Harry Potter Party!

I was SOOO super excited to get to do a Harry Potter party!

It is to date my absolute favorite party!

Before going to hogwarts, you stop by Gringotts to risk robbing the bank. You may get (chocolate) gold coins, some (sorceror's stones) or get attacked by a dragon hiding in the vault! 

 

Before finding your house table in the great hall, you would need to be sorted. Hershey Kiss sorting hats had different color dot labels on the bottom to get your assignment randomly. 

 

These banners were cut from a single decoration and hung from the rafters with magic (and pvc pipe and fishing line) Tables had simple dollar tree type table clothes with coordinating colored centerpieces/table runners. I used some leftover runners from my sisters wedding, some scrapbook paper, and some dollar tree silver candle holders. 

hanging above the food table were lots of flying keys. I bought these keys and these wings and strung them with more magic

We decided we must have a Honeydukes station. Lots of candy. 

and a Quiddich supply store with Pretzel Brooms (literally pretzel sticks stuck into a Reeses cup, and 3 different size chocolate balls, gold wrapped lindor truffles, whoppers, and some chocolate caramel balls from the bulk bin. We also had Harry's glasses for everyone to wear, and little cauldrons to hold little goodies like Harry Potter stickers, tattoos, toy snakes and more chocolate coins. 

For activities, everyone visited Ollivanders to make their own wands with chopsticks, hot glues, beads and gems. I am glad that I had multiple hot glue guns to go around.

Our wizards also stopped by Eeylops Owl Emporium to paint either a wooden or suncatcher owl, or mythical creature like dragons or unicorns. 

The cake was by Pink Princess Cakes. I got gold tableware and a Hogwarts set. 

Of course we served butter beer (cream soda with butter scotch syrup and whipped cream)

Poly juice potion (a lemon lime punch with lime sherbet.)

On the walls are these stone wall decor that really dressed up the space. 

Birthday a girl’s sister wore her Hermoine costume and a Harry scar tattoo. And of course we had chocolate frogs using these molds. 

My sister made the banner hanging behind and Ellie got a new Griffendore dress. 

To keep guests from wandering upstairs we posted this warning. 

The photo booth was a big hit. Especially with “Live Photo’s” option on iPhone 

When the party wound down we turned on the projector and watched the first movie. 

Another picture of Gringotts’s bank now robbed clean of all treasures. 

Pumpkin juice was apple and pineapple juice with some canned pumpkin purée swirled in. 

The main entrance of the first room was platform 9 3/4 

*links to things on Amazon are affiliate links. If you shop (for anything) after following my links I earn a tiny % without you paying anything more. 

Bakery Artist Birthday!

Penny, always one to want more than one theme for her birthday, decided on bakery and art, so we had a bakery art themed party!

I made the garland from cupcake papers, the sprinkles tablecloth and the plates/napkins were from amazon. I re-used some items from Ellie's Art party (some plates, paint cans and splatter tableclothes were saved)

We held the party at a local art studio Young At Art where my kids have enjoyed lots of art classes and craft days. They had a party package for a rainbow craft table (lots of collage and other crafting materials set out by color),

 a paint lesson by a professional:

and another craft, which we chose to let kids paint on their aprons with stencils. 

For the babies, I had these tiny easels and tiny canvases for them. 

I definitely cheated this year and bought the cupcakes from the grocery store (luckily the pink matched the plates), but added little paint pallets (fondant and skittles) paintbrush cupcake pics and chef hats (made by an apprentice at Pink Princess Cakes)

The cake was also store bought, but we scraped the decorative frosting off and added our own (store bought) fondant and (some real, some fondant, some chocolate) decorations. 

In addition to water, punch and cake, we had rainbow Goldfish crackers, M&Ms and Skittles served in the paint cans behind the cake. 

Check out Penny's rainbow cupcake apron, her sister Ellie made that for her with her own sewing machine!!

Party Favors were the chef hats, aprons, and a tiny water color set. 

After crafting and painting, some of these guests and some non-art studio guests met for pizza after. 

 

Growing UP UP UP birthday party (with sock monkeys)

Penny hemmed and hawed about her birthday theme, she wanted space, sock monkeys, earths, and flying. Since Ellie had already picked outer space theme, we decided on a 
Growing UP UP UP theme, (with sock monkeys).

The cake stand is just a white stand with cotton balls taped on and marshmallow clouds.
Earth Cake by Pink Princess Cakes

I like to make cupcakes to go with the cake because I cannot afford a fancy cake big enough for everyone. These were topped with tiny "hot air balloons", by poking a long-stick lollipop into a Reeses cup and covering the frosting with marshmallow clouds. 

I found this hot air balloon height chart at the dollar tree.

 

For decorations, we did blue tablecloths, clouds table runners, (one is behind the cake table with dollar tree roockets and teacher supply store paper monkeys taped on) inflatable globes (from Dollar Tree, each family took one home in addition to the goodie bags for each child) and hot air balloons back drop with little sock monkeys rockets and planes around the room.

  

hot air balloon backdrop  helped decorate(cover) a trophy case at the pizza parlor.

Party Favors were plane (get it) blue bags with a dollar tree plane or hot air balloon sticker and a handwritten note.

Inside were little earth candies (half of which went in the outer space gift bags)



Air plane kits



Rubber sock monkeys

and
Air heads (get it?)


and cotton candy, (which I intended on renaming "cloud candy" or "fluffy clouds"

Tableware was a sock monkey kit from Amazon: ( I didn't use the red table cloth)
 and these plates  

Cupcakes were wrapped with these: cloud side out
 I also used some to hold the globes too.


I provided amazon links ( some pics are links) mostly above but the tablecloths, paper rockets, inflatable globes, cotton balls and air plane cut outs were from Dollar Tree.