Angry Birds Birthday Party!

My son is obsessed with Angry Birds. It goes without saying that he wanted his party to have an angry birds theme. So, I started it all with this invitation. I found a blank invite online here and added my sons info onto it (altered for web safety) in photoshop. I added a photo of him as well with his angry birds hat on. The font that I used for the words was a free downloadable font found here.

Then came thinking of ideas for a goodie bag. I found these cute clear containers at the Dollarama and saw potential for making it fit the theme. I added red tissue paper inside to hide the contents, and to add the right colour I was looking for. I found some angry bird stickers at the dollar store for the final touch. Inside, I added a mini bag of cherry sours and stapled some cardstock to the bag saying "Angry Birds Eggs", two angry bird easter eggs with candy and stickers in them and then an angry bird tattoo. (For the sake of so much annoying repetition, I will just say AB in place of the word angy birds from this point on.) We also found some angry birds that were regularly $9.00 or so and they were on sale for $3.00, so we got one to add to all of the kids goodie bags. Gotta love a good deal!

I had lots of fun decorating (as usual). I used a red tablecloth as a background for the table. I got an angry birds calendar pretty inexpensive since it was past January when I bought it. I cut the characters out of the calendar and taped them to the background. For the TNT boxes, I just made those out of brown construction paper and drew on it with black permanent marker. The banner was made out of construction paper, permanent marker and ribbon to hang it on. Yes, I wrote Happy Bird-day! haha! Saw that one on pinterest and thought it was good for the theme!

For food we did the typical chips, and not so typical bird feed and bird beaks, haha!

For the cake, I just kept it really simple. Like "a child could have done it" simple. I bought one of those angry birds k'nex and put it on top of a very small cake. I wanted it to only be big enough to fit the decoration. Then I made a bunch of cupcakes and put angry bird eggs on them (mini eggs)

I wanted to make some rice krispie squares, but wanted them to fit the theme. So I decided to make them into the piggies. I added green food colouring to the marshmallow mix as it was melting on the stove so that the rice krispies would be green. I scooped the rice krispies into a greased muffin tin instead of a rectangle dish. This made the heads. I cut mini marshmallows in half and stuck them on for eyes. I used green icing (couldn't find any green gel at the store) to make the nose and mouth and the blue to dot the eyes. I later used one of the heads and pulled pieces off of it and put them on the other heads as ears. They stuck easily. While they turned out looking slightly creepy, they were still a hit.

I also decided to make the drinks piggy style! I bought some bottles of mountain dew and took the labels off of them. Then with my trusty permanent marker, I drew pig faces on them.

                                     

We even made his gifts angry bird themed. The funny part was when I added the yellow bird that I drew (isn't it beautiful? haha) my husband said it looked like Hitler. So apparently I just created a Hitler angry bird...nice!

 

GAMES:

For this game, we were on the piggies side. I taped green cups (with pig faces...that permanent marker came in so handy) to my coffee table, gave each child a straw and a cotton ball. They had 1 minute to get as many angry bird eggs (cottonballs) into the cup by blowing it across the table with the straw. A very simple but fun game for them.

Another game, was an egg hunt. They had to go hunt down these "angry birds" eggs, and whoever found the golden egg got a prize.

We also played a game that seems to be a family favourite done in different variations. For this party variation I decided to make all of the balloons green. I drew piggie faces on them and inserted a white paper egg in each balloon. We have a dart wall under the stairs of our house, and it is sooo perfect for doing this at parties since it already has so many holes in it. I pinned each balloon up and got the kids to line up to throw a dart and try to pop the balloon. (Don't worry, we were super careful with the darts) The idea was to save the eggs from the piggies and collect as many eggs as you can. The one with the most eggs saved, wins a prize.

I bought a few prizes from the dollar store, as well as some little red containers with some swedish berries in them (just add stickers, and you've got angry birds candy without the ridiculous price tag)

Another game we played had nothing to do with angry birds, but my son loves when we make lasers in the hallway to navigate through. He requested to do this for his party. We made it a timed event. I timed each child that went through, and whoever got it done quickest won the prize. I'm sure I could have made it fit the theme by placing challenges in it or adding eggs (represented by cottonballs) that they had to try not to knock over while going through, but they had fun enough with the way it was.

Overall, it was such a fun party.

