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Halloween Marshmallow Pops

Published on October 21, 2016 by kerricreatesblog1 Comment

With Halloween just around the corner, I wanted to create something fun and festive. My kids have been asking for marshmallow pops recently, so I thought I’d make these delicious cuties for them to enjoy! Mallow pops are so easy and inexpensive to make and I love how how many variations can be made with just a few modifications. Even though I enjoyed putting these little guys together, I think next time, I will leave the decorating to my kids and see what “spooky” creations they come up with.

For these Halloween pops you will need the following items: a bag of large marshmallows, Wilton’s lollipop sticks, Wilton’s candy melts in several colors, candy eyeballs, chocolate chips (for the cat ears), chocolate chunks (for the pumpkin stems), oreo cookies (minus the filling, for the bat wings), a toothpick or kabob stick (for the little details like the noses and mouths), white sprinkles (for the cat whiskers and bat fangs)

In addition, it is helpful to have wax paper to place your marshmallows on before you dip and a piece of styrofoam to poke the lollipop sticks in after you dip them, while they dry. I bought an inexpensive styrofoam round at Michael’s that I have used over and over again for marshmallow and cake pops.I like to use mason jars to melt the candy in, but small bowls or coffee mugs work also. Just make sure whatever you use is microwaveable. It’s best to set everything up before melting so your all ready to begin dipping the marshmallows. Line your countertop with wax paper and push a lollipop stick into the center of each marshmallow. Get your candies and sprinkles all ready to go. Follow the directions on the back of the bag of candy melts. I have found it best to start with one minute in the microwave on 50% power. After that, stir, and then go an additional 30 seconds at a time until your candy is easy to stir and completely melted. *Do not over melt…sometimes as you stir, the candy will continue to melt, so give it a good stir each time.

Helpful Tip: If your candy melts start to harden before you are finished dipping or decorating, no worries. Just pop them back in the microwave for 20-30 seconds and they will quickly melt again, so you can finish dipping and decorating.Now comes the fun part! You are ready to dip and decorate! Enjoy my tutorial on making Halloween Marshmallow Pops for more helpful tips!

DIY Framed Chalkboard Wall

Published on October 11, 2016November 7, 2021 by kerricreatesblog1 Comment

I absolutely love chalkboards! They are so versatile and you can change them anytime to create a new look in your home. You can add quotes and drawings to go with seasons and holidays. The possibilities with a blank chalkboard are endless!

When we moved into our home over a year ago, there was an odd roll up door in the living room. It seems like the previous owners had used it as a sort of bar to serve drinks, but we didn’t quite know what to do with it. We have talked about closing it off, but haven’t gotten around to it. A couple of weeks ago, while sitting in my living room, I was struck with inspiration. I saw the frame around the roll up door and thought, “I wonder what it would look like if I turned this into a giant chalkboard?”

A few coats of chalkboard paint later and project complete! I am happy to report that it turned out even better than I expected! I used Rust-oleum ChalkBoard Paint and it took 3 coats of paint to cover the area thoroughly. I let each coat dry for at least an hour before adding another, and one 30 oz. can of paint did the trick. I purchased a white chalk marker and found a quote on that I love. I used our projector on my new chalkboard to get the quote just right and then traced it with the chalk pen. I filled in some of the lighter areas with a regular piece of white chalk to create some contrast of texture and I absolutely love it!!! This is definitely a great addition to the decor in our living room. #CommissionsEarned

Update: over the years, I have transformed our chalkboard many times over and have included several pics (above) of various quotes. I have found that it helps to paint a new coat of chalkboard paint over the blank board each time I do a new quote because sometimes the outline of the previous quote shows through a bit as you can see in “Find Joy In The Journey.”

For more fun DIY projects check out some of my recent blogposts:

DIY Board & Batten Feature Wall

Oversized Scripture Scroll: Ephesians 3

DIY Lemonade Stand

DIY Tinkering Workshop For Kids

Science Experiment Party

Published on October 11, 2016October 29, 2021 by kerricreatesblog3 Comments

Micah is our little scientist. He loves all things science, so naturally, when he was about to turn 10, we began to plan the ultimate Science Experiment Birthday Party. The vision started to take shape one afternoon when we bought a slab of dry ice for Micah to “play” with. He literally spent over 4 hours experimenting with it. I decided then and there that dry ice experiments would be the main event of the party. I wanted to include a couple of other simple activities as well. A Coke and Mentos demonstration, cornstarch and water play, and build your own edible molecules made this an unforgettable birthday party!

