Baby Shower

I have been a party hosting fool this summer! This was the fifth party I’ve hosted this summer and I’m worn out but I’ve had lots of fun. My latest big event was a baby shower I hosted for my sister-in-law. My niece Ashlyn is due to grace us with her presence in early October. The colors in her nursery are pink, brown and white so I decided to use that color scheme for the shower as well. I created these beautiful invitations (which will soon be available in my Etsy shop)

I tried to keep it simple and sweet by using pearls and old baby dresses for the decor. For the tablecloth I used an old bedspread. I also used an old suitcase as a base for the diaper cake. I made matching cake stands for each side of the table and filled them with cupcakes. I filled old crystal glasses with chocolate mousse topped with fresh strawberries then added a pirouette to dress it up a bit.  For the banner I strung a piece of lace across the table and used clothes pins to attach some vintage baby dresses and paper flags spelling out baby.

 

I served chocolate and strawberry cupcakes using a recipe I found in Taste of Home Magazines Fun Food 2011 edition called petal cupcakes. I tweaked them a bit and they turned out perfect.

I used large pink marshmallow and miniature white marshmallows to

make the flower petals. I cut them each in half at an angle then dipped

them in colored sugar. Then I used green tic tacs for them stems.

You could use green frosting but I was short on time and supplies.

In an effort to continue my pink and brown color scheme I served pink lemonade and tea in a variety of mason jars. I added a lemon to the side of each jar and added these adorable pink and white striped paper straws to them.

Between the jars I placed a paper doily on the table and placed a wall plaque I found at Hobby Lobby on a plate stand and added a flower and a string of pearls for decoration.

 

 Since this shower was late in the afternoon and in the middle of summer I kept the refreshments light. I served a chicken summer salad which is always a big hit with my party guests and is also one of my favorites. I placed a tray of fruit, vegetables and crackers with a vase filled with crystal twigs and cherry blossom flowers in the center on the coffee table for guests to snack on.

I found small plastic water cups in packs of five at the Dollar Tree and used them for vegetables. I placed a couple of spoonfuls of ranch dip in the bottom of each cup and added a variety of vegetables.

I sent each guest home with these baby rattle cake pops. Each were decorated with a scroll pattern and the baby’s initial. I wrapped them in a cellophane bag and tied them with cherry blossom ribbon and a baby stroller thank you tag.

All of the little details that went into this shower made it beautiful. I hope I was able to inspire your creativity today

 

 

 

 

 

 

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School is Back in Session

Are you hosting a back to school party or just looking for a gift idea for your child to give to his or her teacher on the first day? Then check out this cute craft idea.

Here’s what you will need:
Empty can
48 pencils
Ruler
Stickers
Card stock paper
Ribbon
Hot glue gun
This was a very inexpensive project. I found a 12 pack of pencils and rulers at Office Max for ten cents and used a can, paper and stickers I already had around the house. Using a hot glue gun place your pencils on your can. You can also use a paper pencil cup which you can find at Michaels Craft Stores. Cut your ribbon into two pieces. Wrap one piece around the pencils and glue it in place. Tie the other half of the ribbon into a bow and glue it onto the center of the first ribbon. Next place stickers of your choice on the card-stock paper and glue it onto the ruler. I chose to place the ruler freely inside the can so it could still be functional but you could also glue it onto the can as well. This would make a cute table centerpiece for a back to school party. Or you could give it to your child’s teachers as a thank you for all of their hard work. You could even roll up some notebook paper and put it in the can with a little note to the teacher. I hope I was able to inspire your creativity today

Back to School

Summer is coming to an end and it’s time to get ready to go back to school. These apple cake pops are the best way to start the new year off right. Your children and their teachers will love these yummy treats.

Here’s what you need:

Strawberry cake mix and ingredients

Cream cheese frosting

Red candy melts

Pretzels

Green apple rips bite sized licorice pieces

Ruby red pearl dust (optional)

Lollipop sticks

Bake strawberry cake as directed on the box and allow it to cool completely. Crumble cake into a mixing bowl and add cream cheese frosting until the mixture is the consistency of play dough. Roll batter into one inch balls and insert lollipop sticks. Place the in the refrigerator for one hour. While you are waiting break pretzels into pieces to use as apple stems. Next using a knife or kitchen shears cut the rips candy into leaf shapes. Pour red candy melts into a microwave safe dish and melt as directed on the product packaging. Once your cake pops have cooled remove them from the refrigerator and dip them into the melted chocolate then insert the stems (pretzels). YOu will use the chocolate like a glue to attach the leaves (rips candy). Dip the end of the rips candy in the chocolate and place it on top of the apple, you may have to hold it in place for a minute to allow it to adhere securely. once the chocolate has hardened you can brush on the ruby red pearl dust with a small paint brush for a shimmer effect.

