Merry NOT Scary Costume Party for the Little Monsters!

Well, after almost two months of planning, obsessing, crafting and creating….oh and a whirlwind 48 hours of baking and treat making….our Merry NOT Scary Costume Party went off with only a few minor hitches last weekend!

We had 27 Little Monsters in attendance!!! It was so much fun to see them all running, walking and crawling around in their costumes!

So first, the FOOD! I have been in Halloween treat-making mode for awhile now and last week all of my creativity exploded for a fun, festive display the grown-ups and kids could appreciate!

I made some Ogre Toes, lots of Cake Pops, Popcorn Balls...and had tons of yummy candy and treats!

Like the fun tags and matching line of Halloween printables? Check out http://www.paperglitter.com/!

Photobooth!

My friend Kara of KV Photography, accompanied by her lovely assistant Amanda, came to the party to take pictures of the festivities and to get fun photos of all the kiddos in their costumes. They did such an amazing job wrangling all of our little goblins and getting smiles out of them….can you even imagine!??!

Kara also took the amazing images of the goodies and party set-up featured in this post....I normally use my own pictures for my blog posts, but Kara took these pictures for me so I could enjoy the party and not have to run around with a camera attached all afternoon! It was awesome and I love seeing my party through the eyes of a true artist!

Here are a few of my personal faves:

Next, the FUN! For most of the party the kids were busy running around in their costumes and working off their sugar highs....but we did have a few activities lined up for them.

Pumpkin Patch Hunt!

Each little boy and ghoul was given a festive bucket and they were all sent off tromping through a field full of small Jack-O-Lantern containers filled with goodies and toys. At the end of the hunt they each cashed in all of their emptied containers in exchange for a grand prize and some more toys (this was what I came up with to get the containers back so we can use them at next year’s party…tricky-tricky….I know!) I made sure to h!ave some extra treats on hand in case anyone didn’t find any pumpkins in the patch.

Hayrack Rides!

This was the one planned activity that was a casualty of the weather....I can't complain too much though, the rain held off for so long....we were incredibly lucky! My Grandpa Mickey was all set to give the kiddos rides through the neighborhood, but halfway through the first ride it started sprinkling and the party had to move indoors! There's always next year (did I just say that!?!?! Yes...I'm already thinking about next year's party, shameful I know!)

I have looked forward to hosting a children’s costume party since before I even had kids of my own….so this was kind of a big deal for me! I think we created some memories all of our little guests will look back on for a long time....that was my hope anyways!

Happy Haunting!

~Audrey

Ogre Toes!

Lately I've been thinking a lot about Halloween....more accurately about Halloween treats (imagine that!) We are going to be hosting a children's costume party next month and my excitement is just barely contained.

My son is a huge Shrek fan and that is where the inspiration for these treats came from. Here are step by step instructions so you can make and enjoy them too!

Ogre Toes

Supplies:
Circus Peanuts
Green Candy Melts or White Almond Bark tinted with candy coloring
Candy Fruit Chews, assorted colors

 First you'll want to get whatever candy coating you're using melted to a good consistency for dipping. I have a candy melter that works great for these kind of projects.

Next, to make the Circus Peanuts a little more toe-like, flatten them by pressing down on each one with the bottom of a glass until they are flattened.

Repeat this step with all of the Circus Peanuts you plan to use.

Then I used kitchen shears to cut the fruit chews into small pieces.



After all of the pieces have been cut, use something to press them into "toenail" shapes. I used a metal measuring spoon to flatten each piece.

Using a toothpick inserted in one end of the Circus Peanut, dip the entire "toe" into the melted candy coated until it is evenly covered.



Remove the "toe" from  the candy coating and gently tap on the edge of your bowl to remove any excess candy melt.



Place each dipped Circus Peanut on to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper to set. Top each one with a pressed piece of fruit chew.



Last step to really put them into over-the-top-creepy-cool status...use a toothpick to draw "knuckle" lines onto each of your Ogre Toes!

I'd love to hear from you if you plan on using these for your Halloween gathering!
Happy Treat Making!
~Audrey