The ulitmate, magical DIY Harry Potter party -- fun video included!

If you are a Harry Potter fan, you are going to LOVE the DIY Harry Potter party video I made. I have ideas for invites, decor, costumes, wands, activites, games, food, party favours, and MORE!!!

Find all the details in the video I made here:

Every party needs an invitation to set the stage and let guests know what to expect. For this party, I used my home printer to create an acceptance letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Of course the letter was from the head mistress of Hogwarts --  Minerva McGonagall. I rolled up the invite like a sheet of parchment, tied it with a ribbon, and added a picture of the birthday boy. So easy… but so cute!

Creating an entrance to the magical world of Harry Potter is easy, inexpensive, and fun. Grab a dollar store paper tablecloth, sponges and red paint. Then, dip the sponge in the paint and press it onto the tablecloth to create a brick. Continue the process until the entire table cloth is covered. Hang it up in a doorway, and cut a slit in the middle to allow people to walk through. You can also make a 9 3/4 platform sign from a piece of dollar store foam board. This was a BIG hit at our party!

I wanted all the guests to get the full Harry Potter experience, so I set up a “Madam Malkins Robes for all Occasions” shop. Everyone could shop for robes (which were black capes I bought on clearance after Halloween). I also had homemade glasses and ties that the kids could decorate. 

Every wizard needs a wand, so I set up an Ollivander’s wand shop for the party guests. To make cheap wands, grab a package of dowels, hot glue, and brown paint from the dollar store. Drizzle hot glue around a dowel, let dry, and paint with brown paint. Then, if desired, you can add a jewel to the bottom like I did. Pretty fun, right?

I also thought it would be fun to let the kids shop for their school supplies at Flourish and Blotts… just like the characters did in the books and movies. I made a spell book from a duotang, and filled it with a list of spells, a word search, and some Harry Potter trivia. I also made quills by hot gluing feathers to the ends of pens. It was really easy to do, and a fun takeaway from the party.

Having simple Harry Potter games to occupy party guest is key. We played freeze tag to Harry Potter music, I made a “Pin the Scar on Harry” game, I turned an old box into a Harry Potter ball toss, and I made a pinata from a balloon covered in paper mâché. The kids really loved the Hedwig pinata!

Of course themed party food is an important part of any party, and I had a lot of fun with this one. I had lots of food laid out, but the stars of the show were two easy-to-make cakes. The first cake was a quidditch cake. I started with a plain chocolate cake, and added 3 quidditch posts made from paper straws and pipe cleaners covered in black electrical tape. Then, I added a snitch made from a Fererro Rocher chocolate and parchment paper wings.

The second cake was a rectangle cake that I carved into the shape of a crest. Then, I added a lightening bolt cut from a fruit roll up, a snitch, Bernie Bott’s every flavour jelly beans, and a chocolate frog. The cakes really were easy to make, and they turned out super-cute.

I love sending guests home with a fun goodie bag, and for this party, I had the perfect idea for a party favour. I set up Honeyduke’s sweet shop, and filled it with Harry Potter themed goodies. Each guest was given a bag to fill, and a fun tag to tie the top of the bag with. Some of the items in my shop included: bernie bott’s every flavour beans, golden snitches, black liquorice wands, Mad Eye Moody’s Eyeball Gun, Remus’s werewolf fangs, chocolate frogs, and fizzing whizbees.

Have I inspired you to host a Harry Potter party? You could also just grab a few of these ideas for a fun family movie night. Make sure you check out the video here, and let me know which of these ideas is your favourite.

♥ 

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Graduation Party Favor Ideas... and free printable tags

I love a good party favor... especially if it's budget-friendly. So, with my son's graduation coming up, I decided to create some inexpensive party favors using dollar store goodies. I came up with five party favor ideas (and free printable tags) that you are going to love!

Here are the items I used to create the party favors.

And here are the tags I designed. 

1) The first tag is great to pair with mint gum or pepperments.

To download this tag: click on the photo below, right-click, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 4x6 photo.

2) The second tag can be paired with store-bought or homemade cookies.

To download this tag: click on the photo below, right-click, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 4x6 photo.

3) The third tag can be paired with bags of popped popcorn... or these unpopped bags of microwave popcorn.