Make the first day of school special by placing these sweet treats in your childs lunch box or send them to their teachers as a welcome back gift. You are sure to get an A+

 

I hope I was able to inspire your creativity today

Cade’s 1st Birthday

Well the day has finally arrived, my sweet baby boy is one and to celebrate this special day we decided to have a circus themed party. I spent lots of time planning and preparing for this big birthday bash. I wanted it to be fun for kids of all ages. So here’s what I came up with.

This ticket booth was once a lemonade stand. I covered the top with fabric and made a skirt around the bottom using alternating strips of red and white fabric, then hung the ticket sign from the awning. I decorated a cardboard box with scrapbook paper and cut a hole in the top for the kids to put their tickets in. As the kids played games they were given tickets that they could turn in for prizes.  The prize booth is three pieces of peg board. I put prizes in cellophane bags and stapled a tag that I created on the computer to the top. I ran rope through the holes and clipped the prizes on with clothes pins. The kids were thrilled at the thought of using their tickets to purchase toys. We had a variety of different games to play, most of which were home made.

I created a knock down the can game by collecting Gerber little crunchy cans. I created a different label for each can and taped them on. The cans are lightweight so they were easy for the little kids to knock down. We set up a fishing game using a plastic pool and some little fishing poles from the Dollar Tree. We also played pin the tail on the donkey, bean bag toss, pick a duck, bowling, and face painting. The kids had such a good time. I also set up a photo booth with clown noses, mustaches, ties and hats for the kids to dress up like clowns. I had to bribe the older kids with prizes to get them to dress up but once they put on the clown nose they were all smiles.

As far as the menu we tried to keep the circus theme going by serving concession stand type food like hot dogs, nachos, soft pretzels, peanuts, popcorn, cotton candy and pickles. We also had a popcorn machine and a slurpee machine which was a HUGE hit since it was a hot summer night.

I made tissue paper pom poms to hang above the concession table as well as the red and white circus tent. I used a hula hoop and red and white plastic table cloths to make the tent. I also found concession stand signs at Wally’s Party Goods which I hung on the fence. I ordered circus labels from Oriental Trading to put on bottles of cream soda. The circus sports bottles were purchased at Target and I tied a tag to them with each child’s name. I bought plastic buckets of cotton candy and created my own label for them.

We set up tables throughout the yard for our guests to sit at. I found vinyl tablecloths on clearance for $1 at Old Navy. Yes Old Navy, crazy huh? On each table I filled a bucket (purchased at Target) with lollipops, pinwheels, peanuts and cellophane. Boxes of animals crackers with thank you tags tied to each of them were also placed on each table for our guests to enjoy.

The dessert table was located indoors due to the heat. I didn’t want all of my sweets to melt. I had so much fun creating all these yummy treats. 

I spent many hours making these clown and popcorn cake pops. I was so pleased with how the popcorn turned out! If you would like to try these just make your cake pops as you normally would and dip them in white candy melts. Take mini marshmallows and break them in half and stick them around the bottom. Once they have hardened spray them with a can of yellow food coloring (i found it at Wal-Mart). I purchased plastic popcorn boxes at the dollar tree and put a piece of styrofoam inside to hold the popcorn in place.

Cupcakes topped with sprinkles, cotton candy and peanuts (AKA Nutter butter cookies) were also served.

The last item on the dessert menu were these precious popcorn cupcakes. They are the simplest and cutest cupcakes ever! Just make your cupcakes, ice them with white frosting and top with marshmallows. For the “butter” on top I sprayed them with canned food coloring. You could also sprinkle yellow sugar on them and then spray with a mist of water for the same effect. I created the popcorn labels for these cupcakes so if you would like to use them send me an email at greenjen1@aol.com and I will share them with you.

We had such a good time with all of our friends and family who attended. The birthday boy thanks all of you for coming!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope I was able to inspire your creativity

Do you want fries with that???

If you are planning a backyard barbecue this summer you absolutely have to make these cookies and cupcakes. They are TO DIE FOR!

These are so easy to make and your guests will give you rave reviews! Here’s what you need…

Yellow cake mix (with ingredients)

Brownie mix (with ingredients)

White frosting

Red, yellow and green food coloring

Sugar cookie dough

Bake your cupcakes and brownies as directed. Once cooled cut your cupcakes in half to use for hamburger buns. Next using a round cookie cutter (i used the lid off the bottle of PAM cooking spray) cut your brownies into circles to use as hamburger patties. Place your frosting into three separate bowls and add food coloring to make your lettuce, mustard and ketchup. Once mixed place your colored frosting in icing bags. To assemble your cupcakes stack the bottom half of a cupcake, then a brownie. Next drizzle red, yellow and green icing on top, there is no fancy technique, do it just like you would if you were squirting it on a real hamburger. Now top it with the top half of a cupcake. If you want to take it a step further you could add sesame seeds to the top.

