How to Throw the Ultimate Sesame Street Party! {Part 2}

Sunny days, sweeping the clouds away....

I've had that song stuck in my since I posted part one of How To Throw the Ultimate Sesame Street Party last week and why wouldn't I?  Visions of Cookie Monster and Big Bird and Oscar have been dancing in my head ever since.  I guess I should get used to it since it's time for part two!

My last post covered invitations, decorations and food, but what are you going to do with all of those Bert & Ernie lovers once the party starts?  I love this "Pin the Nose on Elmo" game that Melissa from Honey Scrap made for just 50 cents using poster board and construction paper.

There were two great activities at the party thrown by Libby from Libby's Little Addiction - make-your-own Sesame puppets, using foam cut out with scalloped circle punches, googly eyes, popsicle sticks and pom poms:

And this super cute "Toss Oscar in the Garbage Can" game:

Libby painted clothespins to look like Oscar (and even included a little Slimey worm!) and decorated paper bags to look like garbage cans.  Genius!

Jami from Freckled Laundry made this cookie-tastic pinata out of a paper bag and crepe paper for just $1!  You could probably make all of the characters using her simple tutorial.

I found another fun and inexpensive idea over on And Everything Sweet, where Kate set up a fake tattoo parlor for her daughter Olivia's birthday. {Psst- you can get 72 temporary Sesame Street tattoos for $7 at Oriental Trading!}

She also made this amazing photo stand where the kiddos could take a turn being Ernie.

Once the food has been eaten and the games are done, it's time for cake!  The Hudson Street sign on this one from Jenny Cookies is too cute.

Effi from Le Petit Party used fondant characters on her son's cake.

Over on And Everything Sweet, that term was an understatement when it came to Olivia's confection, which featured a huge cupcake on top!

But who says you have to have a cake?  You can keep it simple like Melissa from Honey Scrap, who made an Elmo out of cupcakes. 

Unfortunately, after the candles have been blown out, it can only mean one thing - the party's over.  But don't send your guests home empty handed!  Cookies shaped like the birthday boy or girl's age and initial (this party brought to you by the letter "H" and the number "2") are a fun favor, like these from Jenny Cookies:

And the character pails from Olivia's party on And Everything Sweet would also be fab.

I don't know where they're from but they look like they'd be pretty simple to DIY.

That's not what party goers at Olivia's party received, though.  Elmo inspired the actual favors:

Much to some parents' chagrin, when they left with his two favorite things - crayons and a real goldfish!

Want to do something similar but simpler?  These chocolate-covered Oreo Goldfish pops from Domesticated Lady will probably go over a little better with the 'rents.

And while we're making Elmo's picks edible, why not tackle crayons too?

Jenn from Parties by Hardie shows you how to make edible crayons (hint: they're pretzel rods dipped in chocolate):

And there's also a free printable for the wrappers!

So there you have it - what to do, what to eat and what to give out at your Sesame Street birthday bash.  Hmmmm, it seems like I'm forgetting something.  What could it be?  Of course!  What to wear!

There are tons of adorable Sesame Street outfits, shirts and dresses on Etsy and elsewhere but I'll leave you with two of my favorite ideas.  I adore these darling appliqued shirts from Peanut and Pumpkin Design.

How cute are the names and ages on the back?

Sara can make almost any character and you can pair the shirts with tutus, jeans or whatever. 

And if you're feeling a little crafty yourself, give these hats from Crafts by Amanda a go.  The how to is super simple.

Come to think of it, they'd make cute favors too!

So there you have it - How to Throw the Ultimate Sesame Street Party!  I hope you've enjoyed these posts.  If you have some Sesame ideas you want to share, post them in the comments and I'll include them in the future.  And stay tuned for our next "Ultimate Party" post on rock star bashes!  If you have something that ties into this theme that you think I should include, shoot me an e-mail at afomft@gmail.com.

Images: Honey Scrap, Libby's Little Addiction, And Everything Sweet, Freckled Laundry, Jenny Cookies, Le Petit Party, Domesticated Lady, Parties by Hardie, Peanut and Pumpkin Design & Crafts by Amanda

Heavenly Holiday Treats {GIVEAWAY}

Our third HOLIDAY HAPPENING giveaway comes from a girl after my own heart.  By day she works for a major cable network (just like me), she has two year old twins (just like me) and she loves sweets (just like me!).  But where Tara from Heavenly Bites Cakes and I differ is that my only talent when it comes to sweet treats is scarfing them down while she can actually make them.  And not only are they delicious but they're fabulous looking, too!   

