Custom Stand Up Party Decorations

June 29th, 2009

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Kids Will Love Em creates these awesome stand up party decorations.  They are made out of 1/4″ plywood and are hand painted.   Decorations are approximately 26″-27″ tall from top to bottom and they stand on a wooden base.    These custom stand up decorations would be great to accent the cake table or to use as your front door party decoration.  They would also be perfect to take pics with the kids during the party.   After the birthday party, the stand up decoration can be hung up in your child’s rooom as a terrific room accent. 

They currently offer the following birthday party themes:  Super Mario (pictured), Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Backyardigans, Sesame Street, Elmo, Fancy Nancy, Hello Kitty, Strawberry Shortcake, Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, and Tinker Bell.  They also accept special orders and can create a stand up decoration for any party theme.  So, just ask!

Cardboard People also carries a great line of stand up characters including Twilight, Hannah Montana, Jonas Brothers, Joe Jonas, Nick Jonas, Disney Cars, Star Wars, Star Trek, Trains, and more.

Add some fun to your birthday party decor with these super cool stand up decorations!

Pool Party Favors & Beach Ball Cupcakes

June 29th, 2009

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I helped my sister plan my nephew’s Pool Party for his 10th birthday.  I selected and put together the party favors and prepared the birthday cupcakes. I was also available 24/7 for birthday party consultations. ;)

For the party favors, I purchased plastic Beach Ball cups.  In the favor cups, I put Jumbo Beach Balls Candies, a Marshmallow Candy Ice Cream Cone an Inflatable Beach Ball (the beach balls were deflated when added to the cup) and a Water Bomb toy.   My sister wanted to keep the favor cost under $4 and I was able to stay within the budget.  The final cost was $3.95 a piece.  I just made it!

After I organized the favors in the favor cups, I wrapped them in red cello bags and attached a personalized Pool Party favor tag. The cups were accented with red, blue, white and yellow curling ribbon.  They really came out cute and everyone loved them!

For the birthday cupcakes, I decorated  them with icing tinted light blue and topped them with a beach ball cupcake pick.   These cupcake picks were difficult to find, but I finally found them at Sugar Craft.   The cupcakes were baked in silver baking cups.

Other party planning details include ticket style Pool Party invites.  These were a huge hit and many of the moms asked my sister where she got them.  They wanted to get them for their child’s pool parties.

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My sister purchased  Splish Splash  design partyware for the decorations and table setting.

We had nice weather for swimming and the kids had a great time!

Please visit my Pool Party  post for more fun party ideas!

Strawberry Shortcake Candy Favors

June 24th, 2009

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If you are planning a Strawberry Shortcake birthday party, you will love these strawberry theme candies.  These candies would make a wonderful addition to your party favor bags or you could add them to the party table.    If you chose to serve the candies as party snacks, you could display them in strawberry bowls or dishes.

The first candy is the traditional Strawberry Bon Bons Candy.  These delicious strawberry hard candies come wrapped in brightly colored strawberry sachet wraps!  Perfect for your Strawberry Shortcake birthday party.

Other strawberry candies include Strawberry Shortcake Candy, Strawberry Caramel Creams Candy, Trolli Gummy Strawberry & Cream, Trolli Gummy Strawberries Candy, Haribo Gummi Strawberries Candy, and Red Milk Chocolate Strawberries.   Candy Buttons Stripsand Candy Love Beads would also make a wonderful addition to your Strawberry Shortcake party. 

If you are looking for more  party ideas, check out my Strawberry Shortcake Birthday  page.  It contains lots of great party ideas such as a Strawberry Smash Cake, Strawberry Shortcake birthday cake, Strawberry Flower Cupcakes, Sweet Jars, Treat Boxes, Custom Party Attire, Table Settings and Centerpieces, Party Supplies, Personalized Invitations and much more.

Related Links:
More Strawberry Shortcake Party Favors
Custom Strawberry Chocolate Lollipop Favors & Tags

Meet Cake Lady Tiff

June 23rd, 2009

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Tiff earned her degree in culinary arts…not pastry.  She loves to do absolutely anything in the kitchen.  She has a constant need to be creative, and once she learned every station in various restaurant kitchens, she began to gravitate toward the pastry end of things.   Tiff has never attended any cake decorating classes, however, she did work as a baker at a restaurant for three years, and at a bakery for three months. For the most part, she is self-taught. 

