Celebrate It

Muffin Top Baking Pan – Because the Top is the Best Anyhow

admin — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 19:43:24 +0000

Remember the Seinfeld episode where Elaine goes on and on about the muffin tops and how they should just sell those, because after all they are the best part of the muffin? I don’t know if I am just slow or what, but I just found a Muffin Top baking pan that lets you make just the best part of the muffin, or cupcake, or cookie creation. These would be a lot of fun at a birthday party, a nice change of pace at a baby shower and perfect for every day baking, too.

One of my favorite sites, Picky Palate, has a recipe for making Snickers Caramel Cheesecake cookies in the muffin top pan that looks absolutely amazing. Those would be such a hit at any gathering. Diana’s Blueberry Muffin Tops recipe is another one on my “to-make” list, as are the Giant Smores Cookies from My Baking Addiction.

Happy Baking!

Baby Shower Games

admin — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 00:51:47 +0000

Planning a Baby Shower? Along with the food, pretty cake, and gifts, one of the things that makes a baby shower fun are the games! Yes, they can be silly, but they are a great way to break the ice, show the Mom-to-be your support and have a giggle or two in the process.

At a recent baby shower I attended, everyone took a mini clothes pin when they signed in. Through out the evening if you said “Mom” or the Mom-to-be’s first name, someone could steal your clothes pin. The person with the most clothes pins at the end of the night won a gift bag.

Some of my favorite resources for Baby Shower Games you can print out at home are:

Games galore that you’ll adore at BabyShowerStuff.com! Bottles Up Game, Fabulous 5 Personalized Game, My Water Broke Game, and More!
The Deluxe Baby Party Game Collection! With over 75 printable baby shower games you print right from your computer!
Printable Baby Shower Games
Baby Shower Bingo Game

For even more Baby Shower Games, game ideas and baby shower planning tips, click on the images below.

Baby Diaper Cakes

admin — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 20:47:38 +0000

I was at a baby shower earlier this week and the centerpiece for the main food table was a cute tulle wrapped baby diaper cake. Not only do baby diaper cakes make cute centerpieces, they are a gift the Mother to be really can use! For example, around each layer of the cake below is a pretty receiving blanket.

Baby diaper cakes are pretty inexpensive and easy to make – they can also be as simple or elaborate as you want to make it. They can also be made with disposable diapers, cloth diapers, baby washcloths and other baby necessities.

Here are some instructions for making your own baby diaper centerpieces:

Need more inspiration or just want to buy one instead of making one? Below are some of my favorites – click on the images for more detail, ordering information and price.

Lollipop Tree with Attitude

admin — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 01:15:50 +0000

My sister-in-law turned 60 this past weekend and her wonderful daughters put on an amazing party for her. One of my favorite parts of the dessert table was the “60 Sucks” Lollipop Tree.

It was so easy to make! All you need to make your own “It Sucks” display is a piece of FloraCraft Styrofoam Block that can be purchased at any craft store, some fun fabric or a container to cover the floral foam, the desired number of lollipops and a sign declaring what age, event or concept “sucks”.

For other decorations they found The Party Continues 60 Glitter Cutout banners, made sweet sugar cookies and wrote the number 60 on them with icing, and placed fun containers with my sister-in-law’s favorite candies on all the tables.

Check out CelebrateExpress.com for a great selection of birthday themes and supplies for all ages and save $20 on orders $100 or more!

Pirate Costumes and Pirate Accessories

admin — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 22:56:04 +0000

One of the most popular Halloween costumes of all time is the pirate – and with so many variations of a pirate costume, there is bound to be one that fits the style of pirate you want! Click on the images below for more information on each individual costume and ordering information. And for more pirate fun, be sure to check out our free printable Pirate Invitations, Pirate Party Crafts and Printables, and even more Pirate Party Ideas and Supplies.

Caribbean Pirate Child Costume (Large – 10)	Ghost Pirate Child Costume – 12/14	Bratz Pirate Child Costume-Large 12-14
Pirate Captain Child Costume-Large (12-14)	Pirate Child Costume – Large	Pirates of the Caribbean Davy Jones Child Costume – 10/12
Rogue Pirate Child Costume – 10/12	Seven Seas Pirate Child Costume (12-14)	Treasure Hunt Pirate Child Costume – Large (7/10)
Lil’ Pirate Cutie Child Halloween Costume	Pink Punk Pirate Child Halloween Costume	Child Brown Buccaneer Wig – Pirate Costume Accessories
Child Pirate Hat with Marabou Trim – Halloween Costume Accessories	Child Tricorn Hat – Colonial or Pirate Costume Accessories	Rhinestone Eye Patch – Pirate Costume Accessories
Rhinestone Pirate Eye Patch with Skull – Pirate Costume Accessories	See Thru Pirate Eye Patch with Gold Trim – Pirate Costume Accessories	Adult Black Pirate Hat – Pirate Costume Accessories
Adult Black Suede Pirate Hat – Pirate Costume Accessories	Brown Caribbean Pirate Hat – Pirate Costume Accessories	Adult Velvet Pirate Hat – Pirate Costume Accessories
Burgundy Super Deluxe Pirate Captain Costume – Adult Pirate Costumes	Super Deluxe Pirate Captain Costume – Pirate Costumes	Super Deluxe Pirate Girl Costume – Pirate Costumes
Adult Punky Pirate Costume – Pirate Costumes	Ghost Pirate Child Costume – 4/6	PIRATE INSTANT COSTUME
Adult Costumes – PIRATE RENAISSANCE LARGE	Kids Costumes – PIRATE MUSCLE 12 TO 14	Kids Costumes – Pirate Boy-White/blk pants
Kids Costumes – Caribbean Pirate Boy	Adult Costumes – Pirate king	Adult Costumes – PIRATES OF CARRIBEAN ELIZ Teen 7-9

Character Cake Pans

admin — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 22:36:29 +0000

One of the easiest ways to bring a smile to a child’s face on their birthday is to present them with a cake that resembles one of their favorite things. For many kids, those favorite things revolve around their favorite characters from TV and movies. Most of the character shaped cake pans come with instructions to frost the cake and if you can follow simple directions, you can usually create a memorable birthday character cake for a lot less money than you could purchase it for at a local bakery.

