Party Simple: Carnival Themed Graduation Party

In an attempt to shy away from the typical cookout-type high school grad party, we settled on a carnival theme.

I used a chalkboard to welcome guests so they were sure they were in the right place. It also gave them a hint as to what was to come!

I made a menu so the guests could see what we'd be serving- typical carnival grub! The lettered tickets are actually stickers which I found at Big Lots. I thought they were so cute that I bought the last 5 packs they had left!

The food was a HUGE hit, especially the nachos and corndogs! I bought nacho trays at Sam's Club so the nachos were more portable and less messy. I can't tell you how many gallons of lemonade we went through! I'm in love with the little red baskets in which we served the silverware- I found them at Joann Fabrics (2 4-packs for $5!).

We tried to keep the kids busy with a lot of different things. We set up a PA system for music and they had the trampoline and volleyball net to play with in the backyard. We also rented a cotton candy machine and a sno-kone machine which were both a HUGE hit!!! When they needed to get out of the sun for a few minutes, they could play poker on the poker table (brought up from the basement) or play Wii on the projector screen which we borrowed from a family friend. Once the sun went down, of course there were s'mores by the fire pit!

My favorite part of the party was the candy buffet I created!

I purchased the candy from Nuts Online, Metro Candy, Oh Nuts!, and Oriental Trading. Some also came from Wal-mart and the grocery store. The jars are my personal collection(a long time in the making!)- most of which have come from estate sales, flea markets, craft stores, and places like Pier 1 and Big Lots.

I downloaded a font called "Carnival" and printed individual labels for each of the jars. I attached the label to thick red and white grosgrain ribbon from Joann Fabrics.