For the last two months Camsters has been calling me "Daddy". Sigh... It really started the first time we were away from each other for over five hours. I went to my first docent class and Camsters stayed home with Dad. As soon as I came home I was no longer "Mama"... its kind of sad really. It's not that she doesn't know what she's saying. She has almost made a game out of it. Sigh... My family has a running joke that Husband drilled the word "Daddy" into her brain for the whole five hours I am gone on Saturdays. It's probably true.
So Camsters and I had a long conversation about the rewards of calling me by my proper name. I let her know that by simply calling me "Mama", I would make her a cake, make little party hats, we would go out for dinner, the works baby!
She must still be thinking it over.... Sigh...
- Sarah
Showing posts with label party. Show all posts
Showing posts with label party. Show all posts
March 1, 2011
February 12, 2011
Woodland Themed Birthday :: behind-the-scenes
Can you believe I threw a party for 15 people for under $200? For everything! Food, balloons, decorations, cake... the works.
All you need is a frugal eye, a stash of scrap fabric, and some random pieces of colored paper. Oh, and some glitter and glue. But that was kind of a given, wasn't it?
:: Food :: pictures are included in the 1st Birthday post
I gave myself a $140 budget since I was making everything myself. The menu included:
~ Red Velvet Cake. This my very well be my FIRST successful cake ever. And it was beautiful! I wanted to cry... not because my only child just turned one, but because my cake looked pro. Just look! I used two boxes of Duncan Heinz cake mix, my mom's recipe for buttercream frosting using fancy French chocolate, and a jar of raspberry jam for filling. The toadstools and leaves I formed from Walmart "gum paste" that was pre-made in a bag. Eww Walmart, yay pre-made.
~ Deer Droppings (chocolate covered cranberries) which I got half off.
~ Banana Bites. Follow these directions and it's no-fail. I rolled them in coconut flakes or walnuts and used about 3 bananas which was perfect for 15 guests.
~ Egg and Tomato "Toadstools". These were deviled eggs prepared like usual. But instead of laying out the egg halves on a platter, I smooshed the two halves back together and cut the bottom flat so they would stand up. Then I cut cherry tomatoes in half, scooped out the guts, stuck the tomato on top, and sprinkled with feta cheese.
~ Butter Garlic Roasted Mushrooms. I can't get enough of this recipe from the Smitten Kitchen blog *drool*. All I did was triple the recipe.
~ Pear & Mango Fruit Salad. Really it was just 3 pears and 3 mangoes chopped up. Nothing fancy, but great for color.
~ Gnome-made Mac n' Cheese. My mom made this from scratch and it was fabulous! I'll post the recipe later.
~ Ham & Spinach Strata. I made two of these for the party. Check out this post for my recipe.
~ Drinks included: Pepsi, ginger ale, Sierra Mist, and apple mango sparkling cider.
:: Decorations ::
I gave myself a $60 budget, but I had most of the supplies so really only spent:
$22 on balloons and small helium tank
$17 on plates and cups
1. Soda label covers. Just rip a label off and measure it. Cut the same size rectangle out of paper and decorate with glitter.
2. Paper cut-out animals on popsicle sticks. I found some great pictures to inspire me with a simple Google search. I glued them onto popsicle sticks to stick 'em into different food dishes for a little pizzaz.
3. Happy Birthday sign. I simply traced a circle using a jar, glued it onto black metallic paper, and then cut a border around the whole thing. I strung them all together using some thin ribbon and used my mad calligraphy skills to write the message. You don't need to do calligraphy, just get fancy!
4. I think this is called "bunting". Just cut triangles out of some coordinating fabric scraps and serge them in a line or sew them onto a long piece of ribbon.
5. The invite! What's a party without an invitation? You might not want to get this snazzy, but I had a block of linoleum and printing ink laying around and decided to make and hand stamp the cards. On one side of the stamp I had cut out the dear, and on the other side I cut out the number "1" leaving a dear-shaped gap where he would fit in. Crazy.... I know.
