10-8-11 The Spookover Table

Friends:

This past Saturday, Eliana had her annual Spookover (a spooky sleepover we host every Halloween season). She dressed up as a character we invented called “Skeletina.”

10-8-11 Eliana as Skeletina for her Monster Mash Spookover

The tablescape was so cute with orange and black the predominant colors. there is a haunted mansion sitting top a formation of glass blocks. The house is surrounded by Halloween haints, a terrifying tree, and a pretty pumpkin patch.

10-8-11 The Spookover Tablescape

Here is a picture of Eliana and her frightful friends.

10-8-11 Eliana and her friends get ready for spooktacular fun!

We began the evening with some fun snack-making. They made yummy mummy dogs, hot dogs cut in half and wrapped in ready-made breadstick dough, then baked in the oven for 12 minutes. Super simple, crazy cute, and terribly tasty!

10-8-11 The girls made yummy mummy dogs

Then it was time for some ghoulish games! First, they played the “Rattle Dem Bones Race.” I gave them each a differed colored skeleton foam puzzle (Wal-Mart $1 each) and they had to reassemble the parts in their proper place. It was a lot harder than they thought because the puzzle was double-sided! LOL The winners won Halloween glow sticks.

10-8-11 The girls play Rattle Dem Bones Race

Next, they played Halloween Bingo (Dollar Tree $1). It was a wordless game so kids of all ages could play this game and it came with a dozen cards.

10-8-11 It's Halloween Bingo!

Then it was Pizza Time! My husband was in charge of the pizza. He made homemade dough (it’s his specialty) and the girls customized their own pizzas with toppings of their choice.

10-8-11 Dad was in charge of the homemade personal pizzas the girls made

While waiting for the pizzas to bake on the stone, the girls had an all-out dance party! No boys… ghouls only!

10-8-11 It's Dance Party Time!!!

The pizzas came out BOO-TIFUL!!!

10-8-11 And the pizzas... AWESOME!

And what is a Monster Mash without the ghastly green Witches’ Brew?!!

10-8-11 What's a Monster Mash without Witches' Brew?!

After pizza, the girls wanted to play some more games and I had a few more activities planned for the evening. Next, we played “Pass the Pumpkin.” They had to pass around a stuffed pumpkin behind their backs. The winner got to keep the stuffed pumpkin.

10-8-11 The girls play Pass the Pumpkin

Then we had a team contest – “Make a Monster.” The girls were given a large sheet of butcher block paper and crayons. Each girl was assigned a section (head, body, legs) and had to work together to draw a monster. The only requirements were that it had to have a head, body, arms, and legs.

10-8-11 Camrynn, Breanne & Eliana create a monster with many legs

They were very creative! After judging by a third-party, it was decided that this team won. Their monster was crazy yet gruesome.

10-8-11 Jasmynn, Ashlynn & Josie create a winning lifesize monster

Finally, we settled down and did a cool craft. We made Sockenstein monsters, wacky monsters made out of kooky socks. The socks are split at the toe, turned inside out, sewn shut to create antennae, stuffed with fiber fill, cut and sewn shut at the bottom, and finally decorated with Googly eyes and fun foam. We used hot glue to affix everything.

10-8-11 The girls created their own Sockenstein monsters out of kooky socks. Adorable!

They came out so cute that the girls wanted to sleep with them. I put in a Halloween movie (The Dog That Saved Halloween) and they all fell asleep before the movie ended.

10-8-11 All partied out... Ashlynn sleeps with her Sockenstein. Notice any similarities?

Camrynn said, “This was the best Halloween party EVER!” Thank you, Cam! I’m glad all the girls had fun. Happy Hauntings!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

12-19-09 Chef Eliana in her gingerbread best

Friends:

I hosted a Cookies & Cocoa Christmas sleepover for Eliana and her friends. It was a blast! We decorated the house with a Gingerbread and sweet treats theme.

12-19-09 Cookies & Cocoa party table

This is what the individual place setting looked like. The table is covered with gingerbread themed wrapping paper. The big “doily” in the middle is actually a tree skirt!

