Budget Friendly Halloween Party Ideas for Kids

I had the pleasure of hosting a cute little group of "ghouls" for this Halloween party. I wanted to keep this party one of traditional Halloween fun with lots of orange and black colors, bats, spiders, and pumpkins. Nothing gruesome or scary, just fun and cute! 

Black and orange crepe streamers and balloons hung from the chandelier and ceiling. Dollar Tree is a great place to find balloons and streamers! All tableware was orange and black. Halloween Bingo cards purchased from Target Dollar Spot were at each place setting ready for the little "ghouls". Prizes were colorful skeleton pens, stretchy skeletons, Halloween stamps, and stickers also from Target Dollar Spot. If you are sensing a trend here, you are correct. Target Dollar Spot has the cutest Halloween goodies! Dollar Tree is another favorite for Halloween prizes and goodies. 

Cake pops made by Pallister Pop Shop

Other party activities included making slime. Yes, it's messy, but kids love it! We did take this activity outside. This was the only part of the party that wasn't orange and black. We made sparkly pink slime. Only 3 ingredients are needed for this slime recipe. Elmer's pink glitter glue, 1 1/2 Tbsp. of saline contact solution, 1 Tbsp. of baking soda. Mix, knead and play. I did add some little plastic spiders to the slime also. 

Another activity that we did was the spider race. I had little pom pom spiders and the girls used a paper straw to blow their spider down the table to the finish line. An easy, inexpensive, yet fun game! This would also be great for a classroom party too. You could also have the kids make the pom pom spiders from yarn and add some stick on eyes.

And of course, no traditional Halloween party is complete without a pinata! You can find really good deals on pinatas at the end of season. I got this pumpkin pinata for $1 the prior year! Fill with candy and cute little prizes from Target Dollar Spot or the Dollar Tree and you have yourself a fun and inexpensive activity.

The cutest little giraffe, kitty cat, and ladybug ever!

So there you have it, easy, inexpensive, and fun activities anyone can do. You can read more fun Halloween ideas I have done in the past HERE. Enjoy your October!! And please share any fun and budget friendly Halloween party ideas you have.

❤️
MJ

For more of my party ideas, home decorating, favorite recipes, twin activities x 2, and all things

"Mrs.Party Planner" please check me out on facebook and "like" the page. New blog posts will appear in your news feed.You can also follow me on www.bloglovin.com, on Instagram and Pinterest

Halloween Party Ideas for Kids

Mrs. Party Planner

Today is October 1st and the beginning of my most favorite season and holiday. Fall technically began last week, however, here in Texas, we have yet to experience a real fall day this year. But, when the first day of October arrives, it is fair game for all things Halloween!!

I tend to go a little over board on Halloween decorations, parties, neighborhood fun, and cute lunchbox ideas during the month of October. I can't wait to share them with you and hope you follow along and find some inspiration for your own Halloween fun to share! 

This Halloween party is one that I haven't shared yet and took place a couple years back for a great group of boys. 

When the costumed guests first arrived to the party, I had a bunch of black and orange balloons scattered around the entryway. The boys were instructed to pop the balloons with any means necessary and a fun surprise awaited them inside. The boys discovered stretchy skeletons and even dollar bills. But, there was also another surprise. The first clue to the Halloween Scavenger Hunt. 

Here is a little alien reading the first clue to the scavenger hunt

There were four clues in all that led the boys all over the property finding bats, rats, spiders, and finally the remains of Mr. Bones buried with treats for the boys.

 

After all that excitement I had some hungry boys on hand. Pizza was ordered since it's easy and usually a crowd favorite, but I also had some other fun snacks and dessert. The beverage of choice was swamp juice aka Sierra Mist, a couple drops of green food coloring, and gummy worms. You could also sherbet for a more 3 dimensional effect.

Mrs. Bones was serving the children that night 

Mrs. Bones, the happy hostess

Halloween cake pops

I really limit sugar in my house during the year, but when it comes to a party, I let loose. Mr. Bones Jr. was stuffed with donuts, Little Debbie Swiss Rolls, Twizzlers, gummy worms, and Bubble Tape Gum. I got the idea to do this after seeing a gruesome skeleton with meat and blood. While the meaty skeleton is creative, it really isn't my style, so I adapted to make it kid friendly.

