DIY: Frozen Inspired Birthday Cake

Yikes, so much has been happening and this place got flat out neglected. Between computer changes, vacations, tantrums, and our new adventure into homeschooling, life has been kinda crazy.

 

Sorry about that.

 

Anyone out there anymore??

 

I have been getting many comments and messages asking if and when I will post about the cake I made for my daughter's Frozen party. Well...it's finally here!!

 

While I don't have step by step pictures, I will give links to recipes and techniques used. Hope that's good enough;)

 

First off...let me say that I am NOT a cake maker so I hope that is encouragement to anyone out there who wants to make pretty cakes (and doesn't want to shell out $50 or more for a birthday made by someone else).

 

Materials:

 

Wilton Romantic Castle Cake set

(I found mine on Craigslist for $5...score!)

 

Box cake mix or cake recipe of your choice

(I did three 8" layers)

 

Wilton buttercream icing recipe

(I doubled the recipe so that I had enough to crumb coat the cake and then frost it)

 

Wilton royal icing recipe

(tinted blue)

 

blue sugar sprinkles

 

clear crystal sprinkles

 

edible pearls

 

dowel rods

 

white chocolate melts

 

Glass hard candy recipe

(tinted blue with neon food coloring)

 

 

STEP 1: I baked the cake and leveled all the layers. I stacked them and applied a crumb coat with the buttercream. I placed it in the refrigerator.  

 

STEP 2: I made the royal icing and tinted it blue. I started on the plastic cones for the tops of the turrets. I used the petal method. I started at the base of the cone and went all the way around and then worked towards the point. I repeated the same method for the triangle piece for the center of the cake. I used a larger circle tip for them.

 

STEP 3: I used a small circle tip to outline the windows and door pieces with the same royal icing. I also topped them with the blue sprinkles and placed an edible pearl in the centers. I let all the pieces sit and dry (which doesn't take too long with royal icing).

 

STEP 4: I cut dowel rods the height of the cake (a little shorter) and melted the white chocolate melts. I dipped the rods into the melted chocolate and placed them on the bottom of the tower pieces and let them dry.

 

STEP 5: I pulled the cake out of the refrigerator and frosted it with the rest of the buttercream and put a dot border around it. I used more of the melted chocolate and dipped the bottom of the surrounding tower pieces (the ones I used around the cake) and placed them on the cake board and pressed them slightly into the side of the cake. I placed the triangle roof piece in the middle and then the three towers with the dowels into the top of the cake.

STEP 6: I dipped the cone pieces into the melted chocolate and placed them on top of the tower pieces. I then took more of the melted chocolate and drizzled it on top of the towers with a spoon to look like snow. I sprinkled some crystal sprinkles on top before it hardened and around the cake plate.

 



 

STEP 7: I made the glass hard candy and broke it into pieces and placed it around the top and base of the cake. This was the kids' favorite part of the cake! They thought it was so cool;)

 

STEP 8: My daughter had the Frozen play set from the Disney Store so I dipped the characters in the chocolate and placed them on the cake board.

 

DONE!

 

 

I hope that helped! I know my kids' birthday cakes haven't been and never will be "perfect" but I love the process of making them. And remember...your kid will think they rock no matter what;)

 

Happy Sunday!



A Cinderella Birthday Party

Back in the fall, my daughter decided she wanted a Cinderella party for her 5th birthday in March. Seeing as how that was months in advance, I was sure she would change her mind. She didn't, so we celebrated her 5th birthday in true princess fashion.

 

I made this castle out of white posterboard and blue cardstock. I got the idea here and knew I had to use it!

 

I found this glass slipper cookie cutter at a local bakery shop. I tinted the icing a real light blue and used sugar crystals on top:

 



I made some raspberry cheesecake truffles:

 



 

I used some leftover cake batter to make a few cake pops with my new amazing pan:

 



 

I found these little glitter pumpkins at the craft store in the fall clearance. They were $.10 each...score!

 

 

 

I made chocolate and vanilla cupcakes. For some of the cupcakes I made crown toppers made from sticks of chewing gum. I figured it was much faster and cheaper than fondant. I took a stick of chewing gum, cut points out of one long side, folded it around to make a circle (using a bit of water to keep it together) and then I brushed the front side with water and rolled them in pink sugar.

 

 

 

I made this simple banner the night before. I picked up silver tissue paper on clearance after Christmas. I cut rectangles, folded them in half, and cut slits on one side. They I glued them all to one long piece of yarn by folding the paper over the yarn.

