{Christmas Magic} our ELF PARTY!

So…I have a little confession. I’m ELF OBSESSED. Seriously. It’s one of those things that started innocently enough, as a family tradition YEARS in the making, but has now taken on a life of its own. I can’t control it, or at least I choose NOT to. But I do find comfort in the thousands of Elf-tastic pins on Pinterest {HERE is a link to my Elf Board}and the incessant Elf-related Facebook posts of my friends…it’s nice to know I’m not alone!

We adopted Miss Bliss (left) this year. She's a vintage, 50s era elf, made in Japan. The skirt, neck and hair-flair were all courtesy of a little makeover at the North Pole :)

 We’ve had some vintage Christmas Elves in our family for years. We call them our Disco Elves because they (there are 3 of them) are wearing shiny, metallic outfits and look like they’re ready to party ALL the time. My Grandma used to tell us they were watching us and would tell Santa if we were being naughty…not sure if word ever got back to him about any of the “nice” stuff. 

 Last year we added an Elf on the Shelf to our collection, the kiddos named him Mack, and our little Elf family was complete. The kids love waking up in the morning and rushing out to see what shenanigans the elves have gotten into…it’s become one of their favorite things (and mine too, since this is a safe place, I can be honest – right?!?)

I’ve been mulling over the idea of hosting an ELF PARTY since LAST Christmas. SO many of our friends have Elves now too, I knew the kids would really be into it. Also…it would give me an outlet for my party planning energy since I have a bit of a dry spell between Halloween and Harpers birthday in March ;)

So that’s the WHY…and here is ALL the rest! I hope you enjoy!

I worked with the talented ladies of Anders Ruff CustomDesigns for the printables. 

They totally “GOT” my vision and their creations were absolutely perfect!

You can see their own photo shoot featuring their Magical Elf printable collection HERE.

I made several ripped-rag Christmas garlands to hang throughout the house. They doubled nicely as party decor!

Since our guest list was very short for this party, I planned on hand delivering all the invites. I printed the invitations large, 8x10, rolled them up and tied with a ribbon. We all know that the Number 1 Rule when it comes to Christmas Elves is you CANNOT touch them…or they lose their magic! 

To solve that problem, each guest also received an Elf-sized stocking.

 This way they could come along without being touched! The stockings were created by Puddin’ Pies, and were absolutely DARLING! We’ll be using ours to give our Elves special notes and surprises here and there.

Cynthia also created coordinating table runners and a pennant-style garland that I used to decorate throughout the party!

 When our guests arrived they were directed to the “Elf Check-in” area. 

Each Elf had a name tag waiting for him or her…we didn’t want anyone going home with the wrong Elf! 

After the kiddos deposited their Elves and went downstairs, the Elves jumped out of their stockings, put on their nametags and had their own little Mixer.  

At our ELF ADOPTION center, we had several Elves just waiting to find their own family! 

Some of our guests added another Elf to their family, and one family got their very FIRST Elf at our party!

I also had some Elf attire available for our guests to take home. Included were pretty skirt-sets and bows for the lady elves.

We also had some tiny Elf scarves that were a BIG hit with our guests!

The Dessert Display

I knew the desserts for this party were going to be a LOT of fun. 

With so many teeny-tiny guests, I planned on making some mini-versions of some of our favorite treats!

I made Elf Cake Pops and Swirl Cake Pops. I love using the striped paper straws as "sticks" for my Cake Pops...it really adds something special! Green Party Goods has an amazing line of eco-friendly paper straws that I absolutely adore!

I made some MINI Cake Pops. These are REAL Cake Pops ya’ll. I rolled them super small, used a cut-off toothpick as the stick, and then dipped them just like the full-size pops. Easy. Cute. Good.

So then, I wanted a bit of a challenge – lol! I thought it would be fun to try to make mini versions of the Elf Cake Pops too. I used a toothpick to add-on the details, but they were pretty basic so it wasn’t too bad. Totally worth the extra effort…they were SO cute! 

