FOR MY DAUGHTERS'S 2ND BIRTHDAY AND MY SON'S 7TH, WE HAD A JOINT PARTY SINCE THEY ARE TWO WEEKS APART.  I HAD A HARD TIME COMING UP WITH A SUMMER THEME THAT THEY WOULD BOTH APPRECIATE.  I DECIDED ON A CARNIVAL/CIRCUS THEME. MY DAUGHTER LOVES JOJO'S CIRCUS AND MY SON LOVES GAMES.  WE HAVE A HUGE PATIO AND DRIVEWAY SO WE DID IT OUTDOORS, MIDDAY IN JULY (SO HOT! IN NM). INVITAIONS:  I BOUGHT BRIGHT YELLOW CARDSTOCK 5X8 WITH GREEN ENVELOPES FROM THE PHOTO AREA OF A CRAFT STORE. I TYPED UP A REALLY CUTE POEM TO THE EFFECT OF COME ONE COME ALL" AND "UNDER THE BIG TOP" AND "ONE DAY ONLY" UNROLL IT AND WRITE THE DETAILS ALONG IT SO GUEST HAVE TO BLOW IT OUT TO READ IT.  OR EVEN A BALLOON WITH INFO IN AN ENVELOPE AND THEY BLOW IT UP TO ENLARGE THE DETAILS (INCLUDE CONFETTI OR SOMETHING FUN).  I ALSO THOUGHT OF MAKING A POPCORN BAG INVITE BUT DIDNT HAVE TOO MUCH TIME TO GO IN DEPTH WITH THE INVITATIONS LIKE I WANTED TO. DECORATIONS: OUR PATIO IS RAISED A LITTLE FROM THE DRIVEWAY SO THE ENTRANCE TO STEP UP ONTO THE PATIO HAD A GREEN AND WHITE STRIPED CANOPY WITH BALLOONS TIED TO IT FOR GUESTS TO ENTER THROUGH. TWO LARGE FOLDING TABLES HELD FOOD AND GIFTS. THERE WAS A HUGE CLOWN PINATA GAMES SET UP EVERYWHERE A CLOWN WAS WALKING AROUND MAKING BALLOON ANIMALS FOR KIDS ANOTHER TABLE HAD FACE PAINTS FOR PEOPLE TO PAINT EACHOTHER (I STARTED OFF DOING THIS BUT LEFT IT UP TO THE GUESTS AFTER THE PARTY PICKED UP MORE) I HUNG A ROPE FROM TREE TO TREE AND CLIPPED BAGS OF HOMEMADE COTTON CANDY (A FRIEND HAS A MACHINE BUT THEY CAN ALSO BE RENTED) WE RENTED A RETRO POPCORN MACHINE THERE WERE JOJO TABLE COVERS AND STREAMERS LOTS OF MULTICOLORED BALOONS WE EVEN HAD A HELIUM TANK THERE TO HAND OUT BALLOONS TO KIDS.  FOOD: THE FOOD WAS SERVED CASUALLY AS GUESTS WANTED THEM AND WERE BASICALLY JUNK FOOD ITEMS THAT YOU CAN GET AT A CONCESSIONS TAND WE HUNG A SIGN OF WHAT WE HAD AND LET PEOPLE ORDER THERE WAS PIZZA WHICH WE SERVED ON FOIL SHEETS THAT WE BOUGHT AT SAMS CLUB WE HAD NACHOS WITH DISPOSABLE NACHO TRAYS AND JALAPENOS PICKLES POPCORN IN OLD FASHIONED LOOKING POPCORN BAGS (SAMS) WE MADE SNO CONES (THE PAPER CONES WERE BOUGHT AT SAMS A SMALL SNOW CONE MACHINE BOUGHT AT WAL MART ($10) AND SYRUP FROM A BUSINESS DISTRIBUTING COMPANY BUT YOU CAN GET THEM AT WAL MART ALSO) THERE WERE LITTLE CUPS OF ROASTED PEANUTS FOR PEOPLE TO GRAB AND MUNCH ON AND WE MADE THE CUTEST CUPCAKES. CUPCAKES:  THEY LOOKED LIKE LITTLE BAGS OF POPCORN I DONT REMEMBER THE WEBSITE I FOUND THEM ON BUT YOU MAKE CUPCAKES IN THE WHITE OR YELLOW PAPER CUPS (WHITE OR YELLOW CAKE) FROST THE TOPS LIGHTLY WITH WHITE FROSTING. THEN RIP MINIATURE MARSHMALLOWS IN HALF AND STICK THEM BACK TOGETHER AND TOSS THEM IN A BOWL.  