I’ve always been bursting out of my seams creativity. Learning to crochet at a young age, making friendship bracelets, homemade stamped cards, you name it. Except sewing. I love the idea of it but I can’t stand working the sewing machine.
One thing I love that we have is Pinterest. I’m always so grateful for the free information there and loads of ideas. Over the past few weeks it keep coming to me that I have ideas and a voice yet I’m not using it. The people who share on Pinterest are so generously taking the time to share their ideas and we the people reap the benefits!
So before this becomes too wordy I’m going to share on this ol’ blog some things I have done.
First up-Ghostbuster Proton packs!
My son had his fourth birthday at the end of November and all he wanted was a Ghostbuster birthday. I knew I had to make this fun but what I love is when fun is a cheap, handmade party.
I’ll never forget my Aladian party I had as a kid. What I remember the most is all the handmade items my Mom made for the party. I can see her in her bed hand sewing these beautiful veils for the girls faces and then each of us got a small magic carpet rug with our names painted on them. I would go to my friends houses years after the party and see their rugs in their rooms and always felt so much pride that those we from MY party.
When I became a Mom those memories stuck with me and I want my kids to have parties that they remember and stick with them.
Not saying they get a party every year. Some are more simple than others.
So naturally, I had to make proton packs for the true ghostbuster party experience.
HOW TO MAKE PROTON PACKS
So for a few weeks I saved all the boxes that came in the mail, milk boxes from Costco…anything that looked about the size of a child’s backpack size box.
It didn’t take that long to stock up on boxes, this Mama likes her Amazon Prime.
I kept the party to about 10-12 kids since it was a drop your kid off and go kind of party and so I could make these proton pack without killing myself.
I first thought I would spray paint them black but the spray paint didn’t hold well on the cardboard. Acrylic black paint worked the best. I just used this kind from Amazon in black.
I needed to find a way to make them “backpacks” and how the straps would attach to cardboard….nothing duct tape can’t do! I found some black duct tape at Target, tested the strap length on my son then folded the tape in half and taped it on.
The next part is the fun creative part and super cheap. Go to the Dollar Store and find anything that looks technical, wires, shinny…whatever. It just makes it look like an operating Proton Pack. I bought all the stuff you see here at the Dollar Store. Even the green silly string. Get the silly string!
Here is what I bought there
1. Silly string- I got green because it felt like Slimer but I’m sure red would be fun too
2. Pie Pans- they came in a pack of 5 and I cut out a little triangle
3. Wire- that wire you see coming out of the pie pan was found at the dollar store too. I got red, white and black.
4. Sparkly pipe cleaner. I got the gold and just cut and made a design at the top.
5. Orange duct tape- a filler to make a little X
THAT’S IT.
I also got a pack of small tupperware and we made green slime at the party and the kids got to take it home in that.
It all cost me under $20 bucks to make.
Assembling was easy. Hot glue gun and black duct tape!
I wanted some form of the shooting laser gun to be apart of the pack. It had to be light to hold onto the box so I just made duct tape “rope”s and tapped the silly string on. To attach the silly string to the box I used those velcro wall stickys. That way the kids could easily take them off to go on our ghost hunt and shoot the ghost but still attach them to their backpacks easily so they weren’t dragging on the floor.
During the party we went on a ghost hunt. I made a big poster (from the Dollar tree) and had them go to certain areas of the backyard. One spot led them to a bag of Glow sticks (also dollar store) to light up the way. and in the end they found a ghost (a small disposable ice chest) filled with candy (our version of a piñata) and I just threw it up in the air and they got their candy, haha.
After that we put on the ghostbuster song and used our green silly string to shoot the ghosts you see hanging in the tree with the song playing. That ghost is just a balloon with a white plastic table cloth and sharpie drawn face.
Party details:
Marshmallow men assembly- toothpicks, various sized marshmallows
Make green sparkly Slime
Green punch + pizza
Throw balls into slimmers mouth.
