Wednesday, January 25, 2012

GIVEAWAY! Disney On Ice "Dare to Dream"

And the winner is...KATHLEEN M.!  I will email you the details.  Congratulations and enjoy the show!  Thanks to all who entered.
*********This contest is CLOSED****
This one is for the princesses!  
Looking for something fabulous for your princess or prince to kick off February Vacation?  
Enter to win 4 tickets to Disney On Ice "Dare to Dream" at The TD Garden in Boston Opening Night - Friday, February 17, 2012

"Get tangled up in the newest thrilling show to hit the ice, Disney On Ice presents Dare to Dream. Experience Disney’s hilarious hair-raising escapade, Tangled; as Rapunzel, her unlikely companion, Flynn, and Maximus, embark on an uproarious journey that takes adventure to new lengths!  Boogie to the beat of the bayou with Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen in a magical, musical journey that all begins with a fateful kiss.  And fanciful dreams become reality as Cinderella meets her Prince Charming, with a glass slipper fit for an unforgettable fantasy come true. All your favorite princesses take to the ice in a spectacular finale at the ultimate Disney Princess event of a lifetime!  Experience the beauty, sparkle, and spirit when Disney On Ice presents Dare to Dream comes to your hometown!"
Find show times and ticket info at Ticketmaster

To enter to win 4 tickets, leave me a comment with your name, last initial and email address
Winner will be drawn on Monday evening, January 30th.  Thanks and good luck!


I was given a 4-pack of tickets to review the show, no other compensation was received.

Friday, January 20, 2012

A Very Muppet Birthday Theme


My son Nolan's latest obsession is The Muppets!  I mean really, who doesn't love the Muppets?!  So of course I took this theme and ran with it for his 6th birthday party.

The party stores don't seem to share our love for the Muppets, so with a little creativity and some help from the Disney website, Michael'sTarget and Avery, we made our own invitations, buttons, decorations and CDs.

I downloaded a Muppet invitation from the Disney website.  Animal is one of Nolan's favorite Muppets, so we decided to send an Animal invitation.  I used "snag it" on my computer so that I could capture just the Animal invitation and then type the birthday info right on it.  I then printed them on heavy cardstock paper and cut them on my paper cutter.
Nolan and I found some Muppet posters at Michael's for $6.99.  He was thrilled because I told him he could put them in his bedroom after the party.

We also found these "make your own button" thingys at Michael's.
I found some Muppet pictures, by Googling "Muppet pictures" (duh).  I went to Avery.com downloaded a template.  I filled the template with my various Muppet pictures.
 Popped the buttons open and used this circle as a guide. 
 I cut out my Miss Piggy circle...
 placed Miss Piggy in the circle...
And popped the back of the button back on.  Nolan is demonstrating here:
...and then repeat 25 times until you can't feel your fingers.

We had bought The Muppets Movie soundtrack on iTunes.  My kids love it so much, I thought what a great party favor.  I bought blank CDs and a CD/DVD Label Maker Kit at Target.  
I burned some of the songs from the soundtrack and then found a few other funny Muppet songs...for example, The Muppets singing Bohemian Rhapsody!  Check it out on YouTube, it's hilarious! 
The burning of the CDs, although time-consuming, wasn't the toughest part.  It was the CD labels.  I designed the label, which was the fun part (Disco Animal), but then trying to get it to line up and my printer to cooperate was the--pour yourself another glass of wine--part.  But I finally got it to work!
The CD/DVD Label Maker Kit comes with software and these labels.
 After you have designed and printed your label you use this little device to attach the label to the CD.
 Carefully peel off the label...
 Place it on the device sticky side up.
 ...and then place the CD shiny side up and press.
Ta-da!
If you want to go ALL out you can design CD cases.  The kit has all the stuff for that as well.  Maybe next time (see note below).  Instead I used colorful CD envelopes.
Note:  if you are going to attempt to do this, give yourself a lot of time...like a few weeks before the party, not two days before the party.  Yes, I got this bright idea two days before the party and was determined to figure it all out, which meant staying up until 2AM.  But who needs sleep, right? Oh and another tip, buy extra CD/DVD labels, so you don't have to make several trips to Target within a 24-hour period and look like a crazy person.  They also sell the labels at OfficeMax.

My final Muppet party project was Muppet cupcake toppers.  I used another  Avery template to print out little Muppet pictures and then cut them out. 
I used toothpicks and tape to secure them...and then I bought (nut-free) cupcakes at the bakery!  In all my creative wisdom there was no time for baking.
Nolan made these "favor bags"  
Yes, he used all my Ziploc bags and staples, but it keep him busy for hours while I got the house ready for the party.  
He also printed out some pictures, and also drew some pictures for decorations...
These are is my favorites LOL!
The party was a success :)

Party pictures to follow...


Helpful hint:  if you click on anything highlighted in red, it links to a websites or products I used for these projects :)










Thursday, January 19, 2012

This week's PRICELESS moment



I was putting the boys to bed last night and I was quietly singing "You are My Sunshine."  My Nolan said "Mum, could you not sing that, because every time you sing that, I feel like I'm gonna have a tear in my eye."