Parties Archives - Busy Moms Helper

DIY New Year’s Eve Shakers

December 27, 2018 by Danielle Leave a Comment

I’ll admit, we use to do more of a ‘party’ as a family for New Year’s Eve when we lived in Utah. There’d be tons of food, some fireworks in the road in front of the house, and countdowns (one of the kids, one of the adults) – I loved it! The past few years we’ve been much more mellow, watching some movies together then going to bed before midnight. Blah! This year, we’re hoping to do more with our kids – letting them stay up, doing more activities, and really enjoying our time together (and hopefully sleep in). These DIY New Year’s Eve Shakers will be a fun addition to create AND celebrate with!

I know, they’re going to be NOISY – but letting the kids make some crazy noise after the ball drop is a rare treat that we can deal with. I can only imagine how excited they’ll be, and their smiled will be worth the few minutes of shakers 🙂

Supplies

8 Empty Keurig Cups
4 Dowel Rods or Popsicle Sticks
Popcorn Kernels
Washi Tape (Any Colors/Designs)
Scissors

Directions

Decorate the outside of each Keurig cup with the tape. Create your own designs and have fun with it!
Fill one cup about ½ full with popcorn kernels.
Place another cup on top and wrap washi tape around the middle, securing them together. Go around 2-3 times.
Take your dowel rod or popsicle stick and place it on the back. Secure it with 3-4 strips of washi tape.
Now, they are ready to shake and have fun!!

What’s your New Year’s Eve traditions?

Star Wars Printable Cupcake Toppers

November 21, 2018 by Danielle Leave a Comment

Star Wars was a huge part of my childhood, and marrying a fellow fan resulted in our kids being raised this way as well. Of course, instead of just the originals, our kids get to enjoy the newer films AND side stories like Star Wars Rebels, expanding that world even further. I love sharing this with my family, so it’s only natural we’d love having themed parties or cupcake decorations just for the heck of it! Now you can join in with these Free Star Wars Printable Cupcake Toppers – and they’re not just great for cupcakes, but also for dangly decor, stickers and so much more!

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If you’ve enjoyed our previous Star Wars printables – such as stick puppets or the soda bottle gift set – then these are probably right up your alley! I love how these ones are not only colorful and adorable, but have a little spunk to each of the characters.

There’s quite a variety of your favorite CLASSIC characters – Yoda, Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie, Darth Vader, C3P0 and R2D2. There’s even one with my favorite couple in the galaxy, Han and Leia together!

To use as a cupcake topper, just cut out and tape to either lollipop sticks or toothpicks then stick into your cupcakes. Easy peasy!

They print nicely onto 8.5×11 size paper (I recommend printing onto cardstock for durability), making them roughly 1.5-2″ (ish) in diameter. You can print into a smaller size if you’re looking for tinier circles, of course.

Another idea is to tape them to streamers or gift wrap ribbon to hang around for decorations. Maybe as a backdrop for a ‘photo booth’ spot during a party?

Another unique idea is to print of two of the sheets, cut them out – then do a Star Wars themed memory game. It’s a great way to keep littles entertained for a bit, plus work on their memory AND fine motor (flipping over little circles) skills!

These Star Wars printables are free as part of our subscriber-exclusive printables, so if you’re not already on our weekly newsletter list then be sure to sign up below for access to this fun printable and many others!

Who’s your favorite Star Wars character?

Printable Disney Banner

June 6, 2018 by Danielle 12 Comments

With our family Disney World vacation happening in a few months, we’re getting our countdown out and ready. I’m excited that many of YOU can enjoy this Printable Disney Banner too!! Even if you’re not planning a Disney trip, it can be used for parties, or just for fun.

Book your next Disney vacation with Get Away Today for the best deals – use Promo Code: BusyMomsHelper for $10 off your vacation package!