Party Tip: Did you know that tonic water glows with a black light? Give it a try, you can create all kinds of fun, spooky scenes! You can also learn how to make glow in the dark slime HERE. I gave these out as party favors years back, but they would also be fun for a classroom party.

Welcome to October!!! What kind of Halloween fun do you have planned this month?


❤️
MJ

For more of my party ideas, home decorating, favorite recipes, twin activities x 2, and all things

"Mrs.Party Planner" please check me out on facebook and "like" the page. New blog posts will appear in your news feed.You can also follow me on www.bloglovin.com, on Instagram and Pinterest

Magic Themed Birthday Party

Mrs. Party Planner's Magic Themed Birthday Party

As a young child, I attended a friend's birthday party where a magician performed. I remember loving the performance and have since wanted to have a Magic Themed Birthday Party for my own children. So you can imagine my excitement when I suggested this to my youngest a year ago and they enthusiastically said they would love to have a Magic Themed Party! Keep reading for ideas and tips to throw your own party!

While my mom was browsing Party City she found the most adorable magic party invites on clearance for only fifty cents a pack! Y'all, fifty cents for ten super cute paper invites is a steal. She called me from the store and I told her to grab the last two packs.

Evites are always easy and convenient these days but there is something special about receiving a paper invite too. Or even an invite in a bottle like I did for my girls' Under the Sea Mermaid Party

Decorating and party styling are always my favorite when it comes to party planning. I love getting creative and using what I already have in my party supply inventory to create a fun backdrop. The backdrop material and gold champagne buckets were all recycled from a 50th Birthday Party I planned a couple weeks back. The red sequin panels I found here on Amazon. And the black shiny material was purchased at Joann Fabrics. The star garlands I also had from a prior party and were also purchased on Amazon. 

Balloon garlands really add a punch to your party and can easily be done yourself with the help of Balloon Arch Decorating Strips found at Party City. Tip: when creating your own balloon garland or arch, add balloons of different sizes or shapes. You can also add some fake floral leaves or flowers. As fun as balloons are for parties, I wish they were recyclable. Balloons and the string can really harm wildlife so the best way to dispose of balloons is to deflate and cut up the balloons and string into small pieces and seal the pieces in a bag. 

Each party guest received a magician top hat and magic wand from Oriental Trading. I was pleasantly surprised with the good quality of hat and wand. In addition, each guest left with two magic tricks they can perform for their families. I also found the magic tricks that came in a variety pack at Oriental Trading.

I made the Happy Birthday banner myself with a little help from my Cricut Explore Air 2.

magic trick party favors

My daughter styled the rabbit with a hat and wand :)

 A little magic trick I had up my sleeve was an idea I found from the PetitChef. A few days prior I put two drops of food coloring into the solo cups. The day of the party I added a couple ice cubes and poured water from a clear glass pitcher into the cups. The party guests squealed with delight in discovering their clear water had magically turned into blue, green, yellow, or red water!

 

The cupcakes were ordered from Market Street, a local grocer, and turned out great! Judging from how quickly they disappeared, I would guess they tasted great too!

And no Magic Themed Birthday Party is complete without an actual magician! Magician Rick Morrill did a fantastic job of wowing the audience. He kept nineteen kids and a few parents entertained for about an hour.

Happy Birthday sweet girls!! Momma loves you and had so much fun planning this party for you!!

Party styling, decor and photography: Mrs. Party Planner

Magic hats, wands, and party favors: Oriental Trading

Cupcakes: Market Street Bakery

Magician: Rick Morrill

❤️
MJ

For more of my party ideas, home decorating, favorite recipes, twin activities x 2, and all things

"Mrs.Party Planner" please check me out on facebook and "like" the page. New blog posts will appear in your news feed.You can also follow me on www.bloglovin.com, on Instagram and Pinterest

Purring for Purple Pet Products

            This is a sponsored post for which I have been compensated with a free product sample 
                         in exchange for my honest review. Opinions and photographs are my own.

Awesome paws! Calling all cat people!!! This post is just for you and I have a GIVEAWAY of some pretty spectacular cat litter products from Purple Pet that will leave your little fur ball purring for more!