She has now been decorating cakes for about 15 years and officially started her business, Shortbread City, about two years ago.    Tiff’s cakes, cookies, and pastries are made to order.   One of her highest priced cakes was a custom chopper cake she did for a night club owner. It was in the $400.00 range.  She has also done wedding cakes, which of course, can get even pricier.  She does a lot of custom work. Examples of her work can be seen at her website.

The best tip she can offer a person just getting started in cake decorating is to take advantage of all of the shows that are on television now. When she started, there was no Ace of Cakes, Cake Boss, or Amazing Wedding Cakes. These shows really give you a sense of what the business is like. You get to see things from start to finish. It’s very difficult to learn without seeing things in their raw stages. There are also tons of resources on the internet where you can ask questions and look at tutorials. If necessary, take a class to sharpen your skills or learn something specific, like gum paste flowers. As long as you are already comfortable with the actual baking, you can teach yourself the majority of the decorating.

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Tiff uses different methods for different things.  She loves buttercream between layers of cake, and homemade marshmallow fondant to cover the entire tier. It provides a nice canvas for everything else, and the cake stays fresh. She makes figures from fondant, and uses royal icing to do fine decorations that have to be piped. She also does a lot of hand painting on her pastries.  

The biggest mistake she ever made while decorating a cake was probably not giving herself adequate time to stop and take a break!  If you are physically drained while being creative is not a good thing. You can be on autopilot when you do the prep, i.e. making buttercream and cake batter. Once you need to create, though, the gears in your head will screech to a halt. There is a very emotional side to working in a kitchen that a lot of people don’t know about.

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Even though it was difficult for Tiff to chose her favorite cake, she would have to say that her Princess cupcake tower holds a special place for her. It was the very first cupcake tower she had ever done. That’s where it all started.

Tiff specializes in custom cookie cakes.  Her cookie cakes are the reason she chose the name Shortbread City.

How To Make a Cookie Cake:  The cookies are created by piping dough freehand onto a cookie sheet. There is no raw egg in my dough, which means that she can work with it longer while still being safe. Then she shapes it by hand to give it more definition, and bakes it. If she needs sharp angles, she rolls out the dough and cuts it, then bakes it.  She mostly uses royal icing for the detail work on the cookie plaques. Her first cookie cake was for her son.  She had stopped a frame of the Spider-Man movie and copied what she saw.  She poured tinted carmelized sugar for the windows. The finished product looked like the Daily Bugle with Spider-Man swinging across it.

To view more of Tiff’s wonderful cakes, cookies and cupcakes, visit her website, Shortbread City, or her flickr photo gallery.

Related Links:
Spiderman Birthday Party Favors & Supplies
Spiderman Birthday Cake Photos, Recipes & Supplies
Princess Party Ideas & Supplies

Personalized Star Wars Birthday Invitations

June 20th, 2009

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If you are planning a Star Wars theme birthday party there are some very cool personalized Star Wars invitations that would really get your party off to a great start.   Some of the designs include Clone Wars, Darth Vader, Jedi, Princess Leia, Feel the Force, Yoda,  Anakin Skywalker, and many more.   There are ticket style invites (pictured) as well as photo invitations and invitations you can print at home.  You are sure to find the perfect invitation for your party!

Once you decide on your birthday invitations, you can then select your party pack.  There is Stars Wars Star Wars 3-D Feel the Force  party supplies and Star Wars Clone Wars  party supplies.  Both of these party packs come with plates, cups, napkins, table cover, invitations, centerpiece, balloons, curling ribbon, streamers and more.  You can then add on other fun items such as a Darth Vader pinata , premade party favor kits and Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker cardboard stand-ups.   Finish off your birthday party decor with jumbo mylar Star Wars balloons and Star Wars custom pinatas.

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If you like putting together your own party favor bags, you can chose from handmade fabric favor bags, lollipop sticker favors, personalized candy wrappers, stickers, custom take-out favor boxes, cookie pops, custom CD-R labels, bubble wrappers, mini pinatas, personalized gable favor boxes and more.  Candy Warehouse sells Clone Wars PEZ dispensers  that would also make great party favors.

