Annabelle’s Birthday and Doggy Daycare July 30, 2015

Hello dear ones! Our French bulldog, Annabelle Antoinette, turned two this July. She’s also started going to doggy daycare every now and then. I can’t give her the full attention she needs, since the baby was born. Plus she loves socializing with other doggies. Here are some pictures from Annabelle’s experiences. Enjoy!

I bought Annabelle’s dress, stuffed turtle, and doggy cake at Petsmart.

I got the pink decorations at the Dollar Tree. I bought cupcakes for us humans.

We played “doggy” music found at this link:

http://www.whenpoochcomestoshove.com/dog-party-ideas-puppy-pawty-music/

Then we told dog jokes:

http://www.ducksters.com/jokesforkids/dogs.php

The cat was not invited, but Tessa, our other dog, did get some cake.

Annabelle’s dress which she wore to daycare that day.

Annabelle hanging with her buddies at daycare.

For more posts about Annabelle, go to the category called Annabelle on the right side of my
blog.

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

Michael’s Spiderman Pajama Party March 28, 2015

Hello dear ones! My oldest son Michael celebrated his 9th birthday early a couple weekends back. He had a Spiderman pajama party. We kept it simple since I’m pregnant. Michael’s actual birthday (April 11th) is a day before Leeland’s due date so we wanted to make sure he was celebrated. Here’s how we did it:

I haven’t been in a store in awhile. This pregnancy has been rough on me. So I ordered most of the party supplies from Party City. A few things I had left over from other parties…like crepe paper from the Dollar Tree and balloons from Valentines’.

The set up

• Spiderman posters and balloons~ We got a cheap helium pump from Walmart.

 

• A personalized birthday banner with Michael’s picture on it.

 

• We didn’t have room for all the birthday banners so we taped some to a project board (from the Dollar Tree). Project boards are great for decorating, especially when you have limited hanging space. We put red balloons on the chairs, and Chris hung red crepe paper from the ceiling.I made a web with white crepe paper in the middle of the board. Chris drew and cut out a black spider for the web.

 

• I didn’t get pictures of all the favors (sorry). You can see the favor bags though. Since we only invited Michael’s two best guy buddies I decided to buy nice favors. They each got a Spiderman mask, Spiderman mini basketball hoop with ball, Spiderman blow outs, Spiderman ring pops, and Spiderman bottles.

 

• I used white crepe paper to make a web on Michael’s door. Then I filled it with red and white balloons. He had such fun with it that he made his own webs all that day. I kept running into them :).

 

• I baked a simple box cake with white sprinkled frosting. I also made three small bundt cakes so the kids would each have their own. We had Spiderman candles. I had leftover cookie letters and I used them to spell out “Michael”. The bundt cakes were kind of a disaster but the kids didn’t care. The kids had pizza and individual cups of icecream also. We had Spiderman plates and napkins.

 

The Plan

• We had a pajama party instead of a sleepover because Michael’s buddies are younger than him. Also I didn’t want to go into labor with kids at the house!
• We kept it simple. The kids ate first and we had the birthday cake.

 

• Then we opened presents. I let the kids take out their masks from the favor bags.

 

• We got Michael “Big Hero 6” for his present. The boys stretched out and watched the movie.

 

• This kept them busy for a good while, but the movie ended an hour earlier than time for parents to come. So I took toys to the living room. Kids these days get bored very quick…Anywho, so then I had the boys draw super heroes. By the time their moms came at 9:30 we were playing “Duck, Duck, Goose” and “Michael says”.

Well, God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

An Adorable Strawberry Shortcake Party March 2, 2015

My buddy Carrie had a sweet Strawberry Shortcake birthday party for her 2 year old little girl. I just have to share with you! Enjoy the pics :).

The birthday girl

I hope you’re inspired! God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

Valentine’s Weekend 2015 Plus 32 Weeks Prego Pics February 22, 2015

In this post: Our Valentine’s get away and The Vow date night, Miriam’s 1st birthday, a Valentine’s hunt, diy scratch offs, and date night bags for kids.

