How to throw an amazing party with the Dollar Tree

If you are not a regular shopper at the Dollar Tree, you might not realize how large the party supply section has become recently.  You can throw so many amazing themed parties, and save money at the same time.   

** This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

My first stop in the party supply section is the basic paper goods.  They have tablecloths, plates, cups, napkins, and more in several color options.  Even if you don't have a theme in mind, you can figure out what your colors you want to use for your party in this section. 

Another basic staple that I always buy at the Dollar Tree is birthday candles. You can choose several different kinds, including numbers and specialty candles.  A new addition to the basic party balloons are the numbers and word balloons that you you easily blow up without helium. 

If you like to decorate with streamers, the Dollar Tree offers so many affordable 2 pack options. 

But there is so much more than just the basics... 

There are many themed party lines available for both boys and girls. 

Some of those themes include Lego, dinosaur, super hero, unicorn, mermaid and emoji.

I pulled together some of the items for a dinosaur party. In this picture is a giant gift bag, wall mural (photo booth backdrop), two types of banners, plate and napkins. 

You can get some more dinosaur ideas with the dinosaur party I threw for my son here.

Here are a few of the super hero options, a photo prop backdrop, a photo frame for the kids to hold, a super hero gift bag, tablecloth, plates and napkins. 

Here is even more options with the LEGO blocks. In the basket is a tablecloth,  two types of banners, centerpiece, cups, and favors. 

Thinking of having a LEGO party and need ideas? You can find ideas for food, games and more here.

What is so great about the their party supplies is they have much more than just birthday.  Currently they have an entire row of summer luau supplies.  

If you are interested in having a luau, you can see the luau parties I threw for my daughter here.

Are you having a baby or planning a 1st birthday? They have really expanded their baby shower and baby themed options. 

If you have a graduate, the Dollar Tree is the place to go. I don't even have half of what they offer in these pictures.   

Getting married? They have bachelorette and wedding items. 

More current party options in store right now are all their patriotic party options. 

A newer product available at the Dollar Tree are these licensed character cups. Just some of the options available are the Minions, Star Wars, Frozen, Trolls, Minecraft and Avengers.  You can see more of what is available on the Dollar Tree website here.  These cups would make a great party favor. 

I LOVE these new animal favor buckets.  There are so many things you can do with these.  

Here are a few of the parties that we threw that I wish I had these cute buckets to use as favors.   

Cat party, Safari Party, Zoo Animal Party, Beach Bash

There are so many great toy items that make great favors. I found these Trolls World Tour toys this past week. 

The Dollar Tree has their own line of catering/serving ware. They have ice buckets, serving platter, serving bowls and utensils. 

 You can buy so many party supplies online. Definitely check  out what is available here.  While they have a lot in store, there is so much more that you might not see in store like the extremely popular 80 oz candy jars that are selling out immediately.   (update: I just ordered a case of them online. I will be receiving 16 large candy/storage jars for only $16)  If you buy anything online, you can have it sent  free to your local store. 

I hope this post inspired you in some way. I would love to hear some of the great party finds and ideas you have had using Dollar Tree items. 

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Hosting a Movie Party

Did you watch the Oscars this year? This was the first year that I had actually seen several of the Best Picture movies with my friends.. We loved La La Land, Hidden Figures and Hacksaw Ridge. There were also favorite movies in other categories, such as Moana, and Zootopia.   This year would have been a great year to have an Oscars party, but with work schedules and illness a late Sunday night party did not work out.  Instead we decided to get together on a Saturday night this past weekend.  As you know from past posts, I am a brand ambassador for Oriental Trading.  I am going to share some of the great movie party supplies they sent me to try out.  In the picture above you can see the film strip table runner, the cascading centerpiece, one of the popcorn cups, and the glitter star garland. 

We had originally thought we would have pizza and finger foods, but the meal kind of morphed into a sit down dinner since we kept the party small. We bought a couple of rotisserie chickens, frozen veggies, and salad.  Then during the movies, we snacked on popcorn, cookies and ice cream.   

Here is a better view of the table runner and centerpiece taken while we were setting up.  The table runner was made a paper. I did have to tape it down to keep it flat, but once secure it fit perfectly on the table. 

We had clapboard favor boxes which were the perfect size for treats. 

Because my friend has painted walls, I did get a little creative on how I hung the decorations.  The glitter star garland, made her light over the table will stand out. 

The film strip paper streamer was hung in a few places in the kitchen and in the family room where we watched the movies.  It was only one sided, which is why it looks like it is hanging a little funny.  I did not want the back side of the streamer to show. 

We ate our meal on special movie themed plates, and used movie night napkins.  

All around the house we hung movie night themed cardboard cut outs..  

While B was helping me set up, she also had some fun with some of the photo props. 

We hung the VIP red carpet banner in my friends bay window which ended up being the perfect spot for some picture.  B and T are showing off the directors clapboards. I had planned on writing on them which movie we were watching but did not end up deciding until every one was there.  We ended up watching Guardians of the Galaxy and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. 

I have no idea why this was taken on an angle, or why I am holding my leg in a funny manner but me, B and T are posing with more of the photo props.  

