DIY: Fun & Festive Cup Identifiers

When I was growing up, my relative Debra always drank out of a plastic cup with a rubber band around it. I totally thought it was weird, but as a young kid, I never asked WHY she did it. Several years ago on a visit to see her in Minnesota, I noticed that she still did it. I finally asked her why.

The answer was simple -- she wanted to be able to identify her drinking glass so she didn't keep using new ones. Genius!

Today over at DIY...Your Way, I'm sharing a simple way to create your own Fun & Festive Cup Identifiers. It's a super-inexpensive way to enforce your party theme or decor in a functional way. Even if you're not having a party, cup identifiers can help you cut down on the number of glasses that your family uses in a given day. Stop by and check it out!

Birthday Cake Round-Up

Rapunzel "Tangled" Cake

Today at Life as Mom, it's the Birthday Cake Round Up. Honestly, the vast majority of my cake decorating experience is either self-taught or comes from FishMama. But, I've always wanted to take a cake decorating class. My friend Caroline and I are planning on taking a class together sometime this summer. I can't wait!

Over the years, I've still managed to make some cakes to impress my girls. After all, that is usually the point. If they're happy with their birthday cakes, I'm one happy momma. It is so much more affordable to make your own cake, and oftentimes it tastes even better than the store bought version. I almost always keep it simple with a boxed cake mix and then make it special by adding my own homemade buttercream frosting and a few decorative touches.

I've pulled some links from the archives of some of our favorite birthday cakes. Each link contains  instructions on how to recreate the cake. Enjoy!

Bonnie's Birdhouse Cake

TinkerBell & Terence Cake

Sleeping Beauty Cake (a variation of this Tangled Cake from FishMama)

 Barbie and The Three Musketeers Cake

 Fancy Nancy Explorer Extraordinaire

L and E Birthday Cakes 2012

Both of my girlies celebrate their birthdays in January, so we eat a lot of cake at the beginning of the year. Now, I am NOT a professional baker. I usually try to keep things simple but try to add touches that make the cakes special for them. I always use a simple box mix (of the birthday girl's preferred flavor), and we usually try to bake it together if time allows. However, I usually do the decorating on my own. Since I don't like canned frosting, I make this 5-Minute Buttercream Frosting. It takes just a few minutes, and it tastes sooooo good! Then, I make the frosting pretty by adding food coloring. (I prefer to use Wilton Food Coloring.) For decorations, I get sparkly number candles from Target and print out character images from the internet to use as toppers. I just print the images on cardstock, cut out and tape some toothpicks to the back. It's simple but the girls think it is so cool.

They always get to choose a theme, and I do my best to make it happen. In the past I've made cakes to go along with the following themes: Castle, Fancy Nancy Explorer Extraordinaire, TinkerBell, and Sleeping Beauty. This year, I'm adding Barbie & The Three Musketeers and Rapunzel to the list.

Lucie requested a Barbie and the Three Musketeers cake for her birthday. I recreated this Barbie Wallpaper image on a simple round layer cake. I printed the image on cardstock and cut out Barbie, the Three Musketeers and the castle separately to make cake toppers. Then, I created a "road" out of graham cracker crumbs for the road.

Ella requested a Rapunzel (aka Tangled) cake for her birthday. Originally, I wanted to make a lantern cake, but then reality set in. I just didn't have time to create something that elaborate. So, I decided to recreate the gondola scene. I used this image of Flynn, Rapunzel and Maximus in the gondola and this image of the kingdom island for the background. However, I'm a bit of a stickler for authenticity. Maximus was not in the gondola, so I cut him out. I made the water out of blue and white frosting and added some graham cracker crumbs around the island in the background.

The cakes were easy enough to make, but I still managed to get one of the best compliments from Ella: "You're the best mom in the world!"

Tinker Bell & Terence Birthday Cake

Once I got the inspiration for Ella's birthday cake from this Fairy House Ornament craft, I was really excited to make it. Originally, I planned on making a 4-layer tower and using one of the Tinker Bell "Polly Pocket" style figurines that we already had. However, once I found a set of tiny Tinker Bell & Terence figurines at Walmart, I decided to make two shorter fairy houses. Logistically, I just figured it would be easier to serve up a 2-layer cake than a 4-layer. Since I used mini-cake pans, I ended up making 12 cupcakes to supplement. The guests got to choose if they wanted a piece of the fairy house or a "mushroom" cupcake. It took me at least an hour to decorate it, but it was totally worth it!Here's how I did it:

