It’s not hard to plan these games out. You have the backdrop of some wacky but lovable characters and some great dancing. With DJ Lance mixing up the tunes and the best party games around, this is sure to be the birthday party of the year. The kids will have a blast, you’ll be in on the fun, and you will be thrilled that you selected this theme for all. Here are some of the best party games, and they really aren’t hard to pull off either!

1. Dance, Dance, Dance the Party Away: You can’t have a Yo Gabba Gabba party without dancing. Turn your living room into a dance floor and be sure to bust out the funky tunes. Have an adult act as DJ Lance and play the part by spinning the best kid’s dance music and calling out the character names. You can teach the kids dance moves and then have a competition for who can pull them off the best. Fun for everyone!

2. Creating Your Very Own Yo Gabba Gabba Character: Kids adore these characters because they are so different than any other that they know of. So put out all the supplies to let them create their own and this can even turn into the favor that they take home with them. You can start with construction paper, streamers, glitter, markers, stickers, crayons, and anything else that you can think of. Help them along as they recreate their very own Muno, Flex, Brobee, or even DJ Lance. Let the kids use their imagination and turn this fun art project into a perfectly themed favor that the kids can enjoy long after the party.

3. The Very Musical Chairs: Since the show is known for the music and fun, how can you not incorporate musical chairs? Pick some music right from the show and use it as the backdrop for the musical chairs game. Then set up the chairs and be careful to remove one slowly so that nobody gets hurt. The kids will have so much fun running in circles in rhythm with the music and playing for keeps on this funky game.

4. Pass the Musical Balloon: Hot potato may be so yesterday, but pass the musical balloon is here to stay. Pick a brightly colored balloon and then decorate it. Either fill the inside with confetti, place glitter all around the outside, or put character stickers on it to fit the theme. Then it’s time for the kids to pass around the funky balloon as the music plays. Nobody wants to be left holding it but they sure will have fun passing it around with each other!

5. Freeze Play: So many of us grew up playing freeze tag but this is a new and improved version perfect for this kind of party. The kids are essentially playing freeze tag but it’s more about being the last standing without moving. You play the music and then ask them to freeze as soon as the music stops. At first it’s easy as you give them plenty of notice, but then it gets harder as you stop the music faster. Kids will be laughing as they try their best to freeze quickly and then play again once the music starts.

6. Pin the Flower on Foofa: Pin the Tail on the Donkey is always a favorite, but this game is only for the true Yo Gabba Gabba lovers. Here the kids will take turns getting blindfolded and then trying to put a cute little adhesive flower on the Foofa picture. You can even create this yourself if you can’t find it in stores. You just need some flower stickers, a picture of Foofa that you can even print out, and a blindfold. They’ll love this modern twist on a classic game.

7. Whack at the Wacky Pinata: The characters of this show are nothing if they are not wacky. So turn that silly energy into the perfect little piñata and have a real blast with it. The kids will take turns trying to get the Foofa or Plex piñata to fall and get all the candy inside. Be sure to fill the piñata with some brightly colored candy and perhaps even some stickers of their favorite characters.

This is a party that kids will remember for time to come. It’s a great theme, easy for parents like you to plan around, and sure to please everyone. Have a blast and dance it up at this adventurous little get together!

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So if your little one is begging for a C3P0 Star Wars birthday party this year, I have to say I’m not surprised … nor am I a stranger to arranging this awesome theme. After the third year in a row that my youngest son requested a Star Wars party and reminded me to include “3P0″, I’ve found a whole host of ways to celebrate this fun character and stellar 30-year-old series.

So let’s get started on your child’s fabulous C3P0 party. Not long from now, in a galaxy right in your living room…

Prequels and Sequels and ‘Toons, Oh My

One plus to this party idea is that whether your little Jedi loves the sequel trilogy, the prequels or The Clone Wars in either cartoon or CGA, C3P0 is in all of them! This means you can mix and match different 3P0s (for instance, his half-finished form from The Phantom Menace and his snazzy gold-plated physique two movies later).

So if you’re unable to find a full set of plates, cups, tablecloths, centerpieces and decorations from one particular Star Wars movie, you’ll still be fine (unless your youngster is VERY particular – be sure to ask ahead of time which movies he likes best, just in case).

But do make the decorations Star Wars themed, and do have 3P0 be the star of the show. Consider buying a cardboard standup of 3P0 and taking pictures of the party guests alongside the famous droid. Your youngster and all her friends will love it.

Eats That Are Out of This World

Of course, it’s all about the cake (and the other goodies), so have some eats that will send the party guests right into orbit.

• Star Wars battle scene cake. Your local bakery may already have an edible Star Wars cake creation; be sure to order well ahead of time so it’s ready on the big day. Or, if you want to get creative, make a Star Wars battle scene cake. Buy plastic Star Wars figures and stand them up in the cake icing, facing one another as if in battle. (The figures can double as party favors after the cake has been served.)
• Star Wars cupcakes. Cupcakes are a great alternative to cake and keep portion sizes down to a dull roar. Use Star Wars cake toppers to dress up the cupcakes.
• Space ice cream. “Space” ice cream – a dehydrated form of every child’s favorite treat – is popular and is an inexpensive buy. Serve it up at the party or enclose it in the guests’ goody bags for take-home.
• Pop Rocks. Another old time favorite, kids have been enjoying this fizzy, “popping” candy for more than 30 years.
• Easy eats. For the lunch or dinner, serve up something super-simple, like takeout pizza or macaroni and cheese. Candy is great, but you’ll want something in the little one’s stomachs that doesn’t involve sugar and is “grab-and-go.”

