portal – kerricreates

Portal Cookie Pops & Birthday Party

Published on March 9, 2017October 25, 2021 by kerricreatesblog3 Comments

My son, Micah, is a huge fan of the video games Portal and Portal 2. So for his 11th birthday, he decided to have a Portal themed party. I wanted to send a special treat for Micah to bring to school on his big day, so I went to work making these super tasty Portal Cookie Pops. He was so thrilled to bring them to share with all of his friends! You can watch my tutorial above if you want to make some of your own Portal Cookie Pops!

portal cookie pop topper template pdf

The party itself didn’t require a whole lot of preparation because Micah wanted to have it at a local “fun center” so that he and his buddies could play laser tag and ride go carts. I did want to add a couple of fun elements though, so I created these labels to make “Propulsion Gel” and “Repulsion Gel” to give to each of the kids.

According to theportalwiki.com , “Propulsion Gel is a bright orange substance that greatly reduces the friction of objects moving across the surface to which it is applied. Propulsion Gel also increases velocity, as objects covered in Propulsion Gel also have their friction reduced, causing them to slide around and be moved more easily. Repulsion Gel is a light blue substance that repels objects, and any player or object that hits a surface coated with Replusion Gel will bounce off.”

We used orange slime that we found in the dollar section at Target for the Propulsion Gel and blue Gatorades for the Repulsion Gel. It’s close to Easter, so we could only find orange slime in “carrot” containers. We transferred the slime into 4 0z extra small ziplock square containers with lids. These were the perfect size! I bought a 12 pack of 12 oz Gatorades, which were just the right amount for Micah’s party. #CommissionsEarned

Here are the printable templates I created for the Propulsion Gel and Repulsion Gel.

propulsion gel template pdf

repulsion gel template pdf

In Portal, there is also a specific cake that is talked about throughout the game. We definitely had to make a Real Portal Cake for Micah’s 11th birthday! Click here for my recent blogpost on How to Make a Real Portal Cake.

I would definitely have to say that Micah’s Portal Birthday Party was a huge success!

How to make a Real Portal Cake

How to Make a Real Portal Cake

Published on March 5, 2017March 13, 2022 by kerricreatesblog1 Comment

Portal and Portal 2 are popular video games. Truthfully, I’ve never played either of them, but according to my son they are the “best video games ever!” Here’s a bit about the games according to my son Micah…”In Portal, you are a test subject in a huge underground facility called Aperture Science that is supposedly under Michigan. You go through the tests (which are puzzles), solving them, and they get harder and harder along the way. At a certain point in the game, you acquire a tool which makes portals that objects and you yourself can pass through. This tool is official called the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device, but is more commonly referred to as the Portal Gun.”

Micah’s 11 birthday was March 3rd and he wanted a Portal Themed Birthday Party! Micah chose to have his party at a Fun Center in our city so that we could play laser tag and ride go carts, so the cake became the main thing that represented the Portal Theme.

In Portal there is a gigantic robot named GLaDOS at the center of the facility. GLaDOS runs everything and she promises you cake at the end of the test, but it turns out that she’s lying. She actually puts you on a platform headed towards a fire pit. In the game, there is a message written on a wall in a secret room, written by a scientist that says, “the cake is a lie!” Here are a couple of images from the actual game.

This was a super fun cake to create! You can watch my tutorial to learn how to make one of your own. This cake is definitely NOT a lie! I used Pillsbury devil’s food cake mix, Hershey’s chocolate bars for the chocolate shavings on the outside of the cake, vanilla and chocolate frosting, cherry gumballs, and a white candle. #CommissionsEarned

For more Portal Birthday Party fun, check out my blogpost from the party. You’ll find links to free printables for “repulsion gel” and “propulsion gel” as well as an awesome tutorial on how to make Portal Cookie Pops.

For another fun teen boy birthday party idea check out my latest blogpost:

Retro Video Game Room (ARCADE) for Teens

Octagon (Geometric) Bulletin Board

Published on February 6, 2017February 25, 2017 by kerricreatesblogLeave a comment

I have had this huge stack of cork tiles in my son’s room for several years… just sitting there… taking up space! So this week, I finally decided to do something fun with them! I created a geometric bulletin board for my 10 year old son’s bedroom wall and I am so happy with the way it turned out. It was a bit tricky getting the right cut to create the octagons, but with a little help from my husband, (who measured and cut the template for me) I was on my way. A couple of coats of paint and some command strips later, and these cork tiles became a really cool memo board for my son to pin up a “few of his favorite things.”

Watch my tutorial on how to create your own Octagon Memo Board. This would be perfect in a bedroom, a dorm room, or an office.

Here are a couple of tips:

Use different textures of paint for contrast

Paint at least 2 coats on each octagon

Leave some octagons unpainted

Lay out your tiles on the ground and play around with different configurations before hanging them up

Use command strips to hang each tile on the wall

Also featured in this video is a collection of my son’s amazing origami creations, strung up across the top of the Octagon Bulletin Board. He has spent hours making these incredible creations, one intricate fold after another. I love seeing them all on display in his bedroom. For those of you who love origami, check out MicahsToyReviews to learn how to make some origami creations of your own.