going on lately, and it's really taken a toll on her ability to get in the Christmas spirit.  It was breaking my heart to see her feeling so down, so I knew I had to do something and fast!

That's how I came up with the idea for a Box of Christmas Cheer. I spent a night gathering up fun little Christmas things at Target in bright and cheerful colors. I also made a "Merry" party banner and some new-to-my-collection Christmas ornament gift tags.  I would have liked to have made more items by hand, but I wanted to get the box sent ASAP.  Right from the beginning, I decided that I would only include what I could buy or make before bed time in order to have the box ready to ship the next morning.

Box of Christmas Cheer Contents:

• Pepperidge Farm Gingerman cookies (So yummy dipped in Cool Whip!)
• Pepperidge Farm Almond wreath cookies
• Puffs tissues in Christmas hologram box
• Penguin cookie plate
• Snowman 3D straws
• Bright Christmas napkins
• "Merry" party banner by Belly Feathers
• Hand-stamped ornament gift tags by Belly Feathers
• Ornaments and Christmas soaps from Michael's (not pictured)
• Snowflake sucker from Dollar Tree (not pictured)

I packaged it all up with bright green tissue paper in a USPS priority mail box for fast delivery.  Who wouldn't be able to smile upon opening such a colorful box!!  Of course, to sprinkle on a little extra love, I drew Christmas-y messages all over the box with Sharpies.  I'm not a very good drawer, so they definitely looked homemade.

The package arrived two days later at a much needed time, and I think it did just the trick! With the busy hustle of the holidays, it's so easy overlook those that need a little extra love this time of year.  I'm so grateful for all of my blessings and hope that I can continue to keep my eyes, ears, and heart open this holiday season and throughout the year.

Happy Holidays!