Leave your old clothespins out to dry and invite the new party pin in!

                                                 

                                                                                                                                                                  

The other day I couldn't believe my eyes when I walked into Michaels and saw that they were actually selling 4 clothespins that were painted with pretty paint and designs for $4.  How crazy is that?  I've been using clothespins for awhile now on just about anything to help add a little pizazz to my parties.  You can use them to attach a thank you note on a loot bag, a place card holder for table seating's, or to hold up any décor at your party.  All you need is craft paint, a paint brush, wooden clothespins and a little imagination!  You can paint the entire clothespin or just the front of it.  For my daughter's Fairy Party I had painted them with Tinker green glitter paint and attached handmade name cards to the top of each clothespin.  The clothespins were used to hold fairy wings; each fairy guest was invited to take their wings upon arrival. They even make cute take-away's for your guests especially if their names are on them.  It really is as simple as that!  So forget about hanging your clothes out to dry, grab some clothespins and starting pimping your pins for your next party! 

 

 

 

Cheers! It's Friday! Let's Name a Drink!

 

TGIF! 

Let's have a drink! 

My favorite thing to do at parties is to create a "signature" drink.  The drink doesn't have to be complicated or expensive to make.  At my last party, my poor sister-in-law was stuck squeezing 30 limes to make my homemade margaritas.  After all that squeezing, her husband who is also my brother said, "why didn't you just buy lime juice?"  Thank God the limes were worth the squeeze cause it turned out to be a really delicious margarita!  With that said, it doesn't have to be complicated.  Choose something simple and make it in advance. Add pretty décor to the glasses like ribbon or name the drink after the guest of honor (as seen here in the picture above "The Olivia-tini"). 

Cheers! Have a great weekend everyone! 

 

Some"Bunny" Loves Cake!

Let's add a little Easter cheer to today's Party Tip.  This is an oldie but a goodie.  It was my late grandmother Huguette's party tip (let's just say, I inherited my love for parties from her,

my mom and godmother). 

Every Easter she made a Bunny Cake.  It's not only easy to make and easy to eat but... it's also pretty darn adorable.  It's so cute to look at that nobody wants to cut a piece of cake!  Really, I'm not kidding!  (speaking of "cute", look how cute my mom looks posing with the bunny last Easter!)

 

Here are a few quick easy tips on how to make this cute cake:

1. Add cake mix (either boxed or homemade) to 1 8-inch round cake pan and 1 4-inch round cake pan. 
2. Bake as indicated on the cake box mix or as indicated in your recipe.
3. Once the cakes are ready, let cool on a cooling rack.
4. Cut the 8-inch and 4-inch cakes in half.
5. Add frosting of your choice in the middle of the 8-inch halves and then do the same with the 4-inch halves.
6. Then, stand up 8-inch halves on a plate.  This will be your bunny's body.  Place the 4-inch halves at the front of the body so that it looks like a head attached to a body.
7. Once you've placed the cakes, generously apply frosting of your choice to the entire cake. White frosting is always the popular choice!   
8. Sprinkle coconut all over your cake (you can add food coloring to the coconut beforehand in a separate bowl.  This will add color to your cake).
9. After you've sprinkled the coconut, let the fun begin!  Add the jelly beans for the eyes and nose and pretzels or black licorice for the whiskers.  
10. Also, add a few marshmallows at the back of the cake to create a puffy tail.  You can even do the same with whip cream! 
11. With the leftover jelly beans and coconut you can add it to the plate to spice up the Easter décor. 
12. Lastly, using construction or card stock paper, cut out 2 ears and ask your kids to color them.  Once complete, add the ears into the cake. 

How adorable is that?  Now go and make some"bunny" a cake!  :)

 

 

 

Leave a "mark" at your next kids birthday party!

If you have kids over the age of 2 you will probably relate to this post.  Tattoos are the latest craze (not to mention, character band aids!).  If my 4 year old had it her way, she would wear 20 tattoos on each arm and probably another 10 all over her face.  So with that said, why not spice up the old kiddie games at their next birthday party?  Instead of playing a game, invite the birthday girl or boy and their party mates to choose and apply their favorite tattoo.  If you want to offer something a little unique they also sell face tattoos at Target and Michaels.  At my daughter's Fairy birthday party I had purchased fairy face tattoos and all the girls wanted one (even me and my girlfriends!). They're a little challenging to apply but they are darn cute and complete a fairy outfit! 

One last thing, tattoos are also a great thing to add to a loot bag!  They are inexpensive and like I said before, kids love them! 

A Very Sweet 'n Cheap Party Favor Idea

Sugaring Off season has already begun in Quebec despite the cold weather! 

Why not give maple syrup sugar cones as a party favor? 

They are not only delicious but also very inexpensive.

 You can gift wrap them with pretty paper or simply tie them

with decorative ribbon.

 This party favor will leave your guests drooling

(or they may ask you for a cold glass of milk)!  

Move over Cake Pops...there's a new POP in town. Marsh Pops!

Who really has the patience and time to make Cake Pops besides Martha Stewart?  Wait...I'm sure she doesn't even make them!  This is a super easy affordable way to make your own version of cake pops.  They're called Marsh Pops!  Kids are guaranteed to love them!  All you need is a bag of regular sized marshmallows, edible glitter (add to a plate or bowl), cake pop sticks and a bowl of water.  Here are 3 easy steps to making your own Marsh Pops:

 

1. Insert a cake pop stick into the bottom of a marshmallow
2. Dip the tip of the marshmallow into the water
3. Dip the tip of the marshmallow into the glitter

and...

Voila!  That's how easy it is to make a Marsh Pop! Try it!  You can thank me later!  :)

The Birthday Wreath

Do you have 180 or so balloons lying around your house from past celebrations?  Here's a super easy and festive way to use your balloons.  Create a birthday wreath and hang it on your front door when a birthday is celebrated in your home.  All you need is 180 or so balloons (color of your choice), a craft wreath (either cardboard, styrofoam or metal), florist wire and a decorative ribbon to enhance the colors of your balloons!  Very easy to make and the kids will look forward to seeing this wreath come out on their birthdays!