Train Party - My son who LOVES trains, just celebrated his third birthday! Prior to the party, I searched and searched!
He likes Thomas, but I really didn't want to throw a Thomas party. He has a Brio train table, and his wish list included many Brio, but not Thomas items. I found much help here! Unfortunately, Operation Lifesaver doesn't give things away anymore. They do have links to two places to purchase goodies cheaply! I also came up with a few more ideas of my own... I used the primary colors for the decor (balloons, streamers, plates, napkins, etc). I was thrilled to find that the Dollar Tree Store has solid colored plates and napkins...you get 20 large or 24 small for $1/pack)! I made the invitations and thank-you's out of white card stock, using train rubber stamps, primary colored papers and ink pads, glue, etc. I used plain white invitation envelopes and decorated them, but now have found an even better envelope idea! Clearenvelopes.com sells clear envelopes! That way your cool invitations/thank-you's show through, and you use labels to pop on the addresses! I found that our local library had a train die-cut for the Ellison machine! I took my paper and used it for free! The cut outs worked great as decorations and gift tags! I tied one on each party favor bag, and wrote each child's name and "Thanks for coming to my party! Your present was right on track!" I picked up a bunch of helium-filled, primary-colored balloons. I tied one of each (red, yellow and blue) to each party favor bag. They made great weights for the balloons, each child got to take three balloons home, and I didn't end up with ooodles of balloons around my house! In the party favor bags I put a box of crayons, birthday pencils, train stickers, candy, train whistles, a train cookie cutter (cheap from Wilton - available at Michael's, JoAnn Fabrics and Meijers), a baggie of homemade play dough (1/2 of the recipe) and a copy of the recipe (Mix 1 c. flour, 1/2 c. salt, 2 t. cream of tarter, 1 c. water, 1 T. vegetable oil and food coloring in skillet. Cook over low heat until lumpy. Cool on wax paper. Knead when cool. Store in airtight container or baggie. \*You can add scented oils/extracts and/or glitter!). Since there were more adults than children, I made up a little something for each of them to take home! I bought full-sized candy bars. Took off the wrappers and made my own wrappers with those train rubber stamps! I wrapped the bars back up and tied a matching bow on each bar! I lined a basket with a red bandanna and placed the candy bars inside! Around the inside and outside of the house were railroad signs and train tracks (inside tracks-electrical tape, outside tracks-sidewalk chalk). We had a cook-out! I used one of the train cookie cutters to make Jell-O Jigglers! I used a train mold to make the cake, and the Wilton butter cream frosting recipe and Wilton decorating kit to frost and decorate it! Of course, I used more primary colors! I thought my son was going to wear his striped short-alls, red shirt and conductor hat from the Osh Kosh Outlet; however, he refused, but did wear a train shirt from Kids R Us! Funny how you just can't plan everything! :)