Hello dear ones! Valentine’s weekend started off with a bang. My best friend Hannah’s little girl Miriam, turned one. She had a little party with family and a couple friends. Look at this delicious cake from Publix.

Miriam had her first taste of cake and wasn’t sure if she liked it.

We finished our Valentine’s countdowns. Remember the heart chain and kisses countdown found here:
https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2015/02/02/2015-valentines-decor-and-countdown/
I also gave Michael and Chris Valentine jokes every other day.

Valentine jokes
http://www.kristendukephotography.com/free-printable-valentines-day-lunch-jokes/

I used these Valentine’s printables from the Dating Divas to set up a hunt for Michael. I found goodies at the Dollar Tree and hid them around his room.

Valentine’s Hunt
http://www.thedatingdivas.com/holidays/valentines-day/valentines-search-and-find/

I found this chalkboard coffee cup at Michael’s Craft Store, for Chris. Michael made this diy scratch off valentine for me with Chris’ help.

DIY Valentines Scratch Offs
http://www.yellowblissroad.com/the-ultimate-valentines-day-printable-pack-plus-a-coordinating-free-printable/

My mom and step dad kept Michael on Valentine’s. I sent this date night bag with Michael to open once we were on our date. It included the games “Don’t Eat Pete” and “Valentine’s Monster Bingo”. Links below. I was told they had lots of fun :).
Kid’s Date Night Bag
http://www.thedatingdivas.com/family-fun/kid-date-night-envelope/

Don’t Eat Pete game
The printable is included in the date night bag link above.

Valentine’s Monster Bingo
http://www.yellowblissroad.com/the-ultimate-valentines-day-printable-pack-plus-a-coordinating-free-printable/

Several weeks before, Chris and I had a date night at home. We did these couple quizes and interviews from the Dating Diva’s. It reminded me of Chris’ likes and dislikes. I used the info to plan our Valentine’s date night.
Couples’ Interviews & Quiz

http://www.thedatingdivas.com/just-the-two-of-us/couples-date-night-quiz-and-interview-printable-kit/

We reserved a hotel room with a hot tub. I decorated the room with Valentine’s decor from the Dollar Tree. I put the romantic candle holder I had made, on the tub. Remember it from this post:
https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2015/02/10/personalized-romantic-candle-holder/
It went great with “The Vow” theme.

We arrived at the Olive Garden real early for dinner. The line was crazy, and we got on the waiting list. We were told it’d be an hour and a half wait. So we decided to go to the store across the parking lot while we waited. Bad idea. The restaurant pager messed up and kicked us off the waiting list. We found this out an hour later when we went back to Olive Garden. They tried to get us back in the system but couldn’t. We were told the wait would be longer, so we decided to just order online. We were told that would only take 20 minutes. Well, the pick up wait was over an hour. We were starved at this point so we got Mcdonalds to hold us over and went back to the hotel to start our movie.

When Chris went to pick up our food he had to wait in line for over 20 minutes. It was close to 9 pm when we finally ate supper.

We had planned on doing these mad libs and vow printables from The Dating Divas. It didn’t happen though. We both had headaches by the time we got our food. We did however watch The Vow which is a very inspiring movie.
Love Mad Libs
http://www.thedatingdivas.com/holidays/valentines-day/madly-in-love-mad-libs/

The Vow Date Night
http://www.thedatingdivas.com/theme-scene/the-vow-date/

We did try to do the chocolate tasting printables. We were both so sick at this point. This could’ve been a great date night but things just didn’t work out. Next year I don’t think we will make plans on the actual day of Valentine’s. Traffic was horrific and the hotel was filled with ummm…other people’s intimate sounds. I really didn’t want to hear all that. Thankfully the movie blocked the sounds out.

Chocolate Tasting

http://www.thedatingdivas.com/romantic-rendezvous/chocolate-tasting/

Well, if I’m going to have a bad night I’d rather have it with my hubby than all by myself. At least I had good company for Valentine’s :). This was supposed to be our last big bash together before Leeland is born. Oh well…

I almost want to try this date again on another night. I really want a do over! I hope you’re inspired anyways and maybe you’ll have better luck with your date if you use these ideas. I would recommend going out the weekend before or after Valentine’s but not of!

