The "Easy on Mom" Carnival Party

I love seeing fabulous themed parties.   So pretty!  So inspiring!  So...much work.  Or cost. OR BOTH. Having two kids with birthdays smack in the middle of Halloween & Thanksgiving season, makes party throwing tough this time of year. They tend to get a bit shortchanged because I'm unable to go my usual crafting bananas.  

This year I really wanted them to feel special so we put together a Carnival-themed party for them both that was also an "Easy on Mom" theme.  Not only was it fun, but it didn't require spending a bunch of money or prep time.  I've included a handy "where to find" list at the end to make it even easier.

Here's how we made our guys Birthday Bosses, Carnival-style!

To get the decorating started, I tacked up plastic carnival signs set the room up in areas:

Our trusty art easel made an easy welcoming entrance and helped display the "Wooly Willies" & stick on mustache favors:

 

The mustaches were a big hit the adults and kids alike -

We already had Carnival Games for the Wii, so using that instead of having to put together activities was a big help (and required less space or mess since we had to be indoors).

I covered a sideboard to make a concession area with all the usual carnival treats and twisted some crepe paper to turn a boring door into a decorative background (of course this is the worst room to photograph, so sorry about the grainy pics):

Inexpensive popcorn boxes filled with bagged popcorn were a cheap & easy decorative element. Homemade cupcakes with some modeling chocolate stars (using my usual recipe HERE).  Each boy had different colored stars, so they had their own trays when it came time to blow out the candles: 

I put out some colorful lollipops, red vines & circus peanuts in festive cupcake wrappers too:

The lollipops were from Wilton's favor kits.  They came with stickers you could personalize & print yourself and I got them for half price in the clearance section so they were a real bargain!  

We made a drink station on a low table with some colorful 2 liter drinks and a mini claw machine we'd bought the kids for Christmas a few years ago.  It was pretty inexpensive and it's ALWAYS a favorite with kids when they come over.  We filled it with candy and they were more interested in the thrill of the chase than eating what they won from it!

To make the custom drinks I just cut off the original labels on the bottles and stuck on these carnival drink stickers to make them party perfect:

These hilarious clown mouth straw decorations and plastic swirl straws were a cheap find and added some extra fun too:

Of course the real star of the show was the Carnival Photo Booth.  This was what got us wanting to do a carnival theme:

I ordered it from an online party supplier and the Mr. rigged up a stand with some pvc pipe (so we can reuse it for other photo themes in the future).  

 Everyone felt like superstar (it was just hard to get 2 of my kids in it at any given time!)

 And it made for some awesome thank you notes with each guest's booth picture enclosed.

We all had a blast and since it was relatively easy & inexpensive to put together, this mom got to feel like an all star without loads of work.  That's the kind of a party I like celebrating!

Want more info on any of the party paraphernalia? Here's a handy list to save you time:

Where I Got The Goods:

Lollipop kits, crepe paper - Party City
Photo Booth poster, plastic signs, invitations, popcorn boxes - Birthday Express
Paper trays, birthday sign, straws, straw toppers, moustaches, drink labels, cupcake liners - Hobby Lobby
Claw machine - Young Explorers
Wii Carnival Games - Amazon
 

Sharing this with my FAVE LINK PARTIES too-

Click HERE to check them out!

Including: Bird's Party

Banarsi Designs Home Decor Giveaway!

Lately I've had home décor on the brain.  Our house has been in desperate need of some updating and finding those little extras that will give it a unique and stylish look is tricky.  As much as I love beautifully made bedding, pillow covers & tablecloths, I never thought they could be affordable for those of us on a budget - until I learned about today's giveaway sponsor!

Banarsi Designs is the ideal place to find home textiles with luxurious features like Dupioni silk and embroidery.  Founded by a hands-on husband and wife team, their high quality items are made by artisans in India.  Each piece is unique, with features like hand embroidery and hand painting.  And while they are luxurious in materials and design, they don't have the usual high price!

All the products also come in a wide array of colors.  Each style offers both neutral and vibrant color options, so there's something to match every color scheme.  

Check out the eye catching accent pieces like this Velvet Sparkle Pillow Cover trimmed with colorful stones and metallic threads:

I really like these Hand Embroidered Night Stand Sets.  Place the long one on your dresser, the squares on bedside or accent tables for an instant new look.  What a cool way to update your bedroom without any work!  I didn't even know these existed and now I feel like I NEED them!!

For some serious wow factor, they have these hand-painted, Dupioni silk, Luxury Bedding Sets. A totally high-end, designer look, but at an amazingly price.

And by signing up to their Banarsi VIP Club newsletter, first time purchasers get 10% off their order!

Are you ready for some giveaway goodies???

One lucky winner will receive 

TWO Ornamental Embroidered Pillow Covers, 

(worth $40) and get to choose from 10 colors!  

Perfect for dressing up the bedroom, adding some style to the couch or giving as a beautiful gift.

Ready for a chance to win?

