Hannah Montana Rock Star Party Favors

The favors for Taylor's party consisted of the body glitter and the microphones, but we needed something cute to put them in. I'd been having a hard time finding something that was cute, would go with the theme of the party and were inexpensive. When I saw these little totes, I knew they fit the bill! I got them at Michael's and they came in a bunch of different colors. The best part? They were only a dollar!

When I set up the favor table I debated on putting the other goodies in the totes, but I decided against it because I thought the kiddos would have fun picking out what color tote and body glitter they wanted. If I stuffed the totes, it would have been luck of the draw. Plus, by leaving the totes empty, they could use them to hold their pinata candy and then grab the glitter, microphones and plastic heart bracelets on the way out the door.

I LOVE creating the favors for birthday parties, can you tell? Seriously, it's my favorite part!

Rock Star Microphones!

What rock star doesn't have a microphone? Our Hannah Montana Rock Star birthday party wouldn't have been complete without sparkly microphones, so I made some for the party favors. I had backup favors for the boys because I wasn't sure 6 year old boys would like a glittery microphone, but how wrong I was! All the kiddos at the party loved them! (I've got a feeling a couple of the adults secretly wished for one, too!) They were relatively simple to make, and incredibly inexpensive. Make a bunch or a couple. Here's how you can make your own!

You'll need:

• Styrofoam eggs
• PVC pipe
• Silver paint
• Black spray paint for plastic
• White glue
• Bamboo skewers
• Steak Knife
• Disposable foam brush
• Silver glitter
• Hot Glue Gun
  

First, you want to take your steak knife and cut off the very tip of the Styrofoam eggs. Just saw through it like you would a steak until you've got one flat end. Discard the part you cut off.

Next, you'll want to cut your PVC pipe into shorter pieces. I enlisted Hubby for this task, but it's not hard. He measured and marked the PVC pipe and then cut using a small hand saw. At first we cut 12" pieces, but they seemed too long to me. 8" lengths of the PVC pipe seemed to be perfect.

Now you're ready to paint! These are the paints I used:

They came from Lowe's and were about $4 a can. I made 14 microphones and still have about half of each can left.

You'll want to spray the PVC pipes so that they are black and you can't see the black print that's on them. I did 3 coats, but I'm typically an overachiever. Two coats would have probably been plenty! Make sure you get at least one of the ends painted (the other doesn't matter since it will be inside the egg when all is said and done).

To paint the eggs, I stuck a bamboo skewer in each one and then twirled it between my fingers as I sprayed so that I could get coverage on the whole thing. Don't forget to get the bottom! I did two coats on the eggs.

Once the eggs were dry, I took them inside and used a disposable foam brush and covered them with white glue (I was pretty liberal with it). While the glue was still wet I covered it with silver glitter. Let them dry overnight. Tip: If you fill a sand pail with sand (or rice or beans) you can stick the skewers in it to hold the eggs upright while the glue dries.

When the eggs were dry and the PVC pipe was dry, I was ready to put the microphone together. In one hand hold the egg. Hold the PVC pipe in the other. Gently push and twist the PVC pipe into the flat part of the egg to make a hole the size of the PVC pipe. It isn't hard, but go slowly so that you don't damage the egg. Once you've got an indentation that is about 1 1/2-2" deep, put hot glue inside and then insert the PVC pipe.

I left mine plain, but if you wanted to you could put a Hannah Montana sticker on the handle or tie a ribbon to it.

I put all my finished microphones in a bucket on the party favor table. Cute!

There you have it - one fabulous rock star microphone . We (yes, we) have had a lot of fun with them in our house. Thank goodness there's no video evidence (yet!). Make some and you'll be a craft Rock Star!

Baby Shower Invitation

When my sister was pregnant last year, I was placed in charge of invitations for the baby shower. I had just done a ton of birthday invitations for the monkey's birthday, so I wanted something that was cute, but quick and easy. These are it!

I started out with a plain cardstock (the brown) and cut it into a square shape that would fit inside my envelopes. Then, I put a patterned paper (blue stripe) in a slightly smaller square on tip. I finished with a lighter brown paper that had all of the invitation details on it.

For a little more detail, I used a pen to draw a line around the edge of each different layer and I used some brown ink on the smallest square (the one with the printing on it) to help it stand out a bit. Then, I glued a bunch of cute buttons on the bottom.

For the ribbon on the top, I used an Exacto knife to cut two small slits on the top and then pulled the ribbon through.

I really like these invitations and they could be modified for just about any event, depending on what patterned paper you use. Plus, you can't beat quick and easy for something this cute!

Cupcake Bath Bomb Tutorial

I made these yummy looking (but not yummy tasting) cupcakes for birthday party goodie bags. They were so easy and fun to make. Best of all, you should be able to find everything you need at the grocery store and at the craft store.

Here's what you need:
1 cup baking soda
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup citric acid (usually found in the bulk section of stores like Sprouts and Whole Foods)
2 1/2 tablespoons grape seed oil (I used this, but any nut oil will work)
1 tablespoon water
1/4 teaspoon borax (found in the laundry aisle)
1 teaspoon fragrance oil for soaps
8-10 drops of soap coloring
Witch Hazel (put in a spray bottle)
Silicone cupcake liners

Here's how you make the cupcakes:
1. In a bowl, stir together the baking soda, citric acid and cornstarch.
2. In a small bowl, combine the grape seed oil, water, soap fragrance, soap coloring and borax. Mix together well.
3. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and blend together well. The mixture should feel like wet sand. If it's too dry, spray lightly with witch hazel (using too much can cause the mixture to foam, so don't apply witch hazel liberally)
4. Pack the mixture tightly into a silicone cupcake liner and place upside down on a lined cookie sheet.
5. Wait about 10 minutes and then remove the cupcake liner
6. Leave the bath bomb to dry overnight.

Frosting Instructions

3 tablespoons meringue powder (found in the baking section of craft stores)
6 tablespoons water
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon of soap fragrance oil
1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon soap coloring
Sprinkles (optional)
Plastic cake decorating bag and cake decorating tip (or Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off)

Here's how to make the frosting:

1. In a large bowl, mix together the meringue powder, powdered sugar, cream of tartar, soap fragrance oil, soap coloring, and water using a hand mixer until stiff peaks form.

2. Put the mixture into the cake decorating bag (or Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off, and pipe the frosting onto the base as you would a real cupcake.

3. Add sprinkles if desired.

4. Let dry overnight, or until frosting hardens.

5. Package and enjoy!

Tips:
-go lightly with the witch hazel. Sometimes you won't need to use it at all
-to make round bath bombs, use the top recipe (don't make the frosting), and pack the mixture into round, plastic Christmas ornaments (found in craft stores)
-to make shaped bath bombs, use the top recipe (no frosting), and pack the mixture into candy or soap molds
-to give as a gift, put them into little cellophane treat bags, add a tag and tie with a ribbon
-these may look and smell yummy, but they are not edible!

To use: Toss into the tub and enjoy!

Cupcake Party Goodie Bags

I'm knee deep in cupcakes here! These are the bags I made to hold the party favors for Megan's birthday party. I made them in several different colors (light pink, dark pink, fuchsia, green, blue, orange and purple) so that everyone could pick their favorite colors. They are made out of felt and have rhinestone sprinkles and a button cherry on top. I'll post again soon with the goodies that are going into these yummy bags.

I've got them listed in my Etsty store, too!