6. The owl piñata I made a tutorial for! Check it out.
7. And last, but not least... The fabric mushrooms I made from scraps. How? Check out my tutorial.
Hopefully this helps out anyone who wants a non-owl/fairy-exclusive woodland themed party. I had so much fun doing this. I'm thinking next year the Camsters should have a Parisian birthday. I could make french macarons... AND berets for everyone!... ANNDD little French mustaches! Run while you can.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
All you need is a frugal eye, a stash of scrap fabric, and some random pieces of colored paper. Oh, and some glitter and glue. But that was kind of a given, wasn't it?
:: Food :: pictures are included in the 1st Birthday post
I gave myself a $140 budget since I was making everything myself. The menu included:
~ Red Velvet Cake. This my very well be my FIRST successful cake ever. And it was beautiful! I wanted to cry... not because my only child just turned one, but because my cake looked pro. Just look! I used two boxes of Duncan Heinz cake mix, my mom's recipe for buttercream frosting using fancy French chocolate, and a jar of raspberry jam for filling. The toadstools and leaves I formed from Walmart "gum paste" that was pre-made in a bag. Eww Walmart, yay pre-made.
~ Deer Droppings (chocolate covered cranberries) which I got half off.
~ Banana Bites. Follow these directions and it's no-fail. I rolled them in coconut flakes or walnuts and used about 3 bananas which was perfect for 15 guests.
~ Egg and Tomato "Toadstools". These were deviled eggs prepared like usual. But instead of laying out the egg halves on a platter, I smooshed the two halves back together and cut the bottom flat so they would stand up. Then I cut cherry tomatoes in half, scooped out the guts, stuck the tomato on top, and sprinkled with feta cheese.
~ Butter Garlic Roasted Mushrooms. I can't get enough of this recipe from the Smitten Kitchen blog *drool*. All I did was triple the recipe.
~ Pear & Mango Fruit Salad. Really it was just 3 pears and 3 mangoes chopped up. Nothing fancy, but great for color.
~ Gnome-made Mac n' Cheese. My mom made this from scratch and it was fabulous! I'll post the recipe later.
~ Ham & Spinach Strata. I made two of these for the party. Check out this post for my recipe.
~ Drinks included: Pepsi, ginger ale, Sierra Mist, and apple mango sparkling cider.
:: Decorations ::
I gave myself a $60 budget, but I had most of the supplies so really only spent:
$22 on balloons and small helium tank
$17 on plates and cups
1. Soda label covers. Just rip a label off and measure it. Cut the same size rectangle out of paper and decorate with glitter.
2. Paper cut-out animals on popsicle sticks. I found some great pictures to inspire me with a simple Google search. I glued them onto popsicle sticks to stick 'em into different food dishes for a little pizzaz.
3. Happy Birthday sign. I simply traced a circle using a jar, glued it onto black metallic paper, and then cut a border around the whole thing. I strung them all together using some thin ribbon and used my mad calligraphy skills to write the message. You don't need to do calligraphy, just get fancy!
4. I think this is called "bunting". Just cut triangles out of some coordinating fabric scraps and serge them in a line or sew them onto a long piece of ribbon.
5. The invite! What's a party without an invitation? You might not want to get this snazzy, but I had a block of linoleum and printing ink laying around and decided to make and hand stamp the cards. On one side of the stamp I had cut out the dear, and on the other side I cut out the number "1" leaving a dear-shaped gap where he would fit in. Crazy.... I know.
6. The owl piñata I made a tutorial for! Check it out.
7. And last, but not least... The fabric mushrooms I made from scraps. How? Check out my tutorial.
Hopefully this helps out anyone who wants a non-owl/fairy-exclusive woodland themed party. I had so much fun doing this. I'm thinking next year the Camsters should have a Parisian birthday. I could make french macarons... AND berets for everyone!... ANNDD little French mustaches! Run while you can.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
The Camster's 1st Birthday :: woodland themed
The Camsters turned one without a hitch! It seems to me that the first birthday is more about the parents getting through the first year than the child. I would like to thank everyone who came and for all the great books and gifts. Also to my parents for donating their house for the afternoon... We wouldn't have been able to fit 15 people in our 500 square foot apartment.
