St. Patrick’s Day fun + a Little Leprechaun Shenanigans = An Adopt a Leprechaun Party

This was one of my favorite ideas yet! Remember the little leprechauns that I made awhile back? In case you need to jog your memory you can see them here.

Since they were such a huge hit with Kayleigh, I thought, wouldn't it be fun to make some wee leprechauns for kids to adopt and name at a little party? Then I thought, what about a nice afternoon gathering? I decided to keep a white, mint green, and gold theme. What a hit the party was!

I decided to keep the guest list small and invite about 9 little friends- Kayleigh included. Upon arrival, each child was given their "Official Leprechaun Name" that they were called during the party. That brought along some laughs. We had names such as:

Lucky McCoppertop, Clover O’Looney, Fightin’ McDoodles, Emerald O’Clover, Daffodil McMuffin, Rusty O’Blaze, Goldie O’Rainbow, Shamrock McNugget, and Daisy McNoodles

Kayleigh was Emerald O'Clover!

Each child had their own little Leprechaun they could adopt from the Leprechaun Adoption Center and give a name to. Thanks to my friend Jen for her help! Wouldn't have been nearly as much fun doing it by myself! 

They also could write their wee friend's new name on their Official Leprechaun Adoption Certificate. They had a blast!

A copy of the Official  Leprechaun Adoption Certificate can be found here. The little leprechaun clip art I found here.

Each of them received a cute favor box with gold coins and goodies inside. They could add to their favor box by selecting from the array of candies on the display table. I had a selection of white powdered donuts, rolos, golden sugar cookies, green shamrock cookies, green rock candy, mint m&m's, marshmallow pops with green sprinkles and shamrocks, rainbow cupcakes, decadent desserts like Irish Crème cupcakes, coffee with Irish Crème, green jello, green Kool-Aid, and a beautiful rainbow of fresh fruits and vegetables! Everything came out gorgeous!

I bought photo boxes from AC Moore when they had their 5 for $10 sale and spray painted them green with gold sparkles. These were to be the Leprechaun Traps that the kids would design at the "Leprechaun Trap Construction Zone". I set it up using plastic tablecloths on the rug and let them go to town! I figured they could decorate the boxes with cute stickers, ladders, glitter, and of course, gold coins. Christmas Tree Shops had great sales on St. Patrick's Day décor and I was able to get party supplies for under $50. It was a relatively low cost party and a lot of fun! Here are some pictures of the wee folk!

The Leprechauns were a big hit. I made a Leprechaun baby for Kayleigh too. He came out really cute and she named him Baby O'Clover.

His little diaper had a shamrock on it!

Kayleigh LOVED him! He came out really cute, don't you think?

We had a rainbow of fruit and veggies on platters, Lucky Charms marshmallow treats, cupcakes, rainbow cupcakes (these were so cool!), and cookies. I also had green "Lucky Leprechaun Punch" that was green fruit punch, and sour green apple Twizzlers.  Here are more photos!!!

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Happy St. Patrick's Day!

St Patrick’s Day Play Dough!

So I tend to be a planner- well that is an understatement. I have been trying to prepare for a wonderful St. Patrick's Day. We have our Leprechaun House all decorated and our Leprechaun Trap ready to go. The shoes are going to be placed by the door and I can't wait to see what kind of shenanigans those Leprechauns bring! Green milk and green pancakes/ yogurt are on the menu for breakfast and possibly a rainbow cake for dessert after dinner that night. The creative possibilities are endless! I might even have the little neighbor next door come over for a treat later on after school.

I have been cooking up wonderful home-made play doughs and have decided that I prefer the cooked dough to the kind of recipe where you add boiling water and stir. I feel that the glutens in the flour work better when cooked and the result is a better put together kind of play dough that is not too dry or crumbly or sticky. Some recipes call for the food coloring and glitter (if adding) to be added after the cooking process and be kneaded into the dough. That is fine and dandy, but I tried a different way.

I added the food coloring and the glitter while mixing the ingredients in the pot BEFORE cooking them. It came out beautifully! I could adjust the depth of the color and the level of sparkle. As it cooked the color deepened and the bling, well it was awesome. My pictures do not do it justice.  I used the following recipe from The Tinker Lab and it is really great!

The Best Play Dough Recipe

Supplies

• 2.5 cups water
• 1 1/4 c. salt
• 1 1/2 tbsp. cream of tartar
• 5 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 2.5 cups flour
• Food coloring or liquid watercolors. 

She suggests Wilton food colors but I used other kinds and it was still gorgeous.

 

Mix everything but the food coloring together in a large pot until somewhat smooth. It will be lumpy. Not to worry, the dough will get smoother as it cooks. *** Cook the dough over a low heat. Mix frequently. The water will slowly cook out of the mixture and you’ll notice it starts to take on a sticky dough appearance. Keep mixing until the edges of the dough along the side and bottom of the pan appear dry. Pinch a piece of dough. If it’s not gooey, the dough is ready. Store the dough in a large Ziplock bag or sealed container. Unused, it’ll keep for months.

*** I want to add that this is where I put in the food coloring and the glitter. It saves time and keeps things less messy all around. The end result is the same and I used green food coloring and gold glitter. Gorgeous!!!

Here is my dough!!!

It is really hard to see the gold glitter but it shimmered constantly from every angle. The finer the glitter the more "Tinker Bell-ish" it looks and I LOVE it!

 

Our little Leprechaun is going to bring it to Kayleigh for St. Patrick's Day. I figured I would help him as I worry about his safety with the stove. Those little guys also make a mess! Always good to stay on his good side- don't want to get pinched.

 

Don't forget to join the google member board! It's getting lonely here with just little ol' me! Please feel free to leave a comment too! I'd love to have requests for party ideas or crafts!

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

 

Ariane :)

St Patrick’s Day fun and a Little Leprechaun shenanigans!

Who doesn't love a little shenanigans close to St. Patty's?! I am Irish so I love everything to do with the Irish culture and bringing the magic of the rainbow into our house each year is just as much fun as Christmas!

This year, I decided to introduce a "Leprechaun Trap" and a "Leprechaun House" to Kayleigh, who is old enough to decorate them. Maybe if we catch one, he or she will want to live with us in their special little house right? We shall see......

So of course I visit my mecca.... AC Moore and JoAnn's and check out the cute little notions that will become our house and trap for the wee folk.

This is our finished product-

 

The Leprechaun trap is still under construction.... but here it is so far....

 

She is so excited to catch her little leprechaun! Just in case he/she is extra sneaky and mischievous and is not able to convince him or her to stay..... I have made my little wee folk after an elf pattern that I purchased on Craftsy.com.

Here they are! May I present, Finn and Fiona!

Happy St Patrick’s Day!