Alice in Wonderland Party

For my daughter's 9th birthday party, she wanted to do an Alice in Wonderland theme. These are all the things I made to turn our little home into her Wonderland.

First, I turned the front door into a door to Wonderland by covering it in craft paper (cutting around door hardware), adding a checkerboard pattern with pencil, and painting it black and white. Then I used an old Ikea plastic frame that I use at Halloween, traced out the size on craft paper, and drew in the words "Down the Rabbit Hole."  I put a little wooden accent table next to the door with a vase of red roses.

Dooooo you plaaaay croquet?!? We do! I put out the croquet set on the front lawn, complete with flamingos! Granted, we didn't play croquet WITH the flamingo, but they were there. Using a leftover piece of cardboard which I covered in craft paper, I made playing cards to watch the croquet action. They were quite easy to make, and required very few materials - cardboard, craft paper, glue (stick or spray), red and black markers, red, tan, and black construction paper, scissors. Cut shapes and put them all together.

Once down the rabbit hole, the entryway kept with the theme. Who's been painting the roses red?!? I added a few white ones to remind guests of that part of the story. I added a doorknob, which i cut from cardboard scrap and colored with crayon. I put a picture of the white rabbit in a fancy frame, added a candle, and a really cool antique silver/crystal teapot I purchased at a garage sale for $10! It brought in several elements of the story. The kids thought it was pretty, the adults remembered the details. I'm a sucker for the details.

Downstairs, i turned the washer and dryer into a snack station.  Cupcakes, oreo rice krispie treats, pink and blue sixlets, Upelkuchens (those little Eat Me cakes), tiny bottles for pishsalver (drink me), and a ceramic mushroom with a blue butterfly (Absolem).  Above, on the wall, a clock, so nobody will be late. Finally, a strand of purple lights I robbed from the Halloween decoration box and embellished with lavender tulle. You could do that with any color lights and tulle for so many occasions. It reminded me of the Cheshire cat's tail.  See, I told you, it's all about the details!

 On the right, some little Pinterest gems. First, auntique milk bottles I got cheaply on ebay, that later became vessels for pink and chocolate milk. I also made jeweled bottle idetifiers that are not pictured. Kind of like wine glass markers, but for milk. I saw the idea at BubbleandSweet on Pinterest, and decided to change the matching beads so the kids wouldn't mix up their bottles.  Next to that, for a midnight snack, personal cereal boxes and personalized spoons with the girls' names, which I saw here. 

In the back yard, I set up a tea party table. I brought out the silver and crystal serveware to make it fancy. I put a big washing pitcher filled with white roses in the middle. P.S. I got the pitcher at a yard sale for $5! Gotta love those yard sales! I made three types of tea sandwiches - peanut butter and jelly, turkey, and a goat cheese/strawberry/chive. That last one is my personal favorite, and was more popular than I thought with the kids. I made another plate with turkey dogs, plus fruit plates. I put out tea, lemonade, and water to drink. And isn't that an adorable little bunny teapot?

Hope that gives you some ideas for an Alice in Wonderland themed party!