Love ya all!
1. "Good morning! Did you know it's my birthday today?"
2. Polka dot bunting is sooo 'in' right now.
3. Balloons out front
4. Handmade paper birthday sign
5. Paper animal cutouts, fabric mushrooms, and snacks
6. Deviled egg and tomato "toadstools"
7. My mom's "gnome-made" mac n' cheese.... Yum!
8. My ham and spinach strata
9. "Number 1!"
10. "I like this bag with the babies on it..."
11. More balloons
12. Camster's new read-along bear needed a hug.
The cake!
Red velvet with raspberry filling and a buttercream frosting made with French Valrona chocolate topped with sugar paste toadstools.
Oh... and my dad pretending to eat my hard work.
***Be sure to check out the behind-the-scenes birthday post for tips and tricks!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Love ya all!
1. "Good morning! Did you know it's my birthday today?"
2. Polka dot bunting is sooo 'in' right now.
3. Balloons out front
4. Handmade paper birthday sign
5. Paper animal cutouts, fabric mushrooms, and snacks
6. Deviled egg and tomato "toadstools"
7. My mom's "gnome-made" mac n' cheese.... Yum!
8. My ham and spinach strata
9. "Number 1!"
10. "I like this bag with the babies on it..."
11. More balloons
12. Camster's new read-along bear needed a hug.
The cake!
Red velvet with raspberry filling and a buttercream frosting made with French Valrona chocolate topped with sugar paste toadstools.
Oh... and my dad pretending to eat my hard work.
***Be sure to check out the behind-the-scenes birthday post for tips and tricks!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
January 30, 2011
How to Make a Piñata :: part 2
8. Keep layering your crepe paper strips working from the bottom towards the top.
9. (side view) Once you get to the center of the head, start working the front and back separately. It looks wrong now, but if you start making your front and back "close" onto each other like a clam shell... it will all work out. I promise.
10. See? The back will meet the front right where the eyes will go. This way the eyes will cover-up the seam.
11. Glue some of your crepe paper strips to ... two... pieces of paper, then cut out wings. Cut out some cute sugar skull-esque eyes and randomly fold a beak. Glue them all onto the face....
And voilà! Way better than a grocery store piñata. Isn't it funny how many little above-the-letter mark things there are in this post? ------> piñata ------> voilà
Yay!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
How to Make a Piñata :: part 1
Yeah baby! Owl piñata makin' time! You can also use this tutorial to make any other animal or character. It's as easy as paper mâché and crepe paper fringe. Let's hop to it...
You will need:
2 balloons
Tape
1-2 cups of flour
Water
1/2 a roll of crepe paper/party streamers of any color
1 newspaper cut into 1" wide strips
Scrap paper for eyes, wings, and beak
1. Tape your two balloons together to form the owl's head and body.
2. Mix together your flour and water until it is watery-er (technical term) than pancake batter. If it is too thin, it won't stick as well.
3. Dip the newspaper strips into to mixture and then wipe it off again between your fingers. The newspaper should be thoroughly wet, but not soggy.
4. (ignore the tube of glue. It's just being used to keep Mr. Owl from rolling off the table) Arrange your newspaper strips on the balloons being sure to link the two balloons together.
5. Continue to paper mâché until you have at least 3 good layers on it. Let it dry thoroughly.... maybe a full day or two.
6. Cut strips of crepe paper and then fringe the bottom half. It's easier if you stack up many layers before you fringe it.
7. Starting from the bottom of the piñata, make a line across the body with glue. Then lay your crepe paper across it tacking it down well.
--continue on to part 2
You will need:
2 balloons
Tape
1-2 cups of flour
Water
1/2 a roll of crepe paper/party streamers of any color
1 newspaper cut into 1" wide strips
Scrap paper for eyes, wings, and beak
1. Tape your two balloons together to form the owl's head and body.
2. Mix together your flour and water until it is watery-er (technical term) than pancake batter. If it is too thin, it won't stick as well.
3. Dip the newspaper strips into to mixture and then wipe it off again between your fingers. The newspaper should be thoroughly wet, but not soggy.