I mean, really?  How can you cut into something so cute? 

Heavenly Bites Cakes is located in Staten Island, NY so for all of you in the tri-state area looking for delectable baked goods, you know who to call.  But just because you live elsewhere doesn't mean you have to be deprived of Tara's goodies.  She ships her fondant cupcake toppers:

Decorated sugar cookies:

And cake bites all over the country.

Tara can customize her sweets to fit any theme so don't be afraid to ask.  She even made the Dark Side look good!

I love the coordinating light saber cupcake toppers!

 And one lucky AFOMFT reader is going to get to see firsthand!  (get it - Darth Vader?  Hand?)

Heavenly Bites Cakes is giving away two dozen of the winner's choice of fondant cupcake toppers, decorated sugar cookies or cake bites (worth $50).  If that won't kick off your holidays right, I don't know what will!  To enter, visit Heavenly Bites Cakes and post a comment here telling me which you'll choose if you win - the cookies, the cupcake toppers or the cake bites - and how you'll use them (this is mandatory).  For additional entries:

• Subscribe to AFOMFT or let us know you are a subscriber.
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• Ask your friends to "like" 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 "likes" our page and names will be cross-checked.  
• Follow Heavenly Bites Cakes & AFOMFT on Twitter (@heavenlybitesNY & @AFOMFT or click the birdie icon on the sidebar) and tweet this post by clicking the graphic above or this giveaway:  It's the Holiday Happening on @AFOMFT with a giveaway-a-day all month! #Win $50 worth of sweet treats from @heavenlybitesNY - 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 button and put it on your blog or website and post a link here showing us.
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• Blog or post on Facebook about this giveaway with a link to this post (worth 2 entries so please post two comments) and make sure your comments include a link to your status or blog 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. All entries must be posted on AFOMFT as a direct comment to this post.  Comments on Facebook will not count as entries.  This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. only and ends November 10th at 11:59 pm EST. The winners will be selected by random.org and announced on AFOMFT on November 11th. If the winners don'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: Heavenly Bites Cakes

Terrifying Treats!

We're almost halfway to Halloween so I wanted to share some of the terrifying treats I've found in case you're looking for something freaky and fun to make for your festivities!

A Little Tipsy has the how to for some Eerie Eyeballs made from cereal.

While we're on the subject of eyes, these cookies from Taste of Home are easy to make and scary to look at!

And the Eyes of Newt from Lil Boo & Co. are just what the witch doctor ordered!

Want to get your ghost on?  Try these Ghost Meringues from Southern Living.

Liz from Hoosier Homemade shared some great Ghost Cupcakes over on Pink Little Cake.

And these Boo-tiful Jello Cups just put a smile on my face. 

Southern Living shows you how to make some wacky witches hats.

And the Monster Brownies from Amanda's Cookin' are almost too cute to eat!  Almost.

There are more monsters where those came from!  Find Franken-Pops at Craft-O-Matic.

And this great Franken-Crunch to Munch from at Munchkin Munchies. {via Pink Little Cake}

I love these Owl-Ween Pops from Southern Living.

And Confessions of a Cookbook Queen shows you how to make Owl Pops from Butterfingers. Y-U-M!

While you're over at Confessions of a Cookbook Queen, check out the how-to for the Zombie Grave Cakes too.  Creeeppppy!

Suzie the Foodie's Midnight Mice would go well with the graves.

And so would the Peanut Butter and Chocolate Spiders from Not Just a Happy Housewife.

My favorite Halloween treat is a certain triangular, tri-color candy and lucky for me, there are some dazzling dessert versions of it too!  Make some Candy Corn Cupcakes like The Curvy Carrot.

Or this amazing Candy Corn Cake.

I want a slice of that right now. 

But what would Halloween be without pumpkins?  You can make some in cupcake form, like these from Country Living.

Or give this funky Trix-O-Lantern from Taste and Tell a try.

But the ultimate pumpkin confection has to be this Jack-O-Lantern Surprise Cake from I Am Baker.

When you cut it open.... surprise!

How cool is that? 

There are tons more wonderful and wacky Halloween sweet treats out there and we want to hear about your favorites so leave a comment and let us know what's on your must make list!

Images: A Little Tipsy, Taste of Home, Lil Boo & Co., Southern Living, Hoosier Homemade, Kraft, Amanda's Cookin', Craft-O-Matic, Munchkin Munchies, Confessions of a Cookbook Queen, Suzie the Foodie, Not Just a Happy Housewife, The Curvy Carrot, My Recipes, Country Living, Taste & Tell and I Am Baker