Posted on May 2, 2013 by Kara

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Birthday Party

This awesome TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLE BIRTHDAY PARTY was submitted by Stephanie Pasutto of Fourth and Hazel Photography.

These guys are definitely making a comeback! What a fun party! Some of my favorite party ideas from this celebration are:

The terra cotta pots painted to look like Ninja turtle characters
The mini Ninja turtle party banner
The brain cookies
The peg doll Ninja Turtles
And MORE!

Party Design & Photography- Fourth and Hazel Photography

Items used in this party available in Kara’s Party Ideas Shop:

Striped Paper Straws
Napkins
Plates
Tablecloths

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle themed birthday party planning ideas via Kara's Party Ideas | KarasPartyIdeas.com #teenage #ninja #turtle #party #ideas #supplies #decorations #idea (6)

This is what Stephanie said about planning the party- “BOOYAKASHA! is the new Cowabunga Dude! I have to admit I was a little nervous when my soon to be 3 year old son asked for a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle birthday party. The turtles made a huge comeback in 2012 with a new cartoon, but there is limited inspiration available for an updated take on a TMNT birthday party.

So I started from scratch.

As a parent I really enjoy the new TMNT cartoon. The characters are cute and even though the episodes are “dark” (NYC at night) the feel of the show is light. As my son is just turning 3 I wanted to take a lighter approach to the TMNT theme and stay away from the commercial part of the brand (which can be really hard to do)

For the invites, my local Famoso was generous in giving me some to go pizza boxes to use for the invitations. I hunted down enough TMNT t shirts for each of our little guests and tucked them inside. I absolutely fell in LOVE with the turtle illustrations by Jess Bradley and was over the moon excited when she was kind enough to allow me permission to use them for my son’s birthday.

I found a cartoon NYC skyline online that I liked and printed it as the backdrop for the dessert table. Desserts were hard for this theme as ninja turtles only dine on pizza (which we served for lunch). So we served Ninja Smoke Bomb (cake pops), Krang Cookies and Sewer Rat Gummies which were a big hit with kids of all ages.

To decorate the table I purchased some fabric in TMNT mask colors and used them as table runners. This was perfect for this party and would also work well with an art or rainbow party and so, so easy to do.

I also incorporated Jess Bradley’s turtle illustrations here for labelling the drinks at the table. This one is my favorite and was reserved for the over 18 guests ;)

After the kids had eaten, they had to go through the sewer cover (and tunnel) to get Turtle-fied.Each guest got to choose their favorite color of mask and put on their turtle shell. I picked up the “shell” (frisbees) at Dollarama (love that place) and used brown grosgrain ribbon and D Rings to keep the shells on while the kids enjoyed the rest of the party. I used fleece fabric blankets I found at Ikea and used a mask we already had as a guide to make the TMNT masks.

So many plans and ended up with so little time. I had planned a few games for the kids including Fruit Ninja, Kung Fu Hi Impact and a Ninja Throwing Star Game. I came across these super awesome pots from Ginger Pots and was inspired to create my own version for the party. I am no painter but I think they turned out great even if they didn’t get used.”

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Kara

DIY Cinco De Mayo Pull String Piñata’s + FREE PRINTABLES!

Do you have any fun activities planned for Cinco de Mayo?! How about a quick and easy activity that will really excite your kids?!

Make these fun and adorable DIY CINCO DE MAYO PARTY HAT PULL STRING PIÑATA’S in no time with a few simple items! Follow my easy tutorial below…

Side Note- Speaking of Cinco de Mayo, you can download FREE CINCO DE MAYO PARTY PRINTABLES in the KPI Shop HERE! Tags, Cupcake Toppers, Mustache Photo Props & more!

ON TO THE DIY PIÑATA TUTORIAL…

You will need:

Candy (cute colored candy pictured above from Kara’s Party Ideas Shop)

Party Hats (package of plain party hats on sale here)

Card Stock or Construction Paper

Tissue Paper

Bakers Twine or String (Bakers Twine on sale here)

Toothpicks

Party Fringe (available in all colors here)

Hot Glue Gun

Step by step DIY instructions:

Step One- Trace a circle shape the size of the bottom of the party hat.

