- invitation = ticket
- cake = foam finger
- Oreos = hockey pucks
- sugar cookie hockey sticks and foam fingers
- arena food menu: pizza, hot dogs, burgers, popcorn, nachos, pretzels, chips
- foam finger pencil toppers and mini Zamboni souvenirs
- scoreboard
- custom water bottle labels and stickers on pop cans
- glass trays = ice
- silver bowls = the Cup
- first star selection
- first draft pick
- pendants banner
- replica Stanley Cup filled with silver candies
- hockey card "thank you"s
1. MINI FOAM FINGERS: I printed off a picture of a foam finger and traced it onto cardboard. After cutting it out of cardboard, I used it as my template to trace onto thin craft foam in various colors. I used Sharpies and paint markers to outline the shape and to write big number 1s on them. I rolled strips of foam into tubes and glued them to the backs, turning them into pencil toppers.
2. SCOREBOARD: I downloaded a picture of a scoreboard that I liked and edited on my computer to add my son's name, make the score 1-0, and make it the first period. I printed four copies of this. I covered an almost cube-shaped box with black wrapping paper, leaving the top open so I will be able to use it as a keepsake box later, then glued a scoreboard to each side. I added a picture from The Hockey News magazine to the bottom, some NHL team logo stickers around the sides, and string to the top so I could hang it from the ceiling.
3. SUGAR COOKIES:
a. HOCKEY STICKS: After rolling out the dough, I cut out simple hockey stick shapes with a knife, then decorated them with icing.
b. FOAM FINGERS: Using the same template as the craft foam fingers, I created my own cookie cutter from an aluminum baking pan, then used it to cut the shapes out of the dough. Each cookie was decorated with colored icing first, then had a number 1 added in white or chocolate icing.
4. MINI STANLEY CUP: I printed off a simple picture of the Stanley Cup for reference, then stacked up two plastic containers (with lids on), a center piece from a roll of tape, and a little bowl. Once I was happy with the configuration, I drew 4 evenly spaced lines around each of the plastic containers and put a line of hot glue on these lines to create ridges. I also did a line of hot glue around the bottom edge of both containers. After stuffing the containers with balled up newspaper and chunks of cardboard to make them solid, I used more hot glue to seal the lid on and fill in the gap between the container and lid. I covered the individual parts with aluminum foil and foil tape, doing my best to keep it smooth on the two plastic containers but letting it be rough on the bowl to mimic the embossing on the real Cup. The last step was to use hot glue to stick the parts together.
5. PAPER ZAMBONI FAVOR BOXES: I designed a pattern for a paper zamboni and printed it on colored cardstock. After cutting and folding them, I secured the sides with staples (you could use glue or tape) and filled them with candy before tying a ribbon around them. These would be fun for older kids to color as a party activity. NOTE: I believe that Kinder Surprise, Eggtopia NHL Eggs and other similar chocolate eggs with toys inside will fit inside these. I filled them with mini chocolate bars.
6. CONCESSION SIGN & FOOD LABELS:
a. CONCESSION SIGN: I typed up the concession sign in Word, using black capital letters and red punctuation/numbers and printed it on white cardstock. I added pieces of a Coca-Cola box to the center page, then glued all three pages to a large piece of cardboard that I wrapped in black wrapping paper.
b. FOOD LABELS: I printed off the labels on white cardstock and drew/colored the pictures. After cutting them out, I glued them onto colored cardstock.
7. BANNERS: I printed out the letters in my son's name on colored card stock and cut them out in the shape of hanging banners (rectangle with the bottom 2 corners cut off to form an arrow shape). I glued these onto slightly larger pieces of colored cardstock, then strung them together on ribbon.
8. CUSTOM BOTTLES OF WATER: I set up a sheet of "labels" in Word that were as wide as I could make them and 1.88" high (5/sheet). I downloaded images of NHL team jerseys and inserted them into the labels, then typed my son's name and "1st BIRTHDAY" in a coordinating color. I printed them on regular white paper, cut them into strips, and attached them with a long strip of clear packing tape that covered the paper completely and was sticky at both ends to stick onto the bottle. I recommend removing the original label first.
9. NHL DRAFT BOARD: I printed a 1 (black printing on white background) and my son's full name (white printing with black "highlighting") on white cardstock and cut it out. I also printed the logos from the most recent NHL draft. I glued these to a large piece of black poster board. I also glued photos of my son to the board.
10. FOAM FINGER CAKE: I baked a 9"x13" cake and trimmed it in the shape of a foam finger, leaving the pointer finger quite wide to avoid having it break when I moved the cake to the tray. I decorated it with red and white icing and used a matching 1-shaped candle.
11. HOCKEY ICE TABLE: Since our kitchen table is a white oval, I used red and blue duct tape and red and white paper with clear mactac to create a rink on the top of it.
We own a lot of hockey memorabilia, jersey, blankets, etc., so I used those throughout our kitchen and living room to decorate.