The decorations were quite simple, since most of our time was spent on the science activities. I created a really fun “Happy Birthday Micah” banner using letters from the periodic table and a couple of science symbols. My cricut came in handy for most of the homemade decorations. I used an old toy microscope as our centerpiece and placed Micah’s plasma ball near the food area. I used a black sharpie to draw lines and numbers on clear plastic cups to make them resemble beakers. I lined our counter with everything needed for the party, so that it was quickly accessible to keep things moving along.

We read up on the proper safety precautions needed when handling dry ice, so we were well prepared to host a party of this kind. In the birthday invitations, I asked that a parent be present to help supervise their own child/children and asked the kids to come dressed in long sleeves, long pants, and close toes shoes. We provided gloves and safety goggles for each person handling the dry ice and when the kids arrived we were all ready to go. #CommissionsEarned

Water mixed with dry ice in some mason jars makes for some pretty awesome smoke, but when you add a couple of drops of dish soap, you take it to a whole new level. What kid doesn’t like to create a giant mass of bubbles that turns to smoke when popped!?!

Did you know that you can blow up a balloon by placing it over a water bottle with a small chunk of dry ice inside? But why stop there, a rubber glove pulled over a mason jar will work as well…and it’s pretty awesome to let it fill up so much that it pops off all on it’s own.

Time to get messy. Cornstarch mixed with water makes for such a great hands on experience. You can actually shape the mixture into a solid ball, open up your hand, and then watch it melt before your very eyes and turn back to liquid form. And what kid doesn’t enjoy getting a little bit messy just for fun!?! #CommissionsEarned

Dots candy and toothpicks make the perfect edible molecules. Try and create real models, like carbon dioxide, or just create your own crazy molecule. Science can be fun and tasty at the same time! Petrie dish anyone? A couple of drops of food coloring, a few sprinkles, and 4 of Wilton’s black sugar pearl sprinkles turn ordinary green jello into an edible science experiment. #CommissionsEarnedGummy lifesaver topped marshmallow pops dipped in nerds are always a huge hit in our house. I used Wilton’s candy melts in dark chocolate and orange to create these yummy treats.

Wilton’s candy melts are perfect for creating edible cupcake toppers. To go along with the science theme, I created beakers, test tubes, and molecules. Mini m&m’s completed the look.

What’s a science party without test tubes? These plastic test tubes made great party favors to send home with Micah’s friends. Chewy Airhead Bites are the perfect size candy to fit into the tubes, but you could use a variety of different candies. #CommissionsEarned

For more fun birthday ideas check out some of my other blogposts:

Portal Cookie Pops & Birthday Party

Nerf Wars Birthday Party

Wings of Fire Birthday Party

Nerf Wars Birthday Party

Published on June 18, 2016February 7, 2017 by kerricreatesblog2 Comments

My kids all love to play with Nerf guns! When my son was turning 7, all he wanted was a giant Dart Tag Nerf Gun. This gave me the idea to plan a Nerf Wars Birthday Party for Micah and his friends. I gathered several large cardboard boxes from some local appliance stores and got right to work. I projected several Nerf logos and targets on the sides of the boxes and got the kids to help me paint them. I also made a couple of felt targets to hang on the trees in our backyard so that the dart tag bullets would stick to them. I made a simple pendant banner with the words “NERF WARS” also out of felt and hung it from some trees. I told the kids to bring a nerf gun with them, but I also bought some cheap little guns at Target and a bunch of extra nerf bullets for the most epic Nerf War ever!

The day of the party, my husband staged the backyard with our homemade barriers and hideouts. He also cut lookouts out of some of the extra boxes. We threaded a line of balloons across the width of the yard for target practice and we were ready for the party to begin. The kids came, they played for hours, and even some of the grown ups joined in. Micah was not disappointed! He got his beloved Dart Tag Nerf Gun and he got to battle with his best buddies in his very own backyard. This party is one that he will fondly look back on for years to come.

If you are looking for more Nerf ideas click here for my latest tutorial on how to create really fun spinning targets to use for target practice with Nerf guns.

Frozen Birthday Party

Published on June 17, 2016November 16, 2021 by kerricreatesblog1 Comment

Anna. Elsa. Olaf. My daughter, Karis, turned four a few months after Frozen hit the theaters. Of course, she, along with every other little girl in America, wanted to have a Frozen birthday party. Unfortunately, party decorations and “Frozen everything” had not filled the stores yet. Perfect opportunity to get creative! I was able to order a few things online from a party store, plates, a table cloth, cups, and stickers. I bought two posters, one of Anna & Elsa and another of Olaf, and I lucked out when I found some Frozen chapsticks at TJ Maxx. The rest was up to me. I used my Cricut a ton for this party, cutting letters out of sparkly card stock to make several banners with the phrases, “Let It Go,” “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” and “Happy Birthday!” I also cut out circles, squares, and snowflakes to add to the decor. My daughter wore an Anna dress that we purchased at Target, and with her long braids, she felt just like Anna on her special day. I had so much fun planning the activities for this party. #CommissionsEarned