Do you want fries with that??? I was in a crunch for time so I used a roll of store-bought cookie dough to make my fries. I simply rolled out the dough with my rolling pin then cut it into small strips. Don’t worry about them being even because no two fries are the same. Place them on a cookie sheet, sprinkle them with sugar and bake as directed. Remove the “fries” from the oven and sprinkle once again with sugar while they are still hot. The only problem you might run into is that pre-made cookie dough spreads like crazy so once I removed them from the oven I had to cut them into strips again but afterwards they looked perfect and they were scrumpcious!

I placed my fries in paper sleeves that I cut out of plain white paper then added a label I made on the computer. I also cut out paper trays and lined them with red and white checkered tissue paper to hold my burgers and fries. This can be pretty time consuming. You could also purchase plastic baskets (I’ve seen them at Wal-Mart) to hold your burgers and fries. Your guests are sure to love this dessert! I hope I was able to inspire your creativity today

 

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!

Okay folks here it is the moment you’ve all been waiting for…the recipe for my ice cream sundae cupcakes. Drum roll please…

Here’s what you need

Chocolate cake mix (with ingredients)

Chocolate candy melts or almond bark (whichever you prefer)

Candy Sprinkles

Cherry sour candy

2 sticks of butter softened

4 cups powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla

2 tbsp milk

1 tsp salt

Bake your cupcakes as directed on the package and let them cool completely. To make your frosting mix butter, vanilla and milk until smooth. Slowly add powdered sugar and salt until well blended. The addition of the salt makes the frosting taste like homemade vanilla ice cream, yummy! Increase your mixer speed to medium and beat for two minutes or until fluffy. refrigerate your frosting for one hour. This step is very important, if your icing is not well chilled it will ll fall to pieces when you add the toppings and it will look like a melted ice cream sundae. Once thoroughly chilled place frosting on your cupcakes using a cookie dough scoop, just like you would scoop up ice cream. Place the cupcakes in the freezer for about 20 minutes to let the frosting harden. Melt your candy melts or almond bark as directed and allow to cool for a couple of minutes. Remove your cupcakes from the freezer and spoon your chocolate on top. Next add your sprinkles and cherry sours to the top before your chocolate hardens and now you now have a delicious ice cream sundae! Enjoy these yummy sweet treats. I hope I was able to inspire your creativity today

Ice Cream Parlour Party

 I recently hosted a 91st Birthday celebration for my husbands grandfather. I decided to do an ice cream parlour theme with a variety of sweet treats and an ice cream sundae buffet.  On the buffet table I filled a metal bucket with ice and placed three smaller buckets (purchased at Target) inside of it which I filled with strawberry, chocolate and vanilla ice cream. The ice cream cone-shaped labels on the ice cream buckets were actually invitations which I found on clearance at Hobby Lobby. I had another bucket of ice to keep the cans of whipped cream cold. I filled ceramic ice cream cone dishes (also purchased at Target in the dollar section) with gummy bears, sprinkles, reeses, strawberries, creme de menthe, Oreo cookies, m&m’s and cherries. I set out plastic bowls and waffle cones dipped in chocolate and pecans for our guests to fill with their choice of ice cream and toppings.

I printed out labels I created in Photoshop and cut them out and attached them to popsicle sticks to place inside the topping dishes. Then wrapped the dish in ribbon to add a little flair to it.  

 The dessert menu included ice cream cone-shaped cookies and cake pops, brownies and a variety of cupcakes. My favorite were the ice cream sundae and milkshake cupcakes pictured below. I will post the recipe for these in a separate post.

The miniature Ice cream cones pictured here are actually Oreo cake balls. I cut off the end of waffle cones, placed the cake balls on top then dipped them in chocolate candy melts. Before the chocolate hardened I place a red m&m on top and added some sprinkles. They were DELICIOUS!!!

The kids loved these cookies. I used a Wilton Cone Pops Cookie Pan purchased at Hobby Lobby. I placed sugar cookie dough in the greased pan filling to about 1/8 of an inch below the top edge and inserted the sticks into the dough covering two inches of the stick. Next I baked them at 350 for 19 minutes on the middle rack. Keep in mind that if you choose to use a ready-made cookie dough roll from the grocery store they will swell and will not resemble an ice cream cone (I learned this lesson the hard way). Once the cookies were completely cooled I iced them using colored candy melts then sprinkled them with sugar and added a cherry sour candy to the top.

As you can see the color scheme I chose was green, yellow, brown and white. I even decided to keep the drinks in line with my color scheme by filling beverage dispensers with tea, limeaide, pineapple juice and lemonade. I used the same labels mentioned earlier on my drink dispensers.

Everyone had a great time satisfying their sweet tooth while visiting with family. I’d say this party was a big success and I encourage all of you to host your own ice cream parlour party this summer. I hope I was able to inspire your creativity today