Harry Potter Birthday Party

Fact Number 543 about me: I love Harry Potter.  I know, me and everyone else, right?  Well if you have a little one (or a not-so-little one) who also loves Harry Potter, I’m here today to pass along some GREAT party ideas!  I found these over at one of my favorite blogs, Hostess with the Mostess.  Be sure to check out the  HWTM site for even more Harry Potter birthday ideas!

I LOVE these Hogwarts invitations, and they’re so easy to make! These are simply invitations printed out on parchment paper and sealed with a wax seal (available at your local craft store).

This next idea is so creative. Darn that Hostess with the Mostess! She suggests dropping a few drops of food coloring in plastic cups and letting it dry.  Cover the drops with ice, and then when it’s time to serve, pour in a clear drink.  As it moistens the dry food coloring, the drinks will *magically* change color!

And I love these simple, but cute little favors!

Of course, you could make your Harry Potter as simple or complex as you like. Here are a few more ideas I thought of:

Simple: Have kids ride around on broomsticks. Complex: Stage an all-out Quidditch match. Rules for Muggles are here.

Simple: Pass out plastic Harry Potter-esque glasses as a party favor. Complex: Pass out Hogwarts House scarves as a party favor.

Simple: Give each kid a box of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans. Complex: Set up a whole candy bar with “magical” candy dessert table.  You can find a lot of the candy here, but you can make your own as well!

Simple: Give the kiddos a Harry Potter trivia quiz. Complex: Set up a “Goblet of Fire” scavenger hunt complete with knowledge and physical challenges.

Simple: Have the kids dress as their favorite Harry Potter characters. Complex: Hire the cast of the Harry Potter movies to make an appearence at your party…okay this is getting a bit out of hand, I better be off to bed! Night!

Oscar Parties!

Well my friends, tonight is the big night!  That’s right…it’s time for the Oscars!  I’ve been watching the Oscars every year for about as long as I can remember.  When I was a little girl, I would dress up my Barbies and send them down the red carpet (aka, our fireplace hearth).  As I grew up, it became much more about the ballot and predicted who would win.  And these days, it’s just about having a good time and watching the show!  Okay, let’s face it, and a little about picking the most correct winners ;) .  Since I’m not having a big part-tay this year, I thought I’d share with you a few of my favorite Oscar Party ideas !

Decor: This cute idea is from Hostess with the Mostess.  You can read more ideas from HWTM here.

Entertainment: Of course, you’ll need an Oscar Ballot to fill out…You can download a printable Oscar Ballot here. If you’re having people over that don’t keep up with movies, or just want to try something a little different, why not try Oscar Party Bingo?  You can download Oscar Bingo Cards here (thanks to designer Jessica Jones for posting these on her blog)!

Food: As for food, I usually go down one of two routes:

1. The standard movie delicacies–popcorn, junior mints, snowcaps, etc. (which is probably what I’ll indulge in tonight)

OR

2. Food themed with the best picture noms.  You could make “Up-Cakes”, “Pandora Punch”, “Up in the Airplane Peanuts and Pretzels”,  ”A Serious Manacotti”, etc… This is what I’d throw together if I was having a big ol’ party!

Either way, have fun tonight!  My Best Picture guess at this point? I think I’m going to go with Avatar.

Oh, and if you’d like a little laugh, be sure to check out these honest Oscar movie posters from College Humor.com

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Happy Valentine’s Day blog readers!  In honor of this day…and my love of movies…I’d love to share this short video with you (it may take a minute to load)! Now go enjoy the day with your sweetie or a friend or a good movie (or all of the above)!  Happy Valentine’s Day!