Cake at an Ice Cream Party?

Ice Cream Cone Cake from Better Homes and Gardens Website

Who says you can't have cake at an ice cream party! I saw this cute Ice Cream Cone Cake on the Better Homes and Gardens website. Looks like a relatively simple cake to make, and should bring lots of smiles!

Baseball Week: Baseball Party Food and Drink Ideas

YumYum!

Did you catch the All Stars game last night? The National League ended their 13 year losing streak! Well I'm on a streak as well-- here are some more party ideas for your Baseball Themed party-- some great food and drink ideas to serve your hungry team of party goers!

Menu ideas for a baseball party couldn’t be simpler... just think of what’s on tap at the ballpark, and you’re set!

1. Hot Dog with all the Fixins’

Steam up some dogs, and get out the condiments. This is a easy crowd pleaser. Suggested condiments: mustard, ketchup, relish, and onions for the brave! Also, you could add some chili and cheese to the mix as well. Adults will especially like this.

Depending on the time of the day, you could also pick up some mini-hot dogs and put them in between rolls for a quick bite between innings of the party.

Hot Dog Stand Photo Credit

Another idea is to rent a hot dog stand for the party! It definitely will add to the look of the party, and can be a lot of fun for guests’ to order their dogs!

Yankee Stadium Peanuts Photo Credit

2. Peanuts and Popcorn

There’s nothing like a bag of salty peanuts (check for allergies first) and popcorn is always a hit with any crowd! Buy some striped popcorn bags or popcorn box to add to the look. Stadium peanuts can be picked up in almost any location, but check out these peanuts: “Official Yankee Stadium Peanuts.” Baseball fans will love the nostalgia of these!

3. Bats and Balls

Unfortunately, ball parks usually don’t offer much in the way of fruit and veggies-- but there’s no reason why you can’t make add some to your menu, and stay within the theme. How about balling up a lot of fruit in a bowl, and label the bowl, “balls.” Then in a bowl labeled “bats” next to it, cut up or buy a bunch of carrot, celery, and bell pepper sticks. You could add some dipping sauces for the veggies, and sweet carmel dipping sauce for the fruit if you’d like.

Old Fashioned Sodas from Cost Plus World Market

4. Old Fashioned Root Beer and Sodas

Old fashioned sodas are the new, “in” thing these days! They can be found in stores all over. They look so great stacked up on a table, or cooled down in a tin bucket for folks to grab and go! These sodas are from Cost Plus World Market.

Baseball Week: Baseball Party Decoration Ideas

Close Up of All Star Party Invitation by B.Nute productions

Now that World Cup Soccer is over, it's time to focus back on America's favorite summertime sport-- BASEBALL! It's Baseball Week at B.Nute productions. I'll be posting Baseball party ideas all week long, so stay tuned to All-Star ideas! This week is also the All Star Game 2010 in Anaheim, so the timing couldn't be more perfect!

All Star Baseball Party Inspiration Board

Pick Your Favorite Ballpark

I’m sure your household has a favorite team... why not make your home or party spot into that stadium? Pick out a few signature elements of that ball park, and make some decorations! For instance, take Wrigley Field... the marquee out front, the vines on the outfield wall, the bleachers, the scoreboard... all signature features of that park.  There are plenty of great websites about your favorite ballpark. Here’s a site that lists them all: Ballparksofbaseball.com

Get Out Those Trading Cards

Head up to the attic and pull out your old trading cards. These will make a great addition to the party table. Scatter about the center of the table for a eye catching table runner. Worried about your treasured cards getting dirty? Heady out and buy a set of modern cards at a lower price, and/or not as precious as your childhood favorites!

All Star Personalized Banner

B.Nute productions' All Star Buddies Personalized Banner

Pictures of your All Star and his buddies will be a great way to greet guests to the party! This matching banner can be purchased on bnute.etsy.com.

Jars of Baseballs and Team Pendants

Any table will look extra festive for the baseball party with jars or bowls of baseballs. A great centerpiece. Add a few American flags, or pendants from your favorite teams to complete the look.

All Star Baseball Party Invitation

B.Nute Productions' All Star Baseball Party Invitation

Don't forget the invitation as well! Check out B.Nute productions' All Star Baseball Party invitation to make the look complete.

Flower or Garden Party Arts and Crafts Activity: Posie Masks

Here's a fun art and craft activity for your garden or flower party - a pretty posies flower mask. This craft can be designed to be for very young ones or also can be great for older crafters too-- the masks make fun photo opportunities once made! (For younger crafters, many of these steps can be made before hand, and all little ones have to do is tape and glue!)

How to Make a Flower Mask

Supplies Needed:
Paper Plates
Scrapbook Paper
Wooden Dowel (found at craft stores)
Tape or glue
Scissors
Exacto knife (handy for cutting out center hole in paper plate)

1. Pick out some pretty posies scrapbook papers.

2. Create a simple petal template, and then cut several petals from different paper designs.

3. Cut out a hole in a paper plate (for your face.)

4. Tape or glue (glue will hold better, but may take a while to dry) petals to the paper plate ring.

5. Extra Pizazz-- cut a donut shape from a scrapbook paper for trim inner edge of flower mask. You could also use other embellishments like glitter or gems.

6. Now it's picture time!!

Would love to see how your flower masks turn out!

Last Day of School: Simple Ways to Celebrate

It's my kid's last day of school today... No more early wake ups,  no more making lunches, out with the routines (for the most part), and in with good ol'fashion summer fun! I love to try to do something fun on the last day of school to kick off vacation-- sometimes it's just something simple like heading to the ice cream shop, or it could be more elaborate, like heading to the beach (we fortunately live only 20 minutes away!) Here are a few more ideas to kick off summer time:

• Play in the sand-- at the beach, or at the park, get some water, and a whole lot of sand and have fun!
• Take a dip -- whether the pool is in your backyard, the community pool or even a babypool you've filled with hose water, today's the best day for a quick dip.
• Take in a ballgame -- if you're close enough to a ball park, head to the bleacher seats, and have some fun.
• A little sweets sometimes is just fine -- do you have a local candy store, or ice cream parlour? Pick 'em up from the last day of school, and head out for a sugary treat... just because.
• Make some s'mores -- nothing says summer to me than a tasty, gooey s'more! If you have a fire pit, then roast and toast those marshmallows to perfection. If not, then it's just as easy to heat them up over the stove top too, with mom's help, of course.
• Lastly, you must crank up Alice Cooper's "School's Out for Summer." It's a tradition in our family... the kids just love it!

What's your favorite last day of school tradition? I would love to hear!

Gift Tag Press: Lady and the Blog

Lady and The Blog Post: My Personalized Gift Tags!

I was so excited yesterday to get some press about my personalized gift tags and invitations over at Lady and the Blog... Vera Sweeney, author of this blog loves to write about pretty much anything, from beauty items, fashion, a little Hollywood, Etsy products, parties and more! Check it out when you get a chance!

Circus Photo Booth: Party Game

My Friend Mindy and I in the Circus Time Photo Booth

I'm sure by now you've seen the many creative "photo booth" ideas that folks have set up for parties... I just love it! A couple months ago, I had a party to host at my kids' school. It was a circus theme to thank all the hard working volunteers. I thought a photo booth was definitely in order for some fun and amusement! Although my pictures are of adults, the kids that attended, loved the booth as well!

Here's what I did to create it...

A Vase filled with Circus Photo Booth Props: Mustaches, Nose, and Smiles

Prop Materials:
Black Foam Core Board
White Foam Core Board
Dowel Sticks
Markers
Tape

Photo Booth Materials:
Plastic Table Cloth with polka dots (this of course, can be fabric)
Circus Flags
"Photos" banner made of card stock and strung with ribbon

I did not use any templates for the props, just drew freehand some mustache shapes in pencil on the black foam core, and some clown smiles (and frowns) on the white foam core. After I colored the smiles/frowns, I cut out all the shapes with a straight edge razor. I could have glued the dowel to the shape, but since I was pinched for time, I simply taped the shape to the dowel... and voila, my props were made!

Friends at the Photo Booth

For the photo booth, I hung a festive polka dot table cloth against a wall, and hung some pendants and banners. I also added the clown hat and bow tie to the mix for props.

Hamming it up!

As you can tell, the booth was a hit!

This is such a great way for kids to have fun at a party, and they'll love the picture afterward. Perhaps near your photo booth, add a mirror or two for the kids to see themselves... they'll get such a kick out of it!

I'd love to hear about your photo booth ideas. Please share your links!