Here are some of the character cake pans that are most popular right now! Click on images for ordering information.

All Things Family Celebrates Summer, Birthdays and More

admin — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 22:29:24 +0000

Happy Birthday to me and welcome to the July 13, 2010 edition of all things family.

Heather Mann presents Make a Vuvuzela (Stadium Horn) posted at Dollar Store Crafts, saying, “Make a World Cup-inspired stadium horn noisemaker out of dollar store stuff.”

Heather Mann presents Make Your Own Memory Game posted at Croq Zine – The Blog, saying, “A simple and fun game for preschoolers to make and play.”

Dan presents Firefly Party for Fun Summer Outing posted at My Dad Blog, saying, “It’s summer time! So do something unique for your kids’ friends and meet some parents as well – host a Firefly Party! We did and it was great.”

Phil Lopez presents 10 Best Christian Games for Family Fun posted at Christian Colleges and Universities.

BWL presents A Birthday Party On A Budget posted at Christian Personal Finance, saying, “With birthdays come birthday parties, gifts, and sometimes a cash shortage. But, there are ways to help minimize your costs and still have a great birthday party on a budget.”

Madeleine Begun Kane presents The Tenor Of Our Anniversary posted at Mad Kane’s Humor Blog.

Charles Chua C K presents F.A.M.I.L.Y. Way to Bring Up Your Children posted at All About Living with Life.

Pamela Jorrick presents Independence Day posted at Blah, Blah, Blog, saying, “Our family 4th of July didn’t go as planned, but it did make me realize how lucky I am to know what a family friendly celebration is.”

Linette G. presents 5 Fun Baseball Cupcake Ideas posted at The Kid’s Birthday Fun Review, saying, “For a baseball end of the season or birthday party.”

Elizabeth Marsten presents Edible Summer Crafts posted at Glue Gun Crafts.

Shannon presents Celebrating a Birthday While Traveling posted at Party Elf.

Jen presents Happy Birthday Cupcake coloring page posted at Projects for Preschoolers.

Wendy presents Ice Cream Party Games posted at Fantasy Jr.

Char presents Happy Birthday Coloring Pages at Printables4Kids.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of all things family using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Lion Cake and Safari Party Theme

admin — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 20:31:49 +0000

My very talented friend Jessica is at it again – this time with an ultra adorable lion cake that she made.

A lion themed cake would be perfect for a zoo, jungle or safari inspired birthday party theme or even an animal themed baby shower.

Visit our sister site for some free zoo animal printable coloring sheets and activity pages:

We have also found some of the cutest lion party supplies from around the web – click on image for ordering information:

Butterfly Wedding Cake

admin — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 14:50:00 +0000

My super talented friend Jessica is at it again! She had a request from a bride-to-be for a simple home made looking cake….with the ridges in the icing and came up with this very elegant and sweet butterfly wedding cake.

Wouldn’t this be perfect for a garden wedding or tea party even? I think it is just stunning!

Celebrating All Things Family

admin — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 17:46:54 +0000

Welcome to the June 1, 2010 edition of All Things Family. We are celebrating all things summer in this edition. Kick back, pour a nice glass of iced tea and enjoy the reading.

Let’s Party

Shannon presents Host a Craft Birthday Party posted at Partyelf, saying, “Keep your party guests entertained by hosting a Craft Birthday Party with these ideas.”
Heather presents The Princess and the Frog Birthday Cake posted at Celiac Family.
Heather M. presents How to Have a Dollar Store Wedding posted at Dollar Store Crafts, saying, “Here are some great ideas for saving money on your wedding, or any party.”
Digerati Life presents Water Fun Activities To Cool You Off This Summer posted at The Digerati Life, saying, “Thanks!”
Pamela presents Double Digits posted at Blah, Blah, Blog.
Randa presents Scavenger Hunt Lists and Ideas at FreeStuff4Kids.

Get Crafty

pickel presents Grown In My Heart » Blog Archive » 4th of July Crafts posted at Grown In My Heart, saying, “4th of July Crafts”
Jen presents How to Make a Silly Bug Headband at Projects for Preschoolers – how cute!
Wendy presents Kids Flower Crafts at Craft Jr.
Char presents Printable Princess Tiara craft at Printables4Kids.com – perfect for any princess!

Family Reading

Philip Dean presents Parenting Should be a Group Sport posted at Random Acts Of Parenting, saying, “I am convinced that our “go it alone” parenting style is neither intended or healthy. I like to consider it a group sport. Here is a short explanation why.”
Madeleine Begun Kane presents Bugged By Mosquitos posted at Mad Kane’s Humor Blog.
Dana presents Parenting in the dark posted at Roscommon Acres.
katie presents Blended Family – An Ex Perspective posted at Blending Ex’s… Stick that in your Cuisinart.