What you need:

• four mini-springform pans
• 12-cup muffin pan
• cupcake paper liners
• one batch of cake batter prepared to box instructions
• 1 1/2 batches of 5-Minute Buttercream Frosting, divided usage
• paste food coloring (I used green, red, and yellow)
• green sprinkles
• cocoa powder (or brown paste food coloring)
• pastry bag and tips
• cardstock for the roofs (I used the roof from this craft, enlarged it as big as it would fit on an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper, cut it out and taped it into a cone shape)
• graham cracker crumbs

What to do:

1. Divide the cake batter between the greased mini-pans and 12 lined cupcake tins . Bake according to package directions. Since the cakes are different sizes, start at the baking time for the cupcakes and keep checking the mini cakes with a toothpick until done. Remove from pans and cool completely.
2. Place two mini cakes on the platter, spread on some frosting, and then top with the other two mini cakes. Frost with a crumb coat and place in the fridge to harden.
3. Put a portion of frosting in a separate bowl and tint to your preferred shade of green. I overdid it and made it a bit too leafy green. I added some dark chocolate cocoa powder to muddy it up a bit. Frost the two cakes. Add some green sprinkles for texture. Place in the fridge to harden.
4. Put a small portion of frosting in a separate bowl and tint yellow. Spread a circle of yellow frosting on the front of the cakes to make the "doors." You can use a pastry bag or ziploc with the corner snipped off to make it easier. Add some sort of candy to make the doorknob. (I used a snowflake sprinkle.)
5. Add some small white "windows" to the sides of the house. Place in the fridge to harden.
6. Put a portion of frosting in a separate bowl and tint dark brown with either dark cocoa powder or brown paste food coloring. Put in a pastry bag with a star tip and pipe around the door, the windows and add some "twig" beams. Place in the fridge to harden.
7. Put a portion of frosting in a separate bowl and tint red. Frost the cupcakes with red. Place in the fridge to harden a bit. Then add some white circles on top of the red to make the cupcakes resemble mushrooms.
8. On the serving platter, coat the empty spaces with a thin coat of frosting and sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs. Put some frosting on the bottom of the figurines and a "mushroom" and press into place. Insert a number candle into the mushroom. Top the fairy houses with the cardstock roofs.

Ella's 6th Birthday in Pixie Hollow

I did it. I survived "Birthday Season" at our house. And I must say, we went out with quite a bang. On Saturday, Ella celebrated her 6th Birthday with family, some longtime friends and a couple of her classmates. The theme was Tinker Bell / Pixie Hollow...and I would just like to say "Thank You" to Disney for their help. Pretty much all of my inspiration came straight from the Disney Fairies website. I took some of their ideas, tweaked them and used them to fill in my little "format" that I've come up with for our birthday parties. I like to have a craft, a game, gifts, cake and a pinata.

We began the party with some free time. In the past couple of years, I've learned that it is best to begin parties that way. Not everyone shows up on time plus Ella really loves to show her room and belonging to her friends. So, it was extremely loud in our house for awhile. Ella has an exuberant personality...and attracts friends with the same tendencies.

After about 30 minutes of loud chaos, it was time to calm things down and work on a craft for a bit. The Disney Fairies website had a very cute Rosetta Frame Craft. (You can catch a glimpse of the frames on the mantel in the photo above.) The pdf includes instructions, a template and some printable "clovers" to decorate the frame. I also printed some extra decorations from the Disney Fairies website so the kids would have more options. I ended up resizing and printing birds and berries from the First Flight Garland pdf. Last week, we collected a bagful of sticks at a local park, and I used them to build the frames ahead of time. All the kids needed was a Q-tip, some glue and decorations to create their masterpieces. When they had finished putting on the paper decorations, they had the choice of adding glitter to it as well. I had them put the glue on the frame and place the frame in a shallow bucket before shaking on the glitter. (The bucket is KEY if you want to contain the glitter!) The finished frames were soooooo cute! We also made sure that Ella took a photo with each friend, and we'll be mailing them a photo to put in their frame.

For the game, we had a variation of "Pin the Tail on the Donkey." I created a huge tree on one of our walls to resemble the Home Tree in Pixie Hollow. Then the kids had to pin the pixie dust on the Home Tree. Right away, Olivia, one of our youngest guests, pinned her pixie dust right in the center!