He LOVED it!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Light Up the Dark: Sinks and Pies

Light Up the Dark:Week 2

This week, I need to share a couple of things that others have done for me, that have beyond made my day!
First of all....I have a LIST (don't we all?!) of things that need to be done around here. This list is not on the small side either. I have gone from room to room in each part of the house to see what needs to be repaired, replaced, changed, organized etc. This list can get overwhelming, especially when this list includes "fix-it" projects. I try to be handy sometimes, and I have really good intentions, but no experience in some areas. So these fix it projects are difficult for me.
So anyways, my brother called me from work because it was raining a lot (he was demolishing a house, and wanted to wait until the weather cleared up). He remembered that my sink in the upstairs bathroom was cracked when he visited last. So he offered to come over to replace it for me.
Needless to say, I was sooo excited! He came over, and it ended up that my sink job was a huge pain in the butt with a few different trips to the hardware store for pieces to make my new sink fit in properly. When it was done, I just wanted to stare at my uncracked sink!! It was such a wave of relief to have one more item crossed off my "to fix" list. This was a huge deal to me, and an amazing act of service that really helped me out! Yay for thoughtful brothers!!!

Just as I was typing up this post, there came a knock on my door....and to my surprise, there was PIE!!! A friend had written on her facebook status update all about these yummy pies she made for thanksgiving, and I jokingly requested some.

How thoughtful is it that she actually sent her husband over with several different slices of pie??!!! I was just so thrilled that someone would take the time like that to make my day that much brighter with such a thoughtful gesture!

This is what I will be sharing with my husband while we watch "The Amazing Race" together!!

Here's some more video inspiration for you:

What has been done to light up your "dark" this week? Love hearing your feedback :)

Light Up the Dark!

I had an idea spring to my mind a while back. An idea for something I wanted to include in my blog as well as in my life.
Service has always played a very important role in my life. Whether I have been on the receiving end of it, or on the giving end. Service has blessed my life in so many ways.
I decided to start a mini segment on my blog that I hope to do once a week. Just a post about serving others. I hope to inspire many to view the world through a different set of eyes. I strongly believe in the power of serving others. It will change your life. Life is busy, but I feel that when we take the time to notice the needs of others and to help them along....our burdens feel lighter.

"When you dig another out of their troubles, you find a place to bury your own. ~Author Unknown"

So this thought to blog about serving others has finally broken through my heavily busy brain, and I have entitled this blog series:

I would like to post one thing per week, that I have done, or someone else has done that "lights up the dark"! These acts do not need to be grand or costly..do what you can.

"It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do little - do what you can. ~Sydney Smith "

With all of the bad that goes on in the world around us, it is nice to hear about the good also. I am beginning a "light up the dark" time at the dinner table with my kids. I want them to think more about others, and how they can improve the world around them through small and simple acts. I will be encouraging them each morning to actively seek out something they can do to serve another person, and then we will talk about it at dinner. This is not to "boast" about the great things we have done. This is to inspire eachother.
I'm sure many of you are already doing so much for others. If you ever feel like joining in on lighting up the dark, leave a comment with something you have done, or has been done for you.

My small act this week:

Leaving my loonie in the grocery cart.

A very small thing to do, but I do it frequently. I know a loonie doesn't seem like such a big deal, but here were my thoughts on it. It will brighten someone's day. Whether it be a person who didn't happen to have a loonie to get a cart but now they do, the guy who works there collecting carts gets a small tip, somebody could really use a little more cash, the person who thinks it's their lucky day for finding this small treasure, etc...

Check out this video about how change was made with just a dollar....small things matter!


What are you going to do this week to improve the world around you?

I am dedicating this series to a couple who inspired me throughout my younger years with their consistent acts of service. Even though I have not seen them for a very long time, their example still resonates. I dedicate this to Bob and Vivian Holt. You touched my life!

Pinterest Pin Up ~ Fun Food

So I have become an enormous Pinterest addict these days. I just find so many awesome ideas on there. It's like google for crafters (and more). Anyways, I decided that whenever I try something that I pinned onto my pinterest, I would do a pinterest pin up to show you the fun ideas I find there. If anyone wants to follow me on Pinterest, just click here. If you aren't already on pinterest, you can comment on here with your email address and I can send you an invite (yes, you need an invite, but it is awesome).

So I did two pinterest projects from my "Fun Food" board. I tried out a fun idea for drawing pancakes. I used a cleaned out syrup bottle to pour my pancake batter into.

Then I let the kids each make their own designer pancakes by using this bottle to draw whatever shape they wanted their pancake to be. 

Here are 2 creations. A heart with an arrow through it.

and a ghost with marshmallow and chocolate chip eyes.

There are so many possiblities. The kids had a blast making their own dinners. You could get even more creative with colouring and other accents. Here was the original pinterest pin with really cute ideas, but more work.

