Fruit Chews...on a Cake!

I'm back! We're (mostly) moved in to our new place. And I just had to blog this crazy, wonderful, delicious idea for decorating a cake with fruit chew flowers from the Angry Chicken blog ...that's right, Amy Karol decorated her daughter's birthday cake with Starbursts! I think it looks lovely and probably smelled fantastic!



Be sure to check out Amy's blog for more ingenious crafty ideas and hilarious tips on what NOT to do when making Starburst flowers...

Where's the party posts?

I haven't dropped off the face of the earth, but we are moving this weekend, and that is taking up pretty much all of my time over the next week or so.

Once we get settled into our new apartment (where we'll begin volunteering as a CARES Team again!), I'll be updating this blog much more regularly, I hope.

Be on the lookout in July for lots of ideas and pictures. I've got a backlog of things I've been needing to post, so hopefully I'll have a bit more time to work on them in the coming weeks.

Happy Summer Solstice today!

Cupcakes Make Any Day a Party!

Natalie "Alabama" Chanin posted a wonderful recipe for cupcakes with buttercream icing, purportedly adapted from an original recipe from the Magnolia Bakery! Yum!

The kids said after our cupcake extravaganza was over, “This is just like a party.” To which I replied, “This is a party.”

Recently, I helped a friend make her first from-scratch cake, but was unable to stay to help her ice it. Chanin linked to this slideshow from Country Living magazine which shows step-by-step instructions on how to ice a cake with buttercream frosting. The photos--especially the one depicting a "crumb layer"--would've been most helpful to me. Hopefully, they will be of assistance to you, though! It includes "Tips and Tools of the Trade," which has inspired me to buy an offset spatula as soon as possible. The slideshow is also making my hungry!

(I have to give a plug here for Alabama Chanin and their support of truly local handmade goods, since I'm from Alabama myself and fully support such endeavors.)

Build a Party from a Cardboard Box

Have you always wanted to throw a fantastical party for your kid's birthday but felt like you couldn't afford expensive decorations? Do you need some inspiration for your next themed bash? Did you just buy a new washer/dryer or refridgerator and want a fun way to recycle those large boxes?



Well, try this photo gallery of cardboard box creations at Mr. McGroovys!



From castles to pirate ships and almost anything else you can imagine, parents have created some magical fortresses, hideaways, houses, cars, and characters.



I stumbled upon this site today, and though I've never personally tried using Mr. McGroovy's cardboard box rivets, I've been reading some rave reviews. Even without mkaing a purchase, you can find a wealth of information on the website.

McGroovy's provides tips on how to find free boxes and offers free instructions for some popular constructions, including a castle, a train, and even a spaceship. There are even tips on how to make the paint look realistic. What a great resource for parents, teachers, and anyone who needs to make large-scale decorations on a budget!



Really, why do we buy them expensive toys? All they need is a cardboard box!