#Valentine’s Day Tea

As you can probably tell by my posts, I love parties. There is nothing better than spending time with loved ones. Add in some delicious food & beautiful decorations and you have a perfect day! A very close family friend hosted an absolute gorgeous garden Valentine’s tea party this past weekend for the littles in our circle. Nothing like seeing our sweet kiddos all dressed up & sipping their pink lemonade out of fancy tea cups. Of course I think some of the beautiful, sophisticated decor was lost on them since all of the kiddos ended up playing in the ditch (so funny how things like that always make them happiest), but as parents we can appreciate the pretty event & enjoy sharing “grown-up” things with them. Anyways, on to the pictures…

Each table was beautifully decorated and had its own tea pot & selection of kid-approved lunch snacks.

There was a table set up for the kids to decorate their own bags for the Valentines exchange. *Side note: We had this party right after Valentine’s Day so everything was at least half off! Score!

Arts & crafts are a good idea for every party!

Destiny made heart crayons for her valentines. Click here for a link to that idea.

Photo booths are the perfect way to get a great shot to remember the event.  A nice back drop & a few simple props are all you need. Kids are more likely to do a photo shoot when they get to play dress-up! Who wouldn’t be?

Destiny & I ❤

Such a cutie!

L O V E this!

Dessert table… cause isn’t this the best part of any party? lol

Notice those little chocolate pinwheels… cut up a few Little Debbie’s for a quick & easy dessert!

Rice crispy treats are always an easy crowd-pleaser & they can easily be transformed to fit any theme. A heart shaped cookie cutter, melted chocolate, & pink frosting gave these a sophisticated look.

Marshmallow pops are super easy to make. Grab some paper straws from your local Target & sprinkles to match your theme, and you have an easy yet beautiful dessert to brighten any table. I talked about these before here.

Getting a group shot is always a challenge, but as you can tell these kiddos had a blast!

Hoped you enjoyed this party idea as much as I did, and I hope you & your loved ones had a wonderful Valentine’s Day!! ❤

 

#Mad Scientist Day

One of the perks of private school is the class parties & hands on learning. This year (actually the end of last year but I’m a bit behind) my daughter’s 4th grade teacher combined a science project & party into a super cool mad scientist day. The children were each required make up a fake scientist name, come up with 5 to 10 minute science experiment they could easily preform, and write a quick summary introducing themselves & explaining their experiment. This was Destiny’s…

My name is Dr. Spikenstein. Monsters don’t often go to college, but I loved science so I worked really hard and was accepted into Hogwart’s University. I aced my classes and graduated with a master’s degree in Monsterology. I also got my bachelor’s degree in Scientific Potions. I liked using science to make magical things happen so much that after graduation I started teaching Potions 101 at the university. One of my favorite experiments we did in my potions class was the self-inflating balloon. Mixing vinegar & baking soda creates a chemical reaction that produces carbon dioxide. Once the carbon dioxide fills up the bottle, it needs more room so it expands the balloon. It looks like the balloon is magically blowing itself up. Unlike helium that is often used to fill balloons, carbon dioxide is a heavier gas than the air so instead of floating around, the balloon will fall straight to the ground. Want to try this experiment out for yourself? Here is how…

 

Supplies:

·       Vinegar

·       Baking soda

·       Plastic funnel

·       balloon

·       Tablespoon

·       glass measuring cup with a spout

·       bottle with a narrow top (example: a plastic water bottle)

Instructions:

1.   Use your funnel to put 3 Tablespoons of baking soda into your balloon.

2.   Using your measuring cup, pour ½ cup of vinegar into your bottle.

3.   Stretch the open end of the balloon over the neck of the bottle making sure the balloon is on securely.

4.   Pick up the balloon so that all the baking soda falls into the vinegar at the bottom of the bottle.

5.   Sit back and watch the balloon magically expand!

It is a great experiment to try with the kiddos, & I thought the scientist she created was very imaginative too! Anyways, after the kids demonstrated their experiments in front of the class, the teacher & room-mom gave them this wonderfully themed party. I was impressed. Destiny was too so we might even steal the idea for a birthday party theme some time. I’ll let the pictures tell the story…

The classroom was decorated with all sorts of “sciency” things…

The kids each got safety glasses, science lab badges, & Biohazard goodie bags.