(originally shared March 2016) See, isn’t it fun?! I did Mickey-eared numbers from 1-31, so you can count down the month leading up to your vacation. OR combine numbers for a birthday banner for the special persons age! There are TWENTY pages, with 4 triangle banner pieces per page. Just print them off (I recommend cardstock, but that’s entirely up to you), cut them out, then string or tape where you like.

My hubby had a super idea (when I agreed it was genius, our Thor said ‘wait…what?!’ Guess he needs to come up with great ideas in front of the kids more often, but it sure was funny!) – String up the numbers, then gently tape a character one on top. So each day you take off the character to display the number! Or you can do it in reverse, and life off the number each day to reveal a surprise character. Yup, totally fun!

My kids asked if we would use this the next time we have a Disney vacation – I said definitely, along with my favorite DIY Disney Countdown using a frame and straws! I’m leaving it up in our house just for fun this week 🙂

Book your next Disney vacation with Get Away Today for the best deals – use Promo Code: BusyMomsHelper for $10 off your vacation package!

Other Disney fun…

Disney's New Paint the Night Parade is my favorite Disneyland parade yet! by BusyMomsHelper.com Our experience with Paint the Night Parade with kids was fantastic!

Disneyland's 60th Diamond Celebration / by BusyMomsHelper.com

Star Wars Half Marathon by Nikki Christiansen for Busy Mom's Helper

Free Printable Disneyland Height Requirements / by Busy Mom's Helper / Free Printable California Adventure Height Requirements

How to Print on Burlap & Valentine Date Invitation Printable

February 2, 2018 by Danielle Leave a Comment

This post was sponsored by BurlapFabric.com – as always, all opinions and ideas are our own.

I don’t know about you, but I didn’t always like burlap. In my mind, it was always a bland brown color that had fraying edges that were a mess, and you couldn’t do much with it at all. Wow, that’s sure changed! Now you can get burlap in several different colors, shapes, styles. You can get it as a napkin, a bag, ribbon, banners and so much more. I love the options! I also love that I now know how How to Print on Burlap & I’m sharing a fun Valentine Date Invitation Printable for y’all to use this month!

Isn’t this banner super fun? I thought it’d be unique to not only ‘invite’ my hubby to be my Valentine date, but do it by decorating with a banner covered with the invite – he’s sure to get the message that way, right? 😉

I got this 12-pack of burlap banner pieces for the project, and though I was a bit nervous printing on a weird shape, it turned out really simple and no hassle at all!

Supplies

12-pack of burlap banner pieces
Printer (I used inkjet, but I’ve heard this will work on laserjet as well – but haven’t personally tried that)
Scissors
Hot glue/gun
Valentine Invitation Printable -click on here & the 8.5×11 will download
Colored Burlap Ribbon – if desired

A side note – the reason I really love this burlap banner pack is that it already has a filmy backing to it. Otherwise, we’d need to do additional steps with freezer paper to create a backing for going through the printer. This worked great for me without the extra though because it was already there!

Directions – Printing on the Burlap

Cut just under the top folded-over area of the banner, removing the strip that holds the string – but save it, because we’ll reattach it later! Be sure to trim the edges a bit to get rid of any frays that could get caught in the printer.
Do a test page on your printer to make sure you know the proper direction to load your burlap. You want it to print on the non-shiny side. We designed the file to be 8.5×11 in size, but it’s laid out so it’ll print in the bulky area of these banners, with the top at the largest width of the banner – as you can see below. After your comfortable that you know the direction to load your banner piece, place it as needed in your printer and hit print.

Directions – Attaching Rope Back On

Use hot glue/gun to reattach the strip with the rope to the back of your banner. Don’t go very close to the sides, as you’ll need to trim a bit off so they don’t stick out.

An easy way to trim them WITHOUT CUTTING THE ROPE is as follows:
- Cut a little slit inwards (only on that back strip, do not cut the front triangle in any of these steps) so you can push the rope enough towards the center that it won’t get cut on the edge.
- Cut the excess strip off, keeping the rope away from your scissors – and remember to avoid cutting the front triangle piece, you’re just cutting the excess along the edges!
- Repeat for other side so they’re both hidden/flush with the nice triangle edges

I love this little ‘invitation’ and how simple it was to print on burlap – I can see a lot of fun projects like this in the future! I also used this red burlap ribbon for some added ‘color’ and accent with my banner. I think it really brings out the red text!