Karis and I made several batches of sparkly Frozen play dough. We collected everything needed to build our own snowmen…noses (cut pieces of orange pipe cleaner), hair and eyebrows (cut pieces of black pipe cleaner) , eyes (googly eyes), arms (small sticks gathered from our yard), tooth (white rectangles of poster board), and coal (mini black pom poms). When the girls arrived, I had them all sit around the coffee table. I gave each a paper plate and a hunk of play dough and let them build their own Olaf. This was the cutest activity and the snowmen were adorable. #CommissionsEarned Even my older boys participated and enjoyed themselves. When the party was over, each child got to take their snowman home with them.

We used the Olaf poster to play “Pin the Nose on Olaf.” I wanted one more game that would be fun for 4 year olds, so I came up with this “Knock the Castle Down” game. I printed a castle coloring page off of the computer, colored it to match the party decor, cut it in 6 pieces and taped it to clear plastic cups. I bought a pack of 3 whiffle balls from the dollar store and set the castle on a children’s size table. The kids lined up and took turns throwing the balls and knocking down the castle. This game ended up being so much fun and my kids played with it many times after the party was over. #CommissionsEarned

Frozen cupcakes…so many possibilities. I decided on these beautiful snowflake cupcakes. I frosted the cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting tinted with Wilton’s food coloring gel in blue. #CommissionsEarned The day before the party, I made the snowflake toppers with Wilton’s candy melts in bright white and Wilton’s Sprinkles in Blue Sugar Pearl. (see tutorial) After placing each snowflake on top of the blue icing, I added a couple of Wilton’s Sprinkles in White Sugar Pearl to add a bit more sparkle.

These goodie bags were just perfect to pass out at the end of the party… so girly and fun, filled with sparkly treasures for each little princess. I already had the Frozen chapsticks I purchased early on at TJ Maxx, so I just needed a couple of small items to go with them. I found the little blue bags in the wedding section at Michael’s and the rings and wands in the toy section. These tiny nail polishes became “Frozen” when we added a snowflake (cut from the Cricut) to each one. I made some cute tags using Frozen sticker and threaded them through the wands to complete the look. You can now find a variety of Frozen goodie bag items on Amazon. Karis helped me put the goodie bags together, so she was very proud to hand them out the each of her friends as she said, “goodbye and thank you for coming to my party.”

For more fun birthday party ideas check out some of my other blogposts:

Dolphin Birthday Party

Moana Birthday Party

Pink Dinosaur Birthday Party

Adopt A Pet (Beanie Boo) Birthday Party

Warriors Birthday Party

Wings of Fire Birthday Party

Science Experiment Birthday Party

Art Themed (Zoom) Birthday Party

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Published on June 17, 2016January 20, 2017 by kerricreatesblog1 Comment

Strawberries and Chocolate…the perfect combination. When my husband asked me to come up with a dessert to pass out to the moms of our church for Mother’s Day, I knew exactly what to make. Chocolate covered strawberries are delicious on their own, but when you add a drizzle of white chocolate across the top they are even better! I have to admit, that I didn’t quite know what I was getting into when I said yes to dipping 500 chocolate covered strawberries for Mother’s Day at the Stirring. I may or may not have stayed up until 2 AM finishing these tasty little treats! Lesson learned, next time, I will ask for help 🙂

Here are a few tips to make the perfect chocolate covered strawberries. First of all, choose berries with pretty stems. They look much more appetizing. Use white cupcake holders to place your dipped berries on so they each have their own holder. Rinse your strawberries and dry them on paper towels. Do not skip this step! It’s essential to dry each strawberry completely before dipping or the chocolate will not set correctly.

Once your berries are dry you are ready to dip. Melt your chocolate. I used Wilton’s candy melts in dark cocoa for the dipping and in bright white for the drizzles. Dip each strawberry and place on a individual cupcake holder to set. Once your dark chocolate has hardened, you can melt the white. I used a spoon to drizzle the white chocolate over each berry. In no time at all, you can have a platter of delicious chocolate covered strawberries to serve at your next party, or to just enjoy with your family.

