Carnival/ Circus Party

     My next party idea is great for both boys and girls of any age! Everyone loves a great afternoon at the Carnival! This theme is the perfect time to let your imagination soar and create a memorable bash! Just think about all of your favorite things to do at the Carnival! My first thoughts were the bright array of colors, the great food, the many beautiful balloons, and of course, the fun, prize winning games! Depending on the age of the children attending, you can make the games at your party harder or easier. This party theme was just used for my daughter's 7th birthday! It was great, and all of the kids really enjoyed themselves! We transformed my back porch and yard into a beautiful carnival! My first thought was to pull my 12x12' popup beach cover from the garage, and set it up in the backyard. We decided to decorate the inside and edges around the tent cover with colorful crepe paper. This really made it feel as though you were at the carnival/circus! I also blew up some balloons and tied to each corner!

After decorating the tent, my next thought was food! My favorite snacks to eat at the carnival are corndogs, cotton candy, popcorn, candy apples and funnel cakes! Lots of great sweets to choose from! Most of which can be made a home for a fraction of the price! Let's make some Carnival party snacks!

Corn Dogs aka (Pigs in a Blanket)    (32-48 servings)
Crescent Rolls (2-3 rolls, Depending on many you need to make)
Hot Dogs         (2-3 rolls, Depending on many you need to make)

Cut each of the hot dogs into thirds
Diagonally cut the crescent rolls to double the amount
Roll each Hot Dog into the Crescent Roll and bake according to directions
          *You can add cheese too
                                  Cost: $4.75 
                                        Crescent Rolls (Pillsbury 3 for $1.25 w/coupon)
                                        Hot Dogs (Oscar Meyer 2 for $3.50 with coupon)
Popcorn
If you choose to have popcorn, there are many different ways you could go about this! Of course, you could buy a few boxes of popcorn and pop each individual bag, which could be time consuming, and a bit pricey. Or, you can did like we did, and go back to Dollar Tree(my favorite party supply store!) and buy 2 large prepopped bags for just a $1.00 each! While I was there, I also found 6 packs of popcorn containers for each guest to have their own!
                                  Cost: $4.00
                                        2 bags Popcorn ($1.00 each at Dollar Tree)
                                        2 6pks. bags ($1.00 each at Dollar Tree)

Candy Apples
 Apples (7-10 apples) *purchased at produce stand, cheaper than supermarket.
caramel candies (1-2 bags individually wrapped candies)
1/4 cup milk
candy sticks            *Candy Sticks and Caramel candies purchased at Dollar Tree
parchment paper  

This is another great recipe that can be made at home! To all of the moms out there that own a Crock Pot...this is the perfect time to grab it! First, wash the apples and stick a candy stick in the bottom. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Turn your crock pot on Low, and start to individually unwrap the caramel into the pot. When all candies are in, add 1/4 cup of milk. Leave in Crock Pot for about an hour, stirring occassionally. If the consistancy is too thick, mix in just a small amount of milk and stir to create a creamier consistancy. When candy has melted, dip apples in caramel, and set to cool on parchment paper.
     *For a special touch roll the apple, while still wet,into chocolate chips, nuts, sprinkles, etc.
                                     Cost: $5.89                   
                                          Apples               $3.89 for 7 small apples
                                          Candy sticks      $1.00 for 25 pack
                                          Caramel candy   $1.00 per bag 

If you want to go all out for your  carnival theme, you can rent carnival items from your local rental center, such as,  old fashioned popcorn machines, cotton candy rentals, even snow cones!

Another great addition to a Carnival party is a Clown! Of course, you can rent a clown to come to your party for a few hundred dollars or, you can ask a close friend or neighbor to help out for the day! In my case, my oldest daughter volunteered to dress up! Awesome! I dug through her closet and pulled out the brightest, most unmatched outfit I could find! After she was dressed, I added some colorful face paint and wildly crazy hair....Voila! Introducing "Giggles" The Clown!

Be back tomorrow with some tips and games for a great Carnival Party!


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