Let's Get This Party Started DIY Celebrations for You
and Your Kids to Create Together
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Published in 2013 by Stewart, Tabori & Chang
An imprint of ABRAMS
Text copyright © 2013 Soleil Moon Frye
Photographs copyright © 2013 Meeno
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical,
electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written
permission from the publisher.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2013935990
ISBN: 978-1-61769-034-1
Editor: Jennifer Levesque
Designer: Amy Sly
Production Manager: Erin Vandeveer
Stewart, Tabori & Chang books are available at special discounts when
purchased in quantity for premiums and promotions as well as fundraising
or educational use. Special editions can also be created to specification. For
details, contact [email protected] or the address below.
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CONTENTS
Introduction
1
Carnival & Circus, Oh My!
2
Spa La La
3
Pirate’s Life for Me
4
Love, Love, Love
5
Wild Safari Adventure
6
Spring Is in the Air
7
It’s Slumber Time
8
A Sparkling Fourth of July
9
A Luau Full of Alohas
10
Enchanted Midsummer Dream
11
Movie Night
12
Under The Stars
13
Picnic Time
14
So Totally Eighties
15
Somewhere Over the Rainbow
16
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
17
Cha Cha Cha
18
Little Explorers
19
Ghoulish Times
20
A Thanksgiving to Be Grateful For
21
A Holiday to Remember
Acknowledgments
Resource Guide
Index of Searchable Terms
This book is dedicated to my amazing daughters, Poet and Jagger, and
to my incredible husband for turning every day into a party!
Introduction
I love to throw parties. Any chance I get to celebrate puts me over the
moon. Every part of the process is fun and exciting to me. Even if I’m in
the midst of total chaos, I find the fun in pulling it all together. I take pride
in coming up with unique ideas. And the best part? My kids have become
little party planners along with me! We think of concepts together and then
bring them to life as a family.
Often, my husband looks at me like I’m crazy, and sometimes I’m
convinced he thinks I’ve totally lost it. Bigger balloons, more color, let’s
step back into the eighties, a luau on the beach, or a safari. My husband has
lived through every out-there idea I’ve come up with. The truth is I just
love celebrating. I can’t help myself! When I was a kid, my mom always
made our birthdays special. We loved doing themed parties and coming up
with creative ideas together. This is one of the reasons I enjoy carrying on
the tradition so much. Celebrations don’t have to be saved for special
occasions; every day we can make something special happen.
I also understand the stresses that can go along with throwing a great
party. Planning can be hard, finding the time to do everything you need to
do can be challenging, and too much stress can turn good family fun into a
tense situation fast. I love to cook, but I usually have only about fifteen
minutes to throw something together. Keeping things on a budget can also
be an issue; I find so much joy in my kids’ being happy with their
birthdays, but I don’t want to spend a fortune putting them together. I want
everything to be stunning but also totally affordable. And the planning
process needs to fit into my schedule as a busy mom. At the end of the day,
I want to put together something truly special but also for it to be
accessible, easy to pull off, and most important, fun.
So after spending years coming up with fun ways to celebrate our family
get-togethers, I decided I had to put it into a book. The book I wish I’d had.
A book that would serve as an inspiration board for me, my family, friends,
and other parents looking for fantastic party ideas for their little ones. In
this party-planning book, you will find inspiration for more than twenty
parties, including a movie night, a pirate party, a spa day, a baseball party,
and many more. Each party includes crafts and recipes you and your
children can make together that are both easy and affordable. You will also
find a reference guide in the last chapter that highlights some of the places,
both online and off-line, where I find my party essentials.
I don’t know about you, but half the time I find myself staring at a
recipe, trying to figure it out. Or struggling over a blog post that makes
home decor look easy, but when I try it myself, it makes me feel like I must
be crazy. Did everyone else go to the Martha Stewart Academy? And why
didn’t I get the invite to sign up? This book is meant to be a beautiful but
simple guide that will inspire you to take matters into your own hands and
create a magical world for your family to indulge in. Whether you’ve been
crafting for years, are the best baker on the block, or it’s your first time
throwing a kids’ party, this book is for you. It’s meant for everyone, and it’s
designed to be fun for the whole family.
