Halloween Vampire Party Game - The Blood Donation Room

October 12, 2016 in halloween, Printables, Vampire

At Halloween parties I always have an area dedicated to "keeping the children amused" so the adults can enjoy a quite, or not so quite drink. This year was a vampire theme so we created a Vampire Blood donation room. This had children dressed in bloody white coats taking blood donations from a group of happy donors. A small set of printable items have been developed for this game.

Enjoy Julie

**Halloween Vampire Game - The Blood Donation Room**

The Blood Donation room had lots of small bottles of blood (coloured water), blood bags, bloody bandages, syringes, white coats, face masks and bandaids. Finally we included a reclining chair for the victims.

We used a very old dresser as the counter for our blood collections, and a large black candelabra to hold the blood bags, the blood bags are easy to find on-line.

**Halloween Vampire Party Decorating ideas**

The decorations included a mix of vintage pieces including silver, glassware and bottles and modern halloween props.

Our young victims patiently waited their turn before being subjected to the blood drawing.

**Halloween Vampire Game - Blood Types**

We developed a small set of printable items for the party, the waiting room had a sign, queue number and small circles for blood types. The blood drawing room had small cards for the blood drawers to complete. We found some blood syringe pens on-line. This printable set is available in our shop.

**Halloween Vampire Party blood decorations**

We collected a lot of small bottles for this party, they were filled with water and red food dye to look like very dark blood.

Halloween Vampire Party Syringes and bandaids

Syringes are easy to find on line. We included some small tweases and lots of bandaids in a vintage silver and glass serving dish. The dressing table had lots of small shelves that were decorated with a few modern halloween pieces.

This was a great game for a vampire party and many an adult ventured into the blood donation room to emerge with a few artfully applied bandaids. You may also like our other Vampire Posts: Vampire Dessert Table and Gothic Vampire Party.

The printable items we used for this party are available from our shop.

**Halloween Vampire Game Printable Set**

Halloween Dessert Table - Vampire Party

October 08, 2016 in halloween, Printables, Vampire, Dessert Table

What more could a young and young at heart Vampire want from halloween than a halloween Vampire Party with a Vampire dessert table laden with Dracula Cake Pops, Castle Cup Cakes, Blood Jelly and Coffin and Bat Vanilla cookies.

We trust you will enjoy our Halloween Vampire Dessert Table.

This dessert table was a lot of fun to create and quite simple. The backdrop for the dessert table was a large wall of flying bats, this was achieved with a lot of card bats that we found on-line. We used a lot of black and red elements on the table

I positioned the bats to look like they had just left their roost for the night, soaring across the night sky in search of victims. The moon worked well as a centrepiece.

**Halloween Bay Cookies - Vampire Party**

Coffin Vanilla Cookies and Bat Vanilla Cookies worked well for a vampire theme. They were simply decorated in red or black icing with small silver and gold cachous to add definition and sparkle.

We made Dracula cake pops for the party and used a combination of large and small cake papers to make capes. The cake pops were placed in styrofoam that was covered with small bones and bats and wrapped in a castle printable from our Vampire Dessert table package.

We served Blood Jelly in LED cups with the colour set to red, these looked really effective in a dark room.

**Castle Cup Cakes - Halloween Vampire Party**

Halloween Dessert Table with Bats - Vampire Party

We decorated the cupcakes as Dracula's Castle. We used a slice of Licorice Allsort for the front wall that was trimmed at the top to create a parapet. The wall was then edged by two licorices pieces and topped with two large cachous balls to create castle towers. These are easy to make but you will require icing to hold the elements together. They looked great on the cup cakes.

The castle cup cakes were topped with a cup cake topper from our printable range. We also created a blood donation room game for this party, this was a great game that kept the children occupied all evening.

**Halloween Vampire party dessert table printable set**

This was a fun party and the vampire theme led to lots of great costumes. We have created a small number of printable products for this party, they are available in our shop.