Party Fun

• Star Wars piñata. Try a Star Wars, outer-space, planet or C3P0 pinata. Have the guests collect the treats that fall out and put them in their goody bags.
• Star Wars trivia. Depending upon the age of the party guests, collect a set of questions about any/all of the Star Wars releases. Go around in a circle, asking questions in order. The last person to be “out” is the winner.
• Space jump. Consider renting a space-theme inflatable jumper or water slide if the party will be outdoors and the weather is expected to be warm.
• Movie marathon. Show the series your child likes best during the party.

Hope your little one’s party is out of this world!

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Celebrate your next occasion with a retro fun Sock Monkey Party! Nobody knows the exact origin of these fun and funny toys made from red heeled socks, but instructions for making the funny monkey have been packaged with Red Heel socks since 1955. Of course, you don’t have to make your own sock monkey to enjoy this theme, though. Here’s how to throw a sock monkey party perfect for children’s birthdays and baby showers. Invite guests to “swing on by” for food, fun, and some monkeying around.

• Sock Monkey Party Supplies
• Invitations
• Sock Monkey Party Decorations
• Monkey Party Food
• Monkeying Around (Games)
• Monkey Puzzles (Crafts)
• Goody Bags

Today, Fox River Mills of Iowa makes the socks, as well as the Sock Monkeys, which you can buy to this day. There’s also a festival every March in Rockford, Illinois, where the socks were originally made.

Invitations

The party pack comes with great sock monkey themed invitations. I myself have bought custom invitations from Ebay with no problems. There’s people who offer their artistic and printing services and will print up and mail you custom invitations. Check out the listings for Sock Monkey personalized invitations and try it out!

If you want to try making your own creative invitations, here are a couple of ideas.

Banana peels

Make cute invitations shaped like bananas. Cut two pieces from construction paper–the banana peel and the banana. Use a hole punch to punch a hole in the top of both pieces and secure the pieces together with a brass brad so that the “peel” (the top part) will move from above the banana (the bottom part). Write the party details on the banana.

Monkey faces

Make a monkey face invitation with “mouth” that opens up to show party invitation details. Look for clipart and printables online to create your one of a kind invitation.

Sock Monkey Party Decorations

You can’t go wrong by starting with the Sock Monkey Party Kit from Birthday Express. This kit has everything you need to get the party started, including the essential plates, cups, place mats, birthday candles, curling ribbon, balloons, a tablecloth, and more. They’ve paired the cute Sock Monkey face with a red and white polka dot pattern, which gives us some other ideas for cute decorations.

Other fun ideas:

Color-coordinate with your sock monkey decorations by adding extra touches for a festive party. Choose decorations in red, white, and black colors for accents.

• Balloon bouquets: These are always a festive addition to party decorations. Plain-colored latex balloons pair well with foil or mylar balloons. Bunch at least five to seven latex balloons with each foil balloon.
• Polka dot ribbons: Use polka dot ribbons for accents throughout your decor. Use them to tie labels on goody bags, party treats, and craft stations.
• Sock monkeys: Make or buy sock monkeys and use them on the party table and in other prominent locations.
• Red pompoms: Take a cue from sock monkeys and make red pompoms to hang around the house in between the streamers and crepe paper.

 Monkey Party Food

Banana splits

What’s better for a monkey party than banana splits? Make sure you have all of the toppings handy for scrumptious sundaes: hot fudge, pineapple, strawberry, caramel, butterscotch, chopped peanuts, whipped cream and cherries! Don’t peel and split the bananas until you’re ready serve them, or the bananas will turn brown.

Monkey munchies

Make a buffet of yummy treats. Include banana chips, monkey vines (red licorice), root beer barrels, malt balls, and other tasty snacks.

Chocolate covered bananas

If banana splits are a bit over the top for you, make chocolate covered bananas ahead of time. Leave some plain and dip some in chopped peanuts.

Monkeying Around (Games)

Pin the Tail on the Monkey

Just like “pin the tail on the donkey” you can play this game with a sock monkey or a paper cutout of a monkey. If you play with a real sock monkey, use velcro for the tails. If you use a paper cutout, pre-tape the monkey tails. Put a bandana on each player and spin him or her around three times before letting them go!

Toss the Banana

You can play this two ways: as a toss (like an egg toss with partners) or throwing the banana through a ring.

Barrel of Monkeys

Whomever makes the longest monkey chain wins the prize!

• Look for Barrel of Monkeys games at Amazon

Monkey Puzzles (Crafts)

Sock Monkey Puppets

Encourage guests to make their own monkeys to take home. Get brown paper lunch bags for the puppet body. Cut out the parts to the monkey face out of construction paper ahead of time. Provide glue sticks for gluing everything together.

Or, if your party guests are particularly young, glue the monkey faces on the bags before the party, and let guests add accessories of party hats and clothes to the puppets. Make sure to provide googly eyes and red pompoms for the monkey hats!

• You can also find a puppet monkey kit here

Sock Monkey Dress Up

You can make your own sock monkeys by following the instructions here (the original) or here (a craft with pictorials). Or, to make it easy on yourself, you can buy sock monkeys at Amazon and provide a variety of fun bits of fabric, little party hats, and other fun supplies for the little ones to dress up their monkeys. Check craft supplies stores for interesting accessories.

Monkey Cookie Decorating

We’re big fans of cookie decorating! Sure, it’s messy, but it is also lots of fun. Make monkey-shaped and banana-shaped sugar cookies. Provide icing and sugar sprinkles in shades of red, white, brown, and yellow. Get ready for a tasty mess! (You can find cookie cutters on Amazon)

Monkey Masks

Make monkey masks out of paper plates. Before guests arrive, cut holes for the eyes and glue tongue depressors for handles at the bottom of the back side of the plates. This gives guests a head start on the craft. Depending on the age of the party guests, you can pre-cut the rest of the pieces of the monkey faces so that guests can just glue the masks together. Cut some red yarn for pom pom hats. 

