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

Paper Doll Tea Party :: Sweet Simplicity

Ever since I saw Lily & Thistle's Mini Me Paper Dolls, I have been *dreaming* about throwing a Paper Dolls Tea Party.  I absolutely love that you can personalize the dolls to look like your daughter and her friends. Plus, there's just something charming and timeless about paper dolls that goes perfectly with a tea party. Well, this grown-up little girl got her wish thanks to some help from my good friend Sarah Brewer at Click Photo Designs, Bonnie Blue Boutique, Madison Living magazine, and of course,  the very talented Hannah Stevenson at Mini Me Paper Dolls.

I had so much fun cutting out these paper dolls! I went with Mini Me's printable option, which super affordable and allows you to print off as many copies as you want.  For example, you could have a paper doll designed to look like your daughter for $14.50 and give a copy to all of the guests at her party for one flat price. If you're having a small party, it's super special to have a doll designed to look like each of your guests (discounted party packages are available), and you can print off copies of all of these friends for your daughter to play with long after the party. As guests arrive, I highly recommend having scissors, so they can start cutting out outfits for their paper dolls. Have fun bling like rhinestones, glitter, mini flowers, ribbon, and other accessories for them to add extra flair, too.

Tulle is one of my go-to crafting supplies because its so easy to work with and makes a big impact.  It was perfect for adding a little flair to this tea tray I found at Home Goods. (By the way, I'm so excited to finally be getting a Home Good in my town...YAY!)  I found some adorable punch cups at my local Salvation Army Thrift Store, which were perfect of a little girl's tea party. Thanks to my Facebook fan, Shannon Belew, for tipping me off to all the great finds there.

Even though it's a tea party, I think pink lemonade is a little more fun and girly, so I served that up decanted in these inexpensive bottles from IKEA. I kept the menu super simple: pink lemonade, teddy grahams, iced sugar cookies, and gumballs.

Aren't these tea cookies cute?!  I just stacked up mini frosted cookies from the Target bakery and poked a ribbon-topped sandwich pick through the center. I love to bake, but as full-time working girl, its nice just to take something store bought and make it fab.

One of the biggest hits at the tea party were these Teddy Grahams.  Who would have thought?!  I'll definitely be adding these to more of my kids party menus. If you haven't seen my trick for making candy jars look fuller with less contents, you have to check it out.  I definitely used that in all my jars at this party, including the gumball jar below.

Paper dolls aren't just for play. They make wonderful decorations in this shadow box and peeking out of the flower arrangement.

Love the coincidence of how close their outfits a match in this shot.  You can get a better look at some of the glitter sparkle I added to the paper doll's cotton candy, too...I had so fun blinging up my paper dolls.

Sarah Brewer did such a fantastic job of capturing the personality of all the little girls at the party.  Love this precious smile! Bubbles are my favorite party favor for little ones, too.  You'll get lots of smiles with these at a party for sure.

All of the adorable outfits at the party were provided by Bonnie Blue Boutique in Meridianville, AL.  The two outfits above from Persnickety Clothing are my favs...so frilly.

All of the little girls wanted to take the lid off of the tea pot to see what was inside.  If you don't serve tea out of your tea pot, I highly recommend hiding some little surprises for the curious ones at your event.

As I mentioned, mini bubbles are one of my favorite party favors for children's parties, and I love to "serve" them up on cake pedestals. It's a great way to give them a more prominence on your table and add height to your display.

This is my other favorite Persnickety Clothing outfit picked by Bonnie Blue Boutique....so precious!

I think details make a party.  Even my little tea bags got a custom heart-shaped tea party tag. I also love the pop of color the blue gumballs provide in all the shots. Party City has a great selection of large and small gumballs by color, so it was easy to find the perfect shade of blue to match the paper doll tea party's decor.

If you'd like to see even more inspiration photos from this Paper Dolls Tea Party, check out the online version of Madison Living magazine on Facebook. I'm so thrilled that the party made the cover!

Sources & Credits
Photography: Click Photo Designs by Sarah Brewer
Wardrobe: Bonnie Blue Boutique featuring Persnickety Clothing
Printable Paper Dolls: Mini Me Paper Dolls
Publication: Madison Living Magazine
Cookies: Target
Candy: Party City
Serving Pieces: Salvation Army Thrift Store, IKEA, Home Goods
Styling and Design: Belly Feathers

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