To download this tag: click on the photo below, right-click, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 4x6 photo.

4) The fourth tag can be used with any sweet treat. It works with candy AND chocolate. Just pick your favourite.

To download this tag: click on the photo below, right-click, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 4x6 photo.

5) The last tag can be used with doughnuts or doughnut holes. I used store bought old fashioned doughnuts.

To download this tag: click on the photo below, right-click, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 4x6 photo.

I love how they all look displayed on the tiered tray I made (in the video you can find here).

You can also get a closer look at how I put all the party favors together below...

PS - If you don't like the gold colored tagged I used, check out the more colorful options below...

Let me know in the comments which of these graduation party favors is YOUR favourite. I don't think I could pick because they are ALL so cute. :-)

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

FREE Thanksgiving Frameable Print & Party Favour Tags

I love all things "easy and inexpensive"... especially when it comes to the holidays. So, I'm super-excited to share the fun FREEBIES I designed for Thanksgiving. I can't wait for you to check out my free Thanksgiving frameable print AND my free Thanksgiving party favour tags.

First, check out this cute (and funny) Thanksgiving print. I love a bit of "cheeky" decor, don't you?

To download the FREE Thanksgiving frameable print I designed: click on the picture below, right-click, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 8x10 photo.

This print looks great in a dollar store frame... on its own or beside a decorated tiered tray.

The other FREEBIE I designed for you is this simple party favour tag.

To download the tag I designed: click on the picture below, right-click, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 4x6 photo.

Then, trim the top of the picture to make it look like a tag.

Bake some cookies, place them in clear cellophane bags, tie the bags with jute twine, and add the tags.

You can use any cookies you like, but my I recommend my soft and chewy ginger cookies. You can check out the recipe for this seasonal favourite here.

And if you want to make something extra special for the kids, you can use the same recipe to make these adorable turkey cookies.

Put the cookies in clear bags, tape faux leaves to the backs, and glue on googly eyes, paper beaks, and paper wattles.

Don't you love these easy and inexpensive Thanksgiving party favour ideas?

Are you going download and print the free Thanksgiving printables I designed? Which one is your favourite?

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

You might also like the Thanksgiving ideas here.

Simple St.Patrick's Day Treat Idea... with free printable cards

One of my favourite things to do on this blog is give away things for FREE. Today, I am sharing an adorable FREE printable St. Patrick's Day card that is perfect to share with friends and family. It would make a wonderful party favour too.

All you need is the FREE card below and some chocolate gold coins (or real coins).

First download and print the free cards. Click on the picture below, right-click, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 4x6 photo.

Then, use an x-Acto knife to cut a slit (the same width as the coin) above the cauldron. 

Note: Be careful with the sharp knife, and make sure you use a cutting mat.

Finish by inserting a chocolate coin (or real coin) into the slot. You can leave it as is... or you can secure it on the back with a piece of tape.

I made three with loonies and three with chocolate coins, and I plan on giving them to my boys on St.Patrick's Day. Cute, right?!?

I think these would be fun to share with neighbours and classmates, and they'd make fun and inexpensive party favours too.

Who will you share your lucky coins with this St.Patrick's Day?

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Find MORE St.Patrick's idea here.

Puppy Puppet Loot Bag

Who doesn't love an easy, inexpensive, and unique loot bag / party favour? I am so excited to share this fun puppy puppet kit idea with you today. I got the idea from my 12 year old son who started his own business selling these for $6 (with $1 going to charity). The "jar" packaging makes it the perfect party takeaway!

Each jar contains everything necessary to make an adorable sock puppet: 

• a sock (with a piece of cardstock inside to make the puppet stiff and easy to use... and to prevent the sock from sticking together when the pieces are glued on)
• a pom pom for the nose
• brown felt ears
• red felt tongue

Then, you print a cute tag like the one below, and attach it to jar with some twine.

Here is an example of the ones my son assembled and sold. Cute, right?

Then, to make it a loot bag, you can just attach another festive tag that says, "Thanks for coming to my party!"

Isn't this a unique and fun loot bag / goodie bag idea? I love a good, old fashioned craft, and every kid should make at least one sock puppet during his/ her lifetime, don't you think?

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

PS - You can find MANY more easy and inexpensive party favor ideas here.