Max's Groovy Party

I love to plan parties. When the big kids were little, I started making party plans in January for their summer birthdays. Compulsive, maybe. Awesome parties, totally. I always plan themes around something they are particularly "in to" and like to make the invites. One year there was the Captain Underpants party complete with gigantic underwear decoration and photo op with Super Diaper Baby (Henry with red velour cape). Ella had an Asian tea party at the Japanese tea house at Fabyan Park. Lots of dim sum and mochi. (btw-Mochi is gross). Max had a skateboard party and we made tie dye shirts. Henry's kindergarten carnival, the back yard campout and trip to the firehouse. Did I mention I love to plan parties?

The boys are older now and neither seemed to want a birthday party but after Christmas expressed interest in having some friends over to "hang out". Party? Do you want to have a party? The final of the four winter parties at the Downing house took place last Saturday night. Max went with a 60's theme - Peace, Love and Happiness!



Tie dye table cover, pyrex bowl and smiley faces. The smiley face wine bottle became a candle holder. Okay, I threw a little disco in, too.


Saturday afternoon we made fun treats. Big round sugar cookies became smiley faces.



The most fun to make were the tie dye ones. Drop on spoons of fun color....


...and swirl it around. I usually make a super tasty, fluffy frosting to decorate cookies but it's a little tricky for use for more detailed decorating. I found an easy, made-for-kids powdered sugar icing that sets-up and is the ideal consistency for painting.


Max and I had lots of fun working on this project together and were really thrilled with the way they turned out. Aren't they groovy? The best one was Max's orange peace sign.

Searching for frosting that allows for fun decorating and doesn't break your teeth and taste nasty like royal icing? Try this Williams-Sonoma recipe for decorating icing. You'll have tons of fun, I promise.

Peace.