If you like it more simple, that’s perfectly great too – it still looks incredible, and almost makes the mustache part stand out even more which is fun 🙂

Whichever way you choose, this fun Valentine date invitation is unique, simple to make and a great way to catch the invitees eyes!

If you have burlap that doesn’t already have that film layer on the back, you’ll need to add it using freezer paper and an iron, otherwise it’ll have issues printing since there’s holes/gaps in the burlap:

Be sure you use freezer paper – NOT wax!
Trim a piece of freezer paper so it fits your burlap shape. Trim so it fits EXACTLY – don’t forget to trim any burlap frays as well.
Put the shiny side of the paper onto the ‘back’ of your burlap and use your iron to ‘stick’ the paper to the burlap.
Follow the printing instructions as above – always do a test sheet to ensure you have it loaded the correct way.
Once printed on, carefully peel off the freezer paper. It should come off easily, but if it’s sticking a bit too much, try rolling the burlap gently so it loosens it up more to peel off. Another option is putting it in the freezer, which seems to make the pieces unstick from each other.

What would YOU print on burlap?

Please note – printers and burlap may vary, so please make the best judgement when putting something other than paper through your printer. We’re simply sharing how we did it and what worked for us. We assume no responsibility if your printer/burlap is different and something gets ruined.

Other Valentine Ideas…

10 Pokemon Crafts: You’ll Want to Try Them All!

December 19, 2017 by Danielle

How long do your kids get out of school for the holiday break this year? Mine have half-day Wednesday, then don’t go back until January 9th – almost THREE WEEKS! Needless to say, we’ll be doing quite a few fun activities and projects while they’re home, both for quality time together AND to keep them from driving me bonkers 🙂 Since my boys are really big into Pokemon, I thought it’d be fun to share these 10 Pokemon Crafts: You’ll Want to Try Them All!

I never did get into the whole Pokemon craze – not even Pokemon Go (gasp!), but that hasn’t stopped my boys from loving the it! This list has a bit of everything, from perler bead projects to clothing and mugs – even some keychains and bookmarks! I know my Iron Man will certainly be making a few of those bookmarks to stick in the novels he keeps flying through – so glad!

Perler Bead Pokemon by Sugar Bee Crafts
DIY Pikachu Shirt by The Scrap Shoppe
Pokeball Heart Ornament by Eclectic Mom Sense
Pikachu Mugs by Crafts ala Mode
Pokeball Bath Bombs by Mad in Crafts
Pokemon Painted Pumpkins by Happiness is Homemade
Pokeball Bookmarks by Kids Activities Blog
Pokemon Keychains by Mad in Crafts
Pokemon Paper Lantern by All For the Boys
Pokeball Tin by 30 Minute Crafts

Hopefully there’s enough fun here to get them going on some fun things for the holiday break, or even a Pokemon party if you’ve got a celebration! Whatever the reason, hope you enjoy – and maybe even make YOURSELF a little Pokemon craft 😉

What’s YOUR kids favorite Pokemon?

DIY Thanksgiving Place Settings

November 6, 2017 by Danielle

Do you go all out for Thanksgiving when you host? I sure would love to – an elegant spread, name cards and centerpieces and the whole lot. The reality is that I simply can’t – between time, money and the 5 kids ‘helping’ with setting everything up, we’ve got to keep it simple. One idea is to get them involved and just have fun with it – like making these DIY Thanksgiving Place Settings! They’re super simple and quick, and even though they aren’t the ‘fanciest’, they’re still plenty colorful and entertaining for any holiday table.

