Customer Showcase: Monster Party!

My sweet friend, Kate Petronis of And Everything Sweet has been at it again! This creative mama KNOWS how to throw a party! Kate hosted 23 kids, (yes 23!!), on Halloween day for a fun little Monster Bash using Amanda's Parties To Go's MONSTER BASH PRINTABLES on the backdrop, dessert table and throughout the party. 

I was so excited to finally reveal the photos once they ran on Kara's Party Ideas over the weekend. I hope you all love this one as much as I do.... there are so many great ideas from the dessert table and backdrop to all of the party games. Kate will share a few details after the photos.

Pin It

Kate says:

On Halloween we had a monster bash to kick off the trick or treat festivities. It was such a fun time! I absolutely love Halloween...the costumes, the candy, the weather...its a perfect occasion for a party. The kids were precious in their costumes as they played around the yard, did carnival games, adopted pet monsters, and decorated their own cupcakes.

I got the make your own monster cupcake idea from Snowy Bliss. Anj had the cutest monster party for her son's 2nd birthday and they made monster cupcakes. Such a great idea!!!

The dinner tables were decorated with pumpkin buckets purchased at Walmart. $1 piece...can't beat that!  To make things easier on me I packed a sandwich, grapes, juice box and cheese puffs in each bucket so that I wouldn't have to worry about making dinner during the party. I used some monster pieces from the printable set to jazz up the juice boxes. I don't what it is about me but I just can't serve up undecorated juice boxes. (Weirdo)

Before we had dinner the kids went on a monster hunt to adopt a monster. I told them that there was a group of nice monsters that didn't fit in with the mean monsters. They were misfits and weren't allowed to live with the mean monsters. It was their job to find the nice monsters, adopt them and give them a nice home where they will fit in.

I hid numbers inside of easter eggs and had the kids find one egg. Each bag was marked with a number and had a monster inside. If the number inside your egg matched the number on the bag the monster was yours!!!

Here they are...and Yes, I made them all. All 23 of them. OMG. NEVER again. LOL. It was a big hit. The kids were so excited to get their monsters so it was totally worth it.

After dinner it was dessert time!! Actually, every minute of Halloween night is dessert time so we'll call this monster making/eating time.

What do you do with 23 kids??? Make some carnival type games to keep them busy.

Bottle toss....Pop the monster! (inside each balloon was a little prize), Feed the monster (bean bag toss) and knock down the cans.

Instead of doing individual prizes for each game I put together a prize bag. If you played every game you got a prize bag full of fun Halloween goodies.

_____________________________________________________

Thank you, Kate! I'm in AWE of your talents and creativity! 

-xoxo

Amanda

Advent Calendar Round Up!

Tis the Season for Advent Calendars!

Oh, how I love the advent calendar. The countdown to Christmas is one of my favorite memories from childhood and I've always made it a special treat each year for my own children. Counting down day by day seems to extend this wonderful season and it's spirit of giving just a little bit longer. My kids talk about it for at least a month before we hang it up and that first day when they come down the stairs and see it is always so much fun.

With so many wonderful ideas out there for advents, I thought I'd share a few with you. Advents can be a simple as a few numbered stickers on envelopes or as detailed as tiny little crafting works of art. Make your own or buy one that will last for years to come..... your children will LOVE it!

My House of Giggles felt advent

Felt pouch advent from Allsorts

My own family tradition advent that I made for my kids a few years back made from paper mache' pieces covered in felt.

Snowman Garland Advent from Whimsy Girl

Cone advent by Sweet Nellie on Flickr

Skip To My Lou has a FREE printable stocking pillow box advent

Matchbox Advent from Just a Girl

Embroidered Felt Advent Calendar from Purl Bee

Stocking Advent Calendar from Trillium Design

Baby Sock Advent from Martha Stewart

Envelope Advent Calendar from Hobby Craft

Advent Calendar as seen on Sunday in Bed

 Pennant Advent from Peppermint Pinwheels on Etsy

 Matchbox Advent garland on Etsy

Snowman Advent from Pottery Barn Kids

Ornament Advent from Bower Power blog

Hats and Mittens Advent from Garnet Hill

Book reading Countdown to Christmas from Katherine Marie Photography

Stocking Advent from Canadian Living

House and Home's adorable bag advent

With so many fabulous ideas, I hope you'll all be inspired to make a little countdown of your own this year!

Spiced Sugar Muffins Tutorial from Edible Details

We have a WINNER for the FABULOUS HOLIDAY Giveaway
hosted by Amanda's Parties To Go, Persona Pails and Edible Details!!

Heather from Pinwheels, Pigtails and Parties.... 
You're our LUCKY GIRL!
{Winner was chosen by Random.org.... comment #179 on a list of comments from
Shindig Parties To Go's blog and the Facebook pages of Amanda's Parties To Go, Persona Pails and Edible Details.}

Thank you all for participating!! And now for a wonderful guest post from Brittany!

________________________________________________

 Hi Everyone! It's Brittany from Edible Details to share a tutorial with you today.

Its been a hectic couple months over at Edible Details, and I have truly missed having the time for some tutorials! Happy to be back in the swing of things and share one of my family favorites today. 

As we get closer to Thanksgiving it brings back all sorts of childhood memories of the traditional foods my mom would make around this time of the year. One of my all time favorites is Sugar Muffins! My mom has made these ever since I was little and to this day any chance we have to celebrate anything (Birthdays, coffee date, weekend, holidays) .... my number one request is for 

SUGAR MUFFINS! 

They are as good as they sound, and in my opinion...practically as good as a cupcake. 

Only you can eat this one for breakfast! 

Try them for yourself and let me know what you think! I hope they bring you warm fuzzy's this

Holiday season just like they do with me. 

Spiced Sugar Muffins 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

INGREDIENTS:
1/3 c shortening
1/4 c white sugar
1/4 c brown sugar

1 egg

1-1/2 c flour
2-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg (Feel free to add extra spices like clove, cinnamon and ginger for some kick)

1/2 c milk

1) Cream Together shortening and sugars. After combined, add egg and mix.

2) In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients, add to creamed sugar mixture along with milk.
The trick to an amazing muffin: Mix ONLY until just combined and STOP! The less you mix your muffin batter the less dense they will be.

This batter will be thick! Its ok if there are a few lumps and bumps, I promise!

3) Using an ice cream Scoop (This will change your life for all cupcakes and muffins!). Evenly scoop mixture into a lined muffin pan.

Bake for 18-20 minutes at 325 degrees.

4) Topping Time! Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1 Tbl cinnamon to make cinnamon sugar. I'm a bit of a Cinnamon-holic, so if you prefer it to be less cinnamony, simply add less.

Melt butter (Enough to dip the top of the muffins into, aprox 1/2 cup) in a small bowl. There is NO compromising on the butter! Butter only, NO margarine allowed on these little puffs of heaven!

Once Muffins are done, and still warm - Dip the tops first in butter and then in mixture of 1/2 c white sugar and 1 Tbl cinnamon.

 ________________________________________

Thank you, Brittany! I can't wait to try these.... my kids go absolutely NUTS over muffins so this will be a "must-do" in our house over the holiday weekend!

Be sure to visit Edible Details for the best little cupcake and cake toppers in the land!

Brittany's fondant work is simply stunning!

I hope you all have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving Holiday!

I'll be back next week with some fun Christmas ideas!