Red, White and Blue Sangria

I am planning on having one of these in my hands this weekend--just like this! If you're like me and don't completely love red wine (almost always too dry for my taste), but love fruity drinks, Sangria is a great compromise. Plus, I love this presentation, with the star shaped pineapple! If you don't have blue rimmed glasses, just use blue sugar crystals to line the rims. This would also be perfect to bring to a barbecue. Just fill up a large pitcher or decanter.

For the complete recipe, visit Recipe Girl.

Our Alice Party Part 3: The Activities

Here is where I definitely saved a lot of money. I tried to think of games that were relevant to the theme, yet didn't cost much. It certainly helped that I made myself the Queen of Hearts to lead the games, instead of hiring someone to do the same thing.

THE RABBIT HOLE:
I had the front door decorated so guests had to step through the Rabbit Hole to get into the party. Without expecting it, this in itself became an activity, since the kids had a lot of fun going in and out, or pretending to fall through as Claire did in the photo below. Doesn't she make a great Mad Hatter?! The hole was simply made with a cross slit in a plastic table cover, decorated with signs and blow-ups on foam core board.

GETTING READY FOR THE TEA PARTY:
As each guest arrived, we helped get her ready for the "tea party." I had one friend help the girls put on makeup; one friend applied temporary tattoos (way cheaper than face painting!) and each girl made a heart bracelet. (About $4 for the beads and string.) Plus, the heart bracelet became a take-home gift, too.

PHOTO PROPS:
Once each girl was all doll'd up, we took her photo in front of this fabulous backdrop my friend and photographer, Stephanie, had. It was perfect! I e-mailed each girl's mom a photo as part of our thank you. If you missed it, here is the info on the photo props.


THE GAMES:

After the tea party, the games commenced! We played "Queen of Hearts Says" (a la Simon Says). Girls enjoyed it, but honestly, had a hard time really keeping up! Next, came the favorite game, Musical Cards (Musical Chairs, but with oversized cards). We played this about 3 or 4 times! Pin the Smile on the Cheshire Cat--how does this game not get old?? Kids had fun with this one, too. (The girls could see through the scarf I was using, so we had to resort to an apron!) And of course, croquet. Although most of the girls tried to tackle this one, they had some trouble getting the ball through the hoops.

Last thing to mention, goodie bags (which unfortunately I didn't get a photo of) also had an Alice in Wonderland puzzle (purchased at the Dollar Tree) and a Ring Pop.

All in all, it was a fun time. Posting all these photos the last few days has gotten me tired all over again! I hope you enjoyed our Alice in Wonderland party, and hope it provides you with some inspiration for your own!

Jump here for Part 1, here for Part 2 of the party.

Our Alice Party Part 2: The Food Table

The Queen of Hearts certainly took center stage with the main tea party in Part 1 so I knew I had to find a way to represent the other main characters: Alice, Mad Hatter and the Cheshire Cat. So, I incorporated them into the food table. Since most of the story takes place in the forest I pretty much went with that in decorating the table, using vines and a small tree I had from last year's Halloween party.

In case you missed them, I've already shared the DIY on the Alice Stand and Mad Hatter Hat. More DIY info to come next week!

Those green flower cups were completely inspired by the tie-dye cups The Purple Pug made for her Fly Guy party, that I also featured. The idea was perfect for my table. AND best of all it was a great project for my girls to do, to contribute to their own party. The flower cups are made with coffee filters and you can find The Purple Pug's tutorial here.

THE FOOD: Instead of putting out bowls of food, I wanted to make it really easy for the girls to serve themselves, so everything was put into little cups or made bite-size.

The Alice Stand held tea sandwiches; strawberry cream cheese and, ham and cheese sandwiches.

The Mad Hatter Hat was adorned by cups with cheese sticks, black olives and cucumbers.

The Cheshire Cat Tray (which is just a box wrapped in a plastic tablecover) held cups of strawberries, blueberries and grapes.

The green flower cups held cold pasta salad. (The cups were reused ice cream dixie cups)

The food's color complemented its stand and it was all food 5-year old kids enjoy.

DESSERT: Dessert came later with the "Painting the Roses Red" cupcakes I made to sing Happy Birthday to. Plus, I served Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies and heart-shaped chocolates while the girls played croquet. It was just enough food and sweets. I didn't have many leftovers. It's nice to have a dedicated dessert table, but unless you plan to give most of it away as part of the kids' goody bags, you get left with too much candy. So, think twice before you do it.

Next up: Party Activities!

Our Alice Party Part 1: Queen of Hearts Tea Party

This week, I'm going beyond the usual "Merry Monday" to finally show you photos from the Alice in Wonderland party we threw for my girls, Renee and Siena, who turned 5 a couple of weeks ago. I am so thrilled with how everything went, and even more so, that my friend Stephanie Stamos captured it so beautifully. This week I will post the party photos in parts. Next week, I'll follow up with all the DIY and free printables. Yes, I made everything--even most of the printables! So, without further ado... welcome to our Queen of Hearts Tea Party! And yes... that is me, making a special appearance as the Queen of Hearts. Ha! Let me tell you--it was a great way to get everyone to call me "Your Highness" for the day! ;)

That last photo made it all worth it! The girls still talk about the party.

If you missed it, you can find the DIY and info on the free DRINK ME tag on my post here.

And if you can, please take a minute to look at Stephanie's website. In addition to photography, she sells fabulous tutus and other girly apparel, under the name "Clare Bear Wear."

Part 2 will showcase the Food Table, featuring the DIY Alice stand I shared with you. :)

**Update: Visit here for Part 2; Visit here for Part 3: The Activities.

Linking to Bird's Party Link Your Party

Crostini Bar

I can't get enough of all the self-serve, interactive food table ideas that everyone has been doing. This is one of my favorites that I recently came across on Eat, Drink, Pretty. This Crostini Bar idea is perfect for so many occasions. It's simple enough that if you're having friends over for just wine, you can easily buy everything pre-made (even the crostini bread) and put it out. It makes a great presentation, and guests will enjoy choosing their favorite toppings. This also makes a great appetizer bar for any party. I always stress about food keeping warm, but this gives you one less (major) thing to worry about.

For topping ideas, visit the original post at Eat, Drink, Pretty here.