Y’all know I’m a big fan of crafts that can be done using scraps, right? Well all this takes is scraps of straws, Popsicle sticks, paper and hot glue – easy-peasy! It’s even better if you have a variety of Thanksgiving colors, like reds, yellows, oranges, browns and golds. Just think of all those pretty fall shades!

You can totally customize these to be whatever size or shape you’d like, and get as creative with the letter (or full name, if you feel ambitious) as you’d like. I considered sparkles, but then realized we’d all end up with sparkles in our food so dismissed that pretty quickly. Add a cute, colored feather in the top corner, or a mini turkey sticker. Have fun with it, especially if your kids are helping you put them together (and be careful with that hot glue!).

Supplies

Straws
Paper
Popsicle Sticks
Hot Glue/Gun
Scissors

Directions

Cut the straws to the size you’d like. We just did them in half. Cut the popsicle sticks so they fit behind your final shape, holding it together but not sticking out the sides.
When you have the straws laid out however you’d like (I tried to line up the stripes so it looked like a continuous, multi-colored pattern), add some hot glue on the back and carefully place your popsicle stick on it. Try to make it go all the way across the straws, so it’ll hold them all together. Cross them, or just line them up next to each other – the main point is that they are there to secure all the straws in place.
Cut out (or use stickers) for the letters or names to go on each of the place settings – glue or stick them on.

That’s it – super simple, and you can get as creative as you’d like! Just place on your each plate/napkin for some colorful Thanksgiving place settings for everyone to enjoy.

What’s YOUR favorite Thanksgiving color? Mine’s probably the reds 🙂

Free Printable Pizza Party Bingo

October 19, 2017 by Danielle

My dad owned a pizza shop when I was younger, so it was always expected that we’d have pizza at our parties. Not that I’m complaining – it was a hit! These fun Free Printable Pizza Party Bingo cards would be just the ticket to go along with any party – pizza themed or not – when you’re serving a delicious, hot pizza!

Aren’t these super fun? And you could do a pizza party theme ANY time of year – it’s so flexible! Plus what kid doesn’t like pizza? The printable packet comes with 6 different pizza party bingo cards, plus a sheet for the ‘master’. Little pizzas, toppings, soda and other themed photos accent these great cards that you can nab for free – just sign up for our newsletter below and you get access to all our subscriber-exclusive printables!

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Free Printable Pizza Party Bingo

What’s YOUR favorite pizza?

Halloween Ghost Treat Huggers

October 14, 2017 by Danielle

Kids love Halloween because they get to dress up and get LOTS of candy. But what kind of makes it ‘eh’ for me is that it’s often the same candy, and nobody remembers where they got what. I want to stand out! This year I’ll be making these fun Halloween Ghost Treat Huggers to give our candies a little extra ‘spook’. Okay, they may still not remember they got these at MY house, but at least it’s cute and gives me a neat new craft to do for a bit 🙂

Aren’t they cute? Plus you can nab the printable for FREE, so it’s not a huge project of tracing or anything.

To make your Ghost Treat Huggers:

Download & print the document HERE – it fits on an 8.5×11 sheet (recommend cardstock)
Cut out the ghost treat huggers – you can hole punch or cut their eyes/mouth, if desired
Add a treat over their belly, then tape their arms over it so the ghost is ‘holding’ it
Gift away!

See, told you it was super easy. They come 4 to a page so they’re the perfect size for many of the popular Halloween candies.

You could also cut out colored paper and tape the back of the ghost on it for more of a ‘3D card’ type look, but I liked the simplicity and size of just the ghosts for my own.

I’m really excited to share this treat huggers with all the trick-or-treaters this Halloween, and know my kids will want to enjoy some themselves – of course!

What’s YOUR favorite treat or toy to give on Halloween?

20 DIY Galaxy Projects

October 9, 2017 by Danielle

I’ve seen a lot of things lately that are galaxy themed. Parties, decorations, and everything. I agree it’s a fun trend & I like the look of it! If you or your kiddos are fans as well, you’re going to love this list of 20 DIY Galaxy Projects! Personally, I really want to try those awesome-looking fingernails.

