My Little Pony Capes

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My daughter loves My Little Ponies!  The thing that makes me so happy about this, is that I loved My Little Ponies as a little girl too!  In fact, my mom actually saved several of my ponies and gave them to Karis a couple of years ago.  I cannot even tell you how much fun it is to see my own child enjoying the very toys that I so often played with when I was her age.

One afternoon when Karis was playing ponies she asked me if we could make clothes for them.  Now I can sew a little bit, but making clothes for tiny horses is beyond my abilities.  I noticed that a couple of her newer ponies came with little capes.  With a little trial and error,  I figured out a simple way to make pony capes by using small hair scrunchies, scraps of material, and various ribbons, buttons, and fabric flowers that I had in my craft drawers.  We spent several hours together designing these “outfits” for the ponies to wear.  Most definitely time well spent with my girl, and it brings me joy to watch her play pretend while dressing her ponies up in their beautiful capes.

Check out my tutorial to make some pony capes of your own and click here for the printable  My Little Pony Capes Template.

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Thanksgiving Turkey Place Cards

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Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday.  I love the food, the family time, and all the yummy desserts.  Involving the kids in the preparations makes the anticipation even greater.  Each year, I give my kids an activity to do before we pack up and make the trip to visit family for Thanksgiving.  We made these place cards several years ago, and I have to say, they are still one of my favorites.  To make these cute turkey place cards for your Thanksgiving table you will need card stock in plain colors, scrapbooking paper in various fall prints for the feathers, and buttons or googly eyes.  Cut out rectangles of card stock and fold in half for the cards, cut out the basic turkey shape, small orange triangles for beaks, red squiggly gobbles, and feathers in various prints.  Hand out glue sticks and let your kids get creative with the design of their turkeys.  Leave some room on one side to place the names.  I just printed a list of names off of the computer and then backed them with dark brown card stock to make them pop.  These little place cards looked perfect on our Thanksgiving table, and my kids were very proud of their creations! #CommissionsEarned

My daughter and I recently added a tutorial for you to enjoy and you can find another fun kid friendly Thanksgiving idea by clicking on my most recent blogpost Thanksgiving (Turkey Handprint) Kids Table.  Happy Thanksgiving!

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Sundae Cupcakes

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My oldest turned 14 this May.  Fourteen!  How is that even possible!?!  He has decided that he is now too old for themed birthday parties.  I told him that I was ok with not doing a theme this year as long as I could still make him some fun cupcakes.  We decided on Sundae Cupcakes and they were definitely a good choice for a party of teenage boys.  For these cupcakes I used Pillsbury Devil’s Food Cake mix, foil cupcake wrappers, vanilla buttercream frosting, Wilton’s light cocoa candy melts, Wilton’s rainbow jimmies sprinkles, and maraschino cherries with stems.  I have to say, these were one of the easiest cupcakes to decorate and I love how they turned out!  For a couple of tips on how to get the frosting and “hot fudge” just right, try using a large piping tip for the frosting and a squeeze bottle to drizzle the chocolate on top.  You will have to work fast with the candy melts so that you can get to all of the cupcakes before the melted chocolate hardens.  Be sure to add the sprinkles right after drizzling the layer of melted chocolate or they will not stick.  

I also was able to make a variation of these cupcakes for a bake sale at my daughter’s school and I found that cherry sours candies make amazing “cherries” with their vibrant red color.  Red cupcake liners are another nice touch. These delicious cupcakes were a huge hit and I will definitely be making them again in the near future.  #CommissionsEarned 

Pink Dinosaur Party

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For my daughter’s 5th birthday, she wanted a pink dinosaur party.  Not your common theme…dinosaurs, yes… pink ones, no!  Dollar store and spray paint to the rescue!  I found 7 good sized plastic dinosaurs at the Dollar Tree and spray painted them bright pink. You can find similar dinosaurs here and then use this spray paint that bonds to plastic. I used card stock in several shades of pink to create most of the other decorations.  Did you know that you can sew paper?  I discovered this recently, and have been making the cutest and most cost effective decorations even since.  I used my Cricut machine to cut circles and flower shapes in the various colors and then sat in front of my sewing machine with little stacks of these cut outs.  In no time at all,  I had 6 paper garlands to hang as the backdrop for the food table.    I also used larger flower shapes cut from my Cricut in shades of pink and patterned scrapbooking paper to create a festive birthday banner for my girl.  I found the pink dinosaur by googling “pink dinosaur” images online.  Pink ribbon tied into bows held each individual letter together. #CommissionsEarned

Edible cupcake toppers are one of my favorite things to create.  You can pretty much make a topper for any theme simply by printing a silhouette of it from the internet.   I used Wilton’s candy melts in pink for the dinosaur silhouette toppers and for the pink marshmallow pops as well.  Check out my blogpost on My Little Pony (Rainbow Dash) Marshmallow Pops for an edible cupcake topper tutorial.  