Goody Bags

Here are some fun monkey-themed ideas for your Sock Monkey Party goody bags.

• Banana-shaped candy in little goody bags labeled “Thanks for Swingin’ By!”
• Root Beer Barrel candy (Nothing’s more fun than a “barrel” of monkeys!).
• Barrel of Monkeys keychain
• Sock monkeys! Everyone loves a sock monkey, naturally.
• Or buy some pre-made goody bags here

This is the one time the kids can monkey around without getting into (too much) trouble. Have fun!

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Would you like to turn the arrow the other way on cupid? Well, you’re not the only one! Gather your friends for an Anti-Valentine’s Day party! You’re going to want to hold this party at home, though. Why risk going out and watching lovey-dovey lovebirds at restaurants? It’s more fun to play darts with paper hearts as the target. Here’s how to throw a top-notch Anti-Valentine’s Day party so fun that your friends will break up with their boyfriends just to make sure they’re invited next year!

• Black Anti-Valentine’s Party Supplies
• Bleak Invitations
• Anti-Valentines Decorations
• Who Needs Love? Party Soundtrack
• Eat Your Heart Out: Party Foods
• Shot Through the Heart: Party Games

Bleak Invitations

Sorry to burst your bubble ... image by Mark W/Flickr

Balloons! Write a note with the invitation details on it. Then, take your stack of invites to the local party supply store and have them blow up the balloons with the notes inside. Deliver your invitations by tying them to the doorknob or car window of your recipients. They’ll have to burst the balloon (burst their bubble, ha ha) to get the details on your smashing party.

Anti-Valentines Decorations

You can’t go wrong with black everything — balloons, crepe paper, streamers, ribbons, etc. Broken hearts are another great theme. Simply grab some Valentine’s decorations and “muck them up.” Cut the hearts in half. Put the arrow through cupid’s heart. Primarily, though, if you get the food, booze, music, and activities right, you’ll have a great party!

Who Needs Love? Party Soundtrack

Set the tone for your Anti-Valentine’s Day party with the right tunes. A mix of “moving on” and “girl power” are in order. Here’s what to spin to get this party started:

• Every Rose Has Its Thorn – Poison

• Single Ladies – Beyonce
• Tainted Love – Soft Cell
• You Oughta Know – Alanis Morissette
• Love Will Tear Us Apart – Joy Division
• It’s My Party – Lesley Gore
• Miss Independent – Kelly Clarkson
• What’s Love Got To Do With It – Tina Turner
• Firework – Katy Perry
• You’re So Vain – Carly Simon
• I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor
• Girls Just Wanna Have Fun – Cyndi Lauper

Eat Your Heart Out: Party Foods

The buffet table is where you can really let your creativity run wild. Take your angst out on the menu. Here’s what to serve at your Anti-Valentine’s Day Party.

Broken Heart Cookies

Use a heart cookie cutter to cut heart-shaped sugar cookies. Then, use a sharp knife to cut them apart on a jagged edge. Or, bake whole and break. Ice with black icing!

Mmmm, skewered!

Skewered ANYTHING

Duh! Stabbed in the heart! Strawberries are kind of heart-shaped. Make strawberry kebobs drizzled with dark chocolate. Chicken kabobs with peanut sauce are another tasty choice.

Garlic Knots and Marinara Sauce

No kissing here! Chop up garlic and roast it until it is golden brown. Mix it with olive oil and spread it on crescent rolls. Bake until golden brown.

Onion Dip

Stir a pound of sour cream with one packet of dry onion soup mix. Nobody has to kiss anyone tonight, so we’re good to go. Serve with ruffled potato chips.

Nachos

These are the ultimate guilty-pleasure food, but they’re NOT fit for date nights. Goo them up with liquid cheese, shredded cheese, and chili.

Chocolate cupcakes

Cupcakes are incredibly messy. Who knows why these are party staples? They’re much messier than cake that you eat with a fork. Serve gooey delicious chocolate cupcakes with extra icing, and no fork!

The theme for food is anything you wouldn’t want to eat on a date: too messy, too fatty–everything you love to eat but can’t if you’re trying to impress.

Drown your Sorrows: Booze

No Anti-Valentine’s Day party is complete without booze. The right drinks make any party fun. Make sure to keep some libations around for the designated drivers. For everyone else, there’s alcohol.

Bloody Mary

Everyone has their favorite bloody mary recipe. Here’s ours.

Ingredients: Tomato juice, pepper vodka, pickled okra juice, Olives, splash of beef broth.

Love on the Rocks

Who needs to specify amounts when you’re pouring cherry vodka? Not us!

Ingredients: Ginger ale, cherry vodka, grenadine, large ice cubes, cherry for garnish.

Shot Through the Heart: Party Games

Passive-Aggressive Candy Hearts

Get a bag of candy hearts and encourage your guests to make passive-aggressive valentine messages.Vote for the best one!

Darts Through the Heart

Instead of a bulls-eye put a heart in the middle of the target and throw away. (Please do this before hitting the booze too hard.)

Pinata

While technically not a game, who won’t have all kinds of fun beating the crap out of a pinata shaped like a heart? We thought so. Just make sure to fill it with lots of chocolate before you knock it to bits.

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Get ready for a big game! The New York Giants are going to the Superbowl! While the Giants are playing in Superbowl XLVI, host a party for your friends and family to enjoy. After all, there are no bigger NY Giants fans that you and your crew, right?

• New York Giants Party Supplies
• Giants Party Decorations
• Giants Party Food
• Giants Party Activities

Giants Party Decorations

Start your party planning with an official NY Giants party pack. This will give you all of the plates, cups, napkins, streamers, and basic party supplies that you need.

Don’t stop there, though!