Oooh, don’t those diy galaxy bath bombs look cool, too? There’s just so many fun galaxy projects to try, I need like a whole day devoted to trying all of these fun things!

Lemon Lime Adventures – Galaxy Bath Bombs

Me Sew Crazy – Galaxy Moon Phases Wall Hanging

Doodle Craft Blog – Galaxy Pendants

Gloriously Chic – DIY Galaxy Shoes

Pink Stripey Socks – Painted Galaxy Umbrella

Some of This and That – Galaxy Ice Cream

A Subtle Revelry – Galaxy Balloons

A Beautiful Mess – Easy Galaxy Nails

Damask Love – DIY Galaxy Painted Notebook

Dream a Little Bigger – Galaxy Cross Stitch Cuff

A Kailo Chic Life – Galaxy Color Blocked Marble Coasters

Deco Art – Galaxy Ornament

Color Made Happy – DIY Galaxy Painted Rocks

DIY Projects for Teens – DIY Galaxy Eos

Pop Craft Art – Mini Galaxy Magnets

Life of a Razorback – DIY Galaxy Backpack

Hello Giggles – DIY Ethereal Glam Light Galaxy Goddess Dess

Kids Activities Blog – Galaxy Sugar Cookies

Doodle Craft Blog – DIY Painted Galaxy Painted Shoes

My Crafts – DIY Galaxy Diamond Painting

Summer Camp Kits: Earn Extra Cash this Summer

May 17, 2017 by Danielle

The kids are almost out of school, which means a few months of ‘Mom, I’m bored!’ Why not provide something fun for your kids, while also earning some extra cash this summer? You can host an awesome summer camp for kids easily with the help of our Summer Camp Kits – full of tips, instructions, recipes, crafts and LOADS of printables to help save you work while hosting a great camp! And if you don’t feel like doing a whole summer camp – these make fabulous preschool theme kits, party plans and ideas or just awesome activities for kids!

That’s right, you can put on a successful and PROFITABLE kids summer camp this year, and our Summer Camp Kits are full of helpful stuff to save you a ton of time and work. Almost all the planning is done for you! We’ve even got four themes – Superhero, Wizard, Science and Arts & Crafts – so you can pick what fits your kids (and the kids you’ll be inviting to attend) and their interests!

You’ll have all the instructions & supplies list for tasty foods and fun themed crafts, activities, games and even experiments! Try a Mandrake Root Cupcake in our Wizard Camp…

…or test your skills through a security maze during our Superhero Training camp!

Kids will have a blast doing experiments in science camp…

…and let their creative side shine in Arts & Crafts camp.

Each summer camp kit comes with TONS of printables to help with your successful camp – banners, name tags, games and filler activities, signs, food cards, photo booth props and much more!

You can nab your summer camp kit HERE, or even get multiple to host a variety of camps and bring in even more extra money this summer!

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These are ALL included in our Busy Mom Bundle, along with other fabulous printable packs!

Check out our other products HERE

Family Home Binder

Unofficial Disney Activity & Autograph Books

2018 Planner & Calendar

A YEAR of Meal Plans plus Recipes – on a budget!

Wonder Woman Inspired Movie Night

May 6, 2017 by Danielle

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #WonderfulMovieNight #WonderWoman

Y’all know how much we love super heroes, right? I mean, even on this site my kids go by their chosen super hero names, like my girl who loves Wonder Woman. To get ready for the upcoming film, we’ve got all the supplies we need for a fabulous Wonder Woman Inspired Movie Night! Food, drink, and even fun tiara & bracelets inspired by the movie make it a complete party for the woman (young or old) in your life!

You can probably guess what my drink of choice for a good movie night (or anytime, really) is, right? Yup, I’m a Dr Pepper® girl through and through – and watching just wouldn’t be the same without some delicious Orville Redenbacher’s® popcorn! What makes this even BETTER is that now you can grab the digital coupon online from Kroger to save on the budget – and that makes any movie night wonderful! I’m totally loving the limited edition Wonder Woman designs on both Dr Pepper AND Orville Redenbacher’s®.