We hope you have enjoyed our photos

Enjoy Julie

Halloween Witch Party - Hansel and Gretel Party with dessert table

October 09, 2015 in Halloween, halloween, Childrens parties, Printables

This year we created a Hansel and Gretel Halloween theme. This party consumed a large part of the house with a full dessert table, working Witch's kitchen and a darker adult take on Hansel and Gretel.

For this post we focus on the dessert table where we used elements of Hansel and Gretel first finding the Candy House through to the nastier side of the Witch. We created a set of printable products to accompany the dessert table, these are available from our shop.

This theme was a lot of fun we hope you enjoy.

Julie

**Halloween Hansel and Gretel Dessert Table**

Our dessert table used a simple crushed velvet table cloth. On the wall we added a large spooky cardboard cut out tree with a witch peeking around the side. Some large spiders were then added to the wall.

The cupcakes represented the Witch's candy house. We used a small violet crumble's for the house and licorise all sorts for the roof and door. The house was decorated with tiny trees and candy canes from a christmas sprinkle range.

**Halloween Hansel and Gretel Cupcakes**

I find layered coloured jelly is always popular with the children, we made the jelly in spooky cups and topped with toppers from our Hansel and Gretel printable range

For cookies we used a witch boot and shoe, we decorated these quite simply with gold and silver couscous balls.

Colourful candy is a must for this theme, we used small crystal bowls and lots of shapes and colour.

Toffee apples are also great for a halloween Witch theme, we used black chopstick and decorated using mini bunting from our printable range.

The cup cakes did take some time to assemble but used simple techniques.

LED Lanterns are a great way to add colour and height to a table

Our printable range includes: Mini bunting, bottle labels, jelly toppers, 2 inch circles and tents

**Halloween Hansel and Gretel Printables**

I must give my husband credit for jack O'lantern carving, he found a wonderful spooky witch stencil which worked a treat.

Please see our shop for full details of our Hansel and Gretel Printable products.

Halloween Melting Witch Punch

October 03, 2015 in drinks, halloween, Halloween, Printables

Halloween Punch is just so good. This year we had a Hansel and Gretel Witch Halloween party and had three punch's representing Witches. We called this punch the Melting Witch Punch.

This is a non alcoholic punch which was a favourite with the children..

For this party we created a set of free halloween punch tents so you can create the look at home.

Enjoy Julie

Recipe

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Caster sugar
8 tablespoons of water
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
green food colouring
4 litres lemon / lime sode
2 litres good vanilla ice cream.

Method

Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and cook string over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved,
Remove from the heat and add the milk and almond extract.
Transfer to a large jug and allow to cool to room temperature, then move to the fridge to chill.
When ready to serve, transfer the mixture to the punch bowl
Add food colouring a bit at a time until you reach your desired green
Add lemon / lime sode, leaving space for the ice cream
Add ice cream using a scoop
Enjoy

Valentine Cup Cakes with Free Printables - Wicked Wednesday

February 12, 2014 in Printables, Wicked Wednesday, Cup Cakes

With Valentines Day just around the corner we've created some adorable ombre cup cakes, topped with Valentines Day heart shaped messages. These cute little cakes would make a great addition to any school class room or just as a special treat for lunch. If you are lucky, a couple may be saved for the adults in the house.

These Valentine Day Printables can be downloaded for free here. Just print, cut and get creative.

Enjoy.

Recipe

Ingredients:

12 Vanilla cup cakes. - use your favourite recipe.
125g softened butter
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 Tbls milk
Food colour - I've used a deep red

Method:

Make cakes according to recipe.
Beat the butter and sugar together until soft and fluffy.
Add vanilla and 1/2 the milk
The mixture should be quite thick so it can be piped, add more milk if required
Divide the mixture into 3 bowls, to create 3 shades of icing.
Starting at the lightest icing, add a small amount of the red food colour and mix, adding more food colouring if required
Repeat step 6 on the other two bowls of icing, adding more food colour with each bowl.
Using a piping bag and a flat nozzle. pipe the icing starting at the outside and working into the middle. Experiment with using the three shades of red to create an ombre effect.
Enjoy.