12-19-09 Cookies & Cocoa party place setting

We had yummy treats such as Sultan’s Hat cookies and Gingerbread Cupcakes with Eggnog Cream Cheese icing. Yum!

12-19-09 The sweet treats table

First, the girls decorated their goody purses with gingerbread decorations. Then they ate dinner.

12-19-09 Chef Eliana and friends

After eating dinner, we played games such as Dirty Santa and Pass the Pigskin. They had so much fun and won some fun prizes. But all the girls went home with tons of goodies.

12-19-09 Passing the pigskin game

Next, it was time to make Christmas ornaments. They decorated felt cut outs of Christmas trees, ornaments, and snowflakes with glitter glue and sparkly spangles.

12-19-09 The girls work on decorating ornaments

Of course, the girls had to make gingerbread too! They all decorated lolly gingerpops. They were so cute – little gingerbread people on sticks!

12-19-09 Eliana's lolly gingerpop

After making chocolate fudge, it was jammie time! The girls got in their jammies, made hot cocoa, settled in their sleeping bags, and watched “A Christmas Story,” the classic movie about Ralphie and his quest for a bee bee gun. The girls had a ton of fun and it was a wonderful way to celebrate the holidays!

12-19-09 Jammie Time!

Deck the Halls!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

6-28-09 Eliana the Diva Rock Star Birthday Girl

Friends:

Wow! What a weekend! Because Eliana and I have been on the road touring, we haven’t had a chance to celebrate her birthday with a big bang, until now. Last night, we went to the “Greatest Show on Earth,” The Ringing Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. It was a spectacular show.

6-28-09 Soleil, the makeup artist with Eliana, the Diva Rock Star Birthday Girl

Today, we had Eliana’s Diva Rock Star Birthday Party.We mailed out invitations a couple weeks ago that included a hand-created pink zebra electric guitar and star clapper personalized with the guest’s name. The invitations were mailed in a large bubble envelope covered in “Diva” and “Girls Rock!” stickers. The guitars were very big.

First, we tackled the party set-up. We decorated to the hilt. The colors were pink zebra and purple leopard. Check out the table! A large vase of fresh flowers (don’t all divas have fresh flowers delivered?!) are on top of a cake plate, which is set on a platform of 4 glass blocks, forming a square. A pink and black feather boa is wrapped around the base of the glass blocks. Pink candles sit on each corner of the glass blocks. There are hot pink and black table cloths which is accentuated by a square zebra print runner. The guitar in front of the vase is the party invitation created by my oldest daughter, Soleil.

6-28-09 The Diva Table

The rock star paperware was purchased from Oriental Trading. This is what the individual place setting looked like. Each rock star had her own setting. On top of the plate is an electric guitar luggage tag (in which pictures of the girls were inserted). Behind the plate is a pair of glittered star sunglasses, which every diva MUST have! Guitar glitter is sprinkled all over the table.

6-28-09 Girls Rock! Place Setting

I assembled fab goody bags that even included Eliana’s Diva Party Mix. The goody bag contained stickers, a tiara, hair extensions, a “Diva” or “Girls Rock!” necklace and bracelet, blow-up microphone, a jewel tattoo, a rock rubber duck, eye shadows, and lip gloss. Each bag and all its contents were personalized.

6-28-09 The Diva Rock Star goody bag

The girls were instructed to come dressed as rock stars and they totally did. First, they went to the hair station, where they had their extensions and tiaras done. Then they they moved to the makeup station where fantasy makeup was applied by Sassy Sunshine Beauty.

6-28-09 Bienelyn gets her makeup done

They then went to the nail station where they had diva nails done with glitter, designs, and cool colors. Finally, they had a fashion photo shoot. I set up a back drop with pink and zebra fabric. The photos were for their “album cover” and “concert promotions.” They posed with electric guitars and microphones. The girls were so sassy!

6-28-09 The Diva Rock Stars, coming in concert soon to a venue near you!

