Archive for the ‘deep blue sea’ Category

And last but not least for our deep blue sea bash, we made a toss game to match our party theme. The great thing about this is you could change the shapes and fabric to match any kind of party theme. Here’s what you’ll need:

• 2 yards of coordinating fabric
• 3 pre-cut squares of coordinating felt
• plywood (or foam board if you don’t have a saw handy)
• fabric glue
• staple gun

And here are the super simple steps:

1. Have the hardware store cut your board to size (3′ x 4′) and have someone handy with a saw to cut your circular holes.
2. Cover the board with fabric using a staple gun.
3. Next find the center of each hole, cut a small slit and then cut strips folding the fabric back to cover the hole sides and stapling them in place.
4. Cut out a fish template from the felt and then a circle in the center, the same size as the hole in the board. Apply the fish with fabric glue.
5. Finally cut out numbers for each hole and apply those with fabric glue.

We placed ours on an easel that my hubby whipped up, but you could lean it against a tree or make small wooden feet for yours. As for what to throw, use either balls or beanbags and hand out prizes for all those who play! Happy crafting.

For our deep blue sea bash I also made flip flop crispy pops. I’ve mentioned before that my youngest has severe food allergies and these are a great non-dairy (and non-egg) treat. They’re really super simple to make and a great end of summer treat even if you’re not having a party!

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Rice crispy cereal
• Marshmallows
• Butter (Smart Balance Vegan for non-dairy)
• White cake icing 
• Gel food coloring
• Resealable bags (2 per color you plan to use)
• Icing connectors, #4 and #103 Wilton tips (both easily found at craft stores)
• Candy decorations
• Wax paper
• Lollippop sticks
• Flip flop cookie cutter (available with our sleepover decor)
• Toothpicks
• Optional: Clear cello bags and ribbon

And here are the super simple steps:

1. Lay out a piece of wax paper and grease your cookie cutter with a little bit of butter.
2. Make your rice crispy treats like you normally would and as soon as you can stand to touch them, while they’re still hot/warm, mold them into the flip flop cookie cutter (making your top as flat as possible for easy icing), set them aside and let them cool. TIP: A little butter on your hands will keep the crispy treats from sticking to you! (One batch should yield 8.)
3. Now tint your icing and separate each color into two bowls. One will be for flooding and the other for piping. We used green and blue to make them as boy-like as possible. {wink}
4. Insert your lollipop sticks. You want to do this before icing them. If you wait your icing could crack.
5. Insert your piping icing into a resealable bag with a #4 tip and connector. Pipe an outline, like you’re coloring a picture, around each flip flop you want that color and allow them to set for a minute. (Tip: You are creating a barrier for the thinned icing, known as flooding, so if you see any gaps between your barrier and your rice crispy, pipe in a little extra so that your thinned icing doesn’t run out.)
6. Insert the second set of icing, the same color as the barrier, into a resealable bag and heat it 10-15 seconds or until runny. Snip a small corner off the bag and pipe it into the center of your flip flop. You may need to pull the thinned icing to the corners with a toothpick. Allow the icing to set if you want it to be one color, OR using another color of thinned icing you can drip (for polka dots) or drag (for stipes) while the first color is still wet.
7. For the flip flop straps, use a #103 Wilton tip and start just next to where the big toe should be! {wink}
8. Embellish with a candy; we used stars. And since my guy was turning five, we also piped a five on each flip flop.

Here’s another shot showing how we displayed them in sand buckets!

Just be creative and let the kids join in. It’s a little messy, but super fun! Oh, and we made some shark, fish, turtle and seahorse chocolate pops too using a Wilton candy mold and colored chocolates.

I’ll share our splash bash favors with you tomorrow! Happy baking everyone.

I showcased a few ocean party ideas from Family Fun magazine in yesterday’s post. Today I’m sharing a few more for the royal princess living in your midst.

This first one, a beautiful shell crown, is a must for any mermaid princess. You’ll need:

• Heavy cardstock large enough to encircle your child’s head
• Tiara or crown template available at FamilyFun.com/magazine
• Small shells (large shells will be too heavy and weight down the craft paper)
• Tacky glue or hot glue
• Sand
• Glitter

And here are the simple steps to make this beautiful crown:

1. Using the template provided by Family Fun, draw and trimout the design. (A cutting mat and staight edge would be helpful.)
2. Place your shells and then affix them with glue.
3. Before the glue drys completely sprinkle on sand and glitter to fill in the open spaces.
4. Allow the crown to dry and then secure it into a circle that will fit your child’s head.

This next craft is too adorable and perfect for photo ops. You’ll need:

• Flat bedsheet
•  Washable marker
• Nondimensional fabric paint (e.g., DecoArt SoSoft)
• Felt
• Fabric glue

And here are the super simple steps:

1. Lay the bedsheet down on a hard flat surface and have your child lie down in the center so that his or her neck lines up with the top edge.
2. Using the washable marker, trace the child’s body and then sketch the design on top of the outline. (See the mermaid in the upper right corner.)
3. Now use the fabric paint to create your mermaid. 
4. I’ve added my own twist here. Paint the mermaid tail, but then embellish it with glitter felt (the craft store usually has pink and purle!) scales.
5. Hang your sheet on a laundry line to dry and let the magic begin.
6. NOTE: Follow the package instructions for setting the paint and laundering the sheet.

Happy crafting!