My daughter wanted to do some dinosaur activities at her party.  Her number one request was “pin the horn on the dinosaur.”  I used a projector to trace a cute pink dinosaur onto a piece of poster board.  I colored it pink and cut out a stack of horns for the kids to pin on.  I also set up a water table outside with a bunch of plastic dinosaurs floating inside.  Water play is always a big hit with preschoolers.  Our picnic table became the craft table.  I cut large dinosaur shapes out of card stock and put out glue, sequins, plastic beads, and googly eyes for the kids to decorate.  My favorite activity of all was “make the dinosaur hatch.”  A couple of days before the party, I filled water balloons with plastic dinosaurs and water. I tied them off and froze them.  I brought out these frozen “dinosaur eggs” and handed one to each child.  I gave them each a medicine dropper, added food coloring to cups of water and had the kids make their dinosaur hatch.  They peeled the balloon off of the “ice egg” (some needed a little help from parents with this part).  Then they took the colored water and squirted it over their egg until their little plastic dinos hatched out. #CommissionsEarned

Once again, the dollar store came through for the “thank you for coming” gifts.  I was able to buy dinosaur eggs with a mini plastic dinosaur surrounded by pink and blue slime.  To make them coordinate with our theme, I covered the back with a rectangle of pink card stock and made a front cover with the little pink dinosaur image and the words, “thank you for coming to my party.”  My 5 year old girl was absolutely thrilled with her pink dinosaur party, and so was I.  You can find a similar dinosaur egg party favor here.IMG_9512IMG_9483IMG_9516IMG_9531IMG_9514IMG_8857IMG_8853IMG_8887IMG_9542IMG_9478IMG_8863IMG_8861IMG_8858IMG_9534

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

Moana Birthday Party

Dolphin Birthday Party

Wings of Fire Birthday Party

Warriors Birthday Party

Art Themed (Zoom) Birthday Party

Graham Cracker Gingerbread Houses

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When my oldest son was in preschool, we started this tradition.  Every year during Christmas Break, my kids get to invite a couple of friends over to make graham cracker gingerbread houses.  We have carried on this tradition for 10 years now and it is definitely one we all look forward to.  A muffin tray makes the perfect holder for the various small candies used to decorate these tiny edible houses.  Royal frosting is a must, as it hardens quickly and acts like glue to hold the sides of your houses together.  Stick pretzels can be used to create a log cabin or a fence.  It’s helpful to give each child a baggie full of frosting with one corner snipped off for cleaner lines.  Because this is a messy experience, I like to put a cheap plastic table cloth on my table for easy clean up.  It’s also important to buy heavy duty plastic or thick paper plates to build your houses on.  To secure the houses, it’s best to “glue” the base to the plate with some royal frosting.  I always invite parents to stay and hang out while the kids work on their house’s.  Not only does it make for good company, but there are extra hands to hold graham crackers in place and spread frosting for little ones who need the help.  I love to see how each child comes up with a completely different and unique design for their graham cracker gingerbread house.  I imagine that we will continue this tradition for years to come!IMG_1058IMG_1065IMG_1066IMG_1078

Glittery Christmas Silhouettes

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One of our Advent Activities for this year was “make a craft.”  I decided that Glittery Christmas Silhouettes would make the perfect actvity for my kids.  I have to say, I am very happy with how they turned out and it will be fun to put them up each December for years to come.  My kids range in age from 5-13 and they were each able to do this with just a little help from me.  Here’s what you will need for your glittery silhouettes.  Four rectangular canvases, adhesive-backed vinyl, a computer, scissors, cardboard or newspaper (to cover your work area), white school glue, paintbrushes or foam brushes, and four different colors of glitter. #CommissionsEarned

IMG_0993Google Christmas silhouettes online and find four that you want to use.  Size them to fit in the center of your canvas with enough space around each for the glitter.  Try and make all 4 about the same size.  Print out your silhouettes and cut them to use as templates. IMG_0992Trace your silhouettes on the back of your adhesive-backed vinyl.  Cut them out to create four stickers.  IMG_0994Place one “sticker” on each canvas.IMG_0997Paint glue evenly all over the white parts of your canvas.  It’s ok to get a bit of glue on the stickers, but try to keep it to a minimum so that you can see the outline for when you peel it off later. IMG_0998Sprinkle glitter all around your silhouette and be sure to go over the edges a bit to make sure you create a nice line all around each image.IMG_0999Wait about 45 minutes.  You will want to peel your stickers before the glue and glitter completely dry.  This will create a cleaner line.  IMG_1001Allow your canvases to dry completely.  Shake the glitter off.  Then paint over them one more time with white school glue.  This will seal the glitter in so that it doesn’t fall off everywhere when you they are hanging up on your wall.  Let them dry overnight. IMG_1037Hang up and admire your beautiful Glittery Christmas Silhouettes!

Update: We have now been using these for the past 5 years and they are holding up beautifully.  For a tip when storing them: use plastic wrap to cover each canvas individually, then stack them and wrap the stack in plastic wrap as well.  I store mine inside of a closet on a shelf, and each year they look as lovely as they did the first year we made them.  Here is a picture from last Christmas so that you can see how nice they look in my navy blue living room next to my Board & Batten Feature Wall .  

