And Away We Go! {GIVEAWAY}

When I announced last month that April would be all parties all the time here on AFOMFT, I got a ton of e-mails from readers asking for ideas for boys parties.  Your wish is my command.

There are so many great themes out there for little guys - and I'll cover a lot of them this month - but if I had a little boy, I wouldn't be able to resist planning an airplane party.  There are so many amazing ideas you can incorporate into a "Ready for Takeoff" birthday bash, starting with invitations made to look like boarding passes:

To decorate the table, line the center with a runway.

And use plane images to tie in all of the other party elements, like place mats and napkins rings.... 

As well as water bottles, juice boxes, favor bags and party hats.

How fun are these sayings on the favor labels?

You may be reading this post thinking, "Sure, great ideas but who has the time to put all of this together?"  Well, not to worry.  For just $10, you can buy a PDF file from Mélangerie Inc. with all of the designs you see above (and a few more like a "Ready For Takeoff" banner!) so you can print them at home and assemble them yourself.  And you don't need a fancy printer, either - all of the elements are formatted to print on regular paper.  Is that easy or what?

The "Ready for Takeoff" printable party pack is based on a design that Mélangerie Inc. created for the queen of fabulous parties, Amy Atlas.  Check out how fantastic the celebration she threw for Joshua turned out! 

This plane suspended above the runway is actually a cake!

And the plane-topped cupcakes are just adorable.

For more images from Joshua's birthday bash, visit Amy's blog, Sweet Designs.

I've found a lot of other great airplane parties out there too.  Check out these adorable invitations Jennifer of Nounces Designs created for her son's birthday.

They even had map envelopes.

The party details are to die for.  Jennifer served the guests pre-packaged lunches like you'd get on a flight (although much tastier, I'm sure!) with matching labels.

The favors were set out under a sign that read "Baggage Claim" and were sweetly packaged in "suitcases" she made from cereal boxes.

Adorable, right?  And for all of you moms of multiples out there, Jennifer just created a custom invitation for a boy and girl Airplane celebration!

The matching cupcake toppers are super cute too.

To see more details and pictures of Jennifer's son's party, or to place an order, visit Nounces Designs.

Want some more fun plane ideas?  You can outfit your birthday boy or girl in a personalized plane tee from Ashley Alexander Boutique.  The banner can feature their name or age.

And for favors, how about airplane lollipops from Custom Candy Creations?

Or jumbo plane crayons from Live, Love, Craft?

Or if you want to make your own, visit our easy peasy recycled crayon tutorial.

Are you "Ready for Takeoff" now?  I hope so!  And if you're thinking of planning a party soon, I've got a treat for you.

Mélangerie Inc. has generously offered to giveaway one printable party pack to a lucky AFOMFT reader!  To enter, visit Mélangerie Inc. and post a comment here telling me which set you'll choose if you win - the "Ready for Takeoff" party or the "Garden Tea" party.  For additional entries:

• Subscribe to AFOMFT or let us know you are a subscriber
• Become a fan of AFOMFT on Facebook -- http://tinyurl.com/AFOMFTFBFAN
• Ask your friends to become a fan of AFOMFT on Facebook by sending them this link - http://tinyurl.com/AFOMFTFBFAN - and post a comment here with the names of each one who does.  You'll earn one entry per new friend who becomes a fan and names will be cross-checked. 
• Visit Mélangerie Inc. on Etsy and make the store a favorite.
• Follow AFOMFT on Twitter (@AFOMFT or click the birdie icon on the sidebar) and tweet this post by clicking the graphic above or this giveaway:  It's PARTYPALOOZA MONTH @AFOMFT with a giveaway a day! Enter to win a printable party pack for your little one - http://tinyurl.com/AFOMFT
• Click here to vote for AFOMFT on Top Baby Blogs and post a comment here that you did - .  You can vote once per day per computer so if you vote every day or on different computers, be sure to post one comment for each one.
• Grab our new button and put it on your blog or website and post a link here showing us.
• Grab the PARTY PALOOZA button and put it on your blog or website and post a link here showing us.
• Blog about AFOMFT, PARTY PALOOZA or this giveaway (worth 2 entries so please post two comments) and post a link to the post.

Please leave a separate comment for each entry (two if you've blogged about the giveaway) and make sure to include a link to your tweet, blog post, etc. This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada and ends April 12th at 11:59 pm EST. The winner will be selected by random.org and announced on AFOMFT on April 13th. If the winner doesn't contact AFOMFT within 48 hours, a new drawing will be held so be sure to check back to see if you've won!

Images: Mélangerie Inc., Amy Atlas, Nounces Designs, Ashley Alexander Boutique, Custom Candy Creations & Live, Love, Craft