The official colors of the NY Giants are Red, White and Blue. You can easily find tons of great add-ons for your decorations in these colors. However, even though red and white are part of the color scheme, Giants fans lovingly refer to their team as “Big Blue” so make the majority of your decorations a bright royal blue. (Think the same color as those blue tarps you can get at hardware stores.)

New York Giants Party Decor Ideas:

• Bring the football field inside: Use big numbers to mark the “field” in your house. You can also create the two end zones (use foam “pool noodles” to make the goal posts), the “locker room” and the “concession stand” (the buffet table).

• Indoor tailgate setup: Set up a tailgate extravaganza indoors. If you have the ceiling height, go all the way and set up a tailgate tent over the food! Wander through the MetLife stadium parking lot, and you’ll see tons of tailgaters grilling and chilling under blue pop up tents.

• Logos logos logos! Make sure everyone knows who to cheer for by hanging up NY Giants team logos around the house.

• “Team Jerseys”: Get some inexpensive blue t-shirts online and create your own team jerseys. You can wear them or hang them on the wall. Either way, you’ll brighten up your party decor.

• Football football football! Don’t forget the footballs! Hang Football balloons, football signs, and various football trinkets around the house.

Giants Party Food

Giants fans enjoy two types of food at their games: Grilled ANYTHING and Italian food. You just can’t have a New York Giants football party without either of these. Here’s what to serve at your party.

• Grilled Burgers, Brats and Dogs. Fire up the grill outside (no matter how cold the weather) and grill up some of your tastiest treats. Before throwing the meat on, slice up some onions and peppers for some grilled toppings. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on the veggies and shake them in a grill basket to give them great flavor.

• Mini meatballs: Make meatballs manageable by serving them with a slotted spoon to drain the sauce. Provide forks or toothpicks for spearing them.

• Mini calzones: Buy pizza dough or make your own and then stuff mini pockets full of cheese, sauce, pepperoni, and meatballs. Bake them until they’re golden brown. Here’s a really yummy recipe on making them from scratch.

• Antipasto plate: Make an antipasto plate with pepperoncini, cubes of mozzarella, salami, olives, and Italian dressing for dipping.

• Order a New York Giants Football Cake for the big game from Blue Sheep Bake Shop in New Jersey. You need something sweet after all that pasta!

There’s no football without other munchies. Have on hand plenty of chips, a veggie tray, hot wings, dips, and more! And, don’t forget the beer! Whether you get a mini-keg (fun for a large party) or ice down cans, provide plenty of choices for your guests.

Giants Party Activities

Here are some activities to keep you and your guests occupied and having fun during your NY Giants party.

• Giants trivia: There’s a great Giants history Wiki here. Look through it to find trivia questions for your guests. Have on hand some fun prizes like Giants coozies, pom poms, and decals.

• Betting pool: You can let people guess who will be the MVP of the game, how many yards the Giants will rush, how many yards the Giants will pass, the final score, the number of touchdowns, the number of field goal kicks, and more. Make guest pony up $1 per guess. The winner of each category takes home part of the pot.

• Corn hole: You can play this fun beanbag game indoors or out. Anywhere that you can throw a bag of beans. For extra spirit, get a cornhole set that’s personalized to the team.

• Pinata: Whack the stuffing out of a New England Patriots pinata during your New York Giants Superbowl party. Fill the pinata with treats. Your youngest guests will enjoy this party game!

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Your favorite NFL team is going to the Superbowl! How do you celebrate if you’re a New England Patriots fan? Throw a New England Patriots Superbowl Party! The Pats are playing at Superbowl XLVI in Indianapolis, but you can bring their home stomping grounds, Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. to your home for a football matchup to remember.

Here’s what you need to know to throw the Superbowl party of the year in honor of the New England Patriots.

• New England Patriots Party Supplies
• Party Decorations
• Pats Party Food
• “Patriotic” Traditions

Party Decorations

It’s easy to decorate for a New England Patriots party because their team colors–red, white, and blue–are easy to find at every party store. You can also get a running start with a complete Patriots Party Pack. With cups, plates, silverware, tablecloths, balloons, and more, you’ll be off and running for your themed football party.

Don’t just stop at a party pack, though. Here are some other fun ideas for your Pats Party:

• Tailgate Central: Patriots fans are famous for their tailgates. It’s a sport in and of itself. As part of your decor, set up the buffet table as a tailgate. You can use this tape to designate your “tailgate zone.” If you want to get really creative, slide the buffet table against the wall and use colored poster board to make the back of a truck. The buffet table can be the actual “tail gate!”

• Tricorn Hats: The mascot of the Patriots is, well, a Patriot! A Pat Patriot is a Revolutionary War minuteman. Decorate for your party by using felt tricorn hats around your house as accents. String crepe paper across doorways and use the tricorns at the corners.

• Football Field in the Living Room: You’re not just throwing a New England Patriots party, you’re hosting a football party. Bring some of the gameday ambiance inside by re-creating important football field hallmarks indoors. Mark the yard lines throughout your house with big numbers. Put up “Goal Posts” around the television. (You can use “pool noodles” to make your own goal posts! Put the 50 yard line in the middle of the action.

• Team Numbers and Jerseys: Re-create the starting lineup. Cut shirt-shapes from large pieces of poster board and put the top players’ numbers on them.

• Snow: Well, they won’t be playing in the snow at the Super Bowl, but it isn’t an uncommon occurrence on their home field. Use cotton batting to create some fake snow around your indoor football field. You’ll feel right at home!

Pats Party Food

Football parties are all about the food! You can’t watch football without food (and beer)! Here’s what to serve at your New England Patriots Party.