I have also put a together a Star Wars birthday cake  page which includes cake ideas, photos and instructions for a R2D2 Cake, Yoda Cake, Darth Vader Cake, Lightsaber Cake, Death Star Cake, Stormtrooper Cake plus many more cake designs.  You will also find many hard to find retired Star Wars cake pans,  personalized edible cake toppers, candles, and cake decorating kits. 

Hope your Star Wars birthday party celebration is out of this world!  May the Force Be With You!

StarWarsShop.com - More Product. More Exclusives.

Have a Tie Dye Party

June 16th, 2009

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A Tie Dye Party is becoming a very popular birthday party theme.   Kids love to tie dye, so the party is sure to be a hit!  This party theme also works well for a sleepover party.  If you decide to have a Tie Dye Sleepover Party then you could have the party guests tie dye pillowcases  as well as shirts. 

You can start off your Tie Dye party planning with cool  Tie Dye invitations  or personalized Tie Dye invites.

For party supplies,  purchase Tie Dye partyware.   There is a funky Woodstock design (pictured) that would be perfect for your party.   The basic party pack includes plates, luncheon napkins, cups, tablecover, cutlery set and balloons.   You can add on other party items such as Peace Decorations and a Bead Curtain.  Ebay also carries an assortment of Tie Dye theme party supplies.

Once your partyware is selected, decorate the party room with bright and colorful Tie Dye accents.  Shindigz also offers a nice selection of Tie Dye and Retro Hippie  decorations for this party theme.

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It is time for cake!  There is a  Tie Dye Rainbow edible cake image that is really funky.   Simply bake a sheet cake at home and apply the edible cake topper.   Another cake option is to bake a Tie Dye cake.  These cakes are awesome and not too difficult.   Give it a try!  Another great party treat would be to make Tie Dye Ice Cream.   This ice cream is made using vanilla ice cream and powdered gelatin to add color. 

Now it is time for the party favors.  There are many fun Hippie Tie Dye party favors available  including Neon Glasses, Peace Sign Necklaces, Funky Hippie Headbands, Tie Dye Glasses, Tie Dye Rubber Bracelets, 60’s Temporary Tattoos,  Peace Sign Beads, Woodstock Favor Kit,  Tie Dye Inflatable Guitar, Tie Dye Punch Balloon, Tie Dye Bandana, and more.  You can order these fun and funky party favors here.

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With a Tie Dye party, there is usually only one party activity-Tie Dying!  First, you need to purchase a Tie Dye Kit.  There is a Fabric Rainbow Dye Kit available that will decorate 8-12 shirts. This is a perfect tie dye party kit.   This tie dye kit contains the following bright colors:  turquoise, fuchsia and yellow dye.  The colors come in pump spray bottles.  Also included is fixer, gloves and instructions for 9 different projects.    There are other Tie Dye Kits available including kits from Alex Toys and Small World Toys.  Once you decide on your Tie Dye Kit then all you need to purchase are the white shirts  for decorating.   If you are not familiar with how to tie dye, there are many books and CD’s  available to help you get started.

If you do decide to have another party activity in addition to your tie dying, there are two retro pinatas on the market that would make a great addition to your Tie Dye party.  One is a Retro Van and the other is a Peace Mobile.

To finish off the party, have the birthday child dress in Tie Dye Hippie apparel.  There are costumes and accessories available that they will love.  You could also request the guests to come wearing Hippie attire as well.

Have fun! Peace out!

Related Links:
Novelty Rainbow Tie Dye Gifts & Apparel

*Tie Dye Cake image displayed with a Creative Commons License
Courtesy of
biskuit

Carnival Circus Clown Theme Birthday Party

June 10th, 2009

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The Carnival Party theme is a terrific idea for your child’s next birthday.   To throw a Carnival theme party, you need to create a carnival with games for the kids to play and win small prizes.   Depending on the age of the children, you will need to choose age appropriate games.  Generally, 5-7 games are recommended for your Carnival party.   You will find many game ideas here as well as invitations, party favors, birthday cake ideas and more to host an awesome Carnival party for your child.

Start of your party planning with one of these unique personalized Carnival theme invitations or clown party invitations.   There are many designs available including ‘Admit One’ amusement park style invites, photo invitations, ticket style invitations and many other cool designs.   Carolina Girl’s Closet created the wonderful invitation you see pictured below.  Take It Personally by Christine creates one-of-a-kind Carnival invitations in a cartoon design based on the birthday child’s photo.  These invitations are truly amazing!