For more fun Christmas ideas check out the following blogposts:

Turn Dad Into A Snowman

Advent

Graham Cracker Gingerbread Houses

Dolphin Birthday Party

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My daughter, Karis,  fell in love with dolphins after watching the Dolphin Tale movies last year.  The day after her 5th birthday party she declared that for her 6th birthday she wanted to have a dolphin party.  This was so much fun to plan!  With the help of the dollar store and Michael’s,  I was able to create all of the under the sea decor for under $20.   I used paper lanterns cut in half and ribbon to make 3 jellyfish. Crepe paper in two shades of green worked perfectly as seaweed.  White balloons in various sizes and thumb tacked to the wall formed a line of bubbles.  The net held several stuffed dolphins that my kids had won years ago at Circus Circus in Reno, NV.  The hula hoop and blow up dolphin were the perfect addition.  For the dolphin garlands I used card stock in several shades of blue and gray.  I cut these dolphins out by hand and then sewed them with a regular needle and thread.  These hanging dolphin garlands created a dramatic entry into our underwater experience.  I reused some circle and square garlands left over from my son’s birthday party the previous year because they looked a bit like floating bubbles.  I love when I get to reuse decorations from past events!   I decided to do mini cupcakes and marshmallow pops for dessert, and to go along with our dolphin theme, I created mini dolphins out of Wilton’s bright white candy melts.  I used Celebration Sixlets as pearls and Wilton’s white sugar pearl sprinkles as bubbles on the marshmallow pops.  I lined my round of styrofoam with a blue and white polka dotted ribbon and pinned on a sparkly blue dolphin.  I also glued a blue dolphin to a flat toothpick to place on top of the cupcakes.

Because the party was in June, and because we have a pool, the main event for Karis’ party was swimming.  I found 2 huge blow up dolphins for the kids to swim with, and although my daughter was hoping she would get to swim with a real dolphin, she was pretty happy with her two dolphin friends.  The kids had a blast and my big 6 year old girl was all smiles!  As the party was coming to an end, I brought out a crate of bubbles with a “thank you for coming to my party” note attached to each.  I would have to say that Karis’ dolphin swim party was a huge success! #CommissionsEarned

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

Moana Birthday Party

Adopt a Pet (Beanie Boo Cats & Dogs) Birthday Party

Art Themed (Zoom) Birthday Party

Science Experiment Party

St. Patrick’s Day (Rainbow) Kabobs

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I love creating fun experiences for my children.  We started this tradition about 3 years ago and my kids look forward to it every St. Patrick’s Day.  For “Rainbow Kabobs” you will need some fake gold coins from the dollar store (I couldn’t find coins, so I bought “gold metal necklaces” and pulled the ribbons off of them), fruit in the colors of the rainbow, mini marshmallows, gold wrapped candy (rolos), and some kabob sticks.  The first year we did this was the most fun.  I hid the rainbow of fruit and treats from my kids and sent them outside on a “treasure hunt.”  I told them to find all the gold coins that were hidden in the backyard.  Then I asked them where the pot of gold is usually found…at the end of the rainbow of course! I had them trade in their “pot of gold” and close their eyes.  Then I brought out their rainbow of yummy goodness as well as the marshmallow “cloud” and the edible “pot of gold.”  They absolutely loved making and eating these colorful kabobs!  Now, each year, they look forward to this simple tradition even though it is no longer a surprise.IMG_1882IMG_1869Version 2IMG_1892

Baby Shower Cake Pops

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When my friend was pregnant with her second baby, I offered to host her shower and to make some desserts.  “Cake pops” was her main request.  Cake pops are so cute and yummy and perfect for any occasion.  For these baby pink pops I used a boxed white cake mix, vanilla buttercream frosting, pink Wilton’s candy melts, rainbow sprinkles, and white Celebration Sixlets.  To display the cake pops, I bought a circle of styrofoam from Michael’s and decorated it with a simple pink ribbon wrapped around the foam and secured with white straight pins.  Check back later for my tutorial on how to make cake pops.

 

Monogrammed Marshmallow Pops (Stirring Anniversary)

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My husband is the Venue Manager at our church and occasionally he asks me to make a special dessert to pass out on a Sunday morning.  One year ago, we launched the Stirring Coffeehouse. First anniversary of the grand opening…now that’s something to celebrate!  200 marshmallow pops coming right up! For these pops, I used Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallows, Lollipop sticks, bright white Wilton’s candy melts for the “S” logos, dark cocoa Wilton’s candy melts, Nestle’s mini chocolate chips, a Wilton’s squeeze bottle, and wax paper.

Check out my marshmallow pop tutorials to learn the basics of how to make amazing marshmallow pops.

Valentine Marshmallow Pops

Trolls (Poppy & Branch) Marshmallow Pops

3 Simple St. Patrick’s Day Treats

Halloween Marshmallow Pops

To create the monogrammed letters, simply print out a template with the letter of your choice, in your preferred font.  You can copy and paste the same letter several times on one sheet, or spell out a name or word.  Place wax paper over the top of your template and tape the wax paper down.  Use Wilton’s Candy Melts in a squeeze bottle to trace the monogrammed letters onto the wax paper.  Let them set, carefully peel off, and place them onto your dipped mallow pops.

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