It makes for a fun breakfast (or dinner in our case this time)

original source

I also want to make these pancakes one morning because they are so cheery and healthy too.

original source

Then I decided to try out these root beer float popsicles. Here is how they were supposed to look:

You use root beer first, then a mixture of sweetened condensed milk, milk and vanilla and then another layer of rootbeer. I guess I didn't let each layer freeze long enough because it all mixed together into one solid popsicle, but I will say that it tasted really good like a root beer float. Here is how mine turned out:

No pretty layers, but it was yummy! Next time if I try it I will leave each layer longer to freeze.

Here is the original source and recipe.

I hope you enjoyed my pinterest pin up, and maybe we'll see you over there pinning stuff! I warn you though...it's ADDICTIVE!

Fairies and Everything Pink!

Yesterday we celebrated Maiya's 6th b-day. When I asked her a bit ago what type of party she wanted, she said "Fairies and everything pink" so that's what I did.

She made me feel so good, when she walked out in the morning and said "Wow, this is so beautiful Mom". Makes the work worth it.

I had purchased to big tissue paper pom poms, but after putting them together realized I could have easily made them myself. The "Happy Birthday" banner was made out of scrapbooking paper, cut into triangles  and then I printed off letter and cut them in circles. I hung the banner with twine.

I put a white tablecloth on the table. The pink tablecover is just wrapping paper draped down the middle. White wrapping paper on the wall and pink wrapping paper strip up the wall to match the table.

I decorated the cupcakes in pink and white and added some butterflies that I got from the dollarstore.

My favourite part of the cupcake display was my cute little bunny teapot.

We had some punch with "fancied up" glasses. I just put ribbon around the glasses and glued little butterflies to them. Oh, and pink straws, of course!

I made cones out of the same scrapbooking paper that I used for the banner. I filled those with popcorn. For the stand I used a shoe box, wrapped it in white wrapping paper and added a ribbon and a bow. I poked holes in the top so the cones could stand up in it.

Some of the treats:

I was lucky to get some easter candy on sale. It was 14cents/100g. The mini eggs were only 44 cents/100g. I put the candy in flower bowls, in a sugar bowl and my fave was the bird bath from the dollar store to put the mini eggs in.

I also made chocolate dipped strawberries and rolled them in heart sprinkles, and also had a bunch of fresh watermelon on a platter.

I had another little table set out with all of the fairy wings (each girl got one to wear at the party and keep)

as well as some flowers to make flower headbands (we ran out of time though and didn't get to do that activity)

All set up, and it was time for the party to start.

I decorated the entrance with just a few simple decorations.

After all of the girls arrived, I got a quick picture of Maiya with all of her guests.

They are all holding the wands I made for them. I did this by getting a flower top, an unsharpened pencil and some electrical tape. I would have used the green floral tape, but I couldn't find any for some reason and used the black tape instead. I also used some ribbons for some flare. I wrapped the black tape all the way up the pencil and around the ribbon and base of the flower.

The wands were on display here in the front entry. We used the wands for on of our games called "Fairy, Fairy, Fairy, Troll" (same as duck, duck goose). They would tap the wands lightly on each girls head as the called out fairy or troll.

We also played "freeze dance". Some of the girls were right into it, and some of them were too shy about it. They went on a fairy treasure hunt. I hid a bunch of chocolate coins in my treasure chest, and the clues were given in an "Eye Spy" style. We took those coins and added them to their treat bags.

I took the girls outside to take a picture of them to add to their goodie bags. I printed off the pictures and put them in pink frames (like the one displayed 2 pictures above).

Their treat bags consisted of the photo in a frame, their fairy wings, a bag with the fairy treasure (gold coins), a pink egg full of playdoh, the chocolate bars that I spoke about here, and a little tiara hairpiece.

Overall, it was a success. Maiya had a wonderful time with friends, fun food, games and got spoiled with gifts!

I am linking this up with:

Yard Sale Must Haves!

It's that Lovely time of the year again....Yard Sale Season! I love them!

Here are some tips for those of you on the hunt:
First - I must have a List! Why? Because it keeps me focused. I am easily tempted by all of the bright, fun things I see at yard sales. On this list I will write down things that I am looking for. You tend to forget when faced with the glory that is other peoples stuff, haha! Get things you know you will use or have a place for. You don't want to become a hoarder!
 I write down Sizes. Clothing sizes for my kids, feet sizes (with 6 kids I tend to forget). If I am looking for a dresser or furniture item for a specific place in the house, I will measure that space and add that to the list. Bike sizes. etc...

Second - A tape measure. This would be in your purse so that you if you see something you like (that you have measurements for on your list) then you can measure it to make sure it is the right size.

Third- Space. You need to make sure your vehicle is cleared out so that you can fit something larger. I always empty out my van, and fold down the seats in case I find a larger item.

