Back-to-School Celebration

We had a family back-to-school celebration this evening.

Our menu:

• sloppy joes
• baked beans
• potato chips
• celery sticks
• carrot sticks
• ranch dip
• apple cupcakes
• back-to-school cookies

I made the sloppy joes from scratch, in the crock-pot.  The baked beans are from a jar (B&M brand).

The celery sticks are in a small tin pail with an apples design.  The carrots are in a small tin pail with a pencils design.  (I think I purchased the pails at Wal-Mart.)

For letter Aa - apple, I made cupcakes to look like apples.

I used a pretzel stick for the stem.  For the leaf, I used a rolling pin to flatten a Jolly Rancher green apple-flavored fruit chew; then, I cut it with a leaf-shaped cutter.  The cupcakes are a yellow cake mix in red cupcake liners, with white frosting and red sugar.

I saw the idea for these cupcakes on at least three different sites:  Pirates & Princesses, Party Pinching, and Everyday Celebrating.

For letter Bb - bag, I put ziplock baggies of Lay's Baked! potato crisps in brown lunch bags.

For letter Cc - cookie, I baked Nestle Back to School Pals sugar cookies.

Here is a photo of the packaging for the cookies.  (I purchased these cookies at Wal-Mart.)

The inspiration for the decorations came from Party Pinching.  (Scroll down to the second back-to-school party, August 2011.)  I created the mini Aa-Bb-Cc posters using free clip art I found on the Internet.

The apple-themed printables I used (party circles and buffet table cards) were designed by Krysten at Clickable Party for Catch My Party.

T was absolutely thrilled...and asked me to take his picture in front of the party table! :)