To Enter:

Visit Banarsi Designs, then come back and tell me which color(s) you would choose if you win.  Be sure to include an email address if it's not on your profile.

For Additional Entries (leave a separate comment for each one):

- Sign up for the Banarsi Designs Newsletter (top of page)

- Like Banarsi Designs on Facebook

- Follow Banarsi Designs blog
- Follow Banarsi Designs on Google +
- Follow Banarsi Designs on Pinterest

- Follow Sew Can Do

- Like Sew Can Do on Facebook

- Follow Sew Can Do on Twitter

- Follow Sew Can Do on Pinterest

- Link to this giveaway on your blog, Facebook or Twitter

Giveaway NOW CLOSED will be open until 11:50pm EST November 12th, 2012. Giveaway is open to residents of U.S. only.  Void where prohibited.  The winner will be chosen at random and announced later that week.  Good Luck Everyone!  

Show What You've Got At The Craftastic Monday Link Party!

I hope everyone had a happy Halloween last week and is safe & sound after last week's horrendous weather.  I for one am really looking forward to things slowing down and getting some time for the good stuff: new projects!!  There were SO many fabulous links last week - my Craftastic Picks Pinterest board has been working overtime!

Here are some goodies from last week's party:

Live.Love.Create. shared this gorgeous quilt.  The colors are just amazing:

I couldn't help but smile when I saw these no-sew DIY My Little Pony costumes at Snickety Things.  My little girl is going to flip when she sees these (and want one of her own!):

Another fabulous project to make for the kids - a beautiful castle made from a diaper box at Little Ladybird:

And I squealed out loud when I saw this Lego sewing machine at 2 Little Superheroes.  I'm totally hitting up my guys to make one for my craft room!

If you're one of this week's features, be sure to grab my Featured On button over on the sidebar to let everyone know.  I also feature these projects and more party favorites on the Sew Can Do's Craftastic Picks board on Pinterest.  Follow me there to see more great projects (and if yours is one of them)!

And the Craftastic Blog of the Week is...

Little Ivy is the creation of Bec, a new mom in Australia who started her journey into becoming a domestic goddess after years working in a cubicle.  She shares some great experiences like how to make resin jewelry (how cool is that!?!), delicious & interesting baked goods and her gorgeous photography.  Last week she linked up this lemon cordial recipe:

How can YOU be Craftastic Blog of The Week,

 get a special feature here 

& one week of FREE advertising on my sidebar?  

• Link up a new project(s)
• Include the Craftastic Monday Party button in your post(s) or on your sidebar (a text link buried in a paragraph of parties or button on a separate party page doesn't count).  
• Leave a comment below telling me what you linked so I can check it out

One blog that meets the criteria will be selected each week.  More details can be found HERE.

 

Ready to link up your crafty creations?

Party rules are simple:

• As long as it's crafty, and made by you, it's Craftastic (no links to giveaways, shops, link parties or other people's work).  Add the link to your specific post (not the main page of your blog).
• Grab my party button & put it on your post or blog somewhere.  The code's on the sidebar -> 
• Check out some of the other fabulous links and share some crafty comment love.  We all love getting comments!!

20 Crafty Makes: Supporting A Very Special Book Launch

I'm very proud to share that there's a new craft book launching today and I'm one of the artists included in it!  I was asked by the team behind 20 Crafty Makes if I'd like to contribute a project for this craft book and immediately said yes.  All the proceeds from this book are going towards a charity I wholeheartedly support: the UK Stroke Association, which is now in its twentieth year.

When I was very small, my grandfather suffered a massive stroke, followed by many smaller strokes over a few short years.  He was left completely paralyzed on one side and unable to walk, talk, or even write.  Literally trapped in his body and with none of the helpful technology we have today.  It was devastating & life-changing for our entire family.

My grandmother, a tiny 5' woman, took care of him, without outside help, for the remaining 10 years of his life.  Growing up it was normal to me to only be able to see him in his room at home or in the hospital.   Leg braces, wheelchairs and other medical equipment were part of daily life. Back then there really weren't any treatments available for cases like his and zero support for dealing with the effects of strokes.  It means a lot to see an organization providing emotional and practical support and funding stroke research so other families don't have to experience the same difficulties ours did.

Here's a sneak peek at the Sew Can Do contribution to the book:

Since I live in the US I won't be able to go the launch party tonight, but for anyone who lives in the Nottingham area of the UK, it will be hosted at The Orange Tree and there will be live music, craft stalls & demos and of course the book itself:

They'll also be raffling off some fantastic prizes including completed projects from the book!  I created this special version of my project as a prize contribution:

The book is available for purchase on Folksy for just £5 ($8), as well as via email request if you're in the USA (at 20craftymakes@gmail.com).  An eBook version will be coming out soon.  You can also follow the latest 20 Crafty Makes news on Twitter and Facebook.  Take the opportunity to add a fun new craft book to your collection and support a valuable cause at the same time.