Save $2.00 on Orville Redenbacher’s® Popcorn and Dr Pepper® when you buy ONE (1) Orville Redenbacher® Popcorn, any variety (6pk) and ONE (1) Dr Pepper® any variety (.5L 6 pk). Expires 5/21/2017. Limited Time Offer; while supplies last.

We got some fun goodies in the mail, including Orville Redenbacher® fun pop-up bowls in this pack of yummy popcorn! I can carry my Dr Pepper around without freezing my hand in the little cushion holder, plus the great tote bag – everyone knows my love of this drink, so may as well show it off. My whole family is enjoying the Dr Pepper & Wonder Woman inspired speaker – a great way to play some tunes while getting ready for our movie night.

I’m so anxious for Wonder Woman to hit theaters June 2nd – it’ll be a great night out with the girls, and MAYBE we’ll take the boys 😉 One of my favorite things about movies are that they bring friends and family together, and we have plenty of fun memories watching together while treating ourselves! What makes Wonder Woman even more special is that it’s the first female super hero to land her own movie – that’s incredible! It’s a cultural event and we’re all prepared to join in celebrating such a remarkable hero like Wonder Woman, all while enjoying Dr Pepper & Orville Redenbacher’s®! Be sure to stock up at Kroger, especially since you can save with their digital coupon – but it’s available for a limited time so hurry!

And since we’re sure you have a hero in your own life, check out this awesome sweepstakes – maybe YOU can win! What better way to celebrate the hero in your life?

#WonderfulMovieNight Sweepstakes

No Purchase Necessary, Twitter A/C Req’d.,50 US/DC only, 18+, Ends 5/21/17. Rules: https://gleam.io/f6gdL/wonderfulmovienight-sweepstakes

Enjoy this colorful & creative Wonder Woman inspired printable wall art – just click below to download and print it out (we sized it to 8.5×11 – recommend printing onto cardstock for best quality). Display it in your home, your girl’s bedroom, or even in the movie room as you prepare for the film!

Download Wonder Woman Inspired Wall Art HERE

My girls were super excited to have their own Wonder Woman inspired tiara & bracelets, so they can go to the movie in style when it comes to theaters June 2nd! You can make your own in just a short time – they’re way easy!

Supplies

Yellow or Gold/Silver foam sheet
Scissors
Hole Punch
Stapler or Foam Glue
Thin rope or ribbon

Directions

Cut out the V-like shape from Wonder Woman’s tiara. If desired, draw or sketch in the details like you see her wearing on your Dr Pepper or Orville Redenbacher’s® packaging!
Cut out a strip of the foam for the band to go around the head – size it to the person’s head, having the V-like shape pointing down in their forehead. Staple (or glue, allowing to dry) the shape to the band.
For the bracelets, cut out a strip sized to go around the forearm of the person. Use a hole punch along the two open edges, then tie it up together with the thin rope or ribbon (make sure it’s not too tight, and that they can take it off when needed).

That’s it – now your little hero is all set for the upcoming Wonder Woman film, hitting theaters June 2nd!

Who’s the hero in YOUR life?

Ultimate List of Star Wars Ideas for May the Fourth

May 4, 2017 by Danielle

Whether you’re with the light side or dark side, you’ll love this Ultimate List of Star Wars Ideas for May the Fourth! Printables and crafts, decor and games, even costumes and more. You’re bound to find some fantastic Star Wars project worthy of the Jedi or Sith in your family!

If you don’t know by now, our family is pretty big into Star Wars. And when I say big, I mean HUGE! Of course we do plenty of fun Star Wars crafts throughout the year, such as our Rebels Tshirts or puppets, but also enjoy the films quite often – lately we’ve been rewatching The Force Awakens & Rogue One!