Tag Archives: birthday planning

Sep29

Bubbles Kids Entertainment

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Bubbles Kids Entertainment

I took the girls to Discovery Mall the other day to play in their play area. A time that they can spend hours on end and it’s never enough.

As I was walking around trying to entertain myself I passed by a little Kiosk called “Bubbles”

The area is a little heaven for little girls. They can act like hairdressers and style doll’s hair, there’s an area that they can color and paint pottery and even take pictures with a life size Elsa cutout.

They also have the option of hosting a kids birthday party. Unfortunately it’s only for weekday birthdays but it would be cute to take the closest friends and have a small birthday on the “real” day.

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Now that Birthday season has started I hope this helps and gives you an option in Making Life Memorable for your little princess.

For more information about Bubbles Kids Entertainment call 97900381

Sep27

Birthday Games

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Birthday Games

When planning my girls’ birthdays I always like to have at least 2 or 3 games for the kids. I’ve come to realize that all they want to do is just run around and have fun but I still do it anyway!!

One thing I always like to make sure of is choosing a game where everyone is a winner and no hard feelings. There’s nothing worse than making a kid cry on your child’s birthday. So musical chairs is OUT! Too rough and just our mean of a game for me!

The way I avoid any losers is by actually having the kids that are out choose a gift from a huge box of 100fils toys, stickers, bubbles, stationary, colors, play dough….etc Soon some of the kids wanted to loose just to be able to choose a gift from the box.

Off course the games I choose are always theme related.

PassThemonkey

 
 
For example, Zeenah’s 3rd birthday was a monkey theme. So instead of the traditional pass the parcel I had pass the monkey.

I used a stuffed monkey that they passed around. Whenever the music stopped the person that had the monkey got to leave the circle and choose a gift from the “Box”.

Last person got to keep the stuffed monkey as their prize.
 

bananaToss
 

I take every opportunity I get to get artistic and crafty.

The minute I found these cute little plush bananas I had a light bulb moment…..

A Banana toss would be a perfect “Monkey Themed” game.
 
 

First on the agenda was to get a big cardboard box.

Perfect, conveniently I have a gift shop that I always save some shipping boxes just for occasions such as these!
 
 
box
 
 

I took the box and outlines the monkey I wanted.

I then cut out the “mouth” intended for the banana’s to be tossed into.

Off course after that was my favorite part which is painting!!!
 
 
 
 
 
 

MonkeyToss
 
 
It was even better than the way I imagined… The girls were super excited after I had finished it that they played with it constantly before the big debut on the birthday.

For a 3 year old birthday I figured 2 games was just enough and I was right!!!

We had the singing of the birthday shortly after and a chance in Making Life Memorable for everyone involved.

Sep21

Lady Bug Piñata

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Lady Bug Piñata

As much as I’m not an advocate of distributing candy to children I cannot resist a good old fashioned Piñata.

A fun ritual I think for me to make and for the kids to destroy.

For Zeenah’s 4th birthday she had picked the perfect theme to design a Piñata for. I would actually dream about what the “Ladybug” Piñata would look like and couldn’t wait to start on it during the planning process.

Let me walk you through what I did for Zeenah’s Lady bug Piñata.

One of the most important things when making a homemade Piñata after the Paper Mache recipe is the base.
Sounds complicated?? Not really!!

The base consists of none other than a plain ‘ole regular balloon. PM-Balloon

It’s not the balloon that makes the piñata it’s how you design it after wards that makes it fabulous.

The first thing I did was attach two balloons.

The large 3′ balloon was t make the body of the Lady bug and is the part to be popped after completion to add the candy into.

The other balloon was a regular 18″ latex balloon that I used as the head of the ladybug.
 

I used red balloons just for fun but the color really doesn’t matter because it’s all going to be covered anyway!!

The next step is the REEEEEELLy messy part.

The dipping of the news paper strips into the Paper Mache past and gluing on top of the balloons.

The important part is to make sure you leave an opening at the top in order to be able to fill the piñata with candy.

PM-Newspaper
 
 
After you finish putting the first layer of newspaper strips is to leave it to dry before putting another layer. I always wait at least a day before putting the following layer.

I like to put 4-5 layers of Paper Mache strips to make sure that it’s strong enough.

The entire process usually takes me a 5 days between paper Mache strips and drying time.

Now the artistic part begins!!!

PM-crepe
 

I bought red and black crepe paper to cover the body and head of my “ladybug”.

This was such a tedious and time consuming task because I insisted on making the crepe paper ruffled.

It would have been much easier to just glue it on without the extra designing but then again it’s me we’re talking about and I love making life difficult for myself!!

The body was covered in red crepe paper and I had covered the head in black.

I kept the balloons intact and decided to pop it at the end to make sure that the Paper Mache is completely dried and stable.

You also have to remember to make sure you keep the opening at the top of the piñata uncovered with crepe paper to be able to pop the balloon and fill with candy.
PM-spots

 
 
 

I used my 2″ round punch to make the spots of the lady bug by making circles out of black construction paper.
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
PM-with spots
 

I then stuck the spots onto the body of my ladybug. The hardest part in this process was to glue the spots randomly. I’m such a uniform person that I found a few spots that were aligned with each other.

