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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Dare to Share #466

It is Friday night, and you know what that means.. 

It is time to Dare to Share! 

Well we made it through another month.  I don't know how but we are only a month away from summer, and in the final stretch of school.  The end of April also means that it is my son's birthday (the star of my Cooking with Kyle posts, and many of the featured parties)  and the NFL draft. As you may know I am a huge Ohio State Buckeye fan so I have some interest in who is going to the NFL.  I find it kind of ironic, but as I am typing this very sentence another Buckeye was selected in the draft.  

This week was a bit crazy at school, so I was only have to write one blog post.  

My daughter and I finished another week of Every Plate meal kits.  You can check out the recipes we made this week and what we thought of them here.

If you would like to see the meals as we make them, my fun Dollar Tree finds, or just what happens in my every day life come follow me over on Instagram

Well it is time to get this party started, so link up and HAVE FUN! 

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More meals from Every Plate

If you saw in one of my recent posts we recently tried out a meal kit. I decided to try Every Plate, because it was extremely affordable and had a great intro deal.   We liked the first box so well, we decided to continue.  These are our meals from our second box.  

When you open the pack you find all the ingredients you need (except for a couple of pantry staples) tightly packed with giant ice packs.  Everything is fresh and cold when it arrives. 

Our first meal this week was Apricot Dijon Chicken Legs with roasted carrots and lemon garlic couscous. My daughter and I have not had couscous before and were not sure if we would like it or not.  This meal was a customplate where we could have switched out the carrots to brussels sprouts. We decided to stay with the carrots, because we had brussels sprouts with one our meals last week. While eating this dinner we realized we were not couscous fans, but  we also found out the apricot dijon chicken legs were AMAZING! 

 

Many of the meal choices have you cooking your entrees and sides on the same cookie sheet/pan.  This is what the chicken looked like right before I added a apricot dijon glaze. 

          

I can not rave enough about this chicken leg, it was SO GOOD!  We both loved it, and it was pretty easy to make. 

Our second meal was Sweet 'N' Tangy Cherry Meatballs with garlic mashed potatoes and roasted zucchinni.  I really wanted to try this one because I love cherry flavor. We liked this meal quite well, but probably would only occasionally eat it because my daughter is not a fan of red meat. I think I may make the cherry glaze and experiment with it on other meats. 

Our last meal of the week was Broccoli Cheddar Bisque.  The base the soup was similar to the Loaded Baked Potato Chowder we had last week, but with different extras mixed in.  We also had garlic bread to dip in the soup. We were given a packet of hot sauce top the soup with but we left it off because neither my daughter or I are big spice fans.   

Box #3 has arrived.  I will soon be sharing a few more meals.  

I'm trying something new.  We made a video of our unboxing of ingredients if it works.  

Are you interested in trying Every Plate.  Here is a coupon for $20 off your first box. They are very affordable, and cheaper than eating out. 

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Dare to Share #465

It's Friday night, and you know what that means.. 

It is time to Dare to Share!

How is it Friday already?  This week flew by for me.  We are already down to only 7 weeks of school left before summer vacation.  

If you walk into a Dollar Tree this week, it feels like summer.  They have out their summer party lines. There were so many cute items it inspired me to start a series of summer party posts.  Cute pink flamingo were everywhere, so the first post in the series is Summer Party Ideas - Pink Flamingos

I was also going through some old posts on one of my blogs when I came across a special one from seven years ago.  My son has Aspergers. When he was 14, he started to really feel different from the other kids. Back then I wrote a post about our conversation because I felt it might help someone else who knows/loves/teaches someone on the spectrum.  Now that I actually teach special ed, I feel this post is still very timely.  You can read it here What I told my son when he asked, "Am I disabled"

Well it is almost midnight so it is time to get this party started.  Link up and HAVE FUN! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

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Summer Party Ideas - Pink Flamingos

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

I stopped by the Dollar Tree today I was so excited to see an entire aisle dedicated to summer.  They had pretty much anything you could think for a summer party, such as luau items, tiki items, fruit themed items, and PINK flamingo items.  There were so many flamingo themed items it gave me idea. Why not show ideas for a pink flaming party.  I will be sharing several summer party themes over the next couple of months so stay tuned for more summer ideas.   BTW I found and  bought the letterboard and flamingos today at the Dollar Tree too.  

A big section of the aisle had colorful summer themed signs. I instantly fell in love with several of them. 

Apparently there are flamingos in paradise.. 

I think these signs are cute. While I only occasionally have a fruity drink, it is 5 o'clock somewhere. These signs would look for a beach/tiki theme. 

I found this flip flop shaped flamingo sign, and two small flamingos, and then I noticed how many flamingo items there actually were.  

They have a flamingo dinnerware set with plates and bowls.  There flamingo serving trays, and large serving bowls.  I found paper plates, straws, decorations, dish towels, and chair cushions. You could even wear a couple different kinds of flamingo glasses on your face.   There was not enough room in the cart to show all of the flamingo party items I found. 

