Star Wars Valentine

Recently, my 7 year old had a Star Wars themed birthday party, and we made some adorable invitations using glow stick bracelets from the dollar store.  I thought it would be fun to use the same picture to make a Star Wars Valentine.

Isn't it cute?  I took a picture of him making a fist and holding his arm out to the side.  Then, I did some editing in Picmonkey.  {I thought "The Force of our friendship is strong" was very clever.}

Then, I cut slits above and below his fist and inserted a glow stick with some black electrical tape wrapped around the end.

Pretty simple... and I think it is a really fun Valentine to pass out classmates.  Don't you?

 

♥ 

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

* You can find me on facebook here.

DIY Star Wars Party

All three of my boys are huge Star Wars fans, so it isn't surprising that my oldest son requested a Star Wars theme for his 7th birthday party. Today, I am sharing all the fun DIY details of the super-fun "Jedi Training Academy" I hosted for my son and his little Jedi friends.

Here's what we did....

1)  We set the mood with a fun invitation. {You can get the full tutorial for it here.}

2)  As guests arrived, they colored their own Jedi Academy Security Badge {which I made by scanning a page out of one of their coloring books}.

3)  We played a little "Freeze Dance" to Star Wars music, and then we took a break for dinner, cake and cookies.

4)  After everyone finished eating, it was time for some lightsaber training. The kids balanced balloons on their lightsabers, my husband gave them some "formal" instruction, and they took a final "test" by fighting Darth Vader... who was actually my five year old.  {You can find the tutorial for the pool noodle lightsabers here.}

5)  The final activity was to "Destroy the Death Star" aka break open the pinata.  {You can find the full tutorial for the pinata here.}

Finally, it was time for the new Jedi to:

...receive their Graduation Certificates

...have a quick "photo op"

...and collect their treat bags.

My son loved his party, and all the kids had a great time.  Isn't Star Wars a great theme for a party?  

♥ 

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Find more easy and inexpensive DIY party ideas here.

Pool Noodle Lightsabers

For my son's 7th birthday, I made all of the guests {20 of them} lightsabers out of pool noodles.  I have seen a ton of different versions floating around on the web, but today I am sharing my version.

Aren't they so cute?

Here is how I made them:

1)  My husband cut all the pool noodles in half using a utility knife.  Then, I used silver duct tape to create a handle.  I made a "criss cross" on the bottom.  Then, I wrapped four separate pieces around the noodle. 

2)  Then, I made a simple design using black electrical tape {see below}, and I added a little red sticker for a power button.

The pool noodles are great for little ones because they are so soft.

I think these the lightsabers were the highlight of our DIY Star Wars party.  I would highly recommend them for any Star Wars celebration.

♥ 

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)