Pink Peppermint Blogger

This past weekend my sister and her family threw their 6th Annual Neighborhood Halloween party. The more they do it, the more awesome the party gets. This year’s get-together (and Halloween costumes) were inspired by a spring trip they made to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. For starters, let’s catch the Hogwarts Express from Platform 9 3/4. I love the brick element they added to the storm door. Excellent.

Oh, good! They’ve been BOOed. Wonder where they got that cute sign…

I am loving the garland and cool arrangements in the planters on the porch.

I made these reusable pumpkins for their kiddos last year using Funkins and a templates found here. Sort of gives new meaning to the word “Jack-O-Lantern.” Sorry. I couldn’t resist.

Look! There’s Prof. McGonagall now.

Here’s their party invitation–a daily dose of The Prophet inviting Hogwarts alums to attend the annual Halloween Feast. Other articles featured the kids, their daughter as a witch wanted for questioning about a Honeydukes break-in and their son as the champion seeker for the Gryffindor team.

There was a Quidditch field set up on the lawn. Brooms for everyone! The kids had a blast.

The spectators and players alike enjoyed a taste of Butterbeer straight from The Three Broomsticks.

There’s a thirsty player now. Watch out! She’s got her wand ready to strike.

Inside, there were all sorts of appropriately creepy details.

How much do I love this Ministry of Magic decal? I have a feeling it’s going to stay for a while.

And look, there’s Hedwig in the Owlery.

Watch out! The Whomping Willow lies in wait in the living room. He doesn’t look so menacing here as in the movie.

And what a spread Hogwarts puts out for their Halloween Feast! There were lots of yummy treats. Love Ollivander’s Wands made from chocolate-dipped pretzel rods.

Firebolts and Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans

Sorting Hats and Cauldron Cakes

Wizard Hats

Slytherin Sandwiches for Prof. Snape and his cohorts

Nimbus 2000s

And let’s not forget the Chocolate Frogs!

And if that wasn’t enough, how about a stroll through Honeydukes Sweetshop, which they recreated using these printables from Bakingdom.

And here’s a little Liquid Luck to wash it all down with.

What a fun way to change things up for your annual Halloween party!

A few months back, Emily came to me through mutual friends I’d worked with. She had a fishing-themed birthday in mind to celebrate her son, Jack’s 4th birthday and their life-long love of the water. Her desire to use family photos and heirloom fishing items drove the vintage look and feel. After much searching, she decided she wasn’t going to find what she had in mind for invitations, so we talked about some custom options. Here are a few of the versions I created for her.

This last one was the one Emily decided on. She felt it best incorporated her “Hooked on 4″ idea.

Enjoy the pictures Emily shared and the party details as told by her!

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We have a pond in our backyard and we often walk down to feed the fish and just play around in the water. Jack loves being outside, playing in the dirt, picking up worms and of course “hooking” up anything he can scoop up in his net. I also share the same passion for being outdoors and close to the water. I am from the Coast, and my Dad’s parents always had us on the water!

When I began tossing the idea around as a possibility,  I thought it would be fun to incorporate some of our family heirloom pictures, cane poles and cast nets that belonged to both my Granddaddy and Papa. I started to think of colors and wanted to create a vintage, simple, classic look.

After shopping around on the internet and in and out of stationery stores, I remembered Pink Peppermint’s wonderful creations! Eleanor helped bring my idea to life and the party was fabulous! We had a fish fry to celebrate “our fly guy” and I put snack chips in an old fishing basket – “fish and chips.”

We also served boiled shrimp and smoked tuna dip. For our non-seafood guest, we served corn dip, party sandwiches and cupcakes, of course!

I had a galvanized oval tub and filled it with water and plastic fish. I attached a mini tin bucket to a cane pole with fishing line to scoop up the fish for a fun activity!

I decorated these mason jars with red raffia and had Swedish fish and gummy worms for their “fresh catch” or their “live bait”…This was a huge hit!  There wasn’t a fish or gummy worm left over!!!

Adorable party, Emily! Thanks for letting me be involved, and a happy 4th year to Jack! I think as the weather continues to warm up, this is a great theme to keep in mind for spring and summer months too!