Are you looking for a giant flamingo cut out?  They have it.  They also have these super fun flamingo tiki signs.  

I liked these signs so much, they came home with me.  

You can find all of these flamingo items, and a lot more like these 13.5" plastic flamingos on DollarTree.com and have your items sent free to your local store. (look in summer party section) 

Here are a few more great flamingo items you might also find perfect for your summer party. 

How about a Jumbo Inflatable Flamingo Pool Float for only $9.99

A set of 6 large Luau Plastic Yard Glasses

A set of flamingo themed rubber duckies

A set of 6 Flamingo Jar Glasses with Lids and Straws

A Flamingo Custom Banner (52" x 17")

A set of 6 inflatable flamingos

A set of 12 inflatable flamingo drink holders

A set of 8 you've been flocked outdoor lawn decorations

What type of party is your favorite summer party?  

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Dare to Share #464

It is Friday night, and you know what that means.. 

It is time to Dare to Share!

Another busy week here, both at school and at home.  At school we were doing some of our state mandated testing, and I was subbing for several teachers throughout the days. At home we made our last two meals from our Every Plate box, and I have been busy working on updating the blog and started a new business. 

First, I will share what updates I made to the blog.  At the top of my blog you will see links to my pages. I am slowly updating them.  This week I changed my deals and coupons page, to products I love. I had a hard time keeping  up with changing deals and coupons.  Most of the things on that page was out of date. I have changed the format of my page, and now it is about the stores, apps and things I truly love and share about with all my family and friends in real life and online.  

The other big news is I have started a new business.  I am busy working on things behind the scenes on a printable business.  Since I love to plan parties, and I am also a school teacher, I am very familiar with printables.  My shop Dancing Unicorn Designs will be open soon.   

I do have a question though if you I can pick your brains... if you were looking for a printable, what would kind of items would interest you most?  Please let me know in the comments.  

I post two new blog posts this week.  

In my post Our Experience with Every Plate, I shared how it went with our first meal kit box. We had three very different meals and I talk about each of them. If you are considering trying a meal box, you will want to read this post.  

In my second post Easy Copycat Olgas Snackers, I shared an easy snack idea that is a popular item at a restaurant here in Michigan.  They were yummy and disappeared fast. 

I better get this party started, it's a bit after midnight.  Link up and HAVE FUN! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

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Easy Copycat Olgas Snackers

If you are from Michigan, you probably know what an Olga's Snacker is.  If you are not from my state, let me give you a little bit of history about this yummy snack.  

Olga Loizon founded a popular chain of restaurants that serve recipes she was inspired by when she went to go visit family back in Greece in the 1960s.  While in Greece, her three young children tasted a souvlaki, which is a pita bread sandwich filled with meat and veggies.  They loved it so much, she was inspired to try and sell it when she went back home to Michigan. For two years she tested different recipes to improve the bread until it was perfect. (It is GOOD!)  She started making the sandwiches with her secret recipe bread and called them Olgas.  Her specialty called the Original Olga is made with seasoned beef, lamb, tomato, sweet onion, and homemade Olga sauce.   She needed to find a location to sell her Olgas.  She found a small 10 x 10 space in Birmingham, Michigan.  She needed to get a loan, which was not easy for a woman back in 1970. She was the first woman to receive a business loan at her local bank, and she was able to start her first restaurant.  She handed out free samples at first, because her food was not yet well known.  Her Olgas were a hit, and she quickly grew from one tiny location to a chain with over 25 locations.  In addition to her special bread, she started serving side dishes that would also become well loved items on the menu.  One of those side dishes were the Snackers.  

Olga Loizon died in 2019 at the age of 92. She was so well loved that a foundation was established in her honor and legacy.  It is called Olga, A Life Wrapped in Love.  It gives financial grants to women entrepreneurs in Michigan who show the same passion and ambition as it's namesake did. 

I just found out about the foundation while looking up something on the website. Pretty cool, huh.  Finding this out makes me like her food even more.  

I had dinner at Olga's Kitchen  last weekend.  I know there is a giant letter D made from two zucchini fries that stuck together, but it is the only picture I have.  I did not know I was going to write this post at the time.  I just thought it was funny finding my boyfriend's initial in my fries.  In this picture you can see my grilled chicken Olga, the special sauce, and what is left of my salad and fries. We had the snackers for our appetizer, and they were already in my belly. 

 

I recently found a tub of swiss almond cheese at Aldi, which is a very close dupe to the cheese served with the Snackers.  Mini Naan bread, while not exactly the same as Olga's specialty bread is a pretty good substitute.  I am pretty sure I bought the seasoning salt at the Dollar Tree. 

If you would like to see what Olga's original snackers and other items look like, I am linking the menu here.  This is not a sponsored post for Olgas, the menu just has really good pictures.  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees 

 

Cut the Naan bread into triangles 

Brush olive oil on the bread, and sprinkle with the seasoning salt.  Olga's version of Snackers also have crushed red pepper, but we left it off our version.  