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

Date Night ideas:

Our Date Nights:

PS: Here are some extra pics for you :).

The guys painted my bedroom door with chalk paint. It was a lovely gift.

Here are my 32 weeks prego. pics.

Birthdays, Blessed Moments, and Baby Updates February 11, 2015

Hello dear ones! Well, it’s been busy around the Dover household. On Feb. 9th I turned the big 30. The week before my Mom had her birthday. Though we’ve had one scare, this miracle pregnancy is going well. I’m about 32 weeks pregnant…so 5 to 8 weeks to go. Anywho, here’s a glimpse into my world, outside of crafting.

Leeland will be here before you know it. We thought he was coming early at 29 weeks. I spent seven hours in the hospital with contractions. Thankfully all is well. So when I got home I really kicked up the nesting. I washed Leeland’s clothes and cloth diapers.

Here I am at 28 weeks.

And then 31 weeks.

My labor and delivery dress came in the mail!

Last year, Mom and I had a big birthday slumber party together. The link is here:
https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2014/02/16/hilarious-birthday-celebrations-with-mom/
It was crazy with costumes and karaoke. This year we kept it simple and I took her out to eat. Then we came back home for cake and Band Hero. We just got Band Hero, so we’re having fun with it.

The next weekend we celebrated my 30th birthday. Michael made supper Saturday night with a lil bit of guidance.

Sunday we had a small celebration at Sweet Frog with my closest friends.

It’s hard to believe I’ve been alive three decades!

My gal pals

My mom and stepdad

The guys watching the kids play outside.

The sweetest bunch of kids. Michael wore his nice suit for me.

On Monday (my actual birthday), my hubby woke me up with breakfast and roses. Three roses to represent him and our two boys.

Michael made me a heart card.

My Mom visited with french fries and balloons. She knows me well :). For the most part it was an uneventful day. I was dealing with pregnancy ickiness and we had school as usual. I’m not sure I feel 30 yet.

Well, here are other happenings…

Chris and Chester enjoying the recliner.

Annabelle gets a bath.

Tessa gets a shave. This took Chris hours.

Chris and Michael working on a kit.

In other news, Michael has lost two teeth…one by light saber. Michael’s buddy Liam did the honors lol. We’re waiting on one more tooth to come out. The count down to baby time is on. We’re looking forward to Valentine’s, my baby shower, and an early birthday for Michael. The baby is due a day after Michael’s birthday (April 12th)…so we are celebrating in March, Lord willing. Chris is still job hunting and we’re hoping to get good news from a recent interview. His last semester of college is keeping him busy but we’re still sticking close as a family. It’ll be nice when we can get settled.

Well, thanks for reading! God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

A Tale of Two Birthdays: Legos & Frozen April 18, 2014

Hello dear ones! My son Michael was born on the same day as his best gal pal Olivia. So each year they alternate birthday weekends. The weekend before, Michael had a small Lego party with his buddies. The weekend after, Olivia had a Frozen birthday party.  More after the pic…

In the past, I’ve done separate posts but since Michael had a small party this year, I decided to combine. I’ll put links at the end for past birthdays: Pirates & Mermaids, Star Wars & a tea party. Michael had his party at Burger King this year. I baked a green Lego cake. I couldn’t find anything for the Lego movie so I had to improvise on party favors. I put binoculars and a bug catching kit together. Then I tied it with ribbon and taped a Lego on it. Michael hung out with his two best buddies, Hannah’s kids Olivia and Liam. It was raining but the kids acted royally with their BK crowns and they played with Legos at the table. Chris’ parents and my Mom and Step Dad joined the celebration. Chris’ parents stayed with my Mom and Michael slept over. So he got to enjoy both of his grandparents. We all went to church together and then we had his party. After everyone left, Chris, Michael, and I went to see the Lego Movie again. We will be singing “Everything is Awesome” for the rest of our lives! We ended the evening with Chris helping Michael build his new Legos.

