Candy Tower Cakes

My sons have their birthday party with the family at Chuck E Cheese this week and I was looking for an easy way to treat them with all of their favorite candy.

There were some great ideas on candy tower cakes on Pinterest and using Dollar Tree candy I made these two cakes. Needless to say my sons were in love with these gift treats.

I used glue gun, shredded grass and ribbon to pull it all together. I pulled it all together with a tissue paper Pom Pom for the top.

Work Baby Shower

Two of my co-workers are expecting babies and we thought it would be nice to have an office baby shower.

I coordinated the event and we went with a potluck style for the meal. I made the decorations, cake pop favors and diaper cakes for the moms.

We had a great time and the moms were very surprised and happy!

I've found if you are using a cake box mix for the cake pops use strawberry cake mix with white chocolate melts as they taste the best. I used fondant for the pacifiers which were a tedious project.

The Pom Poms were fun and easy and looked amazing in the conference room. I built the diaper cakes using two boxes of 80 diapers, rubber bands and hot glue. For the embellishments I used bows and shredded ribbon.

We played several baby shower games which were gender neutral. It was neat to see the men in the group enjoy themselves. I Googled and searched the web for games. There are several sites with tons of ideas out there.

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

The recipe on Pinterest said they were the "perfect chocolate chip cookies" but I was skeptical for sure. I've made dozens of cookies, mostly from frozen Pillsbury/Nestlé, and never had complaints. However growing up my mother always made cookies from the Nestlé Tollhouse recipe found on the chocolate chip bag.

I thought why not give this a try. I reviewed the recipe to make sure no weird ingredients but that everything could be found in my pantry. I also reviewed to make sure there was nothing in terms of the directions that I couldn't understand.

Once I realized everything was pretty "safe" I started compiling everything I would need. I must say this was an easy to follow recipe with tons of pictures and "how to's". I love when folks post instructional step by step pics.

The pin was titled "perfect chocolate chip cookies" and they didn't lie. The very best recipe I've ever tasted and made.

Make sure to follow the directions step by step as you will be pleasantly surprised and rewarded with the yummiest cookies ever.

Not to mention the next day they held up to the "day after" test. Most times when you have left over cookies they are hard and not as delicious which is the excuse we use in the house as to why we must finish them off. However with these I placed in a storage container and the next day same deliciousness.

I will tell you the recipe makes about 24 cookies and I was able to make about 10 and freeze the remaining for a "rainy" day. The pin says they can be frozen for up to 6 months or refrigerated for 2 days.

Those of you who have little ones running around will appreciate the ease of this recipe and the fact that you can freeze the cookie dough for so long.

Spreading Some Love at Work

I saw PDF freebie/printables on Pinterest for "Free Compliments" or "Free Positive Thoughts" and immediately knew I needed to print them off and spread them throughout my workplace. (The website linked to the pin has some awesome freebies as well so make sure to check them out. You will find it on my Pinterest account under "crafts".)

So first thing this morning I did just this. Now let's see who or what happens. :)

By the way, I placed two on my door for my student athletes to grab when they visit this week and one on the refrigerator door for my co-workers.

I'm planning on making one up for uplifting bible verses off of some pins I've seen using bible verses. I just think this is a neat and easy way to spread joy and HIS Word throughout my world.

Teacher Pencil Holder

I wanted a neat way to show my sons' teachers my appreciation for all they do. When I came across the pencil holder made from actual pencils I just had to make them.

I purchased several packages of pencils and some ribbon. I created a cute label off of an image on clip art and printed on card stock.

I used a can of soup the large kind and with my handy glue gun I glued the pencils on to the can. You may want to make a template using rubber bands as you can easily start twisting and get off track. Also pay close attention to how you are placing the pencils as you want to be consistent. If you want the brand to show make sure it's always showing.

Besides burning your finger tips every so often from the hot glue it's a fairly easy, quick and inexpensive gift. Not to mention the teachers just raved about my crafty skills :) !!!

School Supply Cake

My sons came home with a list of mid-year school supplies the school was asking to have replenished. I saw some school supply cakes pinned on Pinterest and immediately knew how I would fill the request.

I purchased a foil pie plate because the base would need to be sturdy enough to hold the supplies. The center of the cake is a box of Kleenex and anti-bacterial wipes. I glue gunned pencils around the top of the anti-bacterial wipes container and the topper is a Pom Pom made of tissue paper I only fluffed one side.

You can use any ribbons and embellishments but thought these matched perfectly. I had purchased the monkey wooden cutout from Michaels at their after Christmas sale for about $0.10 and was just waiting for the perfect craft.

I will tell you when I dropped the cake off I specifically told the teachers they should feel free to take the cake a part as the point was for the supplies. One month later they still have it as a class decorative piece.

Oreo Cupcakes

The recipe for these delicious cupcakes are on Pinterest and are very easy to make. Everyone in my family is on the Oreo-craze.

A friend was sick so when I saw the recipe I immediately knew she would enjoy this treat. Blythe way, she thought for sure I was a baker :)!

Make sure you make extras as I seem to have an abundance of taste testers when I make goodies.

