Harry Potter Galore

Well, it's getting closer to Tori's 10th birthday.  And she has requested a Harry Potter themed party.  That can get expensive if you're not careful.  Luckily, I was able to make use of things around the house to get me started.

I started with invitations.  No, they don't look as good as store bought ones.  But, they still get the message out.  I used my PrintMaster program to achieve the "postcard" look.  And then I glued on various Harry Potter images.  The images were provided by Shel's Tarts & Crafts.  I thought she did a truly amazing job considering she doesn't know much about Harry Potter.  I also used Avery White Postcards/Index Cards paper to print them one.  Comes 4 to a sheet, so I didn't need to cut.

Next, I decided to make Harry Potter water bottles.  These were very simple.  I wish I could remember where I got the idea and instructions from, but I can't.  I took the images I got from Shel and glued them to blue cardstock paper (I cut the paper across the short distance, so 8 inches long, and then it was 2.5in tall).  Take a piece of packaging tape a little longer then your cut paper.  Place the paper face DOWN on the tape, then wrap around the bottle.  Because the tape is longer then the paper, you start with it taped to the bottle.  And once you wrap around to the end, there should still be tape to tape it down again.  I ended up using 2 pieces of tape overlapping so I could cover the entire label.  This way if the images/paper gets wet it would tear or "leak" ink.

And next I am making these pendants as party favors.  I created these images myself.  I have others (Hermione, Ron, an owl, etc).  Squares are my thing lol.  I used scrabble tiles to create the pendants.  And then stringed on some tiny seed beads.  It has a lobster claw closure so the kids can take them on and off without stretching and breaking the necklace.  I only finished one so far.  I'm going to need 10 total.  Well, that's assuming everyone shows up.  Which is why I haven't made them all yet.  Although if I have extras, I could either use them as prizes or sell them (I've been known to get $20 for one necklace made like this).

I'm being smart this year with the party.  It is NOT going to last 4 hours.  Just two.  And I've figured out how to fill in the time.  We're going to have one game, "Pin the tail on Dudley".  James will be drawing "Dudley" on a poster board for me (Ok really, it's just going to be a goofy cartoon-ish boy drawing.  Who's to say there isn't a Dudley out there somewhere that'll look just the same?).  And then we'll hopefully have 2 craft projects to do.  I want to get materials to make their own HP themed wands (looks easy enough--needs chopsticks) and then their own quills (really it's just regular ink pens wrapped with thread and a feather attached).

We'll see how it goes.  Her party is scheduled for Feb. 4th, a week after her birthday.  Wish me luck!

Josie's Birthday Party

Well, we had Josie's birthday party. It wasn't exactly what she wanted. But, for the moment she was happy. We got her a cookie cake, seemed ideal since the actual cakes are never eaten all the way and half is tossed in the trash. And it was a good decision. Most was eaten, and only one piece was tossed out (I forgot it was hiding in the non working microwave lol). She loved the colors and was tickled about the butterfly.

We got her 3 presents. A big La La Loopsy doll. Those things are weird. She loves them though and has been asking for one since they came out. Sadly, Santa did not bring her one. So, the birthday fairy made up for that. A few weeks ago she bought herself a miniature la la loopsy with the money she got in the mail for her birthday from Wish Upon a Hero. These dolls are NOT cheap. She was so happy to see a big one in her birthday bag.

She also got another small la la loopsy. Now she has 2 that can ride the ferris wheel she bought. Again, another hit gift. She plays with them everyday.

And her 3rd gift was a big gold fish. She FREAKED OUT when she seen this one lol. She's so excited to have her very own pet fish. She asks several times a day if she can feed it. I have to keep reminding her, just once a day. Hoping she'll learn that one soon. Gets annoying after a while.

Anywho, here's a few pictures from the small party we had for her.

The BIG 5!

Bella, the gold fish.

Josie's enjoying her cookie cake. She was not moving away from her new fish lol. It was so cute. Even the twins wanted to stand up there and look.

The small la la loopsy she got to add to her collection. Can you see her excitement?

The big la la loopsy. Had problems getting her to be still so I could take the picture lol.

La la loopsy out of the box, holding the butterfly that came with the doll. Be warned, these dolls are a little on the heavy side. As the head is a big ball of hard plastic and is not hollowed out like most dolls are.

Over all, it didn't go too bad. She got some other presents too in the mail. So that made it even more great.

Cards Galore!

Tori got tons and tons of cards for her birthday. It was awesome. She had well over 20 cards. And all from people that don't even know her! I know, how scary that strangers are sending her cards. But it was a request I made. And it turned out well.

A few cards were from family and friends. But I think her favorite ones were the cards she received in the mail. Most cards has stickers inside for her. And a few even had money! We were both tickled over the money (like I said it came from people that we don't even know).

Overall, it was a great outcome. And added to her great birthday.

I'll try to make a post later and explain where she got all the cards. They came from a great community of people. Even you could have the same requests made for you, your children or just anyone you feel needs cheering up and it's all free!

Tori's Birthday Party

So we finally had Tori's birthday party. Her birthday was actually January 29th. But weather kept ruining plans. Was originally set for January 22nd-ish. But we got snowed in and roads were bad. So had to call parents and let them know it was canceled. Didn't want to risk anyone getting in an accident. And of course the weekend of her birthday she wasn't home. And the weekend after was no good because there was still tons of snow out from the blizzard.

But, it finally happened. And it went well. She had 4 of 10 friends show up (hey better then last year!). They all brought her a gift. I ordered pizza for lunch for the whole bunch. Oddly enough we had ton left over.

We had one girl stay over. Tori wanted them all to stay over, but I'm not mentally equipped for that many extra squealing girls! But I let her pick one to stay and it went well.

Tori is in the front middle. The shortest of the bunch. So sad too lol. The other girls were the same age, yet she is the smallest, by a lot!

And here's sort of a picture of the cake. I forgot to take a good one. And only managed this one because Josie was playing with the camera.

So there you have it :)