Enchanted forest

Hi friends,
I promised you a few weeks ago that I would share with you something really cool so here it is. I was planning the first Family Dance for my daughter's school and, I wanted to be beautiful but we didn't have a lot of money as you know most schools are straggling financially. So, I decided to make the decorations from nature things and call it the "Enchanted Forest". I bought Christmas lights, tissue balls, paper plates, napkins, decoration paper rolls and, serving trays (some I had). The total I spent in decorations for this party was less than $100. All the rest I took from around my home we leave in the forest and I have 4 different kind of pines, but you can buy pine cones at the craft store.

My favorite project was the little enchanted forest, I'm sharing this because as a country a lot of families are having financial difficulties and the holidays are approaching and the stress starts to get more and more for parents. This is something you can make for your children and play with them, If you are religious instead of a forest you could make the Nativity set or try to make the Arch with the animals.

The Gnomes are made with acorns , I separated the 2 parts and glued them back with the opposite side on the shell. The hat it's a piece of something in a potpourri bag from the 99c Store, you could use a piece of fabric.
The tent is made of little branches and a felt piece of fabric $0.50 at Walmart or you can use something you already have at home, bark, pine needles or more branches. the base it's a slice of a log but you could make it out of a box and painted like  a log.

The slide and the swing are made out of bark, but you could make them with cardboard. trees are different sizes of pine cones dipped in green paint. Mushrooms are made with acorns. Turtle is made out of acorn top. Skunk and butterfly are made out of a piece of a potpourri.

The dad deer and the deer baby are made of a small pine cone, acorn and small twigs. Bears are made of small pine cones cut the top and flipped it with the pint to the front so it looks like the nose. ears are pieces from the same pine cone.

I had a great time making this and Bianca is having a good time playing with them :o)
Enjoy your Holidays, things are not what it would make it special, read a story book, watch a Holiday or Christmas movie, make cookies, make ornaments. Your kids will remember those things, they will not remember what they got for Christmas.

The other things I use for the party:

Hanging star made out of pine cones, wood logs to set food.

 

 Back drop made out sheets, pine cones flowers, white flowers are made of fabric petals from the 99c Store and acorn tops.

It was a great party and we didn't break the bank!

                                                                          Have fun!!!

Ou La La for my little girl

 

Rock Girl goes to Paris

Last year my baby turned "6" I know how, what, when?????  so I asked her if she wanted a big birthday party or if she wanted to go somewhere and have a small party, after a small silence she said. " lets go to Paris! "WHAT???? I actually loved the idea but it was a little more than our party budget hahaha. So we went to her second choice The Tahiti Village in Las Vegas and we visit the hotel Paris, we took her to the 1/2 size Eiffel Tower then, we had Eclairs.

The party was a Rock Girls go to Paris. I'm not going to lie that I spent many sleepless nights planning, drawing and cutting; but it was totally worth every second when I saw her face right before the party she was allowed in the room an it was priceless!

 

I bought the goodie bags, paper goods, and balloons from Oriental Trading the whole package for 8 girls was $89 and they had free shipping that day so wooohooo! The things for the goodie bags I set them on a table and they took whatever they wanted in their bag, so they got to play with everything in the party.

I bought some extra decors at the Dollar Tree, I made a foam Eiffel Tower, painted black and cover it with purple glitter. I found some pictures on line and I framed them for the back wall.

Because it was a small party I made a lot of different sweets that of didn't last much :)

for dinner we had burgers with fries, and chocolate cake for desert from Bon Appetite magazine and the frosting from Martha Stewart website. I made the Eiffel Tower and put sparkle powder to make it look like the one on the picture. 

Everything turned out great! just set a budget for your party and stick to it!

 

the Boutique was my desk and a mirror from Wal-mart $4, I also got lip glosses and eye shadows at Ross for $7, glasses, wands, earrings and headbands were from the Dollar Tree totaling $15

For the picture booth, I used a moving box, gift wrapping paper and black construction paper also from the Dollar tree; the drapes were from Bianca's bedroom.

goodie bags $97 (with tax)

Dollar Tree  $20

Ross             $7

Wal-mart      $4

Food             $85

The grand total was $213,  we had a fabulous party that I had fun planning and the girls played games, dressed up, danced, and laughed!!!!

Cheese Stuffed Potatoes

here you have a really good and easy recipe for the kids to make for dinner.

1 Medium Russell Potato  (boiled them soft and cooled)

1 tsp of butter

1 TBS of milk

1 TBS of egg

1/4 cup of flour

salt, and spices to your own taste

let the kids peel and smash the potato with a fork, then add all the wet ingredients and add the flour little by little, the texture needs to be dry (not sticking to your hands). Separate the dough in 2, shape it like a burger and place a piece of cheese in the middle, then fold all the sides and press them down. Put about a cup of oil in a deep pan so it doesn't splash all over, warm it at medium temperature until it gets really hot. place the stuffed potato in the oil until golden brown. dry them with a paper towel. 

I like them with sugar! but you can eat them any way you like, veggies on the side, ketchup, spice sauce, chutney! mmmmmmm yum!

the kids painting their garden decorations :o)