Avengers Party

19th April 2016
Austin's 9th Avengers Party

Austin has been mad on the Avengers for a year or two but even more so with the release of the Avengers Movie.  It was a good time to pick this theme with all the partyware going on sale at the end of promotions making way for Superman vs Batman.

Hulk is Austin's favourite so he was so happy when a lovely friend gave him a pair of Hulk Hands.  When smashed together they make sounds.  We knew we needed to have these as a big part of his party. 

Invitation

 Austin and I were looking for a picture on the internet of all the Avengers.  When he saw this picture he changed his mind and said that's the one he had to have.  Invites went out to a few of his good friends from school.  His birthday was in the first week of the school holidays.

Games

I had to research who the Avengers actually were :)  After finding the names of a few I based the games around those characters.  We played:Pin the Star on Captain America(similar to pin the tail on the donkey)

We blind folded the kids and they had to pin the star on Captain America's Shield.

Ant Man Pass the Parcel

Ant Man shrinks from a person to a small Ant Superhero.
Pass the Parcel is similar, every round a layer was taken off shrinking the parcel to the winning layer.  
Main present was an Avenger Art Set and Avenger Puzzle.

Iron Man Chocolate Game

Some people say there is Iron in Chocolate (I think its dark only), but this was enough for me to base the Chocolate game on Iron Man.  

Unfortunately I got the masks mixed up and used the Iron man mask in the Pin the Star on Captain America and the Captain America mask for this game.  Don't think any of the kids realised :)  

Object of the game is to roll a six on the dice, put on the mask and gloves and eat as much chocolate, one piece at a time cutting it with a knife and fork.  Once someone rolls another six the objects are taken off and the next person starts.  This is a very fun game.  

Black Widow Obstacle Course

Black Widow is a female Avenger and a spy.  I set up an obstacle course like a spider web using bamboo and black cord I found in the garage.  Kids all had to get through the obstacle course without touching any of the web.  Nathaniel was amazing and got through first go but others found it very challenging.  When they got to the end they got to put on the Hulk Hands and smash Ice-cream cones.  This was lots of fun and made the children really want to make it through the challenge.  

Hulk Smash Cones

Hawkeye Bow & Arrow
Hawkeye is known for his Bow and Arrow skills.  I made a target and got it laminated as the arrows wouldn't stick to the paper.  Everyone lined up for a go.  No one got a bulleye but we did have someone get 75 points with one shot that won the game.  The Bow and Arrow set was brought from a junk shop for $5.00

Thors Hammer Throw

After researching about Thor I found his secret weapon was his hammer.  I made a replica hammer using a cardboard roll, Easter Egg Box, Ribbon and some tape.  We live right next to a huge park so we all walked next door and had a go at testing our throwing skills.  Josh threw an amazingly huge throw to take out the game.  

PInata

As this party was not planned very far in advance I brought the pinata this time.  It was a sliver star from Kmart for $12.00.  I took it home and decorated it to look more Avengers.  Austin asked me what a star had to do with Avengers and I said Captain America's Shield had a star in the middle.  That was enough to make him very happy.  We filled the pinata with lots of lollies.  Everyone had a go hitting it until it burst open.  

Party Food

Pinterest is really my new friend.  I found lots of Avenger themed food on there.  We made Captain America Shields, Cheese Balls were similar to 'The thing", Russian Fudge Thor Hammers, Ant Man Cupcakes.
We printed Avenger Comics and made them into cones and filed them with popcorn.  At the Warehouse I found Avenger Lolly Pops and Candy Sticks.  As well as this we also had the usual sandwiches, fruit, savouries etc.  Lots of delicious food for everyone. 

Drinks were cheap flavoured fizz bottles that I took the labels off and put Avengers on them.
  I had little glass bottles for each child that they all used to fill.

I thought the little Hulk Puddings turned out really well.  These were clear plastic cups the I drew Hulk's face onto and filed with green instant puddings and topped with crushed Oreo biscuits.

Party Table

Masks



Birthday Cake

Keeping this party low cost meant I needed to make a cake again.  A very simple cake to look like Hulk was coming out of the road.  Tasked better than it looked :)

Party Time

Prizes and Loot Bags

  

Thank you to Austin's friends and brothers and sister who came and made his day extra special.

*Lola, Charlotte, Nathaniel, Olly, Josh, Hugo, Jamal, Leroy & Willow *

  He loved having you all over for the afternoon and playing Avenger games with you.

Thank you also for all the lovely gifts.  Austin is going to be very busy over the holidays playing with them all.

Mad Hatters Tea Party

26th March 2016
Willow in Wonderland - Mad Hatters Tea Party

Willow was turning four and I wanted her to have a special party that she could help with also.
  After looking around the internet for ideas we decided on one of her favourite books 'Alice in Wonderland'.
We got the movie out and looked for ideas.
The list was huge, Willow had so many ideas and so we got planning.

With our party plan sorted we started once a week going to fairs and op shops looking for old tea pots and mad cups for everyone.
A guest list was written up and invites sent out.  Everything was going to plan.
This was very exciting planning with my little girl.