• Chowda and oyster crackers: It has to be the creamy New England clam chowder, not the tomato-based Manhattan. You can find a great recipe here. Make sure you have plenty of oyster crackers for munching.
• Sam Adams beer: Gillette Stadium found itself in a bit of a “beer war” last year, but all of the hard core fans know that Sam Adams is the “official” beer of Pats fans, regardless of what they serve in the stadium.
• Lobster rolls: Make your gameday lobster rolls as minis so that people don’t fill up with their first bite. Check out this recipe.
• Hand pies: Make miniature apple pies to serve as a quick dessert. Take advantage of local apples to make these treats.
• Assorted munchies: You can never go wrong if you have these foods on your buffet. Chips and salsa, french onion dip, a vegetable platter, and, of course, wings.

“Patriotic” Traditions

Not everyone who comes to your party will be a die-hard football fan, but you can still involve them in fun traditions and activities throughout your event. Here are some ideas for party activities.

• Betting pool: Of COURSE you’re all going to want the Pats to win, so there’s no point in betting on that. But, you can set up some pools for the number of touchdowns, field goals, yards passed, and yards rushed. Everyone puts in a dollar per guess. The winner for each pool takes the haul.

• Pinata of the opposing team: What’s more fun than beating the stuffing out of the opponent? ACTUALLY beating the stuffing out of the opponent. For your Super Bowl party, you’ll need a NY Giants pinata. Fill it up with treats and snacks. Kids at the party will enjoy that one!

• Whenever the Patriots score a touchdown at home, 10 militiamen line up and fire a salute. We don’t encourage this as an indoor activity, so instead, give everyone noisemakers to blow when the Patriots score!

• Pats trivia: Play a game where your guests have to answer questions about Patriots trivia. Look up the answers on the official New England Patriots website, or on Wikipedia. Your questions can include the team logo, history of the stadium, questions about the current team roster, and more!

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You can also make your own fairy doll cake (or princess doll cake, depending on the doll you buy) very quickly and easily. This is also a perfect centerpiece for a princess tea party.

You will need:

• A doll of your choice (Barbie type)
• Bundt cake pan
• Edible sugar flowers, preferably in the colours of the doll’s original dress
• Edible silver balls
• Vanilla cake mix and required ingredients
• Round cake board
• 7 ounces (200g) powdered sugar (icing sugar)
• ¼ cup (60ml) water
• Liquid food colouring in the colour of the doll’s original dress, or mix to create the colours you need
• A few finger biscuits

How to Make Your Fairy Doll Cake:

1. Prepare cake mix according to the directions on the packet.
2. Pour batter into Bundt cake pan prepared with non-stick spray.
3. Bake until done – a toothpick, skewer or thin-bladed knife will come out clean when inserted into the centre of the cake.
4. Remove the cake from the oven and leave it to cool for ten minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack.
5. Remove the doll’s skirt but keep the top on. Carefully remove the doll’s legs and tie its hair on top of its head so that it’s out of the way while you decorate the cake. Lift the arms above the head, too.
6. Sift the powdered sugar into a mixing bowl, add the water and beat until smooth. Mixture should coat the back of a metal spoon when done.
7. Set about 1/3 of the glace icing aside.
8. Dip the finger biscuits in a little icing and fill the hole in the middle of cake with it. There should be a little cavity where the doll’s hips will fit snugly. Pour a little glace icing over this hole and secure the doll into it firmly, making sure there’s no room for movement.
9. Tint 2/3 of the icing with the main colour of the doll’s dress. In my case, it was pale blue with lavender accents, so I coloured mine pale blue. Try to match the colour of the doll’s dress as closely as possible.
10. Pour all of the icing over the top of the cake, ensuring that you cover the hips of the doll as well. Use a spatula to help you with the ridges of the cake.
11. Allow icing to set.
12. Add a few drops of food colouring to the other 1/3 of the glace icing in the secondary colour of the doll’s dress (in my case, lavender).
13. Pour all around the doll’s waist, allowing the icing to drip where it may.
14. Spread the extra icing that accumulates around the “dress” to form a circle.
15. Decorate the fairy doll cake with edible sugar flowers before the icing sets and around the circle below the dress. You can alternate the flowers on the dress with petals broken off of a sugar flower. On the circle, alternate the flowers with edible silver balls.
16. Untie the doll’s hair and arrange it the way it originally was. Move the arms down so they almost touch the cake.

Tips and Tricks

1. It is imperative that the powdered sugar is sifted prior to adding water for the glace icing. Otherwise clumps will form and spoil the smooth effect you want to create.
2. Add a little more powdered sugar to make the icing thicker, or add water drop by drop to make it thinner.
3. If you are expecting a lot of people at the party and the Bundt cake will not be enough, use an extra cake mix and bake a plain cake (either round or square). Top with glace icing then firmly fix the Bundt cake on top before decorating the Bundt cake. This will create a platform or a stage for the fairy doll cake.
4. Take the legs, doll accessories and the box that the original doll came in, with you. It will be a present for the birthday girl, along with the cake. After the cake is cut, carefully remove the doll and wash it under running water. Dry and then put the legs and the skirt back onto the doll.
5. You can use a bell-shaped cake pan instead of a Bundt cake pan. For this, you can omit the finger biscuits and carve a hole at the top of the cake to fit the hips. However, the glace icing will cover the entire cake smoothly – you will then have to decorate with normal icing over the glace icing by piping lines and flowers, lace, etc. It’s therefore easier and faster to make the cake with a Bundt cake pan.

Conclusion

We arrived at the birthday girl’s party a little shaken but relieved that the cake had withstood the hard braking and hair-raising manoeuvres during the journey. Someone had decided that we weren’t there and suddenly switched into our lane without warning as we were about to drive past! We nearly collided with his car! The fairy doll cake had certainly been shaken up a bit.

When walking through the front door, we were greeted by mouths shaped into perfect O’s as the guests set their eyes on the cake, as well as gasps of delight and amazement. When the birthday girl arrived, her eyes lit up and a huge grin of wonder spread across her face. She threw her arms around me and hugged me tightly. Her reaction was enough to convince me that this fairy doll cake, along with the doll, was the perfect gift for her after all!