Hannah usually guest posts but I think the pics are self explainatory for this one. The Frozen party was beautiful. Olivia was darling in her Elsa tutu skirt. The kids had fun building marshmallow snowmen and hitting a castle pinata. Hannah also had a hard time finding Frozen supplies. I think they were sold out. Our problem was nothing was made for the Lego movie yet. I guess because it’s not Disney. Anywho, there was one more boy at the party this year, so Michael and the guys did their own thing. I think the girls spied on them. There may have been a war at some point but I only heard it :D. My Buddy Erin and I broke out a dance number to a Frozen tune but only the kids saw. I think all of us are ready to “let go” of the song “Let It Go”, another catchy tune. I included a pic of Chris helping James, Hannah’s hubby, blow up balloons. He’s holding Miriam, Hannah’s brand new baby girl.

I leave you with pics with grandparents, also Michael riding without training wheels. Links are at the end.

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

Michael’s Piratey 6th Birthday: https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2012/04/09/crafty-monday-pirate-party/

Olivia’s Mermaid 6th Birthday: https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2012/04/16/crafty-monday-hannahs-mermaid-birthday-party/

Michael’s Star Wars 7th Birthday: https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/04/15/my-family-rocks-sunday-star-wars-birthday-party/

Olivia’s Doll & Me Tea Party 7th Birthday: https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2013/04/21/my-family-rocks-sunday-hannahs-doll-me-tea-birthday-party/

Hilarious Birthday Celebrations with Mom February 16, 2014

Hello dear ones! My birthday is just one week after my Mom’s. Her’s is Feb. 2nd and mine the 9th. So we usually celebrate together. This year my guys went out of town and left the house to us gals. We had some hilarious fun! I’ve got games, food, and silliness to share with you!

Food: Large root beer floats, Ziti, salad, and a cheesecake sampler for the birthday cake.

Decor: Pink balloons everywhere (We actually have a helium tank), twinkling lights, pink streamers, and a bed sheet tent (I also used a pink plastic cloth).

Accessories & knickknacks:  Pink margarita cups (for the floats), lip straws, colorful beads, princess candles, and candles with pink flames.

Games & Activities: H20: Just Add Water movie marathon, Heads Up party game, karaoke, Nail Polish Spin the Bottle, hilarious makeovers, and the Goodwill dash.

Now I get to explain the games :). Heads Up is a great party game and we actually played it a week later for my birthday. It was fun with the guys.  For the Girly Adult Slumber Party/ Birthday Party, Mom and I first went shopping. We each had $10 for the Goodwill dash. I found this idea on a dating site and had to use it. Mom had to buy and put together an outfit for me and I for her. The point was to be as silly as possible. I found Mom a very plain Chinese dress. I jazzed it up with an almost Indian looking orange scarf and a hat with  leopard print ribbon. Mom bought me a sequin dress that looks like something I’d die in lol. She also got a black feather boa.  We joked that I looked like an 80’s tramp and her a fortune cookie. Really she looked like a 60’s musician.

We killed each other did each other’s make up and hair. It was the funniest part. Mom and I didn’t do makeovers much when I was a little girl. My Mom was a hard working single mother and I was a tomboy. So it was funny how my Mom held my forehead down while she was trying to apply my makeup. We both accused each other of torture. I will never trust that woman with mascara again! 😉 Ha!

Nail Polish spin the bottle: This is a simple twist on an old game. You take several different colors of polish. You spin the bottle and whatever it lands on you paint with. The person to get the most toes the same color, wins! Mom won but we both had a mix of colors. We also pulled out our small foot spas before hand. They’re so much cheaper than going to the nail salon. The Epsom salt feels really nice on the feet.

We put our costumes to good use for pictures and karaoke! I wish I could show you the video of Mom and I singing “I Got You Babe” but she won’t let me :(. We also watched H20 episodes and had cheese cake and giant root beer floats.

This was a simple but extremely fun and hilarious birthday. Thanks Mom for sharing it with me!