I added a little bit of washi tape (also from Green Party Goods) to the toothpicks on

 some of the mini Cake Pops. It made them that much cuter :)

Local Cookie artist Emily of Emi’s Treats made some AMAZING cookies for our party. 

 

She created this “Peeking Elf” design that I just loved…it was beyond perfect! 

She also made stockings, mittens and candy canes. 

Emily’s cookies are equal parts delicious and adorable, I just love her work! 

Even cuter…she made MINI cookies for our Elf guests! They were SO sweet! 

When we were all downstairs, each of the Elves helped themselves to a cookie…they were a BIG hit with our littlest guests.

We also had some ridiculously cute miniatures on the dessert table! Little Things by Anna created the TINY layered cake and TEENSY cupcakes.

Seriously, these things are SO adorable and incredibly detailed…I can’t lie…I squealed OUT-LOUD when I opened the box they were shipped in. 

What’s great about having these miniatures on-hand is that you can use them again and again! 

She also made the pennant-style bunting on the mini dessert buffet, 

and the cute little stocking in the center of the wreath!

 Activities

My sister "volunteered" to read The Elf on the Shelf to the kiddos while I was upstairs making sure our Elfish guests were “comfortable”. 

We had a few activity stations set-up for the kiddos. They were free to go from one to the other at their own pace.

First was the Jingle Bell Bracelet table. A tray of pipe cleaners, a container full of jingle bells…easy…and they loved it. Even better, after they finished their bracelets they got to go jump in the trampoline to hear how they sounded!

We also had a mini tree decorating station. You know the drill…a package of foam Christmas trees, with about a million little sticker pieces to peel and place. A little cheesy maybe, but I tell ya what…my kids NEVER get sick of these things! Like ever…so I go with it!

There was also a table full of Elf-sizes treats. The kids got to pick out an assortment of goodies to “take-home” for their Elves. That was the idea. In reality, most of them chowed-down on their Elves' goodies…I’m sure it was from a quality control standpoint.

 

Each of the guests had the chance, one-by-one, to put on an apron and join me in my kitchen to make a few EXTRA special Elf treats. I had three melters going, one with chocolate, white chocolate and green candy melts. They got to dip a mini sugar cookie, mini Oreo and a Cheerio (to make an Elf donut). I also had an assortment of sprinkles out so they could decorate their creations however they chose! 

Word must have got out at the North Pole because we had a LOT of Elves show-up for this party. They were hiding ALL over the house! The kiddos went on an ELF HUNT to find all of our Elf visitors.

 I used the printable Advent Calendar Tags from Anders Ruff (1 through 5) to label our “scenes”. 

That way the kids knew they had 5 different Elves (or in some cases, groups of Elves) to find. 

They did a great job hunting!

#1 – These vintage Elves were hanging in my Sweet Cheeks kitchen, ready to bake!

 Notice the Elf on the right…Mmmmhmmm…that's an ELF-SIZED apron, chef’s hat and baking mitt…cute right??? I found the set on eBay HERE.

#2 – We found this Elf hiding with some old toys. He looked right at home!

#3 – This Elf likes to monkey around….sorry…couldn’t help it ;)

#4 – The ORIGINAL Disco Elves. Just chillin’ on one of their favorite shelves.

#5 – These cuties had their own Elf-sized Radio Flyer sled. It looked like they were ready for a snowball fight!

When it was time for our guests to head for home, I used a pair of decorated kitchen tongs to carefully put each Elf in a basket for the ride home 

(the stockings are a tight squeeze and we didn't want to risk an accidental touching!) 

The kids, Elves and grown-ups all had a GREAT time at our Elf Party! The Christmas season is so magical, and being able to create these memories, to me, really is priceless.

My kiddos in their Christmas outfits from Lottie Da Baby, ready to PARTY!

If you’re into the whole ELF-thing, be sure to follow me on Facebook! I post a lot of our Elves' daily shenanigans there…frequently…too much…I know I have a problem.