One decoration I did not get a photo of was the film strip photo frame that holds a 3 x 5 picture.  I am planning printing one of my favorite pics of the night to put in the frame. 

Oriental Trading  has many more movie night themed party supplies in addition to what I shared here. There are so many, it is easy to have a low key night with friends like we did, or an elaborate themed dance or party that is a night to remember.  

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Super Bowl Party Fun

A few weeks ago I shared a post about Super Bowl Party Supplies I received from Oriental Trading Company. I also have mentioned a couple of times recently, that I would post what we did at our actual party.  Since the Super Bowl was on Sunday night, and none of us were super invested in the teams playing, it was on the casual side with a handful of friends. This time I am able to show a picture of  Inflatable Buffet Cooler, because we had an air pump on hand.  While it is designed to hold ice and more, we used it to hold some of our snacks and snack boxes. It is something we can use again for future parties.

The football pennant banner looked great on my friends bookcase. 

We decorated right before the party started, so we got a little creative to get everything in place quickly. The chandelier over the dining table was a great place to hang the football paper lanterns. 

The football utensil caddy held our silverware and napkins, and the football paper bowls were the perfect size for macaroni and cheese servings  

I brought cheesy tator tot skewers that I saw on Pinterest as my dish. They were super easy to make, and a big hit.  I will be making them again, but in/on a different pan. I had to stack them on top of each other to bake in a disposable pan, so some of the cheese made a few of the skewers stick together.   I thought I took pictures of all the food at the party, but once I got home I realized I hadn't.  The rest of the snacks were party main stays.. popcorn, chips and guacamole, a veggie tray and dessert. 

Even our pictures with the  props (photo prop sticks, mini fingers, and football necklaces) that night were pretty casual.  I took a couple on my camera, and a friend took some on hers. There was maybe only one or two pictures where there was not someone doing something goofy.  Most of our pictures looked like this, with people not ready, and not looking at the camera. I have no idea what we were looking at here. 

We got the kids involved with the pictures too, and still had some pretty funny shots.  

I have one friend who loves to take pictures of people when they are not ready or looking. I have no idea why she likes to do that, but she does. I know she got several shots of me eating.  In this picture at least she got us looking at the camera all at the same time. 😃 

My daughter's favorite part of the night was bonding with my friend's dog. She loves posing for the camera. She did really well having a house full of people, and loved hanging with my daughter just as much.   

Our Super Bowl Party was a lot of fun, and it turned out to be a really good game.  We are already planning our next get together..  I am not exactly sure what we will watch yet, but it looks like the theme is going to be a MOVIE NIGHT. 

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Super Bowl Party Ideas and Supplies

It's that time of year again.. Time for the biggest day for football of the year.  Many people get together and have Super Bowl parties even if they are not fans of the teams playing. Some love watching the game, some love watching the commercials, but everyone agrees that they love the Super Bowl food.  

As you know from past posts, I have been working with Oriental Trading Company to try out their party supplies, and share them with you.  We hope to have a Super Bowl party with friends next weekend, but before then I want to show you some of the great football supplies you might want to for your own party. 

In the picture above are the football paper lanterns.  They would look really cool hanging above the food table.  If you are a fan of March Madness, they also have basketball paper lanterns if you need those for a future party.  

It was hard to get the entire Football Pennant Banner in the picture.  This one has a flag for all the yards of the football field.  If you prefer a banner representing your favorite team, they have several professional team banners to choose from. 

These are the mini football popcorn box that holds the perfect portion of popcorn.  I love all the flavored popcorn recipes I have seen online, and may try to make one for the big game. 

The football take out boxes are a great size to fill with your favorite candy or small treats. 

The football field treat bags would be great to send home goodies on Super Bowl night, or for a sports themed children's party. 

The football utensil caddy has 6 sections to hold all of your party utensils, paper football straws and even football themed napkins 

The football paper chili bowls are a great size for individual portions of chili or other appetizers such as meatballs, potato salad, or cheesy appetizers.

If you like to bake, they even have football themed cupcake liners.  If you don't want to make cupcakes, I like to use the liners for easy chocolate cluster candy.

We did not open the Inflatable Buffet Cooler yet because we do not have a pump to blow it up yet.  When we do have the party, I know a friend who does. You will really want to see how cool this is though, but checking out the Football Snack Stadium Idea  on their site. 

It is always a lot of fun to take pictures of all your friends at a party.  This is the football themed photo prop set.  

As many of you know I am an Ohio State Buckeye. I thought I might originally have a National Championship party, but after the New Years Eve game, I am going to save the for next year.  Under the napkins and OSU paper straws are really cool football themed necklaces.   They have many NCAA themed party supplies so next fall you can have parties for your favorite team.  

My daughter is showing off the Mini Finger Favors, the whistle from the Football Photo Prop Set and her own twist on the football necklace.  

There is still time to order your party supplies  and receive them in time for the Super Bowl. There are many more football themed items, and over 20 football party ideas and recipes which you can see here.

I hope to be able to post an update of our Super Bowl party soon. 

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