Step Two- Fill hat with candy.

Step Three- Cover bottom of party hat with small piece of tissue paper. Glue with hot glue around bottom edge of hat.

Step Four- Poke hole in middle of round card stock circle and pull twine through hole.

Step Five- Tie string around toothpick and pull tight.

Step Six- Cover toothpick side of circle with hot glue.

Step Seven- Attach circle piece to tissue paper / bottom of party hat with hot glue.

Step Eight- Wrap party hat in paper fringe (available in all colors for only $3 here). You can alternate colors or leave all the same color. Whatever your heart desires!

Step Nine- Attach string or yarn to the top of the party hat with hot glue.

And VIOLA! You now have a fun pull string piñata!

BONUS- Use the piñata as a party hat once the candy is out of it!

And don’t forget, you can download FREE CINCO DE MAYO PARTY PRINTABLES in the KPI Shop HERE! Tags, Cupcake Toppers, Mustache Photo Props & more!

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Kara

Harry Potter Party for Parenting Magazine!

I was so excited for the April issue of Parenting Magazine! I had the honor of styling a Harry Potter themed birthday party for both the Early Year and School Year April issues!

Being a part of the editorial advisory board for Parenting has been fabulous! When Sabrina James (Style & Fashion Director) asked me if I would like to work on another fun project for them I just couldn’t resist! I will admit, when she asked if I would do a Harry Potter party my first thoughts weren’t all warm and fuzzy. It was a party theme outside of my comfort zone, and a theme I had never done. But now, it’s one of my most favorite parties to date!

If you haven’t yet, be sure and grab a copy of the April Parenting Magazine to see the full spread along with other fabulous parties styled by The Tomkat Studio & Oh Happy Day!

Photography by Valerie Hart.

Decor

The party was set out on Harry Potter inspired items like an old steamer trunk, some vintage suitcases, a british inspired telephone booth shelf and a book themed end table.

Candles were hung from the ceiling with fishing line to create a floating candle effect.

Old books are an easy way to stage a lot of the party food/decor. They go along perfectly with the Harry Potter theme, too.

The printable lightning banner, paper ties, argyle cupcake wrappers, invitation, Hogwarts Express sign and food labels/place cards are all part of the Harry Potter printable collection in the Kara’s Party Ideas Shop.

Invitation

This Harry Potter fill-in-the-blank invitation is a simple download from Kara’s Party Ideas shop. Roll it up and attach it to a white balloon, acting as the “delivery owl” from Harry Potter. Use a black permanent marker to draw an owl face onto the balloon. I weighed down the invitation with a vintage key.

Popcorn Bar

Since children will be watching Harry Potter at the party, provide a fun popcorn bar! This one included caramel corn, original corn & kettle corn. Parmesan seasoning and salt were set out for added flavor. Find the wooden scoops, signs & popcorn baskets in the Kara’s Party Ideas Shop- www.KarasPartyIdeas.com/shop

Butter Beer

Cream Soda acted as “Butter Beer” at the party. To create the foaming effect simply add vanilla ice cream to each drink.

Hogwarts Express Sign

Bring the feel of the Hogwarts Express Train Station into your party with this printable sign available in the KPI shop.

Butter Beer Candy Favors

Small glass salt and pepper shakers perfectly resemble mugs, so they were filled with butterscotch candies and labeled as “Butter Beer Candy Favors”. A vintage key was attached to the top of each jar with twine.

Owl Glasses

If a few simple steps, make these darling owl glasses for the kids to wear at the party.

- Pop out the center eye pieces of inexpensive glasses or sunglasses (available at the dollar store).

Attach white and brown feathers to each side of the pair of glasses with hot glue.
For the nose, cut a diamond shape piece out of orange card stock and make a crease down the middle. Glue the piece in-between the eyes of the glasses with hot glue.