A SIDENOTE ABOUT OUR ELVES

I’ve had several inquiries already, so thought I’d share a little bit more about our Elf Family and how they came to us. These little Christmas Elves have been around for decades, a lot of you may have even had some decorating your house when you were younger. The original vintage Elves were made mostly in Japan starting in the 50s.  My Grandma had some of the vintage Elves that we’ve used for years and years. We also have one Elf on the Shelf. This year, I added SEVERAL more vintage Elves to our family, through online “adoptions” (i.e. auctions). So...we have a LOT of elves around here. We have our faves...the "main" ones who make the mischief and report to Santa.

If you want to keep up (or catch-up) with our Elf Family check these links:

~10 Ways to Prepare for your Elf's Departure HERE.

~ 2011 Highlights HERE.

~ 2012 Highlights HERE

~ My Elf Idea Pinboard HERE.

~ My facebook page HERE.

~ Feature at Elfshaming.com HERE. 

That's it...feel free to stalk them...what goes around comes around right!??!?

Those of you who would like to add another Elf (or several) Elves to your family, 

here are some good places to look:

EBay and Etsy: search for “Knee Hugger Elf or Elves”

Hobby Lobby: I found all of the Elves that were in our adoption center at Hobby Lobby 

(before Halloween mind-you) in the Christmas decoration aisle. 

We added scarves to some, and bows to give them a little extra personality.

Antique Shops: Hit-up your local antique shops to find vintage elves...like these guys!

Happy Elfing everyone!!!!

~Audrey

 SOURCES

Sweet Cheeks Tasty Treats (that's ME) event styling, photography, dessert table treats

Anders Ruff Custom Designs Magical Elf Christmas Collection, printables

Puddin' Pies custom elf stockings, table runners, pennant banner

Emi's Treats custom decorated sugar cookies art

Little Things By Anna minatures, layer cake, cupcakes, pennant banner, stocking

BJWildey elf-sized baking set, apron, oven mitt, chef's hat

Green Party Goods  party pretties, eco-friendly striped paper straws, washi tape, baking cups

Lottie Da Baby custom children's clothing, Christmas dress, applique shirt and cardigan

I'm LINKING UP!
You can find TONS of inspiration by visiting these WEEKLY LINK PARTIES!
I always do...and I'm sharing this project with them NOW!

Monday
Making Mondays Marvelous hosted by C.R.A.F.T.

Made by you Monday hosted by Skip to My Lou
Monday Link Up Party hosted by Making the World Cute
Just Something I Whipped Up hosted by The Girl Creative
Market Yourself Monday hosted by Sumo's Sweet Stuff
Creative Me hosted by The Southern Institute

Tuesday
Get your Craft On Tuesday hosted by Today's Creative Blog
Take-A-Look Tuesday hosted by Sugar Bee Crafts
Show Me What Ya Got hosted by Not JUST a Housewife
Lil' Luna Link Party hosted by Lil' Luna

Wednesday

We’re Organized Wednesday @ Organize and decorate Everything
Penny Pinching Party @ The Thrifty Home 
We Did It @ Sew Much Ado 
Show and Tell @ Blue Cricket Design
Show off your Stuff @ Fireflies & Jellybeans
Show and Share @ Southern Lovely

Thursday
Strut your stuff @ Somewhat Simple
100 Ideas under $100 @ Beyond the Picket Fence
Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Chic Cottage 
Tablescape Thursday @ BNOTP 
Hooking up with HoH @ House of Hepworths



Friday
Feature Yourself Friday hosted by Fingerprints on the Fridge
Friday Flair hosted by Whipperberry
Catch as Catch Can hosted by My Repurposed Life
Pin Me Linky Party @ Diana Rambles

Saturday
Saturday night special @ Funky Junk
Check me out Saturday @ A vision to remember
Saturday Is crafty day @ Along for the Ride
Weekend Wrap Up Party @ Tatertots and Jello
Show and Tell @ Be Different Act Normal 
Your Great Idea Saturdays @ Or so she says

Sunday
Link Party on OINK! at Piggy Bank Parties 

On-going