party – Page 5

08/17

Shark and Mermaid Party

It’s that time of year again for Jessica’s family – that time when it feels like Christmas in July. All three kids celebrate birthdays in July, so not only is the month busy, but it’s really fun. She’s going to take us back to her Shark and Mermaid party, and the details she created…

Every year I to find a theme that will work for boys and girls, and this year, our trip to Florida inspired our fin and tail celebration.

Note: It wasn’t until shortly after we took photos of the party, when we realized the t and h were mixed up in the word birthday on the mermaid side. And, well, when guests arrived, we partied! We were so focused on details, we forgot to spell. The mistake was quickly fixed and the party went on.

Supplies:

thin white wood board, Home Depot, cut in half
Pom poms
Fish net, Oriental Trading
Birthday banners, Target and DIY
Shark image
P aper plates, light blue and dark blue, Oriental Trading
plastic table cloths, 6 colors
Multi-purpose spray adhesive
hot glue and hot glue gun
Foam core board
Paint chips, Oriental Trading
Shark koozies, Oriental Trading
Shark Bubbles, Oriental Trading
Shells, Oriental Trading
Crowns, Oriental Trading
D rawstring bags, Oriental Trading
Plastic cups
mini shark toys
ping-pong balls
Acryclic paint, blue, red, black and white
Sharpie marker
Paint brushes
Pebble rocks
Swedish Fish
Pint containers
blue card stock, Astrobrights Papers

Directions:

Step 1: Create a shark backdrop. During a recent trip to Florida, the kids took photos in front of a cool Megalodon. Print the photo on an engineering print from Staples. Glue the photo on one of the large wood boards with the multi-purpose spray adhesive.

Think again before you order plates from Oriental Trading for just food, because they make the perfect waves for an ocean backdrop. Use a hot glue gun to glue plates on the bottom of the photo for an ocean wave effect. Start with the dark blue and then glue light blue plates on top of it. Layer until you reach the bottom of the photo.

Step 2: Create a mermaid backdrop. Draw and cut a mermaid tail on foam core, and then cover it with paint chips. I love these paint chips from Oriental Trading because there is a wide variety of colors, and no circle cutter necessary – they are perfect circles when they arrive. Once all the chips are glued in place, flip it over and use an X-acto knife to cut the edges of the paint chips along the fin tail shape. Glue the tail to the other piece of thin white wood board. Just like the shark backdrop, glue paper plates to make waves. Start at the top, and work your way down.

Step 3: Add tablecloths to each table. Layer three tablecloths on each side. Cut the bottom of each layer in waves, or scallops. Each layer should be visible.

Step 4: Accessorize the tables. Shark koozies and bubbles made for the perfect shark table accessories, plus they doubled as great party favors. Another fun detail on the table was a pint container filled with a t-shirt, and topped with a blue paper shark. The shark’s edges were sealed with hot glue, but before it was totally sealed, it was filled with swedish fish. All boys had to do was rip, eat and enjoy!

For the mermaids, the table was set with pink cups with shells glued in the center, DIY seashell crowns (also a party favor), DIY shell and bead necklaces, a plush mermaid and cupcakes with tails. To make the DIY seashells crowns, use a hot glue gun to glue shells on crowns from Oriental Trading. Play with the shells and design the crowns of your mermaid dreams.

Step 5: Decorate the entire party area. Hang pom poms, fish nets and happy birthday banners.

Step 6: Play games. Aside from all the pool fun, set up a fishbowl game. Set up plastic cups in cascading order, 8, 7, 6, 5 and so on. Fill them with water, and then set a prize inside each cup. The cups at our party were filled with seashells and mini shark toys. Draw a line on the ground several feet away from the table, and get the kids throwing for some fun prizes.

Step 7: Send friends off with favors. Every family went home with a special bag of Shark vs. Mermaid Tic Tac Toe. The shark photo prop at Oriental Trading inspired me to paint DIY shark rocks, and well we didn’t have to paint the shells because they were so pretty. The game packaged in drawstring bags with the Tic Tac Toe lines drawn on top with a Sharpie marker. This game is so much fun, and can be easily brought to church or dinner out to keep the kids occupied.

Oriental Trading sent us some items of our choosing for this party, free of charge. All opinions are honest, and our own. No other type of compensation was received. Thanks for supporting the companies that support j. sorelle. We love Oriental Trading, even before this post.

posted by three j. sisters Leave a Comment
Filed Under: diy, diy, kid, lifestyle, party Tagged: birthday, diy, favors, mermaid, party, pom poms, pool party, shark, summer, tic tac toe, toddler

07/29

Say Goodbye to Cold Hands with DIY Freezer Pop Holders

Despite the fact that Back to School is all over the big name retailer stores and commercials, it’s still summer. We refuse to admit the fact that school starts in a month. We’re taking every bit of summer, for all the sunshine, popsicles and pool days it’s worth. We love it too much to let it go.

Our kids love popsicles in the summer, especially freezer pops. Although yummy, we know within minutes of opening their popsicles, our kids will request a paper towel because their hands are cold.