Harry Potter themed birthday party idea via Kara's Party Ideas | KarasPartyIdeas.com #harry #potter #decorations #printables #invitation #party #supplies #idea #cake #cupcakes #activities (44)

Hanging Key Activity

These darling chocolate keys were made with a key candy mold from the KPI shop & melted chocolate. The keys were hung from a broom with twine. A child held up the broom as children tried to eat the keys with their hands behind their backs or at their side.

Party Activity- Magic Potion Station

Clear plastic gumball tubes from the KPI shop were filled with lemon lime soda. Three small honey jars, also from the shop, were filled with different flavored Koolaid drink mix. Koolaid is perfect because it’s a very light color, so the children can’t tell what flavor it actually is. The kids spooned the Koolaid into their tube of soda & watched in amazement as their color was revealed!

Paper Ties

These darling HP inspired printable ties are available in the KPI shop and are simple to print and cut out. Attach the ties to inexpensive elastic headbands and put the ties on guest as they arrive at the party.

Candy Stick Wands

Rock candy sticks from the KPI shop were placed in an owl vase as “Candy Wizard Wands”.

Honey Dukes Candy Shop

Small burlap bags from Kara’s Party Ideas shop were set out for the kids to fill with various types of candy from “Honey Dukes Candy Shop”, including actual Bertie Bott’s Every Falvour Beans, also available in the KPI shop here.

Owl Cake

Make this cake with fondant or gum paste pieces, cut to resemble leaves or feathers, and layer the pieces up the side of the cake. This cake was made by the talented Marcee, owner of Dippidee.

Owl Cupcakes

Easily make these cute owl cupcakes with vanilla icing, mini vanilla wafers, chocolate chips, almond slices and cashews. The argyle cupcake wrappers are from the Kara’s Party Ideas Shop here.

Golden Snitch Gumballs

Gold gumballs from the KPI shop were put in a jar and labeled as “Golden Snitch Gumballs”.

Golden Snitch Cookies

These were made with store bought banana cream cookies and yellow card stock. Simply cut the card stock into wing shaped pieces and insert the ends of the “wings” into each side of the cookies.

Chocolate Frogs

Simply make these with a frog candy mold from the KPI shop and melted chocolate. The frogs were set a top of an open book for added HP charm.

Party Favor- Truth Serum

Cute miniature glasses with cork lids from the KPI shop here were filled with water, mimicking “truth serum”. What mother wouldn’t love her child to come home from a party with this! The tags are part of the HP printable collection in the KPI shop.

Gowns

Inexpensive children’s graduation gowns look just like Hogwarts gowns! A gown was given to each child as they arrived at the party. The gowns are available in the Kara’s Party Ideas online shop here.

All party items from the Kara’s Party Ideas Shop- www.KarasPartyIdeas.com/shop
Harry Potter Invitation
Harry Potter Tags/Place Cards
Harry Potter Paper Ties
Harry Potter Banner
Harry Potter Train Sign
Harry Potter Paper Ties
Graduation Gowns
Harry Potter Napkins & Plates
Twine
Candy Sticks
Frog Mold
Key Mold
Plastic Gumball Tubes
Wooden Scoops
Jars with Wooden Spoons
Rock Candy Sticks
Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans
Burlap Bags
Wooden Baskets
Miniature Glass Bottles
Wooden Spoons
Gold Gumballs

Posted on April 28, 2013 by Kara

Sailor Girl Nautical + Navy Birthday Party

Sailor Girl Nautical themed birthday party via Kara's Party Ideas KarasPartyIdeas.com #nautical #party #idea #baby #shower #girl #navy #sailor

This adorable SAILOR GIRL NAUTICAL + NAVY BIRTHDAY PARTY was submitted by Nellie Leis of nellie*design.