Marshmallow Pops (with Nerds)

Published on June 15, 2016October 17, 2016 by kerricreatesblogLeave a comment

It sounds like a an interesting combination, marshmallows, chocolate, gummy lifesavers, and nerds, but my kids request these just about every year for their birthdays. I have found these marshmallow pops to be the perfect treat to bring to my kids classrooms on their birthdays. One bag of marshmallows makes about 50 pops, and after making them a few times, I can whip out a batch in about an hour. They are always a huge hit and my kids are thrilled to pass them out to all of their friends. They are easy enough to create, that you can involve your children in the process, which makes it all the more fun!

For 50 pops you will need one bag of Kraft Jet-Puffed marshmallows, 50 lollipop sticks, 2 bags of Wilton’s chocolate candy melts (I have used both dark cocoa and light cocoa), 2 packages of LifeSavers Gummies, 3 (movie candy sized) boxes of rainbow Nerds candy, and wax paper. Check back soon for my video tutorial on how to make these tasty little treats and be sure to make a few extra to keep at home. Take my word for it, you may end up liking them just as much as your kids do!

Mario Kart Birthday Party

Published on June 15, 2016June 15, 2016 by kerricreatesblog3 Comments

Mario Kart has been a favorite game for our whole family. For my oldest son’s 7th birthday, he wanted a Mario Kart party. My husband worked hard on this party, making it a very memorable one for Jacob. He set up a Mario Kart Wii gaming center in our garage so that Jacob and his friends could race on huge screens.

The cake and decorations were my department. I made a simple happy birthday banner out of blue and red card stock and letters printed off of the computer. I drew Mario in his cart on a piece of poster board and colored it with markers. You could also project an image onto your poster board if you don’t want to draw it free hand.

For the cake, I baked two 8 inch cakes and placed them side by side on a piece of white foam core board. This provided a sturdy foundation for decorating and displaying a figure 8 racetrack. The best way to color your frosting black, without using too much food coloring, is to use dark chocolate icing and add a small amount of black food coloring until you have reached your desired color. I used Wilton’s gel icing color in black. The lines in the road are cut rectangles of white Air Heads candy. You could get a similar look using white frosting or fondant. The “sand” lining the race track is made of graham cracker crumbs, which can be found in the baking section of any grocery store. Next, I tinted white frosting green, using Wilton’s gel icing color in leaf green. The grass look was very easy to achieve by using Wilton’s #233 multi-opening decorating tip. The Mario Kart banner, mushroom, star, cloud, and turtle shell are just pictures printed off the internet and glued to toothpicks. A thick black and white checkered strip of ribbon wrapped around the cake gave the edges a clean look. The finishing touch was placing the Mario Kart mini figures (purchased online) around the figure 8 race track. This cake was almost too cute to eat!

Carmel Apple Teacher Gifts

Published on June 15, 2016December 31, 2023 by kerricreatesblogLeave a comment

Are you looking for a cute and simple Christmas gift to give to your children’s teachers? Look no further. For about $5 each, you can create these delicious caramel apple bundles. I bought my caramel sauce at Trader Joes, hand picked the largest, most colorful red and green apples I could find, made my own gift tags from tan card stock, and purchased a package of bells and long clear bags at Michael’s. I stacked the apples carefully on top of the caramel sauce and tied them off with a piece of twine. And there you have it…a quick, easy, and inexpensive, but very festive Christmas gift for your children’s teachers. You can also add mini ornaments and ribbon if you want to invest a bit more money into these festive gifts. #CommissionsEarned

For more fun Christmas ideas check out the following blogposts:

Floral Embroidered Christmas Tree

Glittery Christmas Silhouettes

Advent

Turn Dad Into A Snowman

Graham Cracker Gingerbread Houses

Embellished Clothes Pins

Published on June 14, 2016October 17, 2016 by kerricreatesblogLeave a comment

Teacher gifts can get expensive, especially when you have 3 children and each has several teachers and classroom aides. Last school year I decided to make my own teacher gifts. I designed these embellished clothes pins and gave each teacher about 10 of them. I packaged them in festive mason jars with straw lids. I loved them so much that I had to make a few for myself as well.

I used my Cricut machine to cut card stock in several shapes for the paper embellishments. I bought patterned scrapbook paper to line the clothes pins with. This was the most tedious part. I had to trace the shape of the clothes pin on the back of the scrapbook paper and cut them out using my small paper cutter. I then used Mod Podge to glue the paper to the clothespin. After they were dry, I used an exacto knife to trim the excess off of the edges. Then I painted a coat of Mod Podge over the surface of the paper to seal them in. I bought a package of tiny buttons and a sheet of glittery rhinestone stickers at Michael’s to use in the center of the embellishments. Tacky glue worked perfectly to hold all of the tiny pieces together to form each decorated clothespin.

These gifts can be used in the classroom or in the home and will certainly add a pop of color to whatever they are holding in place.

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