Well, it’s three mom’s and a pool noodle to the rescue. The DIY noodle freezer pop holders not only prevent cold, sticky fingers, but also they can be customized with names at a table setting for a birthday party. They can be used year after year when the hot sun is shining and kids are outside playing! Plus, typography is just so fun!

Materials:

1 pool noodle
Serrated knife
Acrylic paint, Plaid Crafts
Mod Podge
Freezer Pops, or make your own version with fresh fruit in a Zipsicle
Vinyl letter stickers, Michaels
Frog tape
Paintbrush

Directions:

Cut a pool noodle into 6 inch pieces. It should be about ½ the size of the popsicle.

Add letters to each noodle to spell BRR!, CHILL, COOL, FREEZE, and ICY.

Frame the letters with Frog Tape in the shape of a rectangle.

Use a paintbrush to dab paint onto the noodles over the letters and within the taped area.

Wait a couple of minutes to remove the tape and letters. Don’t wait too long, or the paint will begin to peel off with the letters. The paint should still be slightly wet when you remove the letters and tape.

summer-diy-freezer-pop-holder-popsicle-green-pool-noodle-chill-typography

Once the paint is dry, apply a layer or two of Mod Podge over the letters. It will dry clear, so no need to apply it all over the noodle. This will prevent it from peeling and flaking off.

Insert popsicle and enjoy without the whining of cold hands.

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Filed Under: diy, diy, lifestyle, party Tagged: brrr, chill, cool, dessert, diy, freezer pop, kid craft, party, popsicle, popsicle holder, summer, toddler

06/21

DIY Red, White and Blue Ice Bucket

It’s about that time when red, white and blue are just about the only colors on our minds. Yes, one of our favorite holidays, July 4th, is coming up, and this year we’re adding a DIY fruit ice bucket to our party to do’s.

A DIY patriotic ice bucket is the perfect July 4th accessory, and it’s so easy and cheap to do. Guests will love the extra touch of red, white and blue, and they will enjoy their chilled beverage.

Materials:

water
large bucket, we used a plastic one from Party City
small buckets {small enough to fit inside large bucket and large enough to fit a wine bottle or beer can}
blueberries, fresh or frozen, at least 2 cups
strawberries, fresh or frozen, sliced, 2-3 cups
weight, such as a rock
wine or beer

Directions:

Fill about 1/3 of the large bucket full of water, then drop in all the strawberries. Freeze for at least 5-8 hours.

Place 2 small buckets on top of first layer of ice, add weight inside {we used a rock}, and fill another 1/3 of the bucket with water. Do not get water inside the small bucket because it will be more difficult to remove the buckets from the ice. Freeze for about 5-8 hours.

For the final layer, fill the remaining 1/3 of the container fill of water, and then drop in blueberries. Freeze for 8 hours.

Remove from the freezer. Pour boiling water inside the small buckets and gently twist to remove from the ice. Additionally, run the outside of the large bucket with hot water from the sink faucet. After about 15 seconds on each side, the ice cooler will be easily removed, and the layers should look like this.

Carefully flip the ice cooler out from the bucket with your hands and set on a tray. Fill the holes with wine or beer. We couldn’t decide because beer, well, it’s all-American and those Budweiser cans are so patriotic and awesome. But, the vino lovers that we are couldn’t resist the taste and look of the red and blue Relax Wine bottles of wine.

Cheers!

Important Note: We took photos of this DIY ice bucket with wine we had in the liquor cabinet, and after review of photos, while the wine was good, for the ultimate patriotic post, the wine bottle {and beer} needed to be more festive in color. Enter, Relax Wines and Budweiser beer! However, the ice bucket had to be re-frozen during a several hour photo shoot intermission, and a thin ‘film’ of ice formed over every layer, so the color of the DIY ice bucket was dulled, and the lines of the red, white and blue blurred. You win some, you lose some. Either way, we love our bucket, but honestly, it will be more vibrant than our photos if you have the right alcohol the first time around.

posted by three j. sisters Leave a Comment
Filed Under: adult, diy, diy, holiday, lifestyle, party Tagged: beer, cocktail, cooler, diy, fruit, holiday, ice bucket, july 4th, party, red white and blue, summer, wine

05/11

DIY Tropical Leaf Coasters

We took our minds on a trip to paradise recently. It didn’t cost much, and no flight was necessary.

OK, it’s not the real thing, but our DIY tropical leaf coasters have tropical vibes written all over them, and they take us back to wonderful memories on the beach. Curbly has all the details here.

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Filed Under: diy, lifestyle Tagged: beach, cheers, coasters, diy, Gift, home decor, leaf, paradise, party, summer, tropical

03/21

Giraffe Baby Shower

blue-yellow-giraffe-baby-shower-outdoor-party

We made a trip to the zoo last week, and the giraffe’s were a favorite among our kids. The tall beauties have been loved by Jessica’s son for a long time. Thanks to Sylvia Strauss of Special Events and photographer Finishing Touch Roelien Visser, now we know they can be the inspiration behind a pretty baby shower, too.

Sylvia was inspired by the blue and yellow color of the striped flower pots on the table. Of course we love the DIY details, such as the wool letters and the spray painted plastic animals.