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Next, it is time to decide on the partyware.  There are three fun party packs for this theme:  The Carnival Party Pack,  Circus Theme Party Pack  and Three-Ring Circus Party Pack.   The party packs comes with everything you need to throw the perfect party for your little one and 7 guests.   Contents include full tableware for 8, a variety of Carnival Party decorations, and birthday candles.  You can add on other party items to your party pack such as party favor kits, additional guests, carnival games, personalized birthday banner, outdoor Carnival Giant Decorating Kit, and more.  Finish off your party decor with clown balloons, popcorn balloons, and circus tent balloons.

It is time for the cake!  There are lots of clown and carnival cake decorations including:

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Another fun cake idea would be to bake the birthday cake in one of these specialty clown cake pans.   A cupcake cake can also be made using a Clown Cake Creations Set.   Bake, ice and arrange your cupcakes and then add on the fun clown decorations. 

For birthday party favors, you could purchase a premade favor kit.   The Deluxe Carnival Kit comes with party tattoos, sticker book, circus duck, clown nose, mini elephant bean bag toy.   The Three-Ring Circus Party Favor Box comes with  a Three-Ring Circus sticker sheet, a Three-Ring Circus blowout, foam clown nose, cotton candy and 2 assorted tattoos all in a train car circus favor box.

If you prefer to create your own party favors , you can purchase an empty favor box, personalized gable box, circus bags or popcorn bag and fill with your own items.  Some party favors include custom candy wrappers, scratch off games, stickers, mint box labels, custom crayon pack favors, chocolate lollipops and more.  

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Candy Warehouse also carries a large assortment of carnival candy favors including rainbow whirly pops. rainbow cherry candy sticks, cotton candy, and much more. Check out their large selection of candy party favors!

Now it is time to set up your Carnival!  You can print out admission tickets or purchase a roll of them.   You can even ’sell’ the tickets in this unique custom ticket booth or personalized ticket booth.   Shindigz carries a Circus Tent/Ticket Booth Set that would work great for your Carnival.  Then, set up the game stations and have small novelty prizes at each station to hand out to the kids.  You can also give the kid’s carnival loot bags to hold all of their prizes!

Some carnival games include: Can Toss Game, Egg Relay Game, 3 In-A-Row Game, Bean Bag Toss, Duck Pond Game, Bowling Game, Water Balloon Toss Game, and Pin Drop Game.   You can view all of these fun carnival games here.   There is also a Clown Bean Bag Toss Game that is very cute!

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S & S Worldwide carries some fun carnival games as well including Ring Toss Game, Knock em Down Cans Game, the Popcorn Game, Eggs and Spoons Game, and Carnival Roll ‘N’ Toss Game.

Carnival Party Games and Novelties also offers a huge selection of carnival games and accessories including Milk Bottle Clothespin Drop, Milk Bottle Toss, Duck Pond Game, Ring Toss, Ping Pong Ball Toss Game.   You can also purchase one of their carnival game packs that feature 3, 6 or 7 of their most popular games.

Mt. Laurel Party Games sells custom made Clown Bean Bag Toss Games and Food Stand Bean Bag Toss Games.  If you want to set up a fun Take-A-Pick station,  Mt. Laurel carries many designs such as the Strong Man, Clowns, Bearded Circus Lady, Ring Master and more.

Other carnival activities include the Candy Grabber, Face Painting, Twisty Balloons, Bounce House, Circus Big Top Pinata and a Clown Pinata.  And, for classic Carnival snacks you could set up a Popcorn Machine, Snow Cone Machine, Cotton Candy Machine as well as serve delicious funnel cakes!

Have your child wear a Clown birthday shirt and coordinating  custom hair bow (for the girls!) on the day of the Big Carnival!

Related Links:
Circus Party Supplies
Jo Jo’s Circus Party Supplies

Suncatcher Birthday Party Craft

June 9th, 2009

stainglass2008050102121552008-0428-4632The girls created Frog Suncatchers at my daughter’s Frog Theme Birthday Party a few years ago.  Everyone had a wonderful time working on their projects and were thrilled with their masterpieces when they were done.  

Suncatchers make a great party acitivity.   I would recommend this party craft for kids 8 and up since there is a certain level of difficulty with it, so it may be too hard for a younger age group. 

