Alice in Wonderland Party Ideas

Like most girls, Alice in Wonderland has always been a story that captured my imagination. That's why I was so excited to design some Alice in Wonderland Party Favors for my customer, Traci.  They couldn't have turned out any sweeter!

I fell in love with these little heart tins because of their raised lace-like design and have been holding on to them for just the right occasion. And, they were so perfect for the Alice in Wonderland Baby Shower that Traci was planning.  Being the just the right size for little treats, they look absolutely precious with "Eat Me" embellishments.

Traci wanted one of the favors to be a keepsake for the soon-to-arrive baby, Teghan Olivia.  The baby's nursery is decorated in pink butterflies, so Traci wanted the baby's favor to be specially adorned with butterflies.  Such a fabulous idea!

On the same day I shipped these favors, one of my fans on Facebook, Anna of Evie George Cakes, asked if I could share any ideas for an Alice in Wonderland Party she's planning - how serendipitous!  It was my pleasure to share all of the Alice in Wonderland Party Ideas I've handpicked from around the web over the last few years, which you might enjoy seeing, as well.  (Hint: Become a fan on Facebook for exclusive ideas and party help!)

Featured Handmade Items by Belly Feathers
Alice in Wonderland Tin Heart Party Favors

Cat in the Hat Birthday Party Ideas: Dre'lon's 1st Birthday

I recently had the pleasure of helping with this eye-catching Cat in the Hat 1st Birthday Party for Dre'lon planned by Angel of AG Events & Consulting in Houston, TX.  All of the wonderful party photos are by Rochelle Scott Design.

"Decorating for kids' parties is a passion for me," beams Angel. "I LOVE to see their faces when they see what I have created for their SPECIAL DAY!"  All of the fantastic details at this party show what a pro Angel is!

Belly Feathers designed Candy Buffet Signs for the candy jars and cake pop, lollipop, and cookie displays. I just think these candy jars look perfect!

I also designed the Thing 1 and Thing 2 Food Label Tent Cards for the candy table.  Check out the Cupcakes card!

The darling Thing 1 and Thing 2 cake pops below were created by Angie's Cake.

All of the adorable cookies were made by Rollin' in Dough.  You can seem more pictures of these Cat in the Hat cookies and get some great tips on how they were decorated on the Rollin' in Dough blog.

"The cookies were Almond Butter flavor and really tasty," states Angel.

It was my pleasure to design "Happy Birthday Dre'lon" Cat in the Hat Stickers to go on the lollipops, too.

Even the candy popcorn was in color scheme, and the sodas had personalized labels to match the them!  Again, I love Angel's eye for detail!

The Hat-shaped Cat in the Hat Cake Pops on the left were created by Kreative Candies by Kim.  So cute!

The Cat in the Hat Birthday Cake looks INCREDIBLE!! 

How Sweet It Is Bakery really out did themselves on this amazing design, and best of all, it tasted as good as it looks.

"Having a slice of that cake was a DELIGHT! It was moist and very good," says Angel.

I love the simple backdrop behind the cake that spells out the birthday boy's name!

Doesn't the party space look festive?!  Angel layered white and blue plastic table covers on the guest tables, which I think is such a great tip. It really adds an extra level of polish to the room.

Angel also created lots of fun centerpieces for the room using Cat in the Hat plush toys.  Using toys is a great way tie in the theme for kids.

This Cat in the Hat centerpiece in particular is so creative with the goldfish swimming around. What a great way to add this part of the book into the party!! (I told you Angel was good with details.)

The Cat in the Hat Party Banner I designed for Dre'lon's birthday is a nice touch on the party favor table.

Here's a close-up shot of the banner.  I added Thing 1 on one side of Dre'lon's name and Thing 2 on the other.

These Cat in the Hat paper party hats were a really special touch, too!  It looks like the kids really enjoyed wearing them.

"I loved the Cat In The Hat's performance," shares Angel. "His voice and show with the kids was AMAZING!!! It really was entertaining and they had so much FUN! " The performer was hired from Kids Party Experts in Houston, TX.

Here a few more shots from Dre'lon's fabulous 1st birthday party...

If you're planning a party in the Houston-area, definitely give Angel of AG Events & Consulting a call!

Angel, thanks so much for hiring me to design some special touches for this fantastic party!  You're amazing, and I can't wait to work together again.  Happy Birthday to this sweet little guy, too!

Sources
Party Planning and Decor: AG Events & Consulting
Birthday Party Photography: Rochelle Scott Design
Birthday Cake: How Sweet It Is Bakery
Cookies: Rollin' in Dough
Thing 1 & Thing 2 Cake Pops: Angie's Cake
Cat in the Hat Cake Pops: Kreative Candies by Kim
Party Banner, Candy Buffet Signs, Food Labels, and Stickers: Belly Feathers

Featured Handmade Items by Belly Feathers
Dr Seuss Thing 1 and Thing 2 Pennant Party Banner
Cat in the Hat Candy Buffet Signs
Thing 1 and Thing 2 Food Labels/Catering Cards
Cat in the Hat Party Stickers

Easy Oscar Party Ideas {2011}

I love going to the movies! I especially love the excitement of award season, and the movie marathoning my husband and I do to see as may of the nominated films as we can. We even make an annual trip to Nashville to see the Oscar movies that didn't come to our town (double and triple features...yea!!!). I'm pleased to say we've seen all ten of the Oscar-nominated films this year!

With them in mind, I've come up with some super easy Oscar Party Ideas to help you throw a last-minute viewing party together. All of the ideas below require little to no prep, so all you have to do is email an invite and run to the grocery store.