WE DID THIS WITH TWO FULL BAGS OF MARSHMALLOWS.  MIX A COUPLE DROPS OF YELLOW FOOD COLORING IN A SHOT GLASS OF WATER AND USE A SMALL PAINTBRUSH TO RANDOMLY COAT THE MARSHMALLOWS IN THE BOWL AS YOU TOSS THEM AROUND. IF IT ISNT BRIGHT ENOUGH ADD MORE FOOD COLORING SO YOU DONT SOAK THE MARSHMALLOWS BUT THEY WILL REALLY LOOK LIKE POPCORN!! IT'S AMAZING.  THEN JUST GRAB A HANDFULL OF "POPCORN" AND PUSH IT INTO THE FROSTED TOPS OF THE CUPCAKES.  I ADDED A STRIP OF RED AND WHITE STRIPED PAPER AROUNG THE BOTTOMS OF THE CUPCAKES TO LOOK LIKE A LITTEL POPCORN BAG AND THEY WERE SO AWESOME. WE ALSO SERVED FROZEN VARIETY PACKS OF ICE CREAMS AND PUSH POPS WITH THESE.  OTHER DESSERTS INCLUDED CARAMEL APPLES AND POPCORN BALLS AND OF COURSE COTTON CANDY.  GAMES:  I USED TEN BOTTLED WATERS AND ADDED DIFFERENT COLORED FOOD COLORING TO THE WATER TO CHANGE THE COLOR AND TOOK THE LABELS OFF. THEY WERE SET UP ON THE SIDEWALK LIKE BOWLING PINS AND I USED SIDEWALK CHALK TO MAKE A LINE FOR KIDS TO STAND BEHIND WHILE THEY TOOK TURNS THROWING BASEBALLS (3 EACH) TRYING TO KNOCK ALL TEN DOWN.  ANOTHER GAME WAS MADE WITH 3 2LITER BOTTLES OF SODA (USED ORANGE LEMON-LIME AND STRAWBERRY SODAS FOR COLOR) SET UP IN A LINE.  KIDS THREW BLOWN UP SWIMMING POOL RINGS (FROM THE DOLLAR STORE) OVER THEM LIKE A RING TOSS.  WE ALSO HAD PIN THE NOSE ON THE CLOWN THE PINATA A BIG JUMPER SHAPED LIKE A CAROUSEL A TWO FOOT DEEP MULTICOLORED POOL WITH RUBBER DUCKS INSIDE (CAN BE USED LIKE THE DUCK GAME FOR SMALL KIDS BUT WE JUST USED IT TO COOL OFF).  EVERYONE LEFT WITH PRIZES CANDY GOODY BAGS AND LEFT OVER BAGS OF COTTON CANDY BALLOONS TYPICAL THINGS YOU END UP WITH AFTER A REAL CARNIVAL.  MY KIDS HAD A BLAST WE DID THE GAMES ONE RIGHT AFTER THE OTHER AFTER THE KIDS HAD ARRIVED AND SPENT THE REST OF THE PARTY EATING JUNK FOOD LAUGHING AND RUNNING AROUND. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS THEME FOR A KID PARTY.  MOM'S MAY NOT LIKE THE MESS FACTOR BUT ITS SO SO FUN FOR KIDS AND ADULTS AND MAKES FOR GREAT PICTURES!! I SPENT AROUND $300 WHICH I THINK IS GOOD FOR A JOINT PARTY WITH ABOUT 30 GUESTS (10 WERE KIDS) AND PAYING FOR A JUMPER POPCORN MACHINE THE CLOWN AND I PAID THE LADY WHO MADE THE COTTON CANDY FOR US.  THE GAMES WERE SO CHEAP AND I COLLECTED THINGS HERE AND THERE FOR A FEW MONTHS BEFOREHAND. IT LOOKED LIKE A HUGE BLOW OUT BUT COMPARED TO MY DAUGHTERS $900 FIRST BIRTHDAY THE PREVIOUS YEAR THIS WAS A STEAL!  I HAD SO MANY IDEAS THAT I DIDNT USE BUT YOU CAN TAKE THIS THEME ANYWHERE.  HOPE MY STORY HELPS."