But towards the end I tended to stick some of the spots closer to each other jus to get the random look.

PM-eyes
 

 
 
 
With regular white construction paper I cut out the outline of an eyeball and drew the pupil with a black marker.

I think this was the easiest part in the whole piñata project.

 
 
 
PM-withface

 
 
 
The final part of the piñata design was to stick the eyes onto the ladybug head.

I also made a little smile using white construction paper to make the lady bug look a little more friendly.

 
 
 

 
 
 
PM-antlers

 
 
 
 
 
Using several black pipe cleaners I had made antennas for our little bugger.

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Drum roll please for my piñata masterpiece!!!
 
PM-complete
 

The final task is always left for my husband, I create but he’s in charge of implementing my visualization.

After filling the piñata with candy and turned out to be extremely heavy and I left him with the challenge.

This is what it looked like in our garden!!!

PM-garden

I made a mess in the process of Making Life Memorable and I enjoyed every minute of it!

Sep18

Paper Mache

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Paper Mache

There is something fascinating about getting your hands dirty and being messy while doing some craft or arts project. I’m not talking about just for kids but also as an adult.

Maybe it’s the feeling like you’re a kid again and reliving your childhood but I never realized how thrilling it was until I actually got my hands dirty.

Part of planning my girls’ birthdays is making the piñata. An easy yet long process because of drying time, especially if you want to make it into a specific shape.

The key to making a good piñata isn’t just the design but also having a really good Paper Mache recipe.

I would love to use professional Modge podge but unfortunately it’s not sold in bulk and isn’t cost effective for big destroyable projects.

Many recipes use Elmer’s or white glue as an adhesive which also falls into the same category as my former statement.

I’m all for saving a Fils (or more) in everything I do and I would rather save the money for something that’s more lasting than a piñata that’s going to be beaten to death and thrown into the recycle bin.

Hence I present to you a fabulous Paper Mache recipe that’s easy to make and fantastic to handle.
Paper Mache
 
 
 
 
 
 
Mix the following ingredients:
2 Cups Flour
4 Cups Water
2 Tablespoons Salt (optional, prevents rotting)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

All you need now are newspaper strips, dip each strip into the Paper Mache paste and get dirty!!!
paper
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Have fun Making Life Memorable extra messy!!

See hoe you can use this recipe in my LadyBug Piñata Post!

Sep15

Quick Fix Dinner

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Quick Fix Dinner

There are times in every mother’s life where all she needs is a quick fix dinner because some activity ran too late and bedtime is approaching and there isn’t much time to prepare a “proper” Dinner.

On days like these I often turn to a simple mix & Match of veggies.

Those days I open up my freezer and it’s vegetables feast!!

IMG_5329

So the menu is:
Green Peas & Corn
Brussels Sprouts
“House” Salad with oil & vinegar dressing
Edemame
Cream of Mushroom Soup

Healthy, filling and quick dinner what more can a mom ask for after a hectic day?

So the next time you’re stuck and don’t have time remember Mix & Match what you have and concentrate on Making Life Memorable.

Sep6

LadyBug Photo Booth

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LadyBug Photo Booth

One of my favorite parts of planning the girls’ birthdays is getting creative with a photo Booth. The more I do them the more I begin to elaborate.

Last year Zeenah chose to have a Ladybird birthday. I had made everything black and red with whatever I can make. From table cloths to paper pompoms. It also made my life easier in thinking of ideas for the photo props.
PhotoTable-LB
 
 
I made callout signs that said “No bugging allowed” and “Happy Birthday Zeenah!”

I also got red sunglasses from the 100fils store and added googly eyes and antennas using black pipe cleaners.

Conveniently I also found Red Happy Birthday sunglasses and a Glittery red cowboy hat that I didn’t have to add anything too!
 
 

Next came the actual photo Booth. We are very lucky to have a great big olive tree with amazing branches to hang things on. My decorating engineer (AKA my husband) had the task of implementing my visualization.

We had a great red vintage looking frame that we hung on our Olive tree and a collection of home made red pompoms. Off course the first picture to be taken in the booth has to be a CUTE sister picture before we bring out the sillies!!
girls

Zeenah insisted that I buy the same dress for Jennah because according to her she wanted to be “twins”
 

Then off course it was photo time for the kids with the props With friends and family. It was so enjoyable seeing all the kids grabbing props and posing for the camera. It became a form of entertainment for the kids.

JOJO

aya
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I hope this has inspired a few ideas for your net birthday even and helps in Making Life Memorable for you!

Aug31

Personalize it!

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Personalize it!

Some of the best gifts are those that are personalized. I love having things made specifically for myself or my children.

As much as I love making things myself I sometimes resort to online shopping (AKA online Therapy) It gives me more choices and great value for money.

Tiny Prints is one of those one stop shop that you can get anything from labels to weekly planners, mugs and more that are completely personalized to you.