Indian Dinner Party

January 30, 2014 in Dinner Parties, Printables

I really look forward to hosting an Indian Dinner Party. I find it very therapeutic to spend time in the kitchen making dishes that you do not make everyday. I enjoy the smell of the spices as they pop and simmer away and I know at the end of the cooking process I will have made some amazing meals. With an Indian Dinner party, as you guests enter the door they are greated with the wonderful aromas of exotic spices and they are left in no doubt about what is on the menu.

I've collected a number of trinkets that I use for styling Indian dinner parties these include some loved and worn candle holders that I've toped with green pillar candles and a number of elephants that have found there way into the house. This year I've created a printable range to compliment the table including napkin rings, name tents and a menu, these are available from our shop.

I've created a three course menu based on some of my favourite Indian recipes (I have many) that are fairly straight forward to put together. The full recipes and some useful tips are included at the end of the post.

For now enjoy and think Indian at your next Dinner Party.

To complete the look, use a single flower such as a Freeshia within the napkin ring.

**Indian Printable collection - www.chicpartyideas.com**

Use simple bamboo table runners and add trinkets such as Elephants and candles.

When styling an Indian Table, use aged metal candle holders and team with bright candles.

Place a couple of copies of your menu at either end of the table.

This menu with text or blank is available from our store

**menu printable - www.chicpartyideas.com**

A starter of Cucumber and Mint Raita with pappadums is a great first course. I've used packaged Pappadums from the supermarket that you shallow fry just before serving.

Butter chicken is always a hit with the children, it is a lovely sweet, creamy dish that does not carry any heat.

Most Indian cook books have a vast range of vegetable curry. They are a must for a dinner party.

Beef Dhansak translates to beef and lentils, this is a slow cooked dish that is full of flavour.

Mango Kulfi is a cool, refreshing and light option to end an Indian meal.

Recipes:

A good Indian dinner party does require a few hours in the kitchen, but many of the meals can be made ahead of time and then re-heated prior to serving. Tonights menu included:

Starter: Cucumber and Mint Raita with Pappadums

Mains: Butter Chicken, Vegetable curry, Beef dhansak and Steamed basmati rice.

Dessert: Mango kulfi and fresh fruit

How I approached the cooking!

Prepare the Kulfi the day before.
Marinate the butter chicken the day before.
Prepare the Raita in the morning of the party.
Prepare the Dhansak and Butter chicken early afternoon, soon followed by the Vegetable curry.
I've used Basmati rice and cooked according to the package, as with the pappadums.
I've also used a supermarket naan. I find the refrigerated naan breads are nicer than those placed with the other breads, these are heated prior to serving.

Cucumber and Mint Raita with Pappadums.

Ingredients:

1 lebanese cucumber
1 teaspoon ghee or butter
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon black or brown mustard seeds
1 cup plain yogurt
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove crushed garlic
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon mint leaves, and more to garnish
Packet of pappadums

Method:

Peel cucumber, half lengthways, remove the seeds and roughly chop.
Heat the ghee or butter in a small pan, cook the seeds and cumin until the seeds pop, then allow to cool.
Combine spice mixture with the yogurt, lemon juice, garlic and pepper in a small bowl.
Cover, refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Just before serving, add mint and additional mint to garnish.
Pappadums are best made right before serving.
enjoy

Butter Chicken

Ingredients:

5 Chicken breast fillets (cut into large chunks)
1 teaspoon chilli powder
3 teaspoons ground coriander
3 teaspoons garam masala
3 cloves crushed garlic
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup yogurt
60 g butter
1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 large onion, finely chopped
5 cardemon pods, bruised (note 1)
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon paprika
1 can (425 g) tomato puree
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 cup cream

Method:

Combine ginger, garlic, ground spices, tomato paste and yogurt in a large bowl. Add chicken and refrigerate overnight.
Heat the butter in a large pan, add onion, cinnamon and cardamon and cook stirring until the onion is lightly browned. Add the chicken and contents of bowl and cook for approx 5 minutes.
Add paprika, tomato puree, salt and stock and simmer for 10 minutes.
Stir through the cream and simmer for 15 minutes.
enjoy

Vegetable Curry

Ingredients

1/2 cup Yogurt
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon gaman masala
4 cardamon pods, bruised (note 1)
3 tablespoons butter or ghee
1 tablespoon oil
2 bay leaves
2 brown onions sliced
2 potatoes, peeled and coarsely diced
300 g cauliflower florets
1 baby eggplant sliced
1 zucchini sliced
1 carrot sliced
3/4 cup water
1 cup coconut cream
200g green beans
1 tablespoon mint leaves

Method

Combine yogurt, garlic, ginger, salt, pepper and spices in a bowl and stand for 30 mins.
Heat butter or ghee with the oil in a large pan.
Add onions and cook stirring until the onions are slightly brown.
Add bay leaves, potatoes, carrot, cauliflower, eggplant and zucchini and cook stirring for about 5 minutes.
Add the yogurt mixture, water and cream and simmer, covered for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
Add the beans and simmer uncovered for a further 5 minutes.
Add the mint just before serving.
enjoy.

Beef Dhansak

Ingredients

1 kg diced beef
1 eggplant (peeled and roughly chopped)
500g Pumpkin (peeled and roughly chopped)
2 tablespoons butter or ghee
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 onions, diced
3 teaspoons ground coriander
3 teaspoons garam masala
2 teaspoons turmeric
3 teaspoons cumin
6 curry leaves
1 cup red lentils
1 litre water

Method

Heat the butter or ghee in a large pan, cook onions and garlic until lightly browned.
Add the spices and cook, stirring until fragrant.
Add pumpkin, eggplant, curry leaves, lentils and water and bring to the boil - then simmer for 30 minutes
Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Place the mixture in a blender or food processor in batches until pureed - return to the pan.
Add the diced beef and bring to the boil.
Simmer, covered for 1 hour, remove lid and continue to simmer for a further 30 minutes.
enjoy

Mango Kulfi

Ingredients

2 x 375 cans evaporated milk
1/4 cup caster sugar
8 cardamon pods, bruised (note 1)
1 cinnamon stick
2 mangoes, chopped and skin removed
Fresh fruit for serving

Method:

Combine milk, sugar, cardamon and cinnamon in a saucepan.
Bring to the boil, then simmer for 5 minutes.
Turn off heat and stand for 30 minutes, then strain into a blender.
Add the mangoes to the blender and process until smooth.
Line the base and sides of a 23 cm square baking pan with glad wrap
pour in the Kulfi and cover with more wrap.
place in the freezer for a least 4 hours (i normally do this the day before).
To serve, I cut the kulfi into 4 squares, then each square into 4 triangles.
Serve with fresh fruit.
enjoy

Notes

Note 1 - To bruise a cardamon pod, place the pods on a chopping board and hit once with a meat mallet or other heavy object.

Christmas Printable Range - Available NOW

December 09, 2013 in christmas, Printables

Our Shop is now officially open for business. Our launch features our Christmas Printable Range as featured on our blog.

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Visit our Shop for full details and purchases.

Christmas Printable Range - Complete Package

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Halloween Vampire Party Game - The Blood Donation Room

Halloween Dessert Table - Vampire Party

Halloween Witch Party - Hansel and Gretel Party with dessert table

Halloween Melting Witch Punch

Recipe

Ingredients

Method

Valentine Cup Cakes with Free Printables - Wicked Wednesday

Recipe

Ingredients:

Method:

Indian Dinner Party

Recipes:

Cucumber and Mint Raita with Pappadums.

Ingredients:

Method:

Butter Chicken

Ingredients:

Method:

Vegetable Curry

Ingredients

Method

Beef Dhansak

Mango Kulfi

Ingredients

Method:

Notes

Christmas Printable Range - Available NOW