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

My Family Rocks! Sunday: Hannah’s “Doll & Me Tea” Birthday Party April 21, 2013

   Hello dear ones! This past weekend Michael’s good buddy Olivia (who was born the same day) had her 7th birthday party. I asked her mom and my Best buddy Hannah to guest post. Maybe you can use her ideas for your own girly party. Just in case you didn’t see it last year, here’s the link to Olivia’s mermaid party:

https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2012/04/16/crafty-monday-hannahs-mermaid-birthday-party/

Alrighty, take it away Hannah 🙂

Hey!  Hannah here!  Amber asked me to guest blog about my daughter’s “Doll and Me Tea Party” for her 7th birthday.  Amber’s son, Michael, attended, and while I’m not sure he was thrilled with copious amounts of pink and dolls, he was the perfect gentleman and Olivia enjoyed having her buddy there. 🙂

Michael & Liam, Olivia’s brother

Hannah & Amber

The “Doll and Me Tea” theme was something I came up with to appease my daughter, Olivia, who was determined to have an American Girl party.

See, last December, Olivia received a much anticipated American Girl doll for Christmas.  We had been receiving the catalogs for a couple of years because they somehow knew we had a young daughter who needed tempting and they just started sending the darn things!  I threw them out for the first year or so, but then she got her hands on one, and the rest is history,  So, for Christmas this past year, she received “Caroline” and instantly decided she wanted an “American Girl” party in a few months for her 7th birthday.  I told her that not every little girl has an American Girl and that they cost a lot of money, but she continued to ask.  So, after brainstorming a bit, I pitched the idea to her of having a “bring your favorite doll/toy” tea party, and she agreed. 🙂

The next hurdle was that she absolutely just had to have pink and orange as the colors, and not just any pink– a very specific bubble gum pink.  I told her that I was concerned about these colors looking pretty together, but my mom– who was there for this conversation– spoke right up and said, “well, it’s her party!”  So off to Hobby Lobby we went.  There, in the front of the store, was a beautiful springy display of coral, pink, and magenta decor and dishes.  Thank you, Lord! 🙂  They were on sale, and I had coupons, so we made out quite well.  I got a couple of platters, a vase, napkin holder, and a few other decorative items.

 

Next, we went to the party store and matched plates, table cloths, and more decor to the pattern from Hobby Lobby.  My favorite finds though came from online.  I found plastic tea cups with straws for the kids, and tea pot lollipops for the goody bags.  I also found a really cute tea pot pinata.

The cake came from a local bakery here that never ceases to amaze us.  They were unsure about the orangey pink colors on the cake, but they did a fantastic job and my sweet Olivia loved the cake!  It all came together quite nicely.  We reused place card holders from our wedding to identify each child’s seat. 🙂

The last part was setting the table for the dolls and toys!  My mom brought over the table and chairs I had as a little girl, and we added the set Olivia uses now along with some other small chairs and doll high chairs.  We set out plates, plastic tea cups, tea pots, and pretend treats.  As each child came in, they placed their toy in a special place at the little table.

Amber’s American Girl dolls came to tea also!

Michael’s dog “Blew” that he got from his Papa that died & Liam’s Mr. Bean doll

During the party, we took photos of each child with their doll/toy and my husband printed them out while each child decorated a tea pot picture frame to take home.

Hannah’s Mom with the kids

Michael made his an early Mother’s Day present 🙂

We also had fun with the pinata outside.  It was the toughest pinata I’ve ever seen!

Olivia

Michael

Maggie, Rachel’s daughter

The kids took turns hitting the pinata for a long time. Finally James, Hannah’s husband, put the pinata out of it’s misery!

I really was worried about making this party work because it wasn’t exactly what Olivia had asked for, but we learned a lot about compromise, which is always good.  We did end up with several American Girls at the party, but Buzz Lightyear and a plush Mr. Bean (that would be my son’s) also attended, along with a few other fun toys.  Many of the children dressed up, which was fun.

Olivia opening presents.

Michael & Liam, best buddies.

I really think my sweet girl felt special, and that was my ultimate goal.

Hannah, a wonderful hostess 😉 (says Amber).