Bake for 5-7 minutes.  Turn the Snackers over, and add a little more olive oil and seasoning.  Put back in the oven and bake about 5 minutes more. 

Served warm with Aldi swiss almond cheese 

Enjoy! 
 

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Our experience with Every Plate

I have been thinking about trying a meal kit for quite awhile. It never seemed like the right time. When my kids were younger, I thought they were too expensive, and might not have food my children would like to eat.   Recently I had a conversation with a couple of my teacher friends, one was the teacher who I subbed for during her maternity leave.  She was telling us that she had received a meal kit after the baby was born.  She really liked the convenience, but was not sure if it was the right one for her and her family. The other teacher mentioned a couple of plans she thought might be a better fit.  One of those she  mentioned was Every Plate, and said it was one with a very affordable price.  When I got home that day, I looked into it.  She was right, it was cheaper to get a meal kit for three meals than it was to go out to eat once.  I asked my daughter if she would like to give it a try, and she said yes!  We ordered our first box,  which was scheduled to arrive a week later. 

 

On the day it was supposed to arrive, I received an email from the company.  It said they had received word that there was a slight delay during shipping, but they were working hard to get it to my door as soon as possible.  They assured me it was packaged in such a way it should be okay for an additional couple of days.  They also told me if there were any problems at all, to call customer service and they would help solve any issues.  There was nothing to worry about though. The next morning I received notification that it had been delivered.  I contacted my daughter who promptly brought it in, and put everything in the refrigerator while I was at school.  Inside the box was a thermal bag, then inside the bag were 3 large ice packs. One on the top and bottom of the food and one between the produce and the meat. 

Under the first ice pack was a box of produce, and other miscellaneous ingredients for our chosen meals. We also had an extra drink in the box, with a card that said here is a free gift to try. 

  

Under the box of produce, was the meat for our chosen recipes sandwiched between two more ice packs. They were packaged in tightly sealed packs, and the right amount for our 2 serving meals.  

The meals were chose were Chicken Sausage Penne with Pink Sauce, Loaded Baked Potato Chowder, and Balsamic Glazed Pork Chops with Zucchini and Potatoes.  We both wanted our first meal to be the pork chops. (you can chose chicken as an option instead of pork for a small upcharge) 

I am already seeing an unexpected positive thing happening with receiving this meal kit.  I am spending more quality time with my daughter.  We decided we should work together to make these meals. She has been preparing and cutting the produce, while I have been cooking it at the stove.  Not only does working together cut down on time to to make each meal, we are both invested in the outcome.  WOW! We do not normally eat a lot of pork chops, but we both agreed this meal was DELICIOUS!  We ate every single bite. 

Our second meal was Chicken Sausage Penne with Pink Sauce. We also liked this meal. There are a few minor tweeks we would make though, if we were to try it again. It had a bit too much sausage for our tastes, and not quite enough cheese. We have even talked about trying a meatless version on our own with the recipe card. 

Our last meal was the Loaded Baked Potato Chowder with Bacon and Cheese.  They did send a jalapeno to add, but we chose not too since neither one of us like jalapeno. While making this chowder, I was a bit concerned because it called for an entire onion.  The onion they sent us was pretty big, and I can not eat a lot of onion.  Instead of putting in the full onion, my daughter put in 3/4 of it instead.  I rarely make soup from scratch, but this one was easy and ready in less than an hour.  This recipe was another WOW!. We both agreed this recipe was a keeper, and we will be making it again. It was flavorful, and cheesy just the way we like it.

Out of the three meals we tried, we loved two, and liked one. Pretty good stats. That is definitely a reason why we are going to try another box.  

This is not a sponsored post.  I am sharing about Every Plate because we had such a good experience, and I think others will like it too.  If you would like to try Every Plate you can choose plans with 2 servings or 4. You can also choose how many meals you would like to receive for the week, 3, 4, or 5.  My daughter and I are doing the smallest plan 2 servings, 3 days a week because that works best for us.  

Do you think you would like to give it a try?  Here is a link to a $20 off credit for your first box.

I would love to hear about it if you decide to try it! 

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Dare to Share #463

It is Friday night, and you know what that means..

It is time to Dare to Share! 

Well I am back in school this week. It really was not that bad of a transition. I am back as a regular building sub, and have been in a classroom everyday for different reasons. We didn't have a virtual day this week since we had Monday off, but it didn't seem too bad because we had beautiful weather all week. 

Even though we were back in school all week, I was able to work on a blog post.  I posted things you should always buy at the Dollar Tree. In this post, I shared a lot of pictures and great deals you can find on a lot items you frequently use.

 If you follow me on Instagram, I did share a little bit about our first meal with Every Plate. I shared some pictures and our thoughts about our meal.  I will be writing a longer blog post soon, but until I then be sure to check out more over there. 

Well it looks to be about that time to get this party started.  Link up and HAVE FUN!! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

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