These cute girls so totally rock!

6-28-09 The Diva Rock Stars totally ROCK!!!!

Breanne, the rock chick in the neon green, had a special outfit on. Her grandma and mom sewed it the night before! How awesome is that?!! After the photo shoot, the girls munched! They had jumbo popcorn chicken, pizza rolls, spinach & asiago chicken sausage, quesadillas, mini quiches, star sugar cookies, deli wheels, grapes, raspberries, and blackberries. They even toasted the Diva Rock Star Birthday Girl, Eliana!

6-28-09 Raising a Toast to Diva Rock Star Birthday Girl, Eliana

Afterwards, they did the birthday “cake,” mini cupcakes creating the shape of an electric guitar. I drew a guitar template on thick poster board secured to a cookie sheet. “Happy Birthday, Diva Eliana!” was written in white frosting on the poster board. Nine hot pink candles adorned the cake, on the neck of the guitar. Here are the girls with the birthday star.

6-28-09 Eliana's Guitar cupcake cake

After eating cupcakes and Itty Bitz ice cream (just like Dippin Dots), the girls rocked out with their favorite karaoke songs. Here are Breanne & Eliana jammin!

6-28-09 Breanne & Eliana rock out to Lady Gaga's "Poker Face"

Eliana opened presents and got some really cool gifts. Nana, Paw Paw, Uncle Gary and her cousins gave her GUITAR HERO for the Wii! Now that’s in keeping with the theme! Uncle Gary also gave Eliana a Lady Gaga CD. She LOVES it!

6-29-09 Eliana gets Guitar Hero & Lady Gaga CD

A special thank you to Nanny Lisa for being such a wonderful “guest hostess!” Unfortunately, we were so busy taking pics of the girls that we forgot to take pics of each other! We gave the girls one final parting gift – a customized album cover with their name, photo & album cover. Special thank you to talented Soleil for doing her magic graphic design work to create the album covers. Pictures of the girls were uploaded to the computer, manipulated in Photoshop, printed and inserted into thin line jewel cases to act as both a CD and picture frame. The girls even picked their album names. We had “Divalicious” (Eliana), “Rock Angel” (Josie), “Rock Princess” (Bienelyn), “Attitude!” (Jasmynn), “Girl Power” (Breanne), “Rock Star” (Camrynn), “Ready to Rock!” (Jaden), and “Girls Rock!” (Ashlynn).

6-28-09 Breanne with her "Girl Power" CD

As a final thank you for coming, each girl will receive something special in the mail. We wanted to make Eliana’s 9th birthday a celebration for everyone, making each girl feel special – like the Diva Rock Stars they are!

6-28-09 Jaden & Eliana take the world by storm!

Eliana, I hope you had a wonderful birthday party. Breanne, Bienelynn, Jaden, Camrynn, Ashlynn, Jasmynn & Josie, thank you so much for coming. You girls ROCK!!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

Eliana's Spookover Door Sign - October 18, 2008

Friends:

Saturday was a blast! The night of my 8 year old daughter, Eliana’s Spookover, finally arrived! Eliana was ready for some swashbuckling fun. Argh, matey!

Pirate Eliana - October 18, 2008

We worked all day cleaning, decorating, and cooking. I set up my spooky backdrop and decorated the table full of frightening food – bloody pigs in a blanket, petrifying pizza party pinwheels, Jack-O-Jam cookies, popcorn chicken parts, witches brew and more. Check out the table. I love the mummies marrying under the Tree of Terror.

The Spooktacular Table - October 18, 2008

This is what the Witches Brew (lime sherbet ice cream in 7Up) looked like…

Witches Brew - October 18, 2008

All the girls had their own cups with their names on them. The girls came in costume. They are so adorable!