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Let’s face it, the women are at a Super Bowl party to socialize, watch the commercials, and eat the food. The men are there for the game but they still want good food. So your job as host is to come up with some delectable treats that will make you the MVP of this party. Go beyond the standard nachos this time around and show that you can run interference with some of the best Super Bowl munchies ever.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

These are not hard to make and the good news is that you can prepare them well in advance. Throw some pork into the crock pot the morning of the big game. Throw in your favorite barbeque sauce and seasonings to really bring out the flavor of this favorite dish. This needs to cook for awhile on a low setting to really allow it to fall off the bone.

Pulled pork sandwich, by su-lin/Flickr

Pull the pork off the bone once it’s cooked and tender and then throw in a bit more sauce to really add the right level of flavor. Put out some big crusty buns for people to make their own sandwiches and you’re done. This is such a tasty sandwich that you really don’t even need any extra toppings for it … but if you do, shredded lettuce would go nicely, or even a pineapple ring will give it a “luau in February” ring.

Sliders

Everyone loves a burger and these miniature versions seem to be the hot trend right now. Lucky for you it’s easy enough to make the small patties ahead of time and then throw them on the grill like you would for any other burger. The key is to keep the hamburger patties small and to find buns meant for this tiny little burger.

Do be sure to grill some onions as that’s a must with the slider. That just adds to the flavor and makes it seem like the greasy version that you’d find out. Put out all the fixings like ketchup, mustard, lettuce and tomato and you are sure to satisfy even the biggest appetite.

Tasty footballs! By Lydiat/Flickr

Buffalo Chicken Dip

If you like buffalo wings and you love to dip, then this is the perfect dish! Simply take some shredded chicken that you can create yourself off a store bought rotisserie chicken as a starter. Then add some of your favorite buffalo sauce to give it a bit of kick.

Mix this together and place on top of a layer of cream cheese and blue cheese. Top with shredded cheddar cheese and pop in the oven until it is golden and bubbly. You will have a touchdown with this dish as it takes a common favorite in a whole new direction. Serve it up with tortilla chips and guests will be licking the bowl!

Football Cupcakes

Everyone has a sweet tooth, even the biggest manly man. You can create some simple cupcakes that you throw in the oven to bake the day before. Even going for a store brand or cupcake kit will work just fine. The key is in the frosting and you want chocolate or something brown as a base.

Once the cupcakes are cooled frost the top with the chocolate or brown frosting. Then take white frosting and create the lines associated with a football. This is so easy but guests will be in awe when they get ready to satisfy their sweet tooth with their own football cupcake. The perfect ending to the perfect Super Bowl feast—you will be the quarterback of this culinary team!

• View more food ideas for your Super Bowl Party

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Angry Birds party alert! This trend is HOT. Angry Birds are everywhere – even in movies (Rio, anyone?). But it’s the trademark original game, and its offshoots, that have made this theme popular.

Here’s how to incorporate the spirit of the game into a birthday party for your little one with games and activities, food, decor and even dress-up.

• Angry Birds Costumes & Party Supplies
• What the Game is All About
• Angry Birds Party Invitation Ideas
• Fun Foods for Guests to Pig Out On
• Angry Birds Party Decor
• Time For Munchies!

What the Game is All About

Angry Birds is a puzzle video game for the iPod. The basic theme: players launch birds at pigs using a slingshot. (Yes, really. Trust us, it’s addictive.) The pigs stand on and within a variety of complex structures. The object is to destroy all the pigs on the playfield.

The game has a lot of variety, including explosive eggs that the birds drop onto the pigs. New birds with increasing abilities appear as the player advances in the game.

This seemingly simple concept has exploded in popular culture, with adults and children alike sneaking in just a few minutes more play time in between classes, on coffee breaks, on the bus … everywhere!

The game has branched off with special additions, such as Angry Birds Seasons (which even includes Chinese Mid-Winter Festival…cool!), Angry Birds Rio (from the movie) and the soon-to-be released Angry Birds Magic for Nokia.

Angry Birds Party Invitation Ideas

Google cute images to upload and create your own invitations with a click. So easy!

Using evite or sending a simple email or text will get your point across. For perhaps your easiest electronic option, embed an Angry Birds image into an e-mail and mass send. Remember to list an RSVP date and to send your invites two weeks in advance of the party.

Of course, we encourage you to make your own mailable invitations — you can involve the birthday boy or girl and it’s so much fun for kids to get something in the mail. Here are some ideas to get you started on making your own Angry Birds party invitations:

• We love this tutorial from Papercreationsbynilda.com. She includes free printables, making this method a no-brainer that looks like you bent over backwards creating. (Woot — that’s our favorite type of craft!)

• Download any Angry Birds image or images you’d like and print them on cardstock along with text stating the date, time and location of your party.

• For a little girl’s party, buy craft feathers (check your local dollar store, Target, JoAnn Crafts or Michael’s, or WalMart), glitter, gems and school glue. Make sure the feathers are short enough to fit into a mailing envelope (slanting the feather sideways is fine). Sit your child down and have her decorate the feathers with the glitter and gems. Enclose one pretty feather in each invitation as a special gift to guests.

• Another cute “gift in an invite” idea: place an Angry Birds sticker or temporary tattoo in each mail invitation. Both girls and boys, and pretty much any age group, will love this.

• For a really cool idea, have some personalized invitations printed just for you. Home-based businesses actually offer their services on Ebay, where you can find some really creative Angry Birds invitations. Simply enter the quantity, the child’s name and party information, and they will print them out and mail them to you. Click here to search for a reputable and creative artist.