Now it’s time to get to work on my son’s birthday.  He will be 5 and hasn’t requested anything special.  Kids can be so different. 🙂  I suggested “The Lorax”  because he watches it so much, and he loves the idea, so hopefully I will be able to blog about that party, too. 🙂

Liam stole the show when he dressed up as Mickey, during present time.

Thank you so much Hannah for the great post! We’d love to see more of your parties and you know we love truffula trees over here :). 

God bless everyone & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

My Family Rocks! Sunday: Star Wars Birthday Party April 15, 2013

In this post: Michael had a Star Wars party for his 7th birthday. Enjoy the pics and ideas for games, snacks, and costumes.

Hello dear ones! I hope you are well. Last weekend, we celebrated Michael’s 7th birthday. He actually turned 7 on April 11th.  We had the party at Nana’s house (my Mom). Some of you may remember his Pirate party from last year at our house. Check it out if you didn’t see it:

https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2012/04/09/crafty-monday-pirate-party/

Here I am as Princess Leia. I actually don’t like Star Wars but Michael and Chris love it. Hence the party. I had to do some research to throw this party. In this pic I am literally wearing a bed sheet with arm holes cut into it. The belt is string and I braided yarn for hair and glued it to a head band. Voila! Leia’s hair!  Michael’s Granny made him the Darth Vader cape several years ago. It was a costume for the Fall festival. It still fit :).

The Food

Yoda Soda (Sprite), Jedi Juice (Hawaiian Punch), and Warrior Water. I found the labels online. I’ll put my Pinterest link at the end of this post. I made cheesy spinach artichoke dip to go with nachos. I came up with the dip’s name “Dagobah Swamp Dip“. Unfortunately I didn’t get a picture of the dip.

I made the cake  using two boxes of cake mix and two things of icing. I made two big layers. People asked how I got the cake to slant upwards. Well, it wasn’t on purpose lol. But it worked out. It does sort of look like the words are going up on a screen, like they do in the movie.  I thought the cake was a disaster because the icing on the words melted. I added black food coloring. I used white sprinkles to make stars. I guess the cake wasn’t so bad. It says:

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… a young  Jedi was born!

Setting the Scene…

I took a couple of poster boards and made a fighter jet. I had a steering wheel used for video games and put that inside.

Games

Free Han Solo from the Carbonite

It took a lot to drown Han Solo. I found this idea online and I printed a mini Han. Then I covered him in contact paper and taped him to a rock so he’d sink. I put him in the freezer all night. I made two so the kids could have a contest. Btw, I found the Angry Birds’ dry erase boards at Joann’s Fabric store. They were on sale.

We gave them warm water and spoons but it was not enough to break the ice. Mom (aka Nana) had to split the ice in two or the kids would’ve been there all day. It kept them busy til the other guests arrived.

Jedi Training

I got cheap dollar store bubble wands for light sabers. It was a lovely idea and the kids had fun blowing bubbles as well as fighting with these. I also printed out Storm Trooper masks for the kids to wear.

Jedi training involved keeping balloons from touching the ground. They had to use their light sabers. Unfortunately it backfired. They starting whacking the balloons and popping them instead. An older friend was able to keep his balloon up for awhile though.

Darth Vader Duel

We had a Darth Vader head pinata. We gave the kids a light saber to have their “duel”. I had Darth Vader’s theme but I forgot to play it at that time. I had Star Wars music and other party music playing at the party.

The pinata was broken by the second kid but the guys strung him back up and kids were beating it the rest of the party.

Bowling for Storm Troopers a.k.a Save Princess Leia!

So I didn’t have guns for the kids to shoot storm troopers. I wanted to keep the party cheap and simple. So I taped storm troopers to glass bottles and gave the kids a plastic ball for bowling.

Ring R2D2

I made a mini R2D2 out of a dollar store trash can and paper. We used hula hoops for a large ring toss.

Making R2D2 and origami Yoda

The kids actually did this first, right after Han Solo.

Chris showed the kids how to make the above Origami Yoda. The Dads helped out.