 



I took our living room clock off the wall and set the time to almost midnight (and took the batteries out). I cut out silhouettes of Gus and Jaq. I got the idea for Jaq here but I decided to add Gus too...because he's a favorite;)

 



 

For party favors, I found a pack of nail polish in the Christmas clearance at Walmart and made my own labels in Photoshop. I printed the labels onto sticker paper and wrapped them around the bottles.

 



 

I knew I wanted to make Fairy Godmother wands for our guests. When I found these floral picks (5 for $1!) during Christmas, I thought they would make perfect wands. I tied on pink and silver ribbon to make them a little more special:



 

Outside, our princess guests were able to decorate their own crowns. I cut crowns out of posterboard (getting 6 crowns out of one $.50 sheet) and set out markers and stick on jewels. I got the sheet of jewels at Michael's for $1 (after a coupon) and cut the sheet into strips so each girl could have her own set. 

 

We had a great day celebrating our daughter turning 5!

 





Back to Real Life...

I have a few recipes and my daughter's 5th birthday party to share on here, but for now, we are trying to ease back into life after visiting The Happiest Place on Earth.

 

We are feeling the vacation hangover big time today. There is something so wonderful about no computer, no emails, and no laundry or dishes that makes vacation so wonderful. So, when I am back at the grocery store grind tomorrow, I'll imagine myself in this spot to get me through:

 

Getting Away: Disneyland

I still haven't shared about our Disneyland vacation back in September! I'm not shy about my love for Disney and this vacation (although it had many ups and downs) was still magical:)

 

We always stay in a cheap hotel across the street and what it lacks in amenities...it makes up for with a fireworks view!

 

 

 Baby boy's first time in the ocean:

 

Sandy baby toes:

Jack dumped all his goldfish crackers on the blanket and made a lot of bird friends within a few minutes. They were hoping he might share;)

 

 

The next day was Disneyland...I was almost too excited to sleep!

 

 

The princesses were our first stop and they did not disappoint! Mulan was our favorite:

 

 

 Cinderella + kitschy cuteness = perfection:

 

 

 Hello Minnie...nice to see you again!

 

 

Relaxing on a boat tour:

 

The parade is always the perfect ending to a perfect day. And yes...that would be Cinderella waving at MY daughter! She couldn't contain herself.

 

Counting down the days until we get to visit again!

DIY: Stenciled Mickey Shirt Using Bleach

I made my husband a Jack Skellington shirt last time we went to Disneyland so this year I decided to go classic and make him a Mickey shirt.

 

I have been seeing stenciled shirts using bleach all over blog land and decided to give it a try myself.

Materials:

 

t-shirt

 

spray bottle

 

bleach

 

freezer paper

 

iron

 

cardboard

 

STEP 1: Cut out a stencil of what you want your design to be out of freezer paper. Iron the shiny side down onto your surface.



STEP 2: Place cardboard in the middle of your shirt so the bleach doesn't soak into the back.

Mix a solution of 60% bleach and 40% water in a spray bottle (use more bleach depending on the color of your shirt. This shirt was dark...so I knew not much bleach would be needed.)

 

STEP 3: Spray bleach solution evenly over stencil and wherever else on the shirt you want. I sprayed evenly over the front to make it look more even. Depending on the color of you fabric...you will see the change in a few minutes.

 

STEP 4: Peel off the freezer paper after a few minutes so that it doesn't get soggy.

STEP 5: Once you are done applying bleach, soak the shirt in water for about 30 minutes to an hour. Then wring out thoroughly and wash in the washing machine to ensure all the bleach is out. I washed it with some of my cleaning towels just so I didn't waste a whole load on one item;)

 

I think it was quite an upgrade for the $.50 shirt I found at Joann!

Mickey Mouse Pie Crust Cookies

I found this little Mickey Mouse cookie cutter on eBay a while back and I love it! I had a pie crust in the refrigerator that needed to be used up, so in 10 minutes flat we were enjoying some cookies!

PIE CRUST COOKIES

roll out pie crust

parchment paper or aluminum foil

STEP 1: Roll out pie crust onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread a mixture of cinnamon and sugar over the top.

STEP 2: Cut out shapes with cookie cutters, peel away excess crust, and bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

I will definitely be making these for our next trip to Disneyland! Such a fun and easy treat;)

Happy Friday!