DIY Elmo Party Revisited

In light of all the news coverage that Elmo has been getting lately, I started thinking about the Elmo-themed party that I threw a couple of years ago - you can read about it here. I thought it would be fun to come up with new ideas that I might use if I had the Elmo party today. So here are those ideas...

Place Cards: A really easy idea for a place card (or food label) is to "doodle" on a piece of cardstock paper and attach crayons to it.



Centerpiece: A few months ago I created some centerpiece ideas that I shared here. I took this basic idea and Elmo-ized it.



Plates: I recently created some Halloween-themed plates. Again, using this same idea, I made Elmo and Dorothy (his favorite pet) plates...



Placemats: Have you ever noticed the adorable pictures that hang on the wall in the Elmo's World episodes? A really easy idea for placemats is to draw those pictures using crayons on a piece of cardstock and laminate them.



Food: I thought it would be fun to create Elmo using food. Here's the result...



The items needed for this vegetable tray are:
Head = Grape Tomatoes
Nose = Mini Carrots
Mouth = Black Olives
Eyes = Ranch Dressing

This same look can be achieved using a fruit tray. Here's how:
Head = Strawberries
Nose = Mandarin Oranges
Mouth = Black Grapes
Eyes = Banana Slices

Hope these ideas are helpful if you're planning an Elmo-themed event!

Moonlighting

Over the weekend I had the chance to moonlight as a designer...specifically a bib-wear designer. One of my friends has a set of twin boys who turn one next month. After an exhaustive search for "just the right" birthday bibs, she called me for help. I was so honored and completely up for the challenge!

The theme of the party is Tigger and Pooh - how appropriate for adorable twin boys. There are a ton of coloring page images of these characters on the Internet that can be downloaded for free. Here is the one that I chose to use...



I hate to admit this, but I am no artist - here was my last attempt at art. So I look for any and all shortcuts when it comes to creating artwork. In this case I modified the image in Paint, printed it on iron-on paper and then ironed the image onto a blank bib. My goal was to create an outline that could easily be filled in with paint.



And here is the result...I hope she likes it!

My Big Oprah Moment

I'm not sure if anybody saw the Oprah show on Monday, but she once again outdid herself by giving 300 of her ultimate fans a trip to Australia. This week, coincidentally, my little blog reached a milestone: 50 followers! Okay I know in blog terms that's small potatoes, but I am flattered beyond belief that anyone would take the time to check out what's happening in my world. So, in true Oprah style, I want to thank you guys by having a small giveaway.

I have secretly entered all 50 of you in a drawing for the following great prize...wait for it...a package of gorgeous fall-colored cardstock paper! But that's not all...



...and an elegant leaf punch, similar to the one I used to make this invitation.



And the winner is...


Congratulations ErinBlank! Please drop me a line so I can send off your prizes. And thanks again to all of you for following my Life in Wonderland and for letting me have my Oprah moment!

Halloween...already?

I love Halloween. It's a great excuse to dress up the house, the kids, the dog and eat lots of candy. But I was kind of caught off guard as I watched all of the Halloween merchandise going up on the shelves over the past few weeks - was it just me? So, in an effort to get ready for Halloween, I decided to craft something. Over the summer I came across a craft project from Martha Stewart that serves as the inspiration for this post - decorated picnic plates. Check out her adorable beach-themed plates here.

Here is my attempt at Martha-style Halloween-themed party plates. All of the plates are really easy to make. You just need paper plates, foam paper, scissors and hot glue. I'm trying to figure out how to attach a template within a blog post. Once I'm successful, I'll share the templates for these designs.


What would Halloween be without a few bats...



a big, scary one-eyed monster...



or a ghost?



There are a bunch of other Halloween "things" that can be made into plates - like spiders, haunted houses, black cats - but I only had time to make these guys. I feel another post coming on!



This has definitely gotten me excited about Halloween. Please check back at the end of the month for more things that I'll be creating for the big spooky day!

Are You Ready For Some Football?

I am married to a sports fanatic who would swear that his life couldn't get any better now that football season has begun. I thought it would be fun to come up with some ideas for a football-themed party now that the new season has officially been kicked off.

Football Party Idea #1: Helmet Coasters
I grew up in Wisconsin and have been a Packers fan ever since. However now that I'm in Georgia, I feel compelled to support the home team as well. I created these drink coasters by cutting out a helmet shape in craft foam paper and adding the team logo - super easy to make!



Football Party Idea #2: Football Bottles
Since it is the start of the football season, a lot of stores are carrying football-themed products for a limited time. I found these incredibly cute bottles of soda that are shaped like footballs at Walmart for $1. These adorable bottles are reason enough to host a football party!




Football Party Idea #3: Football Food
Also during my shopping trip to Walmart I stumbled upon football shaped brownies...happiness! Apparently this product is only sold for a few months, so hurry and get some soon. For the stand, I covered a glass vase with chalkboard spray paint and then drew a football play on the "chalkboard".




Football Party Idea #4: Football Placemat
I found this amazing paper at the craft store - it looks and feels like a football. I thought it would be perfect for a placemat at a football party. To achieve the look of a real football, I cut slits in the paper and tied shoestrings down the middle...



Football Party Idea #5: Football Jersey Placecard
I'm a sucker for placecards. A simple idea is to take a football jersey, add the guest's name using iron-on letters and drape it over the back of his/her chair...



Football Party Idea #6: Football Favor
I found this cool drink cup a few years ago at Party City and fell in love with it because it looks kind of crazy. This would be a great favor for a great football party.



Hope these ideas are helpful for your next pigskin party!