In our busy schedule it’s sometimes a perfect idea to buy birthday gifts in advance and have them on hand once the birthday rolls in… A real no fuss meaningful gift.

Oh!! Don’t forget to check out their Back to school collection. So much to choose from and will surely play a big role in Making Life Memorable for your kids.

Mar31

Zeenah’s 4th Birthday

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Zeenah’s 4th Birthday

I sometimes feel like March is the end of celebration season for me. We go from the high of October through September with a break in January. Then the Rush of February and March then comes SILENCE! Until the cycle returns.

If you’ve been following me this past almost year then you know how serious I am about celebrations. If this is your first read you need to know that almost every “Occasion” post comes in many parts so stay tuned because I usually have A LOT to say and share.

I take pride in almost every planning detail of every event I host. No matter how small or big I must have something special. Thankfully I have instilled that same trait in my children and it has also rubbed off on my husband. The First step in my birthday planning process for the girls is to ask them what Theme they would like. Off course many times I “veto” and “probe” but many times I like the suggestion they come up with.
 

Zee4th
Zeenah declared her 4th birthday as a “Lady Bug” theme and I was oh too eager to oblige! So much I can work with I was over the moon!! As you can see I also managed to dress her up in theme (which she insisted on having her sister have the same dress too.) Over and above that she asked me to make her a ladybug crown because according to her the guests won’t know who the birthday girl is…. not sure why she would think that since everyone was coming because it was HER birthday….not that I minded off course!

The most exciting thought was the Piñata…. I used to dream about it!!! And oooohhhhh the use of paper Mache, Who doesn’t like a good old fashioned mess??

So stay tuned on all my DIYs, Pictures and fun of Making Life Memorable!

Feb19

Photo Booth

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Photo Booth

One of my favorite things to prepare for the girls’ birthdays are props for our DIY photobooth. There are companies out there that set it up for you but I like to do it myself and people nowadays are all photographers with their smart phones so they get to play and have fun on their own without a professional “probing”

We always have a theme for our birthdays so I always have to make sure that the props I make are related. Then I just add the usual things like funky sunglasses, Boas, decorative items that can be used as props.

MonkeyPhotoProp
For Zeenah’s 3rd birthday she wanted a monkey theme so I had printed out a template of a monkey mask.

I then cut out the outline of the mask on brown cardstock. The details of the face and ears with off-white paper.

The step of cutting out the eye holes evenly was a challenge but I managed to do it.

I added a little flower on the monkey’s ear and a little detail on the nose.

Off course the last step is adding the stick for kids to hold the mask up. I use craft sticks that have rounded tips (if I have them available or can find them) I have used the wooden skewers in the past but made sure I taped the sharp ends.
monkeymask

The next on my list was to make a sign to put on the Prop table. I was lucky to find funky frames at one of the local 100fils stores (the Kuwaiti equivalent of the dollar store) so I bought all the colors they had. I knew they would come in handy some day.

monkeyFrame

table
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Lastly was the setup of the actual booth. We’re lucky to have a big garden that hosts our birthdays. We have an olive tree that provides the best branches to hang an empty frame border, balloons, paper chains and whatever else I can think of. Here’s me posing with my monkey sunglasses during Zeenah’s 3rd Birthday.
PHOTOBOOTH
 
 

HeartsProps
 
 
Jennah’s 7th birthday she had chosen a queen of hearts theme.
I absolutely and utterly enjoyed planning and decorating for it.
It was so hard to actually make decisions to STOP.
I had made lots of props for that. Queen of hearts hair & Crown, Heart lips, Cheshire cat smile, Mini Golden crown and Teedle Dee/Dum cap.
 
 
 
 

An Now it’s time to plan Zeenah’s 4th Birthday coming in March!!!

Its all about making life memorable!!

Nov27

Jennah’s 7th Birthday

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Jennah’s 7th Birthday

We Love having themed birthday parties and there’s nothing more satisfying than seeing it all come together.

This year Jennah chose to have a Queen of Hearts birthday party. A basic red & black with hearts, “How hard could that be??” I thought! Well in my head things always seem to start simple but I’m not one that does simple. I loooooooooooooooooooooove over the top! “Bigger” and “more is more” is my thing.

So I go old fashioned and grab a pen and paper and start writing my to dos.
1. Invitation & Guest list
2. Cake
3. Set-up
4. Menu & cake
5. Favors
6. Games
Off course I wrote that list but knew that things will definitely be added along the way.

First on the list invitations & Guests.

So I pull out the file on my computer with last years list and print it out. We had a few scratched out names and I also had to give Jennah her list of school kids that she made.

Then the fun part of designing the invitation.

invite-craft

 
 

I knew I wanted to have red envelopes and red cardstock for the card. So it was important to make a run to a stationary store before undertaking the design stage. I had to get the envelopes first because only then would I know what size to make the invite.

My second decisions was to design the card for printing on regular white A4. It would just make my life so much easier in getting the color scheme.

A few hours behind the computer and a little cutting here and there.

 
 
 
The final result of a few hours work was something I was very proud of!
invite2

7th Birthday memories are beginning to shape up. After all it’s about “Making Life Memorable!”