Since these suncatchers are available in so many designs, you are sure to find one that coordinates with your party theme.   Some examples include:  a unicorn for a FairyTale Unicorn Party, Horse for a Horse theme party, Puppy for a Dog theme party, Princess for a Princess Party, “Girls Rule” for a Diva Party and Monster Truck for a Monster Jam party.  Those are just some of the many suncatchers available.

Simply purchase enough suncatchers for each of the girls and paint.  Then, send each guest home with their completed suncatcher project and a sunction cup so they can hang it in their room when they get home.

Visit  CreateForLess for a large selection of suncatchers for you next party!

Hannah Montana Candy Party Favors

June 6th, 2009

candywarehouse_2057_1191383057If you are planning a Hannah Montana theme birthday party for your daugther, these candy favors would make a great addition to your party favor bags.   Some of these are hard to find and only available for a limited time, so get yours while you can!

The first is the concert candy packs.  These rock star shaped gummies are perfect for jammin’ with your favorite Hannah Montana tunes. Each piece is individually wrapped to seal in freshness. Shapes include guitars and stars in sweet and sour fruit flavors.

Next, is the Hannah Montana Disco Ball Lollipops.  Dance the night away to your favorite teen queen pop music and these yummy lollipops! Each pop includes a shiny plastic disco ball cover with a back-pack clip.  Assortment includes 4 bright colors: Pink, Silver, Blue, and Gold.

Other Hannah Montana candy party favors include:  Glamour Guitar Lollipops, Mints in Guitar Box, and Ring Pops.

For more birthday party ideas and supplies, visit my Hannah Montana Party Page!

Related Links:
Hannah Montana Birthday Cake Photos, Recipes and Supplies

Abby Cadabby Birthday Party

June 6th, 2009

2113-1901Abby Cadabby, the three-year-old fairy-in-training who lives on Sesame Street, has become a huge hit with preschoolers.   If you are planning an Abby Cadabby theme party, you will find everything you need for your birthday party planning right here.

Start of your planning with personalized Abby Cadabby birthday invitations. There are many designs to choose from including fun photos invites that feature the birthday girl.

Once you decide on your party invitations, you can pick out your partyware and supplies. There is a deluxe Abby Cadabby Deluxe Party Pack that comes with Includes 8 invitations and thank-you postcards, dinner plates, cups, forks, spoons, activity placemats, 16 napkins, tablecover, centerpiece, mylar balloon, 24 balloons, crepe paper rolls, curling ribbon, confetti and cake candles. You have the option of adding on a pull string pinata, star wand activity kit and Abby Cadabby birthday shirt.  Finish off your birthday party table decor with one of these custom made Abby Cadabby centerpieces.

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For your Abby Cadabby birthday cake, Party Works carries a large assortment of cake supplies including an Abby Cadabby cake pan, edible sugar decorations, cupcake baking liners, molded candle, icing color kit, and mini cupcake figures (pictured above).    Another birthday idea would be to purchase an Abby Cadabby edible cake image.  These cake decorations are available for 1/2 sheet, 1/4 sheet, round, cupcakes and cookies.  These cakes are very cute and easy to prepare. 

For party favors, you can hand out premade Abby Cadabby party favor boxes.   Each purple and pink box includes an Abby Cadabby sticker sheet, plush wand, pastel crayons, activity book plus a pastel swirl lollipop.  Other party favors include stickers, custom soap, mini pinatas, candy bar wrappers, popcorn bag wrappers, personalized bubbles, custom favor bags, personalized take out favor boxes, coloring books, and cookie pops.

For a fun party game, you could play Abby Cadabby’s Pin the Pumpkin Game.

Designed2bSweet carries a large selection of fairy-themed party supplies that would be perfect for your Abby Cadabby birthday.  Some of these items include:  necklace crafts, fairy butterfly wands, feather fairy headbands, tutus, fairy wings, sparkle head boppers, fairy-themed velvet art craft, and much more.

MyToyBox offers a nice assortment of Abby Cadabby party supplies including:  partyware, fairy wings, Abby Cadabby foam headbands, Guest of Honor Ribbon, invitations, thank you cards, loot bags, mini foam puzzles, mini notepads, rings, rubber bracelets, stickers, tattoos, treat boxes and whistles.

Have the birthday girl wear a fun Abby Cadabby birthday shirt, custom party hat and hair bow on her special day!

Related Links:
Abby Cadabby Gift Shop