Miss Me?

I have been blogging... I swear! Just.. not.. here. If you want to see what I'm up to these days visit me at Paper & Cake's blog. But, I'll be back. As soon as I can find the time to string two thoughts together!

Oh, and it's my anniversary! No, not that kind. The work kind. Paper & Cake have been proudly serving up printable partyware for TWO years!

Why don't you head on over, and while you're at it,check out our latest printable gift giving set!

Houston, we have a Birthday

Want to throw your own Space Party? This Printable Party is now available, and easy to use. Just visit Paper & Cake, print, cut and BLAST OFF!

Pink Camouflage Birthday - Part two

"Photo Booth" with Autumn and her party guests

In part two of this fabulous birthday party how-to, I will do my best to explain the cake. Sadly, I neglected to take photos of exactly what I did, but I promise it was easier than you might think!


The Cake

Using 2 boxes of cake mix, I made 2 six inch round cakes and 2 eight inch round cakes. After they cooled, I took a serrated knife and leveled them by cutting the tops off. Place the bottom layer of the 8 inch cake on a cardboard round (you can buy them or make your own) cover the top with filling or frosting, and put the top layer on. Repeat for the smaller cake. Keeping each two layer cake separate, "dirty ice" or frost with a thin layer of buttercream to make the surface smooth for the fondant to stick to. Refrigerate.

Now for the fun part!


The Fondant

when the fondant is rolled out, the "snakes" of shades of pink
fondant become the cornerstone of the Camouflage pattern

1) Buy or make fondant icing. The store bought kind has a chart on the side to tell how much you need for what size cake.
2) Pull out a chunk of fondant from the bucket and weigh it for the 8" 2 layer cake, then add a bit of pink food coloring and knead it in. Pull off three much smaller pieces and add pink food coloring to make three additional shades of pink (light to dark).
3) Take your main piece of light pink fondant shape it into a 5-6" disk, press several small snake shaped pieces of the other shades of pink fondant into it - do this randomly, with some overlapping.
4) Using a rolling pin and a bit of powder sugar (so it won's stick to the work surface or the rolling pin) roll out the fondant to a thickness of no more thank 1/4" thick.
5) Your rolled fondant piece will look like camouflage!
6) Place the rolled piece of fondant over the 8" layer cake. Smooth the fondant over the top and along the sides using your hands, working it so there are no wrinkles. Trim off any excess fondant with a knife or pizza cutter.
7) Repeat with second layer cake.


The Decorative Border

cut WAY more than you think you might use... you will use them!

1) While the leftover fondant is still rolled out on the table, take a small biscuit cutter or pastry tip and cut circles out of the camouflage fondant.
2) Roll the circles into little fondant balls - they will all be fairly similar in size.


The Assembly

in serving the cake, you can see the construction of the top layer

1) Place the larger round cake on a plate or cake stand.
2) Take 3 straws, cut to the height of the 8" layer cake, and insert them in a triangle pattern in the center area of the cake to support the weight of the 2nd tier.
3) Place the 6" cake on top, in the center.
4) Put a small dot of leftover buttercream (in a pastry bag with a tip) at the base of the bottom cake and cover with a camo fondant ball - repeat, repeat, repeat until the bases of both stacked tiers are encircled with fondant balls.

ta da!

The Adventure

My daughter is obsessed with mysteries and clues and scavenger hunts! That is why I planned on planning a scavenger hunt for the main event at her party. Unfortunately, it was scheduled to rain, and here in Southern California, if we go outside in the rain, we melt.

So, an indoor activity it was! I made 8 "challenge cards" for each individual child. The challenges ranged from simple codes (alphabet letters corresponding with numbers), map questions (where is New Orleans), to questions they had to "Google" to find the answer (my sister was in charge of helping the kids on the computer) to my absolute favorite: "Kid vs. Food" - eat a veggie (from the crudité platter) that you've never eaten before. That one was so funny!

party guests solving challenges

I did use several of the challenges over again for different kids, like draw a self portrait, put a puzzle together, or build a 3 ft tall tinker toy structure. And I did attempt to gear the question for the individual (age, sex, interest).

After solving one challenge, the child brought proof of their answer to the "Command Central" table - my friend Julia. Their challenge card was stamped and their passport (oh, I forgot to tell you about the passport) stamped as well. They exchanged their solved challenge for a new one, and after solving all of them (or as many as they wanted to) they received a bag of camouflage MnMs.

Julia at the Command Central table (AKA the kitchen table)

The Result

All in all, this party was well worth the effort - just look at that cute little girl...oops! I mean look at that grown up 8 year old, she loved every minute of it! If your birthday girl is obsessed with all things solving-the-mystery, everything I used is now available for purchase! Find this pink camouflage printable party at the Paper & Cake (brand new) website.

Thanks and Giving from Paper & Cake

This Thanksgiving marks the one year anniversary of Paper & Cake printable partyware, and it has been quite the year! We want to show our appreciation for all of the support you have given us - with your business, your blog posting and your kind response to this creative endeavor - by offering you a little thank you gift.