Fourth - Smaller Bills and Change. You are looking for deals right?! So you want to bring smaller bills so the yard sale owner doesn't have to break a $20 bill. Also you may find a sweet deal for $1 or 25 cents. It's best to have some change on hand.

Fifth - Map List. I write down all of the yard sales that are advertised in my area from the papers or online. If I don't know where they are, I GPS it (but I didn't always have a GPS, so I used to quickly mapquest it). Of course you will stumble on ones that weren't advertised, but at least you KNOW where some are officially before heading out and can go full circle instead of back and forth.


*Now if you're really feeling prepared and organized, bring some different sized working batteries. This way you can try out battery operated things to see how well they work. Also you could bring a couple of plastic bags in your purse, so that if you are at a yard sale that has a bunch of smaller things you want, then you can stuff them in the bag while wandering around.
Oh, and on a side note: Trying to bargain/get a lower price at yard sales is fine, but don't insult the person by offering them $5 on their item marked $20. That's just rude to me. I prefer if people ask,"Are you willing to go any lower on the price?" To each their own, but I think this is better manners.

For those of you Hosting a Yard Sale:

First - Be Organized! There is nothing worse to me than walking up to a yard sale full of boxes jammed with crap. Have areas set out (toys in one spot, books in another, tools, clothing etc..) People are more likely to buy your items if they are organized for easy viewing. My preference for clothing is to put them in categories (in laundry baskets, plastic tubs, laid out on a table or hanging) and have size categories listed. People don't always want to dig to find a size they are looking for, and you will miss out on a sale.

Second - Be Clean! You are more likely to sell that teacup, if it has been washed out...not dusty or encrusted with old tea. Wash the clothing you are selling, and make sure it is suitable for selling. Don't sell it if it has stains all over it or is ripped. Toss it!  The stuff you sell reflects on you. Test the electronics you are selling. If it doesn't work properly, but you still think someone could get some use out of it, add a tag with an explanation about what is wrong with it. This also reflects back on you if you are selling stuff that is broken without telling them, they will feel cheated! Give things a wipe down, and it will instantly up the value of it. Dust, dirt or grime on things decreases the desire to purchase. Oh...and for goodness sake please don't sell underwear unless it is in an unopened package. Have some dignity! I may be the only one that is grossed out by that, but I doubt it!

Third - Advertise Well! You don't have to spend money to advertise. You can go on used sites to advertise your yard sale, or local free papers. Signs along the roadside work really well IF you do it right! Make them bold and bright. Bright papers get attention. Make sure they are big enough and simple enough to read quickly from the road. Yard Sale should be the smaller print and your address should be bigger. Adding arrows is helpful for people who don't know where your address is. Make the arrow marking clear and easy to follow,  and you will get more people stopping by to haul your stuff away!

Fourth - Make it Attractive! People will decide as they pull up to your address, whether they will actually get out of the car or not. Some people will get out either way, but more often than not people are looking for something to attract them to your sale. If you don't have a lot of things to sell, maybe do it with a neighbour or family member together. People are attracted to LOTS of stuff, because they figure you will probably end up having something they want. Keep it organized though (as was already said). Bright colours often attract people too. If you don't have anything bright to sell, one sneaky little tip is to take something outside that is gorgeous that you are NOT selling, and just post "SOLD" signs on them. The reason you would do this is to reel people in. (Sounds devious, but really not so much. You have stuff they probably want, but you need that curbside appeal for them to even stop in to check). For example, one yard sale I did had a lot of neutral tones to the items being sold. It looked dull, but there were lots of great items. So I brought my daughters bright kitchen set out and some big bright toys, and posted SOLD signs on them. I wasn't selling them, but people were attracted to the colours and stopped to see this "Fun" garage sale! Balloons also tend to make it look more exciting!

Fifth - Make some Noise! People sometimes feel intimidated when they walk up to a yard sale alone. I prefer having some music going on outside. Not loud and annoying, but just upbeat. It puts people in a good mood, and they feel slightly less alone and watched. You can say "hello" and then back off. I feel that I ditch yard sales quickly if the owner is hovering and explaining the great features to all his wares. I prefer a nice "hello" and then do my own thing and browse to my hearts content.

Sixth - Have Change! That is pretty self explanatory. It is a good idea to have change for those who don't think to bring change. They are not going to give you a $20 for that $4 item.

*If you want to have more fun at your yard sale, have a friend over to sit in the sun with you and have a drink or something. Read a book to pass the time if you don't have friends available,haha!

I am really looking forward to Yard Sale Season. For some of you it has already begun, but for me this is just the beginning! May you all have success with your finds.
                            "HAPPY YARD SALE-ING!!"