Now let’s get ready to party!
CHAPTER
Carnival & Circus, Oh My!
One of my favorite ideas for this book was a carnival theme. I couldn’t wait
to try it out in my own house. The party was so much fun! We had a ring
toss game, a beanbag throw, bobbing for apples, and circus-inspired food.
Once we put this all together at our house, it was a blast. It’s an awesome,
fun, and affordable party idea, and it’s easy to let the kids be part of the
process. The kids had a great time with the games, and my friend even
sewed together little beanbags for the beanbag toss. We used cans from our
pantry as the target and turned it into a party. Other ideas for this party
could include different stands for carnival goodies like popcorn, cotton
candy, and snow cones. Need more games?
Try your own variation of a fishbowl toss.
WHITE CHOCOLATE–DIPPED
STRAWBERRIES
Chocolate-covered strawberries are so yummy, and making them festive
can be fun for the kids as well as easy. My daughter Jagger had such a blast
with the red sprinkles. And they can be a great addition to carnival-inspired
food or candy.
YIELD: 12 STRAWBERRIES
Parchment paper
1 cup of white chocolate chips
12 large strawberries
Red sugar sprinkles
Cover a tray with parchment paper. Heat white chocolate chips on low
heat, stirring constantly. Once the chips have melted into a smooth
consistency, remove from heat. Poke the stem end of a strawberry with a
fork, and dip into the melted chips. Place on parchment paper and sprinkle
with red sugar sprinkles. Repeat for remaining strawberries. Refrigerate or
let chocolate coating firm before serving.
BEANBAG TOSS
A beanbag toss is such a classic game to include in any carnival. My
friend’s homemade beanbags were a big hit! They had felt initials sewed on
and were adorable. This game was a favorite with the kids during our party.
3 to 6 cans
3 beanbags
Grab cans out of your cupboard, remove labels if desired, and stack in a
pyramid. For a small pyramid use three cans; for a larger pyramid use six
cans and stack them. Have players stand back at a marked distance and
give them each three beanbags for three chances to knock down as many
cans as they can.
RING TOSS GAME
What’s a circus carnival without a ring toss? I have great memories of
going to the carnival as a kid. Whenever we traveled, my mom would take
me to the nearest carnival or fair as soon as we got to our destination. I
always loved the ring toss game.
8 colored soda bottles
Sand
Crate
1 ring per kid (see “How to Make the Rings”)
Masking tape
Place bottles randomly inside the crate. If you use empty soda bottles, fill
them halfway with sand so they won’t get tipped over. Give each child a
ring and three chances to get the ring around a bottle. Use a piece of
masking tape on the floor to show the kids where to stand. Younger
children can stand closer.
HOW TO MAKE THE RINGS
1 wood embroidery hoop per kid
1/2 roll of glitter ribbon per ring
1 pair of scissors
Unscrew the hoop to loosen the outside ring from the inner ring. Slide one
end of the ribbon between the two rings to secure. Now have each player
wrap the ribbon around the outside to cover the wood with the
circusfriendly glimmer. When the entire hoop is covered in ribbon, cut the
end of the ribbon, slide the remaining end between the two rings, and
tighten the screw. Now the kids will be ready for the ring toss game.
BOBBING FOR APPLES
I had forgotten how much fun I used to have bobbing for apples until I saw
the kids doing it. It’s easy and fun for all ages. Don’t forget to keep some
towels nearby to dry off all the wet little faces.
1 large bucket
Water
6 to 8 apples
Fill the bucket three-quarters full with water. Place the apples in the water
and have each player try to pick one up with their teeth. Remember, hands
behind the back!
TIPS
• Red and white make a great color theme for the carnival.
• Tie balloons with twine instead of ribbon to create a vintage feeling.
• Think outside the box when it comes to music and decorations. The kids
started break dancing in the middle of the party, and right away it felt like
a real carnival.
• Reintroduce classic games in a fun way to give your party a unique flair.