The Paper & Cake "Thanksgiving" collection includes all you will need to entertain your family in style:

* Invitation + Envelope
* Menu
* Place Cards
* Wine Glass Tags
* Napkin Rings / Vase Wrap / Candle Wrap
* Party Food Label
* Recipe Card
* Favor Box

Download yours here, and please pass it on!

Paper & Cake: Sail Away Party collection

sailboat place card, vase wrapper

How about this for a versatile party collection? Paper & Cake have unveiled their "Sail Away" themed printable party collection, and it is perfect for everything from Baby's First Birthday, to a Family Reunion, to a Bon Voyage Farewell to a Baby shower.

placemat, customizable invitation, cupcake picks, thank you notes, two styles of envelope

It includes more items than any Paper & Cake DIY party kit yet!

Customizable Invitations with Matching Envelopes
Door Sign
Pennant Banner “Celebrate”
Cupcake flags
Cupcake Wrappers
Paper Boats (can be used as place cards or general decorations)
Captain’s Birthday Hat
Cone Party Hats
Favor Boxes with Gift Tags
Thank You Notes with Matching Envelopes
Food Labels
Straw Markers
Pin Wheels
Craft Snack Boxes (which also makes super cute Hamburger Boxes)
Napkin Rings (can double as vase and/or candle wrappers)
Paper Lanterns
Placemats
Full Patterned Sheets

lanterns, snack boxes, straw markers, pinkwheels, favor box, gift tag, cone hats

pennant banner

Whew! And all this for only $10. Visit the Paper & Cake Printable Partyware shop today.

Paper & Cake ~ A Baby Shower

favor basket, napkin rings, vase wrapper, place card & cupcake picks

invitation, envelope, front door sign and gift log

We are really having a great time over at the Paper & Cake printable partyware factory (my tiny home office). Our team of designers are happily churning out collection after collection (totally true) of original and easy to use decorations.

This is just a sampling of our "Under the Sea" Baby Shower collection. In it, you will find everything you need for a party, including:

• Invitation + Envelope
• Pennant Banner
• Food label picks
• Cupcake picks
• Bottle Labels
• Cupcake wraps
• Placecards - tent style
• Gift log
• Game sheet
• Candle/vase wrappers/napkin rings
• Lawn sign/door banner
• Thank you notecard + Envelope
• Favor Basket
• Full sheet Illustrations - print on iron on transfer paper to make cute onsies!

cute toddler tshirt and onsies made with "Under the Sea" illustrations

Add your own cloth napkins and china for a special day that the Mom-to-be will remember forever. Visit our Etsy shop or the Paper & Cake blog for more information, and download this $8 collection today.

cupcake wrappers & cupcake picks with the pennant banner in the background

4th of July and Green Valley Lake

that's me on the left

Back in the late 70s, my parents bought a vacation fixer in Green Valley Lake. After my dad and my grandpa gutted and rebuilt the inside of this lakeside cabin, we started spending our summers up there. The photo above is of my sisters and me, c.1980 (notice our super stylish feathered hair-dos). I have one fond memory after the next I could bore you all to tears with - but since you all are so busy, I guess I'll save them for another day.

4th of July was a pretty big holiday to celebrate up there, always culminating with watching fireworks exploding over Lake Arrowhead from our lookout vantage point, miles away, at "the Rocks" (apparently the most original nickname we could come up with for an outcropping with an unencumbered view of said lake).

my sisters and me at "the Rocks" May '09

So, if the 4th of July is a big celebration in your house, how about some inexpensive but fabulous decorations to give your kids some of those memories people are always going on and on about. You can find this printable partyware collection over at the Paper & Cake Etsy shop for only $8.

And have a safe, happy, and fun filled Fourth.

shown here: cupcake wrapper and snack carton

Pirate Birthday Party {part two}

Want to create this party for yourself? This Pirate Birthday printable party set comes with invitations, decorations and tutorials. Only available at Paper & Cake!

Ready for more Pirate Birthday Party ideas? Well, thanks for being patient because this info is worth it's weight in gold!

Dress Up

Every pirate needs at least a good hat and a sparkly sash. Oh, and a tattoo or two too. These felt hats were fairly inexpensive and easy to customize with some metallic silver dimensional fabric paint from Michael's. I wrote every child's name in under 10 minutes, me, Mrs. Print-it-out-on-the-computer-and-trace-it-so-it-is-perfect, freehanded all 23 names.

The black and gold sashes were cut from 4 yards of fabric purchased with a coupon (thanks Aunt Janet) from our local chain store.

And to help those pirates feel more, well, like pirates, temporary tattoos work every time.

Games

Pirate Ship Battle

While doing some Pirate-y research one day, I happened upon one fabulous idea over at Party Planning Mom. She made two large cardboard pirate ships and had a game involving paper canon balls.

So, putting my own spin this super idea, I had access to giant 4ft. by 6ft. ultra heavy duty cardboard server boxes from my husband's work (every time he sees a new one, he brings it home - so we've made; a house, a market, a cafe and a pirate ship). Using a sawzall, he cut two of them down into ship-shaped shapes. After some failed experimenting with (notches and slits) we decided on a roll of duct tape to hold them together.

The night before the party, my friend Julia came by (as she always does, bless her, to help with all the last minute ridiculousness) and helped me paint them, using leftover cans of brown, blue and red that I found on the "old paint shelf".

To round out this "game" (if you've ever been here before, you know I am a fan of the non competitive games - everyone is a winner!), I made canon balls out of wadded up paper covered in aluminum foil. Not wanting to be wasteful, I used the ripped out pages of outdated catalogues and covered them in the smallest piece of foil possible. There were probably a hundred of the balls, and grown-ups and kids alike threw these almost constantly throughout the 3 hour party.

Treasure Hunt

What would you do with a couple hundred necklaces and 300 plastic coins? Well hide them of course! We draped and sprinkled pirate treasure from stem to stern, I mean all over the house, inside and out - just randomly. Using their decorated tresure loot bags, the kids picked up what they could find as part of their "goody bag" to bring home with them. We didn't set any rules for this one, in fact tresure hunting went on throughout the party (and yes, I am still finding necklaces... especially outside).

Craft Activity

Make your own treasure map! Again, I took it a little further by formatting the little icons to fit on a sheet of clear Avery address labels. I wanted the children to create their treasure map and immediately be able to use it - without having to wait for glue to dry.

Also at the craft table, I set out brown paper lunch sacks (for treasure collecting) with name tags for them, along with crayons, markers and self-adhesive jewels for decorating till your heart's content.

Cake

I LOVED making this ridiculous cake! It was very easy... well... comparatively. I used plain old box of cake mix (it works just fine and tastes good too) and splurged by frosting with a chocolate mousse buttercream.

1} Bake 2 9x12 cakes, cool them completely. Using the template below and a long serrated knife, cut your cake into 4 sections.

template 1

2} cut one of the long rectangles into triangles that will form the bow (front end of the ship).

template 2

3} Take a piece of cardboard, and cut it into the shape of the finished size/shape, to use on the bottom of the cake. That is, one rectangle plus one triangle.

4} Place your first rectangular layer on the cardboard and frost (or use any filling of your choice). Place second rectangular layer and frost. Repeat with third layer.

5} Next, stack and frost two small rectangles overhanging at the back. Use wooden skewers to hold cake in place. Trim skewers to height by first inserting all the way into the cake, mark the height with a pen, pull them back out and cut at your mark, then reinsert.

6} Stack and frost in between each of the 5 triangular layers that make up the bow of the ship. Again, use wooden skewers to hold in place. Your final side-view should look like this diagram below.

diagram 3

7} Frost entire ship until covered, and refrigerate.

8} Place cake on a larger cake board to decorate according to the photo below. The water is strips of "Blue Raspberry Sour Belt", I used red and white m&m's, black licorice for the anchor (this was difficult, to get it to stay in the shape my friend Julia used twist ties to hold it in place overnight), and made printable sails on my computer - again held in place with wooden skewers.

As if a cake wasn't enough, I made a few cupcakes as well. I used the same box of cake mix, same frosting, and designed a coordinating cupcake "wrapper" to round out the look.

want your own cupcake wrappers? you can find them in the shop!

ball and chain accessory and photo courtesy of my sister

I tried extra hard to save money by using what I already had around the house. A pirate theme is simple to accessorize - especially using this Pirate printable partyware collection - and easy to plan. Use some creative thinking to make it your own, spend as little as possible and make it look homemade - even if it isn't!

Pirate Birthday Party... on Etsy!

a first mate's hat for every party guest

Yes folks, you heard it here first (um, maybe second?). The Pirate party that I threw to celebrate my son's 4th birthday is now available in our shop.

Go check it out... there are some EXCELLENT items to help you throw your own Pirate Birthday Party.

cupcake wrappers (coins not included, but you can get some at Oriental Trading Co.)

Wine, Anyone? Chardonnay Perhaps?

Any excuse for wine is a great excuse for wine. That is why we sat down a couple weeks ago (over wine), and decided to give everyone one more reason to drink (several) glasses of wine.

Our "Wine Tasting Party" has just a little bit for everyone:

• 5"x7" Invitation
• Wine bottle numbers (customize these with some glitter)
• Wine glass tags
• Wine glass tag bag topper (give the gift that keeps on giving)
• Wine tasting scorecard
• Party starter question game (54 ice breaking questions)
• 6 party recipes (like "Figs with Gorgonzola & Balsamic Vinegar")

So send out your invites and stop by the wine outlet because this party will be off the hook! and, well, wine is not included.

As always, this collection is $5 in the Paper & Cake Etsy shop.