Fun Foods for Guests to Pig Out On

Whether your guests eat like birds or love to pig out, here are some awesome Angry Birds party food serving options they’ll all dive into:

• Go to the garden section of your local WalMart or dollar store and look for an inexpensive plastic bird feeder bowl. Fill this with granola, nuts and raisins, set out on the table (balance a small craft bird on the edge for added effect) and let guests take handfuls.
• Make a cool Angry Birds cake. Most of the ones we’ve linked are pretty complex and involved, but use the ideas as your inspiration for an awesome cake! Look for some plastic or edible cake toppers on any standard birthday cake and you’ll save yourself time while creating an eye-grabbing impression. Where to look for edible cake toppers? Amazon, your local bakery or on eBay.
• Serve snacks to guests in “feed bags.” Simply roll down all four sides of a paper sandwich bag; fill with goodies.
• Make Babybel Angry Birds cheese bites. So so cute and scrumptious; we love this tutorial.

Photo credit: JamiLeigh, Food.com

• Bake pigs in a blanket. Come on, you have to! These are so easy: buy a can of premade refrigerated dough and read the instructions on the side. Basically, you’re opening the can, separating the sections and wrapping one hot dog in each section, then baking. Voila — lunch is served.
• Serve “pigs’ tails” (Frito Twists, in any flavor your guests will like).
• Make marshmallow bird’s nests. We love this recipe. If you’d like, have this double as a party activity. Sit guests down and have them mold their own nests. It’s fun, it’s delicious — what’s not to love?

Angry Birds Party Decor

Angry birds are very easy to draw! Even your little ones can help you with making Angry Birds pictures to hang on the walls. Other places they can show their art talents:

• Angry Birds place mats drawn on construction paper.
• An Angry Birds table centerpiece: Have kids cut out the shapes to make birds and pigs using construction paper, then glue together. Glue finished birds and pigs on a piece of heavy construction paper and bend the bottom to stand the centerpiece up. Set up on the table.
• A cool party garland. Print out pigs and birds and have kids cut them out. Hole-punch one hole in the top of each character. String them in alternating fashion on a long piece of yarn or party ribbon. To make your child the star of the party: also cut out the letters of his or her name, punch holes in each letter and string the name in the center.

For all your decor, use the bright colors of the game. These include classic red, yellow, lime green and bright blue.

• Hang balloons and streamers in these colors.
• Plates, cups, napkins, cutlery and the tablecloth should include these colors, too.
• Look for Angry Birds stickers in your local party store, WalMart, Target or any store that should have a selection of party goods. Have your little one place one sticker on each cup for the table setting.

Games, Activities and Take-Home Treats

Too much fun! By Kara’s Party Ideas

Check out these fun activity ideas for your Angry Birds party:

Have an “explosive egg” hunt. Buy plastic eggs that open; you will easily find these around Eastertime, but you may locate sleeves of them at other times of the year, too. With a permanent black marker, draw cracks, “holes” and other marks on the eggs. Fill with goodies; hide around the yard.

Let guests decorate their own Angry Birds cupcakes. We love Thecraftingchicks.com … here are their suggestions on this fun activity.

Buy Angry Birds costumes or make your own costume pieces by cutting out felt and gluing together; let kids play dress-up at the party.

Of course, we haven’t forgotten the most obvious party activity of them all: Recreate the game physically! Build up a bunch of cardboard boxes and sheets of plywood with the little piggies in some of the nooks. Then let guests throw an angry bird plush at the boxes to collapse the structure. The participant who has the most piggies on the ground wins!

Send kids home with a few goodies. Candy is always a great idea. You can also find Angry Birds Silly Bandz (LOVE these!), temporary tattoos and backpack clips on amazon.com; look them up and read the reviews…these are amazingly popular right now.

Bombs away — have a great party!

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Let’s all join Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and the rest of the gang at 100 Acre Wood for a birthday party full of hunny! A.A. Milne, the English playwright-turned-children’s author, is best known for his Winnie the Pooh stories, featuring a cartoon replica of Milne’s own real life son, Christopher Robin, and a forest full of his buddies.

The beloved author died in 1956, but he’s remembered to this day for his cute, sometimes quirky and always lovable depictions of the “silly” bear Winnie the Pooh and all his forest friends. If your kids love Pooh Bear like mine do (and my favorite stuffed animal was, yes, Pooh) they’ll get a kick out of a Winnie the Pooh party.

• Winnie the Pooh Party Supplies
• Winnie the Pooh Birthday Invitations and Quotes
• Feeding Your Hungry Bears
• Party Activities – Get Your Pooh On!

Winnie the Pooh Birthday Invitations and Quotes

The "100 Acre Wood" map featured in A.A. Milne's works makes a great background for invites.

First things first: pick a date for the party and send your invites. Or have your child hand deliver them in class. (To avoid hurt feelings, have her place the invites in guests’ cubbies or ask the teacher to put them into backpacks.)

School-age kids will love helping make their own personal invitations. Here are a few ideas:

Your own 100 Acre Wood map – Download a map of the “100 Aker Wood” (here’s an example). On the east side of the map you’ll see a sketch of Christopher Robin with “My House” written beside it. Underneath this text, put your own address. Highlight the area with a big arrow. Keep the map old-fashioned/vintage looking by printing it in black and white with only the arrow in color.

A picture with Pooh – An alternative to the background of the invitation is to take a picture of your child holding a favorite stuffed Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, Rabbit or Kanga and Roo. Print on a red and gold background. Have the party information printed next to or below the image of your child.

Cute Pooh Sayings – Use cute Pooh-esque wording, like “Sweet! Gemma is turning 5,” “We’ll have a Tiggeriffic time” and “Be sure to come with a rumbly in your tumbly — there will be plenty of munchies at the 100 Aker Wood!”

Here’s a few loveable quotes from our favorite bear (and author):

“Think, think, think.”

“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”

“Nobody can be uncheered with a balloon.”