After the game, all the kids sat near the Home Tree and Ella opened her gifts. I know some people don't feel that it is appropriate to open gifts at parties, but I disagree. I think that it is a great opportunity to teach your child to accept gifts graciously and demonstrate their thankfulness. Before the party, I clearly expressed how I expected Ella to act during gift time, and she did not disappoint me. We like to set up two special chairs durings gifts -- one for the Birthday kid and one for the guest giving the gift. This ensures that the gift giver gets an up close view of the unwrapping and gets to feel special too.

Next it was time for cake. Although the cake wasn't perfect (mine never are), I thought it turned out pretty darn cute.

I made a set of Fairy Houses and a dozen "mushroom" cupcakes. Thankfully, Ella loved it. (See a tutorial of the Tinker Bell & Terence Cake and Mushroom Cupcakes.)

Last but not least, we let the kids have a whack at the Acorn Pinata. Ella's classmates Dylan and Max have quite a lot of power in their bodies, so we saved them for last and let the smaller guests have a try first. Dylan did not disappoint and broke it open for us.

Unfortunately, Ella got her party bag confused with another friend's and ended up putting her loot into his bag. Vera came to the rescue though and offered some of her treats to Ella. Afterward, Ella said that Vera's generosity was her favorite part of the party. When all is said and done, the decorations, the games and the food don't matter all that much. It is the good times that we spend with those we love.

How to Make An Acorn Pinata

We are entering the final stretch of Birthday Season! Ella will be having a Tinker Bell themed birthday party this Saturday. One of the things that we like to do at parties is to have a pinata for the kids to bust open. However, purchasing a ready-made one usually costs $15-25. Personally, I don't want to spend $15 on something that will just be smashed to pieces. Instead, I make my own for virtually nothing. Yes, it does take more time but I like saving money and having creative control over the pinata. Typically, I try to chose something that would be appropriate to smash up. There is just something that disturbs me about smashing up a princess-shaped pinata.

Two years ago, I attempted my first pinata. Ella was having a Castle Party so I crafted a dragon pinata for the party-goers to slay.

This year, I decided to make an acorn to go with the Pixie Hollow theme. If you watch the recent Tinker Bell movie, you'll notice that the "tinker" fairies use acorns to create things like pots. Things of nature are prominently featured in the world of Pixie Hollow. Since a balloon is shaped similarly to an acorn, I thought it would be an easy shape to accomplish.

Here's how I did it...

What you need:

• A batch of papier-mâché paste (about half of this recipe would have been more than sufficient)
• About 3 2-page spreads of newspaper, some colored sheets and some plain black/white
• Inflated balloon
• Bowl
• Yarn
• Toilet Paper Roll
• Brown Paint
• Large Brown Paper Bag
• Scissors
• Tape
• Glue or double-sided tape
• Glitter (optional)

Mix up a batch of papier-mâché paste and allow to cool.

Tear newspaper into strips about 1 to 1 1/2 inches wide. I alternated the color of newsprint on each layer to make sure that the areas had been covered sufficiently (ie. first layer black/white, second layer colored ads or comics, third layer black/white).

Place your inflated balloon on a bowl to hold it steady. Dip strips of newsprint into paste and smooth onto balloon until covered. Let this first layer dry -- putting it out in the sun will help this go much faster.

Apply a second layer (in a different color of newsprint) onto the balloon. Allow to dry.

Take a long length of yard and place the midpoint at the bottom (tied end) of the balloon. Run it along the sides and up to the top of the balloon and tie. Tape the yarn in a few places to secure it if necessary. Repeat on the other side of the balloon. This yarn will be what you use to suspend the pinata.

Apply a third layer and make sure to cover up the yarn. Allow to dry.

Cut a 2-inch hole on one side near the top of the pinata. Remove the broken balloon bits. This will be where you fill the pinata with candy. (Alternatively, you could create your pinata with a hole in it to begin with by leaving a portion of the balloon uncovered.)

Cut the cardboard toilet paper roll in half. This will become the acorn's stem. Run the yarn through the roll and secure the roll to the top of the pinata with tape.

Paint the entire pinata and "stem" with brown paint to resemble an acorn. Let dry.

Cut the paper bag into small oval shapes. (I used my Creative Memories Oval cutter which made it a snap!) If you wish, you can apply some glue and glitter around the edges of the ovals. Starting about 1/3 from the top of the pinata, apply the ovals in slightly overlapping rows until you reach the top of the pinata. Be sure to fill the pinata with treats before you cover up the hold with brown ovals.

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For other money-saving ideas, be sure to check out Frugal Friday at Life as Mom.