I have been a cat owner for most of my life. I love cats.They have big, unique personalities, they are independent, yet love to snuggle, and the ones who are sassy are my personal favorites. In fact, in my house, we love our cats so much that we celebrate their birthdays! And yes, that is cats... plural! We have two because they are great as a pair, and our family history of TWO kids at a time dictates that we follow suit with cats  Our little fuzzballs, Marshall and Tusken, recently celebrated another birthday. At this celebration, they got gourmet "cakes" topped with cat treats, while human guests dug into a Cat Litter Cake! In case you have never heard of this disgusting, yet hilarious, and actually tasty concoction here it is- white cake and German chocolate cake are crumbled together and mixed with vanilla pudding, then topped with crushed, yellow Oreo cookies, a little green food coloring and Tootsie Rolls. But what makes this dessert standout is the way it's served. It's presented in a clean, brand new litter box and scooped out with a cat litter scoop! If you want step by step directions for this cake you can find them here.

Birthday cats!

Cat Litter cake in the iPrimio XL litter pan with iPrimio ScoopMonster Foam Handle Sifter Scooper

Our birthday cats received another wonderful present once the cat litter cake was scooped out. They got a non-rusting, iPrimio Ultimate Stainless Steel Litter Box  and the best cat litter scoop I have ever owned. The iPrimio ScoopMonster Foam Handle Sifter Scooper is durable and made of solid aluminum. It's large and wide which makes scooping easier and faster. The grates allow litter to sift through easily, making this daunting chore a breeze. I have been using these products for a few weeks now and not once have I had to dig and scrape the box to get it clean. 

The iPrimio ScoopMonster Foam Handle Sifter Scooper also comes with a 3M plastic hanger that allows you to attach the scooper right on the wall if you choose.

Do you want to scoop up a surprise for yourself?! Just leave a comment on this post with the name(s) of your cat(s) and why you love them. One winner will be drawn at random and will receive their very own iPrimio cat litter supplies from Purple Pet Products! Winner will be notified on Monday, May 13th, 2019!

You can keep the "pawty" going by following Purple Pet Products on Facebook and Instagram to see what else they offer pet owners....

 Purple Pet Cat Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/purplepetcat/

and

 Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/purplepet_iprimio/

❤️
MJ

For more of my party ideas, home decorating, favorite recipes, twin activities x 2, and all things

"Mrs.Party Planner" please check me out on facebook and "like" the page. New blog posts will appear in your news feed.You can also follow me on www.bloglovin.com, on Instagram and Pinterest

Teacher Appreciation Gift Ideas

Teacher Appreciation Week is in early May for most of the United States. However, if you live in Texas, it is this week. The PTA (Parent, Teacher, Association) sent a letter home suggesting a sweet or salty treat to bring your child's teacher this past Tuesday. That day also happened to be National Picnic Day, and I had these adorable mini picnic baskets I ordered from EcoPartyTime, an idea was formed!

I put a cupcake liner in the baskets and filled with a variety of fudge from a local candy shop. I also decided to add these mini chocolate hamburgers (which are fun for kid's lunches too) and chocolate Pocky Sticks. 

I made the tag with my Cricut machine and good old fashion glue, paper, and scissors when I realized the original tag I made on the Cricut was too big for the favor. 

How cute are these?!

 

The pink fudge is Dr. Pepper flavored! Which is a big deal if you are a native Texan.

The next day, my kids brought in a homemade card and I attached this eco-friendly gift to the back of the card. On the package, I wrote Thank you for helping me GROW and included a handful of flower Seed Confetti, also from EcoPartyTime. You simply cover the paper confetti with soil in a sunny spot and water, then watch the wildflowers bloom! My kids planted the rest of the confetti in the backyard and we are patiently waiting for them to grow in our butterfly garden.

For the rest of the week, we brought teachers some items from their class wish lists (items they needed for the classroom) and a gift card to one of their favorite places as a little treat and way to say thank you for all they do! From my own experience working in an elementary school, witnessing the extra effort teachers put in to help students when they struggle, and seeing all the creative and fun ways teachers help kids learn, they deserve a week to be spoiled! Thank a teacher today! And a little good humor since summer break is coming up fast....

You can pin this image and save for later! Pin button is at the end of the post and if you are viewing from a mobile device, just switch to View Web Version at the bottom of the page!

❤️
MJ

For more of my party ideas, home decorating, favorite recipes, twin activities x 2, and all things

"Mrs.Party Planner" please check me out on facebook and "like" the page. New blog posts will appear in your news feed.You can also follow me on www.bloglovin.com, on Instagram and Pinterest