“It’s not much of a tail, but I’m sort of attached to it.”

“The things that make me different are the things that make me.”

“A bear, however hard he tries, grows tubby without exercise.”

“Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them.”

“We’ll be friends until forever, just you wait and see.”

“Sometimes I sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sits.”

“Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.”

“One of the advantages of being disorganized is that one is always having surprising discoveries.”

“I think we dream so we don’t have to be apart for so long. If we’re in each other’s dreams, we can be together all the time.”

Creating a Pooh Party Atmosphere

• Put a Pooh standup in a corner of the room. Take pictures of guests hugging “Pooh.” During the party, upload the pics and then print them out. Send each guest home with his or her “friend of Pooh” picture.

• Invite guests to dress up as Piglet, Winnie, Kanga/Roo, Tigger, Eyore, Christopher Robin or even their concept of what a Heffalump might look like. Make sure you note this on the invitations so parents have time to get a costume together for their children.

• Think red and yellow/red and gold for party colors. Add springlike colors, like green and blue, for a cheery look. Set the party table in these colors and with Pooh images on plates, cups, napkins and the tablecloth.

• Fill plenty of blue balloons (for the story of Pooh pretending to be a rain cloud in order to procure some honey) with helium and set them around the party area. (After the party, send each guest home with a blue balloon.)

• If you live in a warm climate and have trees in your yard, consider hosting the party outside to emulate the 100 Aker Wood. Or hold the party at a local park; be sure to call your city first for permission.

• For an indoor party, make a big tree trunk out of pieces of brown paper taped together at the back. Scrunch tissue paper pieces in various shades of green, or autumn colors if you’d like. Tape the “tree trunk” up on one wall. Tape the scrunched paper at the top of the trunk as leaves. Print out images of Pooh bear and his friends and tape them so they’re sitting among the leaves of the tree.

• Create or purchase a banner with Winnie the Pooh and your child’s picture on it. Hang it across one wall to show off your little “Hunny” on her special day.

• Paint a flower pot inside and out in brown. Allow to dry. Cut wavy yellow felt pieces and glue all along the outside rim of the pot to look like honey drips. Write HUNNY in a childlike printing on a piece of white paper. Cut out the word in a rectangle and glue to the outside of the pot. Set up as a party centerpiece.

Feeding Your Hungry Bears

Here are a few yummy ideas for when your party guests say they’re rumbly in the tumbly:

• Honey. This is an obvious choice — find honey flavors (like honey graham crackers) or serve honey on toast. Honey buns are delicious too.
• Teddy Grahams. These bear-shaped goodies are delicious and are perfect for kids.
• Gummy Bears. Mmmm!
• Carrots – in honor of Rabbit’s garden.
• Cake with a Winnie the Pooh cake topper.
• Eyore’s Rain Clouds. Make blue Jell-O Jigglers and fluff a tablespoon of whipped cream on each.
• Picnic style foods. You can even put down a picnic blanket in your living room and have guests munch there. Watermelon, sandwiches and corn on the cob are great picnic foods.
• All fruit juice frozen pops. Less artificial sugar means happier kids (and moms).
• Toddler-friendly snacks. Pretzels, crackers and cereal will make toddlers. Skip the popcorn, which could cause choking in very young children, and the chips — there’s no need for them with all the other, healthier foods you’ll be serving.

Fun cake toppers:

Party Activities – Get Your Pooh On!

Time for the fun! Here are some of our favorite ideas for a Winnie the Pooh party to keep kids hoppin’:

• Hunny pot toss. Find a yellow and black sock, a yellow and black piece of material or draw lines on yellow fabric with a black magic marker. Stuff with a high-bounce ball for weight, surrounded by cotton balls. Close the material in a basic oval shape to make a bee; close with fabric glue. Set up some flower pots in your yard or in the party room and have guests take turns tossing the bee into the honey pots. Have a small prize for each participant.

• Fun party craft alert! You’ll want to make a pair of these for yourself, too. The craft: animal ears guests can wear. You’ll need cheap fabric headbands (check out your local dollar store), construction paper in colors for the various animal possibilities (pink for Piglet, orange and black for Tigger, etc.) and a stapler. Sit guests down to draw and cut out their “ears,” including a 3/4″ long, 1/2″ wide tab at the bottom of each ear. You fold the tabs inward and staple the ears to the headbands. So cute, so easy and these make a great take-home gift.

• Pin the Tail on Eyore. You just can’t have a Winnie the Pooh party without a Pin the Tail on Eyore game! Print out a big picture of the sad but oh so lovable donkey who’s always losing his tail. Tape it to a door or on one wall at your guests’ basic height. Print out multiple images of Eyore’s tail with the pin at the top. Cut these out. Place double-sided tape on the back of each tail near the top. Blindfold guests, turn them around three times and then head them toward Eyore. Have a small prize for the winner.

• Fly a kite. For an outdoor party, pick up an inexpensive kite at Walmart or any inexpensive local dollar bin and let kids take turns holding the string. You may have to get things going yourself; it’s very hard for little ones to get up enough running speed to get a kite into the air. But after that, it’s a simple matter of passing the kite handle off from one guest to the next and letting them have the thrill of watching their kite float in the air.

• Red balloon toss – If your party will be held indoors, have guests toss around one of the helium balloon decorations and attempt to keep the balloon off the floor. When a guest allows the balloon to fall, he or she is out. Keep going until you have a winner.

After the party, give each guest a goody bag. Gifts will partially depend upon the age of the guest. Winnie the Pooh character Pez dispensers, Slinkies (for Tigger’s tail) and individual bags of baby carrots are all fun Winnie the Pooh party bag ideas.

This party idea is sweet and will be a keepsake memory, so be sure to take plenty of photos and e-mail or text them to guests after the party so everyone can recall their good time.

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