No mad scientist party is complete without a nice cauliflower “brain” in a jar!

And then they had snacks…

Petrie Dish Jello… Click here for Pinterest links for this idea… These used gummy worms, but other good options were Nerds & sprinkles for fake bacteria & cells. PS The kiddos weren’t a huge fan of the lime jello so you might want to skip that flavor.

Frankenstein Treat Cups – Click here for these.

Green Punch – Just mix some green Hawaiian Punch, lime sherbet, & Sprite for a quick & easy drink.

Eye Ball Cake Balls – Click here for this creepy recipe.

Monster Cookies – These were my contribution for the party. I found the recipe on Pinterest here. I was a little nervous when making them since the dough was a bit hard to work with, but they were a huge hit. I found the candy eye balls at Target though you can find them online as well.

Anyways, while looking on Pinterest I found so many other cool ideas you could add to these. It was definitely a theme you could just run with, a wonderful way to mix learning & fun. You could even use it for Halloween. Hope you enjoyed this party idea! And HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

#Happy Birthday Frozen Style #Frost Bites

I went to an adorable Frozen birthday party this weekend. My friend, Christy, always throws the cutest parties! I shared her backyard barnyard birthday party idea last year so if you missed that one definitely check it out now! Now I don’t want to toot my own horn, but I was asked to make some Frozen marshmallow pops aka Frost Bites (lol) and they turned out spectacular. I’ll share that idea first before I move on to party pics & ideas.

Frost Bites

Supplies:

• marshmallows
• sprinkles (I used blue, purple, silver, & snowflakes to go with the Frozen theme.)
• paper straws (You can find some adorable ones in a variety of colors @ Target.) or cake pop sticks
• candy melts (White candy melts allowed the sprinkles to be more visible plus better matched the Frozen color scheme. Also one 12 oz bag of candy melts, Ghirardelli in my case, was enough to coat over 45 marshmallows. Just a FYI so you don’t over-buy like I did.)
• mason jars (You could use any container, but the mason jars worked perfectly.)

Directions:

• Stick your marshmallows on your sticks.
• Melt candy melts according to package directions. You can use the microwave, but I had better luck with a double boiler. I kept the stove on the lowest setting after the candy melted so it didn’t start cooling & thickening while I dipped the marshmallows.
• Tap the coated marshmallow off on the edge of your boiler to remove excess candy coating. If you don’t, the sprinkles like to slide off with the candy coating as they cool.
• Dip the candy coated marshmallows into sprinkles turning to make sure the sides are coated. Again, don’t leave too much candy coating on your marshmallows or you’ll end up with a mess. I used muffin tins to the sprinkles easily accessible as I worked. Also, while the snowflake sprinkles were adorable heavier sprinkles tried to fall off as the coating cools. Colored sugar & nonpareils worked the best.
• Refrigerate the pops as you go to harden the candy coating.

Anyways, these are obviously pure sugar & the kiddos will be on a sugar-high for hours, but so cute, everyone loved them (except me & my dad who think marshmallows are gross) and they can be easily geared toward any theme, occasion, or holiday. I think they would be super cute for a Valentine’s Day party with pink & red sugar & some heart confetti sprinkles. Now for some Frozen party cuteness…

Food (with cute little Frozen theme names):

Food table – it’s covered with snow flake confetti & has cute Frozen napkins & plates (If you can’t find them locally, click on the words for links to the items on Amazon.)

This wasn’t a wonderful picture, but these cupcake toppers can be found on Amazon here.

I think I have a picture of this cutie with her cupcake from every single birthday party her mom & I both attend. lol

Activities:

Photo area / backyard decorations

Elsa’s Snow Play Table (white glitter playdough)

Kristoff’s Ice Mine (huge colored blocks of ice with little treasures (ex plastic bracelets & bouncy balls) for the kiddos to chisel out – absolutely brilliant idea especially in this hot Florida weather- we were surprised how entertained even the older kids were with this)

Some craft fun for when the kiddos needed a break from the sun

Add a trampoline & a swing-set to the mix… and you’ve got some happy & soon worn-out kiddos!

Instead of the traditional “goodie bag”, the kids could pick from an array of Frozen items to take home as they left. Most of these cute items can be found at your local Target’s dollar section. Sorry the picture is blurry… didn’t notice until I put it on here.