Some of the things that I like best about this girly sailor party (other than the fact that the guest of honor is named Navy — too perfect!) are:

The chipboard letters wrapped with washi tape and spelling out the birthday girl’s name
The sailor hat garland
The life saver candies tied to the tops of the mason jars along with anchor printable tags
and MORE!

Printable Invitation- nellie*design
Printable Party Decor- nellie*design
Navy Striped Paper Straws – Gardening Gal at Work
Cake & Cupcakes – Local Grocery Store
Sailor Hats {party favors} – Oriental Trading

Items used in this party available in Kara’s Party Ideas Shop:
Favor / Cupcake Boxes
Striped Paper Straws
Mason Jars
Washi Tape
Jute Twine
Lollipop / Treat Sticks
Tissue Pom Poms

Here’s what Nellie said about planning the party- “Coming up with this theme for our daughter, Navy’s, first birthday was easy! With a nautical name, it was only her destiny to have a fun Sailor Girl themed party! I am the owner and designer of nellie*design, and I create printable party invites & decorations, so I considered this a high priority job and had a blast creating a beautiful and special day to celebrate my baby girl!

To set the tone for the party, each guest received a simple, preppy invitation in the mail, inside of a 5×7 flat kraft paper bag. I wrapped a {printable} envelope address label around the outside of the kraft bag to personalize them, and secured the “envelope” closed with navy polka dot washi tape! The invites are double sided, with a fun navy polka dot pattern background.

At the party, the party favor table was a main focal point. Pink & navy tissue poms made a fun statement as the back drop, with a printable birthday banner. Each little sailor received their own personalized sailor hat and a box full of “life rings” {aka powdered donuts!}. The sailor hats were personalized with a printable name tag.

The Sweets Table was another highlight of the party, with pink frosted cupcakes, a polka dot cake, mini fruit pizzas and other fun treats. Printable party decor spruced up the table with food label tent cards, cupcake topper “sails”, large “sail” signage and party tags. A navy and white striped wooden boat hull was filled with take-home pretzel fish snacks and a large sail played as the backdrop for the table.

Some of my favorite food/drink items that coordinated with the theme, included a watermelon “boat” and pink lemonade filled with blueberries! The drink station was a “printable party” dream… with everything labeled, from the water bottles, to juice boxes to flags on each navy striped straw. Mason jars were tied with a printable tag and a life saver candy.”

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Kara

Kara’s Mickey Mouse themed Birthday Party!

I’m so excited to finally showcase my MICKEY MOUSE THEMED BIRTHDAY PARTY!

I wanted to create a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse themed party full of fabulous DIY ideas to inspire and help all of you throw a killer Mickey party from start to finish. I hope you can create the perfect Mickey party for your little guy or girl by following these tips, tutorials and ideas!

Photography by Laura Bunker

All Mickey Mouse Party supplies used in this party are from Kara’s Party Ideas Shop:
Mickey Mouse Party Collection
Black Lanterns
Red Lanterns
Red Buckets
Striped Napkin Rings
Mickey Mouse Ears
Cupcake Liners
White Gloves
Black Bakers Twine
Striped Paper Straws
Mickey Mouse Pinata
Red Party Hat
Disney Pez Dispensers
Mickey Mouse Balloons
Polka Dot Balloons
Mickey Mouse Party Favors
Mickey Mouse Bags
Mickey Mouse Tags
Mickey Mouse Sugar Candy Toppers
Black Paper Bags
Yellow Krinkle Shred
Polka Dot Ribbon
Mickey Candles
Mickey Ears
Rock Candy
Yellow Swirl Lollipops

Before I go any further, here is a fun video from my show that goes through this whole Mickey Mouse Party…showing you how to make all of the projects and decor first hand!

The above red buckets are available in my shop. I simply glued on two white circles to make them look like Mickey Mouse. The same idea could also be used at a Minnie Mouse party…just get black buckets (or pink) and glue polka dots onto the buckets.

Make these hats out of regular red party hats from my shop and black paper circles. Simply attach two black paper circles to the back of the party hat.