Outdoor "Drive In" Movie Party!

I have hosted a LOT of parties and I have to say, this is one of my all-time favorites to date! We had an outdoor "drive in" movie party and it was SO much fun! It was really simple to put together.....since the party didn't start until dark, I just did popcorn and a candy bar and decorated with some cute retro drive-in printables....but the sky is the limit with this theme....you could go crazy if you wanted to! The best part was looking out into my yard and seeing all of the parents and kids, snuggled up together in their blankets....watching the movie with big eyes and smiles! I have seen pictures of these parties but seeing the huge screen in real life was great! I am just in LOVE with the whole theme....something new and great for all ages!  I think next time I'll do a Grease sing-a-long....or maybe a favorite 80's movie for all of the parents! 

Fun Flicks was the company who helped bring this party to life....if you're thinking about hosting a movie party, you should go for it!  Fun Flicks is offering a fabulous promo to Paperbox Press readers....for $300, you will get a movie party package that includes complete set-up and take-down of the awesome movie screen, popcorn (from a cute vintage popper!) for 50 people, and no charge for travel within 30 miles of the Tri-Valley area! This is a $200 savings and your friends and family will absolutely love it! Fun Flicks can also do Rock Band or video game parties, and can stream live TV (how many of your husbands would love to host a "fight night" boxing party!).  Here in the Bay Area, you could easily host an outdoor movie party from now through the end of October, or even a winter holiday party!You can contact FunFlicks SF Bay Area by calling Paul at 510-502-5082 or emailing them HERE.  Don't forget to check out their website and "like" them on Facebook!  And tell them that Paperbox Press sent you!  This offer is good for parties Sunday through Thursday and can be used through December 2011.
BONUS: The first person who books with Fun Flicks will receive a FREE party printable package from Paperbox Press that includes invitations, popcorn bag templates, drink labels, candy labels, movie night banner, and it's all customized for you!

Some brought camping chairs, others brought sleeping bags.....and EVERYONE had a great time!

This is the blow up screen in our backyard....there wasn't a bad seat in the house!

Surfer Dude First Birthday {Feature Party}

I'm in love with this surfer dude birthday party from our own designer, Sarah!  She did an amazing job for her little kahuna's 1st birthday!  The invitations, thank you's and printables can be found on our site and you'll love the ideas below! 

{Party Favor} Homemade Sidewalk Chalk Recipe + Sidewalk Chalk Paint Recipe

I made these 2 variations of sidewalk chalk as favors for my daughter's birthday party....it makes me very happy that our guests and readers have liked them so much, so after several requests, I am posting the information so that YOU can make them too! There are 2 recipes....one for molded sidewalk chalk and one for sidewalk chalk paint....see below!

Sidewalk Chalk Paint:
In a large bowl, I mixed cornstarch + powdered tempera paint.  You can add as much or as little tempera as you like, but note that the color will darken quite a bit when water is added and it's actually ready to use!  I used small containers and put 3 (1 of each color) into each favor box.  I tied a paint brush to the top, tied it up with some ribbon, and added a cute label!  These are great summer party favors!

Molded Sidewalk Chalk:
Mix together 1 cup of Plaster of Paris with 1 cup of water. Add color to your mixture using powdered tempera paint. Blend well and let stand for a few minutes. Pour your mixture into the silicone molds. Set aside and let dry completely. Once dry you can remove your chalk from the mold. Set it aside to dry for approximately 24 hours more.

I purchased some great silicone molds from Sillycone and they have a variety of shapes to choose from!

2nd Birthday Bash!

The theme for this 2nd birthday was the number "2" and party hats.....it ended up being really easy to work with and fun to put together!  The invitations are from our shop and the printables can be found here as well! We had a dessert table with Jello Jigglers in the shape of "2"....who doesn't love Jello, right?  We also did cones with cotton candy puffs inside.  And of course, cupcakes! The decorations were simple with lime green, aqua and purple accents.  The nice thing about this party theme was that it could obviously be used for any age.  I like to make my own cupcakes and am always in search of cute decorations to make them stand out.  I typically do fondant toppers, but decided to go a different route and they turned out great! Sweet'n Treats did such an amazing job and the toppers could not have been any easier to use! They have lots of designs to choose from, but I opted to send my own design so that it coordinated with the invitations and printables.....the toppers are printed on edible sugar paper and you just lay them on top of your cupcakes....voila!  We also had plenty of my favorite polka dotted balloons from Ziggos....they make any party more fun!  The favor table was my favorite.....the favors were fabulous cookies by Whip It Good, that had been done to match the invitations. We also had sidewalk chalk paint in really cute containers (if I do say so myself!). And lastly, sidewalk chalk that had been molded into the number "2".