The 83rd Academy Awards air on ABC this Sunday (February 27th)
6:00 pm Central - Red Carpet Show
7:00 pm Central - Awards

Oscar Party Invitations

I love Paperless Post email invitations! They are super stylish yet casual and very affordable (less than the price of a stamp), and you get 25 free credits when you sign up for a new account. So, your Oscar Party invites might be FREE! Here's a cute design I put together.

Oscar Party Dinner Menu

Some of the 2011 Oscar movies were perfect for a casual themed dinner that you could pick up from the grocery store or easily prep yourself.  Serve during the Red Carpet pre-show.

• Winter's Bone-in Chicken (Grocery store rotisserie chicken)
  
  
• Cheesy True Grits (Quaker Instant Cheese Grits or try this Paula Deen recipe)
  
  
• The Fighter Boston Baked Beans (Bush's Boston Recipe Canned Beans)
  
  
• Fresh Greens with Black Swan Poppy Seed Dressing (bagged salad with store-bought dressing)
  
  
• The King's Peach Cobbler (love this easy recipe!)
  This great idea came from @milodanish via Twitter. She has some other cute Oscar menu ideas.

With all of your fun Best Picture themed menu items, you'll want to show off the creative names with some labels.  I really like the classy tent cards in this Thanksgiving Printable Collection on Catch My Party designed by Love the Day, which you can download for free.

Oscar Party Cocktails

• Black Swan White Russian (idea from Make It Better)
  For the kids, you could serve regular and chocolate milk called "White Swan" and "Black Swan".
  
  
• 127 Hours Margarita on the Rocks
  
  
• The Social Network Apple Martinis

Oscar Party Dessert Menu - Sweets and Movie Snacks

Make your party even simpler by skipping dinner and having only snacks...just let your guests know on the invite. Or, after dinner have a fun dessert table set up with lots of movie-theater snacks.

No Oscar Party is complete without some fresh popped buttery popcorn, so definitely stock up on this beforehand.  Here are some Oscar Best Picture themed sweets to go with them.

• Black Swan Licorice
  
  
• The Fighter Jawbreakers
  
  
• Inception Totems (Hershey's Kisses)
  
  
• The Sour Patch Kids Are All Right
  
  
• The King's Peach (Gummi peach rings)
  
  
• 127 Hours Rock Candy
  
  
• The Social Network Appletini Rings (Gummie sour apple rings)
  
  
• Toy Story 3-eats (Rice Krispie Treats)
  
  
• True Grit Cowboy Crunch (Mini Crunch bars)
  
  
• Winter's Bone White Trash (see this salty/sweet party mix recipe)

Oscar Party Ballot

Part of the fun of an Oscar Party is getting everyone's predictions on the winners.  I love this stylish Oscar Party Ballot designed by Twig and Thistle, which you can download for free along with some other cute printables for the awards show.  I love the little score line on the back of the ballot!

Oscar Party Tips

If you have a DVR, set it to record the awards ceremony and about 1 hour after, as the live show usually runs long.  (You'd hate to miss the big award!) Then feel free to pause the awards show as needed to continue conversation, pause for bathroom breaks, or pop more popcorn.

Can't have an Oscar Party this Sunday? Consider hosting a screening party the following weekend for whichever movie wins Best Picture. Then you can use just the ideas related to that movie...super-duper simple! The Social Network and Toy Story 3 would be particularly fun for this type of party.


I'm really looking forward to Sunday's Oscar Awards show.  I'm not sure who will win, but I know my personal favorites. I'd love for Winter's Bone to take the awards for Best Picture, Best Actress (Jennifer Lawrence), and Best Supporting Actor (John Hawkes).  This was my personal favorite movie of the year, and I'm just so thrilled it was even nominated.  Fingers crossed!

Do you have any Oscar Party tips or ideas?  I'd love to hear them and if you use any of the ideas from this post!  

Follow Belly Feathers on Twitter

Thanks so much for being a loyal reader of the Belly Feathers Party Blog! Now, you can follow me on Twitter, too, and get the latest Belly Feathers ideas first.

I'll also share some exclusive content on Twitter.com/BellyFeathers, including fun ideas from my favorite entertaining blogs and websites. I spend a lot of time answering party questions on Twitter, so feel free to ask me some. If you're on Twitter, let me know.  I'd love to follow you, too!

Win a "Hippity Hop" Easter Banner from Belly Feathers

How would you like to win a "Hippity Hop" Easter Banner made by Belly Feathers? Please visit Bear Heart Baking Co.'s blog for all of the details, and you could have this banner by Easter (a $44 value).

You may remember this banner design from my Easter Tablescape post last year. It's mounted on glittered paper with the cutest little chocolate bunny in the center.  This banner would look precious hanging in your entryway or from you mantel.

What are you waiting for?  Head over to Bear Heart Baking Co. now and enter to win!!!

Want a party banner now?  No problem!  My banners are custom, made-to-order, so just e-mail your colors and text to Betsy@BellyFeathers.com.  The banners are $4 per letter (bunny counts as a letter). Find more info and party banner styles at BellyFeathers.com.

Homemade Valentine for my Valentine

I was really proud of this homemade Valentine's Day card that I whipped up for my husband, Roger.  It incorporates our corny sense of humor into the design, which I love.

I hope your Valentine's Day was full of hugs and kisses!

Happy Valentine's Day

This beautiful engagement photo, featuring a Belly Feathers "Love" banner, was taken by Carla McLemore Photography.