4. (ignore the tube of glue. It's just being used to keep Mr. Owl from rolling off the table) Arrange your newspaper strips on the balloons being sure to link the two balloons together.
5. Continue to paper mâché until you have at least 3 good layers on it. Let it dry thoroughly.... maybe a full day or two.
6. Cut strips of crepe paper and then fringe the bottom half. It's easier if you stack up many layers before you fringe it.
7. Starting from the bottom of the piñata, make a line across the body with glue. Then lay your crepe paper across it tacking it down well.
--continue on to part 2
January 15, 2011
Fabric Toadstools :: part 2
8. From the beige fabric, cut a strip about 6-8" long and 2 1/2" wide on the fold. With right-sides together, sew down the open side to form a tube. Now cut a small circle from the beige fabric that is roughly 2" in diameter.
9. With right-sides together, pin and sew the circle to the tube bottom.
10. Make little snips around the seam and turn right-side out.
11. Fill halfway with small beans or rice. Don't fill the bottoms with kidney beans.... I found out the hard way that they are too bulky. Fill the rest of the way with poly-fil and stick the stems into the "X" you cut into the toadstool tops. Lastly, hot glue (or hand sew if you have the patience) the stems to the tops.
12. Pat yourself on the back and take a pathetic amount of pictures showing how truly crafty you can be sometimes.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
9. With right-sides together, pin and sew the circle to the tube bottom.
10. Make little snips around the seam and turn right-side out.
11. Fill halfway with small beans or rice. Don't fill the bottoms with kidney beans.... I found out the hard way that they are too bulky. Fill the rest of the way with poly-fil and stick the stems into the "X" you cut into the toadstool tops. Lastly, hot glue (or hand sew if you have the patience) the stems to the tops.
12. Pat yourself on the back and take a pathetic amount of pictures showing how truly crafty you can be sometimes.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Fabric Toadstools :: part 1
I'm making these fabric toadstools for the Camster's 1st birthday using just scraps. Join me!
1. Find some cute mushroomy looking fabric for both the colored tops and the beige stems.
2. Trace around random circular objects onto your beige fabric.
3. Then cut out circles about 1-2" bigger than the beige circles out of your colored fabric.
4. Do a running stitch around your colored top.
5. Pull one of the treads to gather the colored top until it is about the size of your beige circle.
6. Pin together with right-sides together, then sew completely around the circle.
7. With scissors, cut an "X" in the center of the beige circle careful not to cut the colored top. Turn right-side out. Loosely stuff the toadstool top.
Continue on to "Fabric Toadstools :: part 2"
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
1. Find some cute mushroomy looking fabric for both the colored tops and the beige stems.
2. Trace around random circular objects onto your beige fabric.
3. Then cut out circles about 1-2" bigger than the beige circles out of your colored fabric.
4. Do a running stitch around your colored top.
5. Pull one of the treads to gather the colored top until it is about the size of your beige circle.
6. Pin together with right-sides together, then sew completely around the circle.
7. With scissors, cut an "X" in the center of the beige circle careful not to cut the colored top. Turn right-side out. Loosely stuff the toadstool top.
Continue on to "Fabric Toadstools :: part 2"
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Woodland Themed 1st Birthday :: inspirations
I looked up and down the net for a birthday party that was close to what I was envisioning, but couldn't find as much as I would have liked. I didn't really want to go the "fairy" route... more of a woodland-toadstool-glitter-induced-coma kind of look.
Here is what I found for inspiration for the Camster's "woodland" themed 1st birthday party. Unfortunately, I'm a bad blogger and forgot to note where I got these photos from since I just did a mass search on Google. If one of these photos is yours --sorry!-- email me so I can give credit where credit is due. Her party is the first weekend of February so keep a look out for a future post with photos on how her party turned out.
Here is what I found for inspiration for the Camster's "woodland" themed 1st birthday party. Unfortunately, I'm a bad blogger and forgot to note where I got these photos from since I just did a mass search on Google. If one of these photos is yours --sorry!-- email me so I can give credit where credit is due. Her party is the first weekend of February so keep a look out for a future post with photos on how her party turned out.
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