Invitation

Decorations

After watching the movie we knew we could use lots of cards, red roses and teapots. 

We waited till the week after Valentines day and got bunches of plastic red roses for $1.00 a bunch instead of $20.00.  With the cards we made little soldiers for the tables and my sons made card banners for the gazebo to decorate with.  We had little drink me metal charms that were scattered on the tables.  As it was Easter time we found Easter Crackers with the White Rabbit on them that the kids loved.  At an op shop Willow found a green caterpillar that we sat on a garden mushroom ornament.  We found lots of flamingos and made some of our own signs.  Everything was bright and looked 'a-ma-zing', as Willow would say :)

    

    

Queens Croquet
It wouldn't be a Mad Hatter Tea Party without a good game of Croquet.
My hubby and I spent a few nights putting this game together.
Four croquet mallets, balls, Alice characters and the Queens guards as croquet hoops.
The kids all loved playing it and even a few of the parents enjoyed having a go as well :)

Food & Drinks at the Tea Party

With over 60 guests arriving I needed to make the food fun but easy to get out for everyone to eat without spending too much time in the kitchen.  Pinterest was fantastic for ideas. 

Willow loved making the queens guards with me out of rice bubbles, cupcakes with white and red roses, eat me biscuits, and of course the cake.  I usually order a cake for my kids birthdays, so much easier but this time I thought I would give it a go myself.  After nearly a whole day in the kitchen I think I will go back to ordering, no stress that way.  I'm no cake decorator but was quite pleased with how it turned out in the end. 

For drinks we had to have teapots full of tea, two drink containers with
 'This drink will make you taller and this drink will make you shorter'.
Guests had a choice of lots of mad sized cups.  Some kids filled their drinks up once into huge soup sized cups while others used little tiny cups.  The kids loved this.  

Tea Party

After all the kids had made hats for the Tea Party, food was served.  I loved seeing all the happy kids eating all the party food and chatting away to each other.  They were pulling crackers and laughing.  

 Cake

I decorated Willow's cake this year, definitely not a cake maker but was quite pleased at how it turned out.   All Willow's friends and family sang Happy Birthday to her which she loved and then she blew out the candles.  The cake was a delicious Orange Zest Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese frosting made by my brother Brad.

 Games

We played a few games - Pass the Parcel, Tea Cup Pinata, Unlock the Tiny Door to Wonderland (Treasure Hunt), Pin the Grin on the Cheshire Cat and also the kids created Mad Hats for the tea party.

Making Mad Hatter's Hats for the Tea Party
I put heaps of crafts out on the the driveway.  Kids all chose a hat each and had so much fun decorating them.

Lots of amazing hats - Looking great for our Mad Hatter's Tea Party.

Pass the Parcel
The top layer had a picture of Alice.  The last layer was the Queen of Hearts.  
We had 28 kids so made 30 layers so all the young ones could at least open one layer each.

Pin the Grin on the Cheshire Cat
 This was a game I made.  I got a cat printed onto poster paper and laminated 30 Grins.  We had two games going - one for Under 5s and the other for the older kids.  The younger ones got to choose if they wanted to be blindfolded or not.

Tea Pot Pinata.  

I made this a few weeks earlier and filled it with lots of sweets.  I made a few more layers than usual so the older kids didn't break it too quickly.

Treasure Hunt
Open the small door to Wonderland

I collected spare keys from everyone I knew for a few months and put cheap key rings on them.  They were hidden around the property.  Raukura found the winning key that opened up the small door to Wonderland. 

I was really surprised how excited the kids, especially the little girls, who loved trying to open the padlock.

Loot Bags and Prizes

I brought lots of little charms from Aliexpress and a roll of chain.  Then one night sat down and made all the little girls White Rabbit necklaces.  I loved how they turned out. Willow helped me wrap them in tissue and put them into little pink bags for the girl's loot bags.  Boys were given a variety of things from joke prizes, hot wheel cars, books and sweets and the babies were all given little treats also.

Prize for Pass the Parcel - Alice in Wonderland Hard Covered Book, Alice Colouring In Book and Pencils.

My kids helped me make little Eat Me Tags and fill bags with Jelly Beans.  Kids were given these if their keys didn't open the padlock to open the little door.

Thank You

  A huge thank you to all Willow's friends and family that came and made her day so magical. 

She loved dressing up as Alice, playing croquet and having everyone around home for the afternoon.

And a massive thank you from Willow for all the presents. 

She is one extremely lucky little girl who loved everything she was given xxx

To all Willow's best friends.... you are the best!!!!

Larissa, Raukura, Hope, Holly, Lacey, Bella-Rose,  Atawhai, Elsie, Charlotte, Amber, Ava, Grace, Kyra

Hunter, Harry, Ryan, Liam, Levi, Dryw, Jamal, Leroy, Austin, Keegan, Levi, Geordan, Finn

Mum and Dad love you so much Willow.

You have grown into the most amazing daughter we could ever have imagined having.

You light up our lives and we hope that being four will be one of the best years ever.

xxx