I also added cake wrappers and toppers. Cupcakes without these embellishments seem naked to me now. You can find templates on Pinterest for any holiday or design.

Fudgesicle Pops

My sons love ice cream and anything on a stick. So when I ran across the fudge pop recipe on Pinterest, I had to try.

We weren't disappointed. Very easy to make and I love that the kids rave about them. A rule of thumb for me, if I have all of the ingredients in the house and I can understand the recipe then it's a must try!

You will need chocolate pudding, whipped cream or heavy whipping cream, milk, popsicle sticks and mini cups. You take the pudding mix, then mix 3 cups of cold milk for two minutes on medium speed then add 2 cups of whipped cream or heavy whipping cream. Whipped cream probably makes a sweeter and richer texture but honestly I've only ever used the heavy whipped cream and they are just fine.

Then take your cups and fill until full and place in a storage container.

When you place in the freezer make sure to cover. I use a deep Tubberware container but have also on occasion used Saran wrap. You need to keep them in there until they can hold a stick without falling over. Usually about 15 minutes. Then insert sticks. Stick back into the freezer until frozen.

This recipe makes about 15 but will depend on the size of your cups.

P.S. Sorry about the pics I'm testing out my iPad camera features.

Alvin & The Chipmunks/Chippettes Birthday Party

Both my sons have their birthdays in February 7 days apart. We've always sent cake and favors to their classes and then held a combined, quaint family party on the weekend.

Every year they choose a theme. This year they were so into Alvin & The Chipmunk movie "Chip-wrecked" it only made sense for it to be the theme.

I decided in my quest to keep my New Year's resolution, instead of paying $60 to Publix to buy amazing cupcakes, I would do the entire party by hand.

I spent all of January researching ideas to make it fabulous. I found the KitKat cake on Pinterest and did a trial run. Everyone loved it. Besides the cost of the KitKats and M&M's, it's still a steal.

The cupcakes have wrappers & toppers all within the theme. I found images of the chipmunks and pasted them onto card stock. Added some embellishments and Voila!

For favors, I always send juice boxes, fruit rollups and fruit snacks. This year instead of the treat bags I would usually purchase in the birthday theme I had the kids help make "crackers" also known as "poppers". They're cute, easy and still in the theme.

Finally, for each major holiday, birthdays included, I've decided to decorate the fireplace mantel. It's a reminder of the upcoming holiday and adds a punch of color. I always go through withdrawal after taking down the Christmas decorations.

I make all of the decorations by hand and have included in the pics our Valentine mantel as well.

The good thing about the birthday mantel is that in our house alone we have three birthdays in succession so I will get good use of the decorations.

Valentine's Day Gifts

Yesterday I sent to school not only cards and sweets but also teacher appreciation gifts.

Anyone recently on Pinterest has seen the crayon initial frame. Get your frame from Wal-Mart. I paid about $3. You'll need glue sticks and glue gun. I used an entire box of crayons as well. I created the template on Word and printed out the initial with the full last name spelled out using Word art and then rotated it to the far right so there would be room. I went ahead and placed the template behind the glass and secured it. Then I placed the crayons, still as is, on top of the glass frame to see which ones would need to be cut. I would tell you to make sure to have a very sharp knife and use a clean plastic cutting board. You should also keep a hand towel to wipe off excess crayon off the knife. Once you have an idea of what needs to be cut and how, go for it!

You will use hot glue to secure the crayons. I kept them in place and removed one at a time and hot glued it to the glass. This means the crayons will be on the outside of the glass.

Wipe off any crayon excess off the glass. Voila! Initial crayon frame for teacher.

I also made paper rosette frame and used Tagxedo.com website to create artwork I placed inside of frame. For the back of the frame I used cardboard and colored card stock.

I used words to describe the teacher, her name, etc. if you haven't used this site do so soon. It's free and easy to use. You can also upload shapes from your own pictures. You add your own words and Voila! Instant art :) .

If you haven't tried making paper rosettes from card stock just know its super easy too. Cut a square any size, then take scissors and cut in a circular pattern so when you are done you have a spiral mobile. Then take one end and twirl paper inward. The explanation and pictures pinned to my Pinterest account describe this much better. But best thing I've learned from Pinterest thus far. Everyone loves them and asks for them.

Last night as our family Valentine's Day dinner, we made homemade pepperoni pizza and watched movies. I used store bought dough from Wal-Mart. It's usually about $3 and purchased pizza sauce for about $2. I added mozzarella and pepperoni.

I've made pizzas in the past using Boboli which can get very expensive and not really like pizza crust. I've also added mushrooms and green peppers, etc. Pizza making is a fun and easy bonding activity with kids. Plus its healthier. They also like being able to make something.

Valentine's Day Extravaganza

Last night was one for the record books. I successfully cooked, fed, completed homework and made Valentine's cards with candy and treats for my two sons' classes and my niece's daycare class. Whew let's just say I'm exhausted. Again all recipes can be found on my Pinterest account. I have provided the link for my account in my profile. I am not certain if i will continue to go overboard as I did for this past Valentine's but up until last night I had tons of fun working on these projects.