Hoped you liked this party theme! 🙂

Recipe: Strawberry Dessert Kabobs

I’m excited to try these yummies tonight! They are a perfect quick & easy dessert for any occasion! Happy New Year’s Eve! Hope 2015 is all you hope it to be & more!!

Got Cache?

Happy New Years loves! I’m so excited to celebrate bringing in the New Year with one of my best friends and her family…nothing fancy, just a bonfire and fireworks (if the weather holds out), yummy food, and maybe a game or too, but anything with them always turns out to be a blast (check out and follow her blog here *wink*). I am one of those people that likes to bring something and while I normally love to push my limits in the kitchen when it comes to desserts, sometimes you just want something delicious but super quick and easy. This recipe is sure to please..I had a slight mishap with the white chocolate and ended up having to quality control those 😉 This recipe is totally customizable too! Need a patriotic dessert? Add some blueberries! Like milk or dark chocolate? Use that instead of white! The options are endless

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#Boursin Mission #Smiley360 #Snowman Cheese Platter

Hello ya’ll! Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season! My posts haven’t been too frequent lately, but we’ve been so very busy celebrating birthdays (I turned 30 this year & was blessed with an awesome surprise party!!) & enjoying all the Christmas festivities! This time of year is often crunch time for gift buying, but while we still are doing some shopping, we have tried to focus on spending time with family & friends & stopping to sip the eggnog! We just got back from my uncle’s annual Christmas party, & as I unwind from a long day, I thought I’d give you an update on my latest Smiley360 mission and a holiday hors d’oeurve (I had to look up how to spell that… I can never remember lol) idea to go along with it.

My latest Smiley360 mission… Boursin Cheese!

I was super excited about this mission because I am always looking for something to bring to the many holiday parties & family get-togethers we have going on this time of year! Who doesn’t love a good cheese? Boursin makes several yummy variteties such as pepper, garlic & herb, shallot & chive, red chili pepper, & a seasonal cranberry & spice!

I needed two for my holiday themed cheese platter idea so I decided to give these varieties a whirl.

Add some raisin eyes, a baby carrot nose, a ribbon scarf, & some cinnamon stick arms… and your Boursin Cheese becomes a tasty cheese snowman, perfect for entertaining during this holiday season!

I served my Boursin snowman with some assorted cracker & pita chips.

Not only was this some hors d’oeurve eye candy, my family & friends quickly helped this little guy melt away!! Looking for easy, yummy entertaining ideas? Check out the Boursin Facebook & Twitter pages! Busy cooking, baking, & presenting some delicious tid-bits for your friends & family? I’d love to hear your ideas!

I received this mission for free from Smiley360 for testing and reviewing purposes only.

This post is not compensated or sponsored by the brands mentioned.  All words are my own unless otherwise noted.

 

 

 

#First Annual Halloween Craft & Movie Night

Love crafts & Halloween? What better way to add some creativity & Halloween fun into your week then a Halloween craft & movie night! I ordered some inexpensive, easy craft kits from Oriental Trading when I placed an order for supplies for Katlyn’s upcoming pink mustache birthday party, gathered a few snacks & supplies, and recorded a selection of the family Halloween movies we watch every October to get ready. Let the Halloween fun begin…

No party or event is complete without a few snacks!!

After snacks were eaten & hands were washed, we turned on the Nightmare Before Christmas and started the first craft of the night: No Sew Halloween Pillows

The girls posed with their finished pillows.

The pillows made a perfect addition to our living-room decor!

Next up: Halloween Foam Doorknob Hangers

These were so easy to make & very cute, but we did find out this morning that the self-adhesive on the foam pieces wasn’t as strong as it seemed so added some glue & they are drying now.

A few lollipops, some scrap white material, Halloween ribbon, & a permanent marker = Ghost Pops, perfect for giving out to trick-or-treaters or your child’s classmates!

We just did this as a family this year (plus one friend), but this would be a perfect idea for any size group! Having a large get-together? Have each family attending bring a snack to share &/or supplies for one craft. Spending time & making memories with those you love is what’s important! It’s something we all need to remember as we speed towards the season of “I want!” Just a little food for thought on this beautiful October day 😉