I printed off several R2D2 templates and then I cut out shapes for the kids to glue on. I had the R2D2 kits and glue sticks ready when they got there. Chris made a Darth Vader and Millennium Falcon origami. I had instructions out but none of the adults wanted to attempt them.

Last, was Pin the Saber on Yoda.

Even parents had fun with the light saber bubbles :).

Photo Poster

I drew Luke and Leia and made holes for faces. The poster says “May the force be with you.”

The kids didn’t really get into this but the parents had fun.

Our buddies Hannah and James.

Me and my bestie Hannah

Me and Chris

Mom and Kim

Mom and Chris’ Mom

Me and the Hubby

Present time…

Olivia,  Hannah’s daughter, drew this nice birthday card for Michael. She was born on the same day as him and I will feature her party next weekend.

I made Michael a Star Wars peg doll set but it’s not finished. Here it is in the works…

One of Michael’s buddies stayed after everyone left. They played with Michael’s gifts and watched Star Wars. Michael was given several Lego sets to help with his collection for Lego club.

It was a good day and lots of fun. It was simpler than the Pirate party but still took a lot of work. Thanks to Mom and Chris for helping so much. Mom you’re a trooper! (and not the bad kind lol).

Here is the Pinterest link where I have all my ideas. Remember email subscribers to come to my page to see the links.

Star Wars Party on Pinterest

Well, the party is over folks. Michael was sick most of last week and I’ve felt rotten since yesterday. Maybe we’ve partied too much or it’s the crazy weather…cold then hot then cold again. Sorry this post is late. I’ve felt as weak as a kitten today. I hope this helps you with your own Star Wars party if you have one.

God bless & remember the High King lives! ~Amber Dover

Crafty Monday: Hannah’s Mermaid Birthday Party April 16, 2012

Hello friends and welcome to crafty Monday. For those of you who are new, last week I did a post on my son’s Pirate party:

https://amberdover.wordpress.com/2012/04/09/crafty-monday-pirate-party/

This week I have a guest blogger, my best bud Hannah. Her daughter Olivia was born on the same day as my son and we are secretly arranging their marriage ;). She had a mermaid party and I want to share  her ideas with you. There’s lots of pics for you to enjoy and I hope this gives you inspiration. God bless and remember The High King Lives!~Amber Dover

PS: sorry for the picture quality. I was using Chris’ phone 😦

Guest post by Hannah Chambers

For her 6th birthday, my daughter wanted a mermaid party because of her love of “Barbie in a Mermaid Tale”.  She made it clear she did not want an Ariel party, and I was unable to find any decor for the Barbie mermaid movie, so we decided to have a generic mermaid theme instead.  I figured it would leave a lot of room for me to get creative.  🙂 I got most of my inspiration from Pinterest and Peaceable Kingdom’s Mermaid Island board game.  I envisioned a lot of aquamarine and coral colors.  I carefully chose fabrics to use as backdrops and to drape on tables.  I also made a lot of the decor myself.

For the cupcakes, I cut cupcake wrappers out of cardstock and glued pearls on the wrappers.  I also made the cupcakes and icing from scratch because I wanted to use natural ingredients.  The light pink color of the icing came from strawberries.  I used the playing pieces from the Mermaid Island board game and copied them onto cardstock to make toppers for the cupcakes.  They turned out exactly as I’d envisioned.  I also made the birthday banner out of cardstock and carefully cut out sea creatures to decorate them.  It also turned out as I’d hoped.

  In the living room, I draped different shades of blue crepe paper down the fireplace to look like water and I attached fish, seahorses, and seashells to it to look like an underwater scene.

My mom told a mermaid story about treasure

and then we proceeded outside to a treasure chest pinata to find our loot!  We also played “pin the crown on the mermaid”.

One of the most special and time-consuming things I made was my daughter’s mermaid tail.  It took a lot of time and planning to get a basic pattern, but I had fun with it and my daughter felt really special. 🙂

We had a wonderful time and I think my daughter really enjoyed her party.

Inspiration from this Link: http://www.livinglocurto.com/2009/07/mermaid-birthday-party/