The Spookover Girls - October 18, 2008

No one had the same costume on – we had Hannah Montana, a princess bride, a mermaid, Sharpei from High School Musical, a pirate, a hip hop dancer, an angel, and an aquamarine princess. 8 crazy cuties ready to party! Here’s a parent-to-parent tip: I had all the parents/guardians fill out an emergency card with all their contact numbers on it – just in case…

We began with The Ghoulish Guessing Game. They each had a Halloween monster pinned to their back and they had to ask 10 yes-or-no questions. The first to guess their monster won. Next, we had a costume contest. My mom, Josie; my husband, Antonio; and I were judges. We judged the girls on three categories: creativity, originality, and attitude. Each category was worth 10 points with a total possible score of 90. The judges had score cards that were totaled at the end. The girls strutted down the “runway” and then had to talk about who they were. The pirate won with 79 points with the hip hop dancer and princess bride tied for second place. The girls loved winning prizes.

The Pirate and the Princess Bride - October 18, 2008

After that we moved on to “Pin the Hat on the Witch.” I made a witch with different colored hats with double stick tape on the back. The girls were blindfolded with a sleeping mask and spun around 6 times. They pinned their hats to the witch. I took pictures of each hat after they were placed so we could remove the hat and judge in the end whose hat was closest. It was funny to see where the hats were placed!

Pin the Hat on the Witch - October 18, 2008

After that, we moved on to The Creepy Clothes Race, a relay game. The girls were divided into teams of two, with four girls on each team. They were given a bag of clothes that contained a hat, a cape, a shirt, shorts, gloves, and a scarf. Each player raced to the opposite side, dressing in the creepy clothes and then raced back, undressing, stuffing the clothing in the bag, and handing it off to the next player. I played “Ghostbusters” as they raced. It was laugh-out-loud zany fun!

Creepy Clothes Race - October 18, 2008

Our last game was “Keepin’ It Under Wraps,” a wrapping mummy with tissue paper game. Again, the girls were divided into two teams of four girls. The smallest girls on each team were the mummies. The remaining girls on the team were the “wrappers.” Each wrapper was given a roll of cheap toilet paper. They had to wrap the mummy as quickly and as best as they could without the paper ripping, which it did – plenty! It was hilarious. They wrapped and rolled to the song “Monster Mash.” The team with the best looking mummy at the end of the song won.

Keepin It Under Wraps Game - October 18, 2008

Afterwards, the girls had a massive tissue paper fight. I wish I could be a kid again! Such uninhibited joy!

Tissue Paper Fight - October 18, 2008

And yes, they helped clean up the mess too – very quickly! After all the games, the girls were ready to settle down and eat.

Then we began crafting. We made Batty Sock Bats from socks, foam, googly eyes, and chenille sticks.

Crafting Batty Sock Bats - October 18, 2008

These are the finished bats. Aren’t they the most boo-tiful bats you’ve ever seen?!!

Batty Sock Bats - October 18, 2008

Here is a closeup of the bats…

Batty Socks Bats Closeup - October 18, 2008

Next, we made mummies out of toilet tissue rolls and Boo Bags from white paper lunch bags.

Boo Bags - October 18, 2008

After our creepy crafts, we headed outside to the screened, covered patio for marshmallow roasting and spooky stories. I told several stories including “The Ghost of Mable Gable,” “Bloody Fingers,” “The Ghost with One Black Eye,” and “Blood Red Lips.” The patio was dark except for several lit candles. It was the perfect spookmosphere.

Gathering for Ghost Stories - October 18, 2008

Finally, around 1:30 am, we headed inside and set up the sleeping area on the floor of the living room. Everyone brought their sleeping bags. I put in the movie, Ghostbusters, and all but three girls fell asleep. The last three girls fell asleep around 4:30 am! That meant that I was up with them!

In the morning, Antonio made Eliana’s Devil’s Food Monster Muffins. The girls had a spooktastic time and I was ready for a nap!! LOL Two of the girls had never been to a sleepover and they loved it so much, they want to do it again! (Yes, maybe next year, girls!! hahaha)

Wrapping the Mummy - October 18, 2008

It was a successful Spookover and Eliana was elated. And that’s all a Mummy can ask for, right?! Happy Spooky Season!

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne