Tag: Disney Princess

31
Jul
2015

Little Mermaid Party Food

categories: Disney-Inspired Party Planning, Disney-Inspired Treats

Today I’m continuing the recap of my daughter’s Little Mermaid-inspired birthday party by sharing the food menu….which, I think, has the perfect touch of “nautical nonsense.”

The party took place during a hot day in the middle of July, so although I originally wanted to offer a variety of seafood, I decided to offer food that wouldn’t spoil as easily. To keep with our theme, I gave each food option a fun Little Mermaid-inspired name.

Lunch Menu

Ariel’s Seashell Pasta
Under The Sea Sub Sandwiches
Skuttle’s Starfish Salad – red grapes, strawberries, blueberries and watermelon. Star-shaped cookie cutters were used to transform our watermelon into Starfish.

Sea Salt Chips
Pirate Booty snack bags

Sebastian’s Jumpin’ Jellyfish Sandwiches (Again, I simply used cookie cutters to make the shaped sandwiches.)

Beverages

I offered the typical non-alcohol beverages- milk, grape juice, water and a variety of sodas. There was one themed drink- Flounder’s Blue Ocean (Blue Hawaiian Punch and Sprite.) I saw variations of this type of blue drink all over Pinterest, so I thought I’d try it. It was a big success with the kids!

Dessert

For the treat table I kept with the party’s color scheme of a variety of blues, greens and white when choosing treats that complemented our theme.

Here’s a rundown of the treats available to the party guests:

Raspberry and Grape Salt Water Taffy
Gummi Blue Raspberry Rings
Shimmer White Gumballs
Blue and Purple rock candy sticks
Oyster Cookies

I used S-shaped store purchased cookies to make the Oyster-like cookies. Each S-shaped cookie I snapped in half, which I then connected the two halves with icing and placed a white Sixlet in the center as if it was a pearl.

Green Apple Licorice
Turquoise Wegmans Gems (M&M look-a-likes but cheaper)
Clam Shell Lollipops by Etsy Shop Candied Cakes https://www.etsy.com/shop/CandiedCakes

Last, but not least, is Victoria’s requested “Mermaid” cake. Per her (everyday for a month) request, she wanted a Mermaid cake- “chocolate on the inside, green on the outside.” A bit less dramatic than I wanted, but Wegman’s bakery department did exactly as she wanted and Victoria was happy. That alone made the entire day perfect for me!

Thanks for visiting the Mouse Ears Mom blog today. If you’re planning a Little Mermaid-inspired party, stop by the blog next week for a closer look at the vanilla beach and Ariel-inspired cupcakes I made to go with her chocolate cake. The post will include a simple three step tutorial too! I promise it’s just a few simple additions to an average cupcake and… YUM!!!

Until then, I hope your days are MAGICAL!

24
Jul
2015

Little Mermaid Inspired Party: Decor, Activities and Party Favors

categories: Disney-Inspired Party Planning

A summer party that’s “Under the Sea” couldn’t get any better than this (according to Sebastian, of course!)

This summer my Little Mermaid Victoria celebrated her 4th birthday. For months before the party Victoria told everyone she met that she was having an “Ariel Birthday Party – cake – chocolate on the inside and green on the outside.” That was the line she told EVERYONE! Of course she was often asked “Why green?” And when this happened, very dramatically her response was repeated “That’s the color of Ariel’s tail. It has to be green!” Each time I heard her say that I chuckled inside. Apparently my themed-party-planning gene was passed along to her!

Using Victoria’s request of green as my starting point, the party planning for my princess went swimmingly.

I honestly had a blast planning, working with vendors and creating some of my own special touches for Victoria’s Little Mermaid themed birthday party. I’m excited to share the details with you over the next week. You can expect to see a post on Little Mermaid-themed food, a sponsored post about the most awesome party favor you could give mermaid guests and even a tutorial on how to make simple beach-inspired cupcakes. Today, I’ll start by showing you an overview of the party’s themed decor, activities, and party favors. Those three pieces of a party are entwined together in theming, so this post will be a long one. My goal is to show you how a few simple and inexpensive touches can give a back yard party enough pixie dust to make your mermaid and her guests swim with glee!

Decor, Activities and Party Favors

Although the party was themed around The Little Mermaid Disney princess, Ariel, the majority of our young guests were boys. After a quick discussion with the birthday girl, we decided to keep the themed accents nautical instead of princess. I used shells and starfish to decorate everything and the color scheme was hues of blue, green, purple, white and touch of pink.

This pretty starfish wreath was hung above the adult guest favor table. It worked perfectly to draw attention to the table and could easily be duplicated by hot gluing three starfish to a wreath you may already have.

Placed below the wreath I used a small table to display the party favors given to the adults attending the party. Inside hard-shelled milk chocolate seashell candies waited to be munched later in the day. The blue tray held real seashells along with the thank you photo-cards from our little mermaid.

Table decor I kept simple by using purple calla lilies and seashells. I love the shape of the calla lily leaves. They remind me of sea weed or mermaid fins popping out of the ocean, ok, so maybe that’s a stretch but nonetheless, that’s why I chose them.

It the food area I used additional touches of seashells and starfish.

The glass container set you see in the above photo I re-purpose for every party. It’s so simple, a little hot glue and some Target $1 section ribbon or in this case rope and it adds a perfect party touch to the food table. The sand dollars and starfish I made using Mod Podge molds. They are so simple to make, I filled the mold with hot glue using my glue gun and painted a white shimmer glaze on them. Once they dried, I hot glued them onto the rope on containers. The best part is the glued items come off so easily when you’re done and leave no residue behind.

The pirates attending our mermaid party were given personalized drink glasses for them to use and then take home at the end of the party. I used the same molds and Target spot section supplies to embellish the pretty blue mason jars that I purchased from AC Moore Craft Store. The mermaids, who happened to be the younger guests at the party, were given Ariel plastic containers to use and take home as part of their party favors. The Ariel drink containers I also found in Target’s spot section.

We had a bubble blower set up at the beginning of the party and the kids loved running through it, but the activity that these pirates enjoyed the most was the treasure hunt. The boys we tagged as pirates and the girls, of course, as mermaids. The boys were given their own pirate shirts to get soaked in as this treasure hunt involved two parts. The mermaids went on their own hunt for Human Stuff and the pirates searched out their treasure. When they found their treasure a second map was with it, which lead them to a battle. The mermaids and pirates had a water balloon fight to defend their finds. Ok, I know you’re thinking- “Pirates? Where were they in the movie?” It’s a bit off the Little Mermaid theme but the kids loved it! Maybe Disney should consider this plot for another sequel…

The mermaids found “Human Stuff!” (Ariel necklaces, change purses, pink chocolate coins and blue gummy fish) The pirates’ treasure was purple chocolate coins, green gummy fish and pirate rubber band bracelets.

The party activities concluded with lots of splashes in the pool! Each little mermaid dried off in their very own personalized mermaid towel. The towels were made by Kim Osborne, owner of Etsy shop ~ Sewjob. She did a wonderful job making them and I’ll share more about them later this week.

If you’re planning a Little Mermaid-inspired party this summer, I hope this post gave you a few ideas to help you along! If you’ve already hosted a Little Mermaid-inspired party, please share the details! I’d love to check out your party too!

Thank you for stopping by the blog today. Until next time, I hope your days are magical!

11
Jul
2014

Mod Podge Collage Clay DIY: Frozen-Inspired Princess Wand

categories: Disney-Inspired Crafts

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Plaid Crafts (Mod Podge) and The Blueprint Social. The project idea and opinions of Plaid Crafts products are 100% mine. Collage Clay is NOT recommended for children ages 12 and under, and the product is NOT edible. Small parts are a choking hazard for children.

The Magic of Mod Podge Collage Clay

Despite Olaf’s “Warm Hug” heat outside, our television continues to play to the chilly tune of Disney’s hit animated film, “FROZEN”. I think we all can agree that this film, and every single product related to the film, isn’t frozen but instead it’s HOT! So popular are these items that they disappear from shelves almost as soon as store employees take the products out of their shipment boxes. The hunt for “Frozen” related items is often forefront in my mind when I’m out shopping. So as you might expect, when I gazed upon fluffy white Mod Podge Collage Clay, sparkly silver and bright blue Mod Melts, and over-sized jewel Mod Molds, I instantly thought of “Frozen”. Instead of searching for a “Frozen” product to purchase, I decided to make my own “Frozen”-INSPIRED item! I simply couldn’t wait to work on a Decoden project that would celebrate the famous Ice Queen.

Wondering what Decoden is?

Decoden is the art of decorating ANYTHING with trinkets, and “the more the merrier” is the name of the game in designing an over the top look in this 3-D collage technique. You can use Collage Clay with Mod Melts, buttons, rhinestones, and anything else you can think of! On top of your design add extra drama and dimension by using Drizzle Paint or make the project really sparkle with Podgable Glitters. Go for total indulgence – it’s welcome in Decoden!

Here’s how I made this “Frozen“-Inspired Princess Wand

Last week my daughter and I were out shopping and came across a wooden snowflake ornament (yes, in July!) Victoria immediately associated it with the movie “Frozen” and she wanted it. I instantly wanted to use it for this Decoden project! We went straight home with our snowflake ornament and a wooden dowel. My daughter took her nap and I was done making a “Frozen”-Inspired wand by the time she was up! It was that simple AND so much fun! Here are eight simple steps to help you create a Decoden Princess Wand too!

Step 1: Start by gathering up all of your supplies.

I was so pleased to have received from Plaid Crafts two packages of Mod Melts and three different Mod Molds to use for this project. Mod Melts are used with a high temp mini glue gun to create embellishments by applying the melts into the easy-to-use and durable silicone Mod Molds. I used Mod Melts from both packs but only used the Gem and Sea Life Mod Molds for this project.

Here’s the complete list of supplies needed for this project:

Snowflake ornament
Wooden Dowel
White Paint
White Mod Podge Collage Clay (Also available in the trend right color, Strawberry Pink, but I chose White, for obvious reasons.)
Blue and Glittery Silver Mod Podge Melts
Mod Podge Gem and Sea Life Molds
One Disney Frozen character button pin
High Temp Mini Glue Gun

Step 2: Make Embellishments using Mod Melts and Mod Molds

I opened both bags of Mod Melts and picked out the most beautiful glittery silver from one and bright icy blue Mod Melts from the other. With the help of my trusty glue gun, I got right to work making gems with the mod mold.

After allowing the mod mold to cool down for ten minutes, the gems easily popped right out! There wasn’t an ounce of mess left behind, so I filled them again to make more.

To create the snowflake embellishment, fill the starfish Mod Mold completely and then add the additional snowflake spokes to the starfish while it is still hot. Then at the end of each point, add an additional dab of the Mod Melt. My snowflakes each have ten points.

Step 3: Paint the wooden dowel white.

Step 4: While the paint is drying, lay out your Decoden design idea to make sure you like the look before you start applying the Collage Clay.

Now the fun really begins! Time to get out the College Clay!

Collage Clay is a lightweight whipped clay that can be used in all kinds of assemblage arts, like Decoden, 3D Collage, and 3D Stenciling. Included in each box is a Star Tip, Round Tip and a Wavy Tip, similar to the tips you’d use for decorating with icing. Honestly, the white Collage Clay really did look like icing, so much so, that my seven year old son said, “Can I have a bite?”. And that is why Mod Podge Collage Clay is not recommended for children 12 and under. As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, Collage Clay is NOT edible.

Step 5: Place aside the embellishments, attach the Star Tip to the Collage Clay bag, and apply it to the wooden snowflake.

Working with the Collage Clay was just like piping icing onto a cake. Once I piped my design onto the snowflake, all I had to do was place the embellishments onto the clay. It was that easy and a lot of fun. It was so simple and quick that I found myself searching around the house for other items I could decorate!

Step 6: Add Embellishments to the Collage Clay

Step 7: Secure the wooden dowel to the back of the snowflake with the help of a glue gun and some left over Mod Melts.

Step 8: For the final touches, add embellishment beads and ribbon to the painted wooden dowel.

One final tip: The Collage Clay does not set quickly. Within the first hour the clay started to harden and I was able to pick it up and let my daughter hold her new wand for a few minutes. (There was a lot of “Abracadabra” going on!) However, after the couple minutes passed, I put it back on the counter to cure for a few days. By the fourth day I felt it was completely set.

Here’s a close up of the completed Frozen-Inspired Princess Wand. Doesn’t the Collage Clay give it a perfect fluffy snow-like touch? My little princess is ready for some serious Elsa role playing!

So are you ready to Decoden? You can purchase all of these wondrous products at Michaels .

But wouldn’t it be great to win them all?
Enter to win this awesome prize pack from Plaid Crafts!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Can you imagine the awesomeness you can create with all that stuff? If not, here’s some inspiration brought to you by Plaid Crafts.

Do you love Mod Podge as much as I do? You can keep up with the latest and greatest Mod Podge craft ideas from Plaid by following them on Pinterest and Instagram! Don’t forget to “Like” them on Facebook!

For more crafting fun, you can check out The Plaid Palette or have Plaid send their news directly to your inbox by signing up for their newsletter! You can also find Plaid on Twitter and YouTube.

22
Jun
2014

Princess Belle Inspired Party: Decor, Activities and Party Favors

categories: Disney-Inspired Party Planning

Experiences Make Magical Memories

When I plan a party, I do my best to have all aspects of the party designed to compliment each other and tell the story of the party theme. With every turn, I try to submerge the guests in the theme of the day. Today I’m concluding my recap of my daughter’s Princess Belle inspired party by sharing with you the decor, activities and party favors. I’ve included them all in the same post, as it’s often the case that the decor of the party is part of an activity or a guest favor. For example, for this party, instead of handing out traditional favor bags for the children to take home, I planned two themed activities where the kids received the “favors” as part of an activity. At my daughter’s Princess Belle birthday party we had a total of 12 children attending, eight boys and four girls. The ages of the four girls were four, three and (2) one year old girls, so although the party was for a birthday GIRL, boys ruled most of this day. Needless to say, having a princess tea party wasn’t the best option for this party. I looked to Belle’s dad, Maurice, for some help.

Maurice’s Workshop

At Maurice’s Workshop each child had the opportunity to build a wooden bird house. At the end of the day, our little guests took home their caddy from this project, complete with safety glasses, magnifying glass, and measuring tape. I purchased the items inexpensively at the dollar store and from the Oriental Trading company magazine. Here’s a look at my son’s finished bird house.

Story time with Princess Belle

How could we have a Princess Belle inspired birthday party without Belle making an appearance to wish the birthday girl a happy birthday? Originally I wasn’t planning this activity, BUT Victoria’s big brother, Gavin announced while planning the party that Belle would “probably show up”. Well, with Victoria hearing those words, she believed it was going to happen. So what was a mom to do? I visited a local costume shop called Taney’s ( http://www.taneyscostumeshop.com/ ) hoping to find Belle two weeks before the party. Score! Even better, when I asked if the owner knew someone who could play Belle for the party, he recommend a local high school theater student named Ally. This was Ally’s first time playing Belle for a birthday party. I’m so happy she agreed! The moment my daughter saw Belle her birthday experience turned into pure magic!

Belle read the story of Beauty and the Beast to the children at the party. When she was done, she presented Victoria with the book. Each of the children attending received a personalized gift from Belle, which was a story book tailored to the child’s interests. Even boys like Belle when she hands out gifts!

Decor that doubles as guest favors

Guests were invited to pull up a chair and grab a book while dining in the “Beast’s Library.” If you’ve seen the animated film, then you know that Belle loves to read. Our local library has used book sales often. I stopped into the library, told them about the party and they helped me find the most wonderful classic books in mint condition. They were exactly what I was looking for to showcase Belle throughout the party, without putting Disney’s animated image of her on everything. Lesson learned: Never underestimate the power of a yard sale find when your planning a party.

Each family attending the party was sent home with one of the small photograph frames you see in the above photo. The frames invited adult guests to browse and take home a few of Beast’s books. Underneath the framed statement was a photograph of the birthday girl in her yellow dress that she wore at the party. Again, these weren’t expensive favors, since I found them for $1 a piece, but they were a simple reminder of Victoria’s special day.

When planning any party, I recommend checking your Dollar store and dollar bins at your favorite stores before purchasing any party supplies. You’ll be amazed at the inspiration you can find.

As the adults gathered up their children at the end of the party, Victoria really enjoyed handing out little chocolate roses in miniature treat boxes. The tags read, “Thank you for being my Guest. Love, Victoria”.

Here’s a tip you may not be aware of: Solid chocolate candy, when kept at a cool temperature, can last a really long time before going bad. I found our chocolate rose candies on clearance after Valentine’s Day. It was the only thing I purchased a head of time! However, the candy was still fresh the day of her party. Talk about a money saver!

Last but not least, if you’re planning a Princess Belle party, here’s a decor tutorial gift for you!

“Be Our Guest” inspired dinner plate garland tutorial

Does your daughter have a Belle tea set? Each set includes saucers. To make this super simple and cute table garland, take one of the saucers to your scanner and scan it. Edit the image by increasing the contrast just a touch so the highlights jump out at you and the colors become more vibrant. Increase the size of the image until the plate almost touches the sides of an 8 1/2″ x 11″ piece of white card stock paper. Then print and cut out the plates! I also traced the plates onto a thicker piece of card stock and add it to the pack of the plate. This made it stronger and also allowed me the ability to glue the ribbon for the garland between the back and front of each plate. Talk about a quick and inexpensive way to make the dessert table pop!

I hope this review of the decor, activities and party favors gave you a few new ways to look at designing your parties! One thing that I learned during the party…if it’s Victoria’s birthday party, make sure that the sugar cookie icing is yummy and a successful party is in bag!

21
Jun
2014

Princess Belle Birthday Party: “The dining room proudly presents…”

categories: Disney-Inspired Party Planning

Our Beauty and the Beast Inspired Lunch!

This photo was taken from http://blogs.disney.com/ — Photo courtesy of http://blogs.disney.com/

Today I’m continuing the recap of my daughter’s Princess Belle inspired birthday party by sharing the party’s food menu.

The menu was inspired by the animated film, “Beauty and the Beast”. The story line of the film took place in the fall and winter seasons so Lumiere, with his enchanted friends, offered Belle quite a hearty meal. Our party took place outside in the middle of the summer month of June, so I chose to serve a lighter menu but still tried to stay true to the film and the Be Our Guest Restaurant menu at Walt Disney World.

Here’s what our guest’s were treated to at the birthday party!

Appetizers

Mini Crescent Dogs (shown on Lumiere’s platter)
French Onion Dip Meatballs
Mini Spinach and Bacon Quiche
Brie Cheese with crackers

Entrée

Croissants
Bagels
French Rolls
Sandwich Rolls
Deli Meat Platter with Turkey, Roast Beef, Ham, various cheeses and condiments
Pommes Frites (French Fries)

Beverages

The drinks offered at the party where that of the average party- water, milk, white grape juice and a variety of sodas. In addition, I made this pretty pink punch.

http://www.food.com/recipe/baby-shower-pink-cloud-punch-125733

I used this recipe for the punch called, Pink Cloud Punch. I did tweak it and used raspberry lemonade- SUPER yummy!

Dessert

Talk about saving the best for last! If you know me, then you know that, similar to a three-year old, this is my favorite part of any meal. Who doesn’t love sugar? The color theme for the party was pink (a nod to the red rose) and yellow (a reference to Belle’s dress). I decided to keep with that theme when choosing and making items for the dessert table. In addition I looked to the Be Our Guest restaurant menu for dessert ideas.

Lemon cupcakes
Pink chocolate covered creme puffs
Rose sugar cookies
Princess Belle cherry and vanilla birthday cake (Didn’t Wegman’s bakery department do a wonderful job placing Belle in a pretty rose garden?)

“Try the Grey Stuff! It’s delicious! Don’t believe me? Ask the dishes!”

It really is delicious! Wondering what’s in the Grey Stuff? All things good! There’s vanilla pudding, whipped cream, Oreos…sound good? It’s super easy to make too! Here’s where I found the recipe.

http://www.thedisneydiner.com/2013/02/try-grey-stuff-its-delicious-heres.html

Cupcakes with pink and yellow iced rosettes on top. How can we leave out the chocolate lovers?
Yellow candy covered chocolates

Is your belly full now? I hope you enjoyed the menu! If you’re still hungry, check out the menu for the Be Our Guest Restaurant at Walt Disney World. I’m certain you’ll be wishing they offered delivery!

http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/be-our-guest-restaurant-lunch-menu/

Up next on the blog, this Sunday stop by to see the Princess Belle inspired party decor and activities! Have a great weekend everyone!

Tag: Disney Princess

Today I’m continuing the recap of my daughter’s Little Mermaid-inspired birthday party by sharing the food menu….which, I think, has the perfect touch of “nautical nonsense.”

Lunch Menu

Beverages

Dessert

Until then, I hope your days are MAGICAL!

Share this:

A summer party that’s “Under the Sea” couldn’t get any better than this (according to Sebastian, of course!)

Using Victoria’s request of green as my starting point, the party planning for my princess went swimmingly.

Decor, Activities and Party Favors

If you’re planning a Little Mermaid-inspired party this summer, I hope this post gave you a few ideas to help you along! If you’ve already hosted a Little Mermaid-inspired party, please share the details! I’d love to check out your party too!

Thank you for stopping by the blog today. Until next time, I hope your days are magical!

Share this:

The Magic of Mod Podge Collage Clay

Wondering what Decoden is?

Here’s how I made this “Frozen“-Inspired Princess Wand

Step 1: Start by gathering up all of your supplies.

Step 2: Make Embellishments using Mod Melts and Mod Molds

Step 3: Paint the wooden dowel white.

Step 4: While the paint is drying, lay out your Decoden design idea to make sure you like the look before you start applying the Collage Clay.

Now the fun really begins! Time to get out the College Clay!

Step 5: Place aside the embellishments, attach the Star Tip to the Collage Clay bag, and apply it to the wooden snowflake.

Step 6: Add Embellishments to the Collage Clay

Step 7: Secure the wooden dowel to the back of the snowflake with the help of a glue gun and some left over Mod Melts.

Step 8: For the final touches, add embellishment beads and ribbon to the painted wooden dowel.

Here’s a close up of the completed Frozen-Inspired Princess Wand. Doesn’t the Collage Clay give it a perfect fluffy snow-like touch? My little princess is ready for some serious Elsa role playing!

So are you ready to Decoden? You can purchase all of these wondrous products at Michaels .

But wouldn’t it be great to win them all? Enter to win this awesome prize pack from Plaid Crafts!

Can you imagine the awesomeness you can create with all that stuff? If not, here’s some inspiration brought to you by Plaid Crafts.

Do you love Mod Podge as much as I do? You can keep up with the latest and greatest Mod Podge craft ideas from Plaid by following them on Pinterest and Instagram! Don’t forget to “Like” them on Facebook!

Share this:

Experiences Make Magical Memories

Maurice’s Workshop

Story time with Princess Belle

Decor that doubles as guest favors

Last but not least, if you’re planning a Princess Belle party, here’s a decor tutorial gift for you!

“Be Our Guest” inspired dinner plate garland tutorial

I hope this review of the decor, activities and party favors gave you a few new ways to look at designing your parties! One thing that I learned during the party…if it’s Victoria’s birthday party, make sure that the sugar cookie icing is yummy and a successful party is in bag!

Share this:

Our Beauty and the Beast Inspired Lunch!

Today I’m continuing the recap of my daughter’s Princess Belle inspired birthday party by sharing the party’s food menu.

Here’s what our guest’s were treated to at the birthday party!

Appetizers

Entrée

Beverages

Dessert

“Try the Grey Stuff! It’s delicious! Don’t believe me? Ask the dishes!”

Is your belly full now? I hope you enjoyed the menu! If you’re still hungry, check out the menu for the Be Our Guest Restaurant at Walt Disney World. I’m certain you’ll be wishing they offered delivery!

http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/be-our-guest-restaurant-lunch-menu/

Share this:

But wouldn’